Rating: 
By Nature 95% Meat Dog Food earns the Advisor’s highest rating of five stars.
The By Nature 95% Meat product line includes four canned dog foods… each designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for growth and maintenance.
- By Nature 95% Beef
- By Nature 95% Chicken
- By Nature 95% Turkey and Bacon
- By Nature 95% Beef, Chicken and Liver
By Nature 95% Chicken was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
By Nature 95% Chicken
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken, chicken broth, chicken liver, guar gum, cassia gum, carrageenan, salt, minerals (iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, cobalt amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, sodium selenite, potassium iodide), inulin, potassium chloride, vitamins (vitamin E, A, B12, D3 supplements, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, riboflavin supplement), choline chloride, flaxseed oil, taurine
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 6.8%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first item in this dog food lists chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.1
Chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient lists chicken broth. Broths are nutritionally worthless. But because they add moisture to a dog food they are a common finding in many canned products.
The third ingredient is chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal. So long as it’s not over-weighted in a dog food, chicken liver is a beneficial component.
The next three items are all plant-based thickening agents…
- Guar gum
- Cassia gum
- Carrageenan
We note this dog food contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.
By Nature 95% Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Based upon its unusually short list of quality ingredients, By Nature 95% Meat looks like a quality canned dog food.
And with a name that includes the phrase “95% meat”, we would expect our nutrient gauges to confirm a high protein content.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 46%, a fat level of 36% and estimated carbohydrates of about 10%.
All products in the line feature the same nutrient percentages as our selected example product.
Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And very low carbohydrates carbohydrates when compared to a typical canned dog food.
With no sign of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a canned product containing an abundance of meat.
Those looking to mimic a dog’s natural ancestral diet, this product line makes an excellent choice.
Bottom line?
By Nature 95% Meat is a meat-based canned dog food using an abundance of beef and poultry as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand five stars.
Enthusiastically recommended.
For an organic wet food from the same company, please be sure to visit our review of By Nature Organics canned dog food.
A Final Word
This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.
For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
04/27/2010 Original review
11/27/2010 Review updated
- Association of American Feed Control Officials definition ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.