Nature’s Recipe Dog Food Reviews: 4 Advantages (and 2 Cons)
About the Company
Today I’ll be reviewing Nature’s Recipe dog food. This brand has been around for more than 30 years, and they make both dog and cat food.
They’re part of the Big Heart Pet Foods group of companies, which is owned by Smuckers. Other dog-related made by Big Heart Pet Foods include MilkBone, Natural Balance, Gravy Train, and other recognizable names.
Premium Marketing
Natures Recipe dog food markets itself as a brand that focused on natural ingredients before other companies were doing so. Their story revolves around creating health and happiness for you and your pet through nutritionally vibrant foods that provide a rounded, balanced diet. Whether or not they live up to that claim, however, will be decided in the analysis below, when you can find natures best dog food!
Overall Rating:
Dry Food
Canned Food
Nature Recipe Dog Food Reviews
Many reviews penalize Nature’s Recipe for being part of the same company that makes some lower quality foods and treats, but I don’t think it’s necessarily correct to penalize Nature’s Recipe for their parent company.
Pros
Formula Variety
You can find Natures Recipe dog food review for all sorts of different foods because Nature’s Recipe makes foods for every type of pet. From easy to digest formulas to small breed formulas, you can find something that fits your dog’s condition and size perfectly.
Meats And Meat Meals
Most foods in Nature’s Recipe lines have meat or meat meal as the first and second ingredients. Considering the natural recipe, dog food reviews agree that this is crucial to see. Dogs need healthy, named animal proteins sources, and this food can provide that.
Affordable
It’s not a huge point to mention, but this food is very affordable for most owners. This can be a deciding factor for many owners, so it’s worth mentioning here.
Good Carbohydrate Sources
The carbohydrates in most foods from Nature’s Variety are not top-tier carbohydrates, but they are so much better than the heavy, low nutrition carbohydrate sources used in other affordable options. Potatoes, oatmeal, and barley are a few such carbohydrates.
Cons
Not Everything Is Grain-Free
Many Nature Recipe dog food reviews that are negative point to the same thing. The brand markets itself as grain-free, but not all of their foods are truly grain-free. This is a common problem in dog food these days, but it’s disappointing to see such a promising brand commit the same mistake.
Not Good For Sensitive Stomachs
With the exception of the easy-to-digest formulas, many of the foods may cause dogs with sensitive stomachs to suffer from gas or loose stool. This is because of the grain included with middle-of-the-road carbs and the extra additives that don’t agree with their stomachs.
Nature Recipe Dog Food Reviews of Ingredients
Let’s get into the heart of my Nature Recipe dog food review by breaking down the ingredients in the most popular dry food, Nature's Recipe Grain-Free Salmon, Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Recipe.
- Crude Protein (min) 27%
- Crude Fat (min) 12%
- Crude Fiber (max) 4%
- Moisture (max) 10%
Real salmon is the first ingredient in this food, so I already love it. Salmon meal is the third ingredient. Having a good protein source is key in a good kibble, and they have hit the mark with their choice to use real salmon. The fat comes from generalized poultry fat, which isn’t perfect but is better than the overreaching animal fat that is in many other foods.
The carbs in this food are not from grains which I love. The main carbohydrate source is potatoes, which is a middle range carb, but sweet potatoes are also included. I love sweet potatoes as a carbohydrate source, so this is great.
Pea protein is included in this food, which is controversial to some owners, but I don’t think it’s a big concern. There is plenty of animal protein in the salmon and salmon meal to balance out the plant and animal proteins.
As far as digestion goes, the food has pumpkin and apples, which are both good sources of fiber. Oatmeal and barley are additional fiber sources.
Overall, this is an above average kibble that is healthy and doesn’t have many unnecessary ingredients.
Nature Recipe Dog Food Recall History
There have not been any Nature Recipe dog food recall notices in the past two years.
In 2012, however, Nature’s Recipe issued a voluntary recall for one of their products. To me, this is more of a positive sign than a negative sign, as they took it upon themselves to issue a recall that was not completely necessary. This proves that they want to show their customers they care.
Is Nature's Recipe a Good Dog Food?
No matter what kind of food you’re looking to feed your dog, Nature’s Recipe has a food that will suit them:
Overall, this is a decent brand that you can feed your dog, and they’ll live a relatively healthy life. It's not the best dog food around, but it is a great dog food. Other Natures Recipe reviews agree.
Consider Nature’s Recipe for your next affordable dog food brand option.
