Rating: 
Diamond Naturals Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
Currently, the Diamond Naturals line includes twelve dry kibbles… eight for adults, two for puppies, one for overweight dogs and one for seniors. Here are a few examples…
- Diamond Naturals Adult Beef Meal and Rice Adult
- Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete
- Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Lamb and Rice
- Diamond Naturals Large Breed Lamb and Rice
- Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal and Rice Lite
- Diamond Naturals Senior 8 Plus Formula
- Diamond Naturals Small Breed Puppy
Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Chicken and Rice Formula was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Chicken and Rice
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice, egg product, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), millet, beet pulp, potatoes, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, fish meal, potassium chloride, choline chloride, dried chicory root, yucca schidigera extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, l-carnitine, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.3%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dry dog food is chicken. Raw chicken contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost… reducing the meat content to just 20% of its original weight.
That’s what makes uncooked chicken a much smaller contributor to the overall protein content of a dry dog food… than chicken meal.
Which just happens to be the second ingredient in this Diamond Naturals product. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate containing nearly 300% more protein per ounce than fresh chicken.
The third ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. This is considered a quality grain ingredient.
The fourth item is brown rice. Brown rice is another quality grain ingredient. It (too) is a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The next item lists egg product… a processed form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary. Lower grade egg products can even come from commercial hatcheries… from eggs that have failed to hatch.
The actual quality of this item depends on the caliber of the raw ingredient purchased by Diamond.
In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
The sixth ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from “rendering” chicken… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is notably high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. A quality ingredient.
Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient… a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.
Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health benefits.
We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is completely acceptable.
This dog food contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to proteins. This process can make them easier to absorb than non-chelated minerals.
Diamond Naturals Dog Food… the Bottom Line
This Diamond Naturals Dog Food has many of the markings of a well-designed kibble.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 30%, a fat level of 18% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 44%.
The nutrient gauges suggest this Diamond Naturals product to be an above-average dry dog food.
And the quality of the listed ingredients as well as the lack of any serious Red Flag items both tend to verify that finding.
None of the twelve products in the line appears to have any glaring flaws (a not-so-common feat)… making it a cinch to award Diamond Naturals a decisive four stars.
Highly recommended.
Some Final Thoughts
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult your veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food brand… or maybe the review itself?
Please feel free to share your comments below.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m in the process of switching my two small dogs (Chug and Dachshund) to the Diamond Naturals Chicken and Rice…they both absolutely LOVE it!
I tried this brand for 60 days on my kennel of 20 dogs. I had nothing but massive amounts of sloppy stools on 50-60% of the dogs. I have a strick worming parasite regimen so you can rule that out. I do not understand why based on the ingredients, but I will never feed it again. I have switched to another brand slightly more expensive and the volume of stool is dramatically less and firm.
Diamond Company products caused our dogs to scratch and bite at the feet, legs, and sides until sores and bald spots began to appear on our older dogs. Our older dogs stopped eating it. We changed to a brand not made by this company, and our younger dogs recovered after about two weeks. Our older dogs are still recovering. We will NEVER buy anything from this company again.
@ Laura: I highly doubt that Diamond Naturals food caused the behaviors you are describing. Is this your diagnosis, or that of a professional canine veterinarian?
I have used Diamond dog foods since Wayne’s went Yuppy with Sensible Choice quite a few years ago and I love it. My labradors have shiny glossy dense coats year round and bright eyes too. The stools are normal and no allergies at all. Don’t blame the food until you have fully researched all data. Flea treatments, vaccines, weed sprays, familial history, heart worm meds, swimmers ear, eating weeds or stools, etc.. 25 years, been there, tried others for kicks, went back to Diamond. Oh and I LOVE the price!
we switched from kirkland lamb and rice to diamond naturals lamb and rice. we thought it would be about the same,but actually the stools were better firmness,which was important for our 14yo who does not always make it to the door
I have been doing rescue for over 10 years and routinely have 10-12 dogs living in my home. I have used Diamond brand for about 7 of those years, beginning before they called the no corn, no soy products “Naturals”. I have been very pleased with this food, the dogs all eat it well, they look good and stools are generally firm although how much so differs from dog to dog.
With DN I can avoid the contents that are more likely to cause allergies, such as corn and it is very reasonably priced, especially given the quality. This is an important consideration when feeding a pack of dogs. I don’t want to give up quality for price so it is good to see a good product that doesn’t bankrupt me.
We tried Diamond with our two German Shepherd mix dogs and they did not tolerate it well. But to be fair, they are very sensitive to food choice. They have done best on Royal Canin German Shepherd, but the price has gone up so much and they have reduced the size of the bag, we are looking for an alternative. Like we are dumb enough to think that the price hasn’t gone up as much – I just have to go to the pet store more often.