Rating: 
By Nature 95% Meat Dog Food earns the Advisor’s highest rating of 5 stars.
The By Nature 95% Meat product line includes four canned dog foods, each claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for growth and maintenance.
The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review:
- 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
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 10% | 8% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 46% | 36% | 10% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 32% | 61% | 7% |
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 empty. 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 and thus considered a beneficial component.
The next three items are all plant-based thickening agents…
- Guar gum
- Cassia gum
- Carrageenan
Guar gum is found in many wet pet foods. Refined from dehusked guar beans, guar gum can add a notable amount of dietary fiber to any product.
Carrageenan is a gelling agent extracted from seaweed. Although carrageenan has been used as a food additive for hundreds of years, there does appear to be some recent controversy regarding its long term biological safety.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.
With one notable exception…
This food also 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% Meat Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Based upon its unusually short list of quality ingredients, By Nature 95% Meat looks like an above-average 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%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 46% and a mean fat level of 36%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 10% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 78%.
Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs 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.
However, with 61% of the total calories in this food coming from fat as compared to just 32% from protein, this product may not be appropriate for every dog.
Bottom line?
By Nature 95% Meat is a grain-free canned dog food using an abundance of beef and poultry as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.
Enthusiastically recommended.
Those desiring a lower fat content for their pet’s diet may wish to look elsewhere for a another product.
For an organic wet food from the same company, please be sure to visit our review of By Nature Organics canned dog food.
Special Alert
Rice ingredients can sometimes contain arsenic. Until the US FDA establishes safe upper levels for arsenic content, pet owners may wish to limit the total amount of rice fed in a dog's daily diet.
A Final Word
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However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.
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Notes and Updates
04/27/2010 Original review
11/27/2010 Review updated
08/26/2012 Last Update
- Association of American Feed Control Officials definition ↩
