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The 10 Best Natural Dog Foods

The recipes you see on shelves vary as the pet food market changes. Many include unnatural substances that may cause serious health issues for your dog in the future. Pet owners are finding out that recipes they used to use for their pets are now completely dangerous.

There are more fantastic options on the market now than ever before. If you want a more natural or holistic approach, look for natural dog meals on the market. But how can you know which is the best natural dog food?

Here are the BestForPets (bestforpets.org), some of the best natural dog foods for your pets that we could think of. We hope that our reviews will help you find the recipe that will make your dog the healthiest version of itself. 

Buying Natural Dog Food: A Buyer's Guide

We understand how critical it is to offer a healthy diet for your dog. After all, a bad diet can cause a variety of health problems that can be costly and life-threatening for your dog. The following information will help you purchase for natural dog food that is healthy.

What Exactly Is Natural Dog Food?

Natural dog food can refer to a variety of things, but the overall consensus is the same. They utilize less synthetic additives and opt for heartier and healthier options. They often get their components from high-quality suppliers, ensuring that organic or well-raised foods are used in production.

You must be cautious at times since, even if something purports to be natural dog food, the contents reveal all. Even with natural dog food, unique triggers that might upset allergies or sensitivities may exist. As a result, it’s critical to carefully read the whole contents list to ensure you get the proper product for your dog’s nutritional needs.

Natural vs. Organic

You may believe that because dog food is branded natural, it must be organic. That, however, is not the case. Unless expressly labeled as USDA-approved organic, the ingredients are not. So, if you’re shopping for organic dog food, make sure it plainly specifies that it contains organic ingredients so there are no misunderstandings or marketing blunders.

Natural Dog Food Varieties

Natural dog food comes in a wide range of flavors. Each has its own set of goals and advantages, so consult with your veterinarian to determine which is best for your dog’s requirements.

Size and age of the breed

When it comes to guaranteeing your dog’s peak performance, it’s critical to feed them according to their life stage. Formulas are created to nourish all breeds, from miniature to enormous. Some go so far as to purchase a breed-specific food.

Every Stage of Life

All life stage recipes are designed to suit the nutritional needs of puppies to seniors.

Puppies

Puppy formulas provide a variety of nutrients that will keep your developing puppy healthy. They frequently include beneficial substances such as glucosamine, chondroitin, and EPA. These nutrients aid in the development of your dog’s body, allowing it to grow strong and healthy. Puppy meals are also strong in protein, which is important for growing muscles.

Adults

Adult dog food is intended for maintenance. Once your dog is completely matured, these recipes cater to the ordinary dog’s health, providing components that aid in everyday wellness.

Seniors

Seniors require entire body support, particularly in their joints. Many senior meals are low-calorie, high-protein diets that include joint-supporting ingredients such as chondroitin and glucosamine.

Types of Recipes

The ingredient combinations that comprise each formula are referred to as recipe kinds. They are divided into several groups. Here are a few of the most common—all of them can be completely genuine in substance.

Daily Nutrition

Everyday nutrition recipes are excellent all-inclusive formulations created for ordinary healthy folks.

Diet with Few Ingredients

To achieve a perfectly balanced diet, limited ingredient diets utilize fewer additives. Several dogs with food allergies require these recipes in order to avoid many common triggers and routine diet meals.

Grain-Free

Grain-free diets have sparked significant debate over the years. Grain-free recipes remove gluten sensitivity triggers by avoiding grain components. So, unless you’re supplementing or mixing with a grain-inclusive meal, be sure your dog doesn’t have a grain sensitivity before committing.

Stomach Sensitive

To relax the digestive tract, sensitive stomach recipes include easy-to-digest components. To provide energy, they frequently consume soluble carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes and other vegetable starches.

Ingredients to Look Out For

Simply because something is branded as natural does not always imply that it is the type of “natural” that you desire. The fact that anything branded with natural tastes might include up to 100 distinct synthetic components for one natural ingredient is intriguing.

Additionally, keep an eye out for colours, artificial preservatives, and fillers. These products have little nutritional value and offer nothing to the meal. Some may potentially cause long-term damage to your dog.

This is problematic since it is a marketing fault. Many people are mislead by marketing strategies that appear to be appealing but are not.

Conclusion

Did our evaluations assist you in locating what you were searching for? If you need a refresher, recall how much we adore the JustFoodForDogs Sampler Variety Pack. It is a fantastic introduction to the world of fresh food and delivers substantial, nutrient-rich sustenance to any dog, regardless of age.

If you want to save money while still eating natural, we recommend Purina ONE Natural SmartBlend Lamb & Rice. It is a protein-rich mix that has everything your dog requires to thrive—while eliminating all artificial flavors and additives.

If you don’t have one, Nature’s Logic Canine Beef Meal contains a completely natural, clean formula that is suitable for adult dogs, including those with sensitivities.

Lotus Oven-Baked Kibble for Pups contains a thorough natural recipe for puppies. The right nutrition for your dog throughout their early years is critical, and this meal meets the bill—but wet food with glucosamine or DHA may be a wonderful complement.

Castor Pollux Organix Organix Chicken is recommended by our veterinarians. It is a high-quality dog food, filled with nutrients that all healthy adults require. We appreciate that it is made entirely with USDA-approved ingredients.

Your dog will benefit from the cleaner components regardless of the natural feed you pick.

BestForPets (bestforpets.org) hopes our evaluations and guide assist you in finding the best natural dog foods.

Reviews

Best Value: Natural SmartBlend Purina ONE

  • Lamb, rice flour, full grain maize, whole grain wheat, and chicken byproduct meal are the main ingredients.
  • 26.0% protein content
  • 16.0% fat content
  • 380 calories per cup

Consider Purina ONE Natural SmartBlend Lamb & Rice if you want a more natural approach to dog food at a reasonable price. It is the finest natural dog food for the money since it is an all-natural formulation at a lower cost.

This dish is completely solid, with plenty of healthful antioxidants and readily digested grains. Lamb is the first component, followed by rice flour and whole grain maize. This recipe has no corn, wheat, or soy. Corn can sometimes be too harsh or upsetting to some dogs’ digestive systems.

It also contains byproducts that may not be suitable for everyone. So, while the quality of this dog food is somewhat lower than our top pick, it is still a better alternative than many commercial dog feeds on the market.

This formula also contains glucosamine, which can help strengthen your dog’s joints at any age. It also contains an antioxidant combination of vitamin E, vitamin A, zinc, and selenium for a strong immune system overall.

Pros

  • Affordably priced alternative
  • Ingredients added for joint support
  • Uses an unusual protein source

Cons

  • Ingredients that may cause irritation

 

Canine Beef Meal Feast by Nature’s Logic

  • Beef meal, millet, chicken fat, and pumpkin seed are the main ingredients.
  • 34.0% protein content
  • 15.0% fat content
  • 375 calories per cup

Nature’s Logic Canine Beef Meal Feast is one of the more costly alternatives on our list, but we believe the ingredient list is well worth it. This organic dog chow is composed entirely of organic materials.

This is a grain-free recipe with non-GMO millet that is low glycemic and ideal for dogs with a variety of dietary allergies. It also includes no MSG and no hydrolyzed proteins, wheat, soy, rice, maize, or soy. To keep the nutrients intact, all of the components are lightly processed.

Instead, dried chicory root, alfalfa nutritional concentrates, pumpkinseed, and dried fruits and vegetables substitute these common constituents. It contains several antioxidant-rich components, including blueberries, spinach, dried kelp, and cranberries.

It contains active probiotics and digestive enzymes to help normal digestion, in addition to a long list of wonderful nutrients. All carbohydrates are easily digestible. Furthermore, you may feed this to your dog at any age. Even if you have the same urine dog, these recipes will work perfectly.

Pros

  • Every stage of life
  • GMO-free ingredients
  • Gut health with live probiotics

Cons

  • Expensive

 

Vet’s Choice: Organix Castor Pollux

  • Organic chicken, organic chicken meal, and organic oatmeal are the main ingredients.
  • 26.0% protein content
  • 15.0% fat content
  • 383 calories per cup

Castor Pollux Organix Organic Chicken is a dish approved by our on-staff expert veterinarians. It has exactly the proper amount of all-natural treats that are devoid of harsh and hazardous substances.

This meal has a decent quantity of protein, measuring 26% according to the confirmed analysis. And any dog can benefit from a lovely list of organic components in general. Organic chicken, chicken meal, and oatmeal are the first three components.

It contains USDA-certified nutrients that are good for your dog’s skin, coat, and organ function. It is also made in small amounts to give soluble fiber along with fruits and vegetables. We also like the calorie count on this meal because it is ideal for a mid-range lifestyle.

Because this is a grain-free formulation, it will not work for all dogs unless mixed with an appropriate dry kibble. Otherwise, this delectable, nutrient-dense hydration formula will suit any dog.

Pros

  • USDA-approved ingredients
  • Calories that are ideal for the majority of healthy folks
  • Vet-recommended all-natural formula

Cons

  • Not suitable for all dietary requirements.

 

Adult Nutro Natural Choice

  • Deboned lamb, chicken meal, brewers rice, full grain brown rice, split peas, and chicken fat are the main ingredients.
  • 22.0% protein content
  • 14.0% fat content
  • 320 calories per cup

Overall, we like Nutro Natural Choice Adult Lamb with Brown Rice. This is an adult maintenance diet, which means it is designed specifically for healthy people with no known allergies. It is a very well-rounded nutrition option that contains natural components that nourish all of your dog’s internal systems.

This company is all about natural nutrition. We specifically picked this one since it has lamb as the first component, which is a rather unusual and nutrient-dense protein in many regular diets.

Instead of potentially irritating grain elements, this grain-inclusive diet includes brewers’ rice, whole grain brown rice, and split peas as an easily digested carbohydrate source.

Although the protein and calorie content of this meal are reasonable, we recommend it for healthy people with low to moderate exercise levels. This formula is not appropriate for high-energy breeds.

This formula is devoid of GMOs, byproducts, maize, wheat, and soy. It is high in Omega fatty acids, antioxidants, and the necessary vitamins and minerals.

Overall, we believe that this is fairly priced for the ordinary budget, and the components are undoubtedly of high quality, being human grade and molasses-free.

Pros

  • Ingredients of human origin
  • Provides a well-balanced diet
  • GMO-free

Cons

  • Because of the low protein content, it is not suitable for high-energy dogs.

 

Sea to Stream Acana Wholesome Grains

  • Whole Atlantic herring, whole mackerel, whole catfish, herring meal, mackerel meal, catfish meal, oat groats, whole sorghum are the main ingredients.
  • Protein percentage: 31.0%
  • 17.0% fat content
  • 371 calories per cup

Acana Wholesome Grains Sea to Stream Fish & Grains is a grain-free dish that includes freshwater fish. This dry kibble has a lot of good stuff, such oat groats and whole sorghum as carbohydrate sources instead of potentially irritating grains.

On the assured analysis, the protein level in this recipe is 31%, which is much more than the typical dog food. However, the calorie consumption is reasonable, so it will suit a wide range of healthy individuals with varying levels of exercise.

Protein from whole Atlantic herring, whole mackerel, whole catfish, herring meal, macro meal, and catfish meal will still be beneficial to them. Because it contains so many fish components, this dog chow is loaded with omega-fatty acids.

Its purpose is to feed the neurological and circulatory systems. It also includes a specialized heart-healthy vitamin pack. It also has no artificial ingredients and is devoid of gluten, potatoes, and legumes.

Pros

  • There are no irritants in this product.
  • A fantastic source of fatty acids
  • It includes a special heart-healthy vitamin pack.

Cons

  • Pricey
  • Some dogs may dislike the flavor.

 

Taste of the Ancient Wild Mountain

  • Lamb, lamb meal, grain sorghum, millet, cracked pearled barley are the main ingredients.
  • 25.0% protein content
  • 15.0% fat content
  • 411 calories per cup

Taste of the Wild Ancient Mountain with Ancient Grains was a hit with us. This grain-free formula has a host of fantastic components that are particularly intended to promote the natural health of your dog’s primordial roots.

We just want to make it clear that this dish is rich in fat and carbs. That is, the high caloric content mixed with the fat can cause weight gain in those with moderate to low exercise levels. As a result, we believe this dog food is best suited to high-energy dogs.

This solution combines live pre and probiotics to regulate gut health and ensure proper digestion. It also contains a high concentration of antioxidants, omega fatty acids, glucosamine, and chondroitin, which give entire body support at all stages of life.

The major protein, lamb, is a novel protein for most dogs and is less likely to cause allergies.

Pros

  • Prebiotics and probiotics that are breed-specific
  • intended to be a natural diet
  • Excellent stuff for all phases of life.

Cons

  • High calorie and fat content
  • Weight gain is possible.
  • Only for active dogs

Author Image

Dr. Deborah Fletcher

Deborah R. Fletcher, DVM, is a skilled veterinarian with more than 15 years of experience dealing with companion and exotic animals. She has experience caring for a variety of animals, including household cats and dogs, reptiles, birds of prey, and even primates. Dr. Fletcher is a valuable part of the BestForPets team, where she contributes to their aim of providing pets and their owners with the finest possible treatment and services.

Veterinarian (DVM) Dr. Deborah Fletcher

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