Eukanuba Natural (Dry)

by Mike Sagman
Share

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Eukanuba Natural Dog Food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3 stars.

Currently, the Eukanuba Natural product line includes five kibbles… each designed around a “natural lamb and rice” recipe.

We found no AAFCO nutritional adequacy recommendations for these dog foods on the Eukanuba website.

  • Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice Adult
  • Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice Puppy
  • Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice Senior
  • Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice Large Breed
  • Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice Weight Control (2 stars)

Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice Adult Dog Food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.

Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice Adult Formula

Dry Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 26% | Fat = 16% | Carbs = 51%

Ingredients: Lamb, brewers rice, corn meal, ground whole grain sorghum, fish meal (source of fish oil), chicken meal, ground whole grain barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), dried egg product, dried beet pulp, chicken flavor, potassium chloride, brewers dried yeast, salt, sodium hexametaphosphate, choline chloride, calcium carbonate, Fructooligosaccharides, minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, potassium iodide, cobalt carbonate), dl-methionine, vitamins (ascorbic acid, vitamin A acetate, calcium pantothenate, biotin, thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, niacin, riboflavin supplement (source of vitamin B2), inositol, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), vitamin E supplement, beta-carotene, rosemary extract

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis23%14%NA
Dry Matter Basis26%16%51%
Calorie Weighted Basis22%33%45%

The first ingredient in this dog food is lamb. Although it’s a quality item, raw lamb contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just 20% of its original weight.

After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.

Which brings us to brewers rice, the second and (more likely) the dominant ingredient in this dog food. Brewers rice represents the small grain fragments left over after milling whole rice.

This is a cheap cereal grain by-product and not a quality ingredient.

The third ingredient is corn meal, a coarsely ground flour made from dried corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

For this reason, we do not consider corn a preferred component in any dog food.

The fourth ingredient lists sorghum. Sorghum (milo) is a starchy cereal grain with a nutrient profile similar to corn.

Since it is gluten-free and boasts a smoother blood sugar behavior than other grains, sorghum may be considered an acceptable non-meat ingredient.

The fifth ingredient is fish meal. Because it is considered a meat concentrate, fish meal contains almost 300% more protein than fresh fish itself.

Unfortunately, this particular item is anonymous. Because various fish contain different types of fats, we would have preferred to have known the source species.

Fish meal is commonly made from the by-products of commercial fish operations.

What’s more, the controversial chemical ethoxyquin is frequently used as a preservative in fish meals.

But because it’s usually added to the raw fish before processing, the chemical does not have to be reported to consumers.

We find no public assurances from the company this product is ethoxyquin-free.

Without knowing more, and based upon this fish meal’s location on the list of ingredients, we would expect to find only a trace of ethoxyquin in this product.

The sixth ingredient is chicken meal, another high-protein meat concentrate.

The seventh ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. Unlike grains with a higher glycemic index (like rice), barley can help support stable blood sugar levels in dogs.

The eighth 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 high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The ninth ingredient is dried egg product, a dehydrated form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries — from eggs that have failed to hatch.

In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.

The tenth item lists dried beet pulp. 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 and blood sugar 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 entirely acceptable.

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 three notable exceptions…

First, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Non-chelated minerals are usually associated with lower quality dog foods.

Next, this recipe contains fructooligosaccharide… an alternative sweetener1 probably used here as a prebiotic. Prebiotics function to support the growth of healthy bacteria in the large intestine.

And lastly, sodium hexametaphosphate, a man-made industrial polymer with no known nutritive value.

HMP is used in making soap, detergents, water treatment, metal finishing and most likely here to decrease tartar build-up on the teeth.

Although some might disagree, we’re of the opinion that food is not the place for tartar control chemicals or any other non-nutritive substances.

Eukanuba Natural Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Judging by its ingredients alone, Eukanuba Natural Dog Food looks to be an average kibble.

But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 26%, a fat level of 16% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 51%.

Due to its apparently lower meat content, we have elected to award the Weight Control product a lower rating.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 26% and a mean fat level of 14%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 51% for the overall product line.

Below-average protein. Below average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.

Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this is the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Eukanuba Natural Dog Food is a grain-based dry kibble using a moderate amount of lamb meat and fish meal as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 3 stars.

Recommended.

Those looking for a comparable kibble from the same company may want to read our review of Eukanuba Naturally Wild 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 brand… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.

Other spellings: Eukenuba, Eucanuba

Notes and Updates

11/14/2009 Original review
06/10/2010 Review updated
11/04/2011 Review updated
11/04/2011 Last Update

  1. Wikipedia definition ↩
Dog Food Advisor IconThe Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.


Tagged as: , , , , ,
  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi J Curry… Unfortunately, the only folks that would actually known the true answer to your question would be the manufacturer. You’ll probably do better to call the company with your question.

    In addition, you may also wish to read my article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews” Hope this helps.

  • sandy

    J Curry,

    You might want to ask customer service at Eukanuba, and we would love to hear what answer they give you.

  • J Curry

    Where are the ingredients from and where is Eukanuba made?
    Also, where is the Eukanuba Small Breed dog food made ad where re the ingredients from.
    Thank you, Jean

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Loni… Even though your praise of this product is based upon your dog’s individual experience, our reviews are never based upon results. This fact is stated at the end of every review on this website. It is based upon the label contents only. Ingredient quality and apparent meat content. And nothing else.

    Using these criteria only, this rating is appropriate for this product. Hope this helps explain our differences. Thanks for writing.

  • Loni

    I keep coming across these middle of the road reviews on this food. My dog has extremely sensitive skin and gets ear infections like you wouldn’t believe. After 4 years of trying every high end and natural dog food on the market I gave in and bought Eukanuba Natural Lamb & Rice Large Breed, just to find something she wasn’t allergic to. I thought for sure since it was Eukanuba that I would end up throwing it out after a week, but I’ll be honest, my dogs skin hasn’t looked this good since she was 3 months old. She hasn’t had 1 ear infection and she likes it a lot. It fills her up too, she isn’t begging for food in the middle of the night anymore and her weight is better than its ever been. I really can’t tell you how much of a difference it has made on her, so why is it that its rated so low on EVERY site? One site even rated it below supermarket brands!

  • http://amalgamationspp.com Peter Paul

    @Cait:

    Hi cait. I am all over the internet looking for the best dog to give my lab. I heard quite interesting things about Eukanuba and learned that most Eukanuba products have grain-based formulas combined with chicken and chicken by products as their main source of animal-based protein.

    Grains, particularly corn grains are hard for dogs to digest and chicken by-products are known to cause skin problems to dogs.

    I am currently feeding my dog this product from Australia called Vitality High Energy which promises to have lamb meat and beef in them, but even that, I’m really not sure all the other ingredients in it is good for my dog.

    I am seriously considering raw feeding my dog or probably cook meat medium-rare. This is the only way I can think of to ensure my dog has a high protein diet.

  • Cait

    So, this isn’t a horrible food to feed your dog??
    I’ve really been researching different dog foods recently, because a woman that I work with was telling me how she gives her dogs the BEST organic food (I cannot recall the brand), and she researched all dog foods and she will only give her dogs the BEST. When I told her I feed my dogs Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice she shrugged, “It’s alright.” Which gave me the impression that it wasn’t good and she didn’t want to offend me.
    To be honest I thought Eukanuba was suppose to be a great dog food, I’ve always heard pretty decent things about it, and I chose the Lamb and Rice because it sounded better than the regular Eukanuba, plus my specific breed of dogs have sensitive skin and stomachs so I thought it would be good for them.
    Both of my dogs seem to like it, and I haven’t had any problems with them while they have been on it. . .and I don’t mind the price. So, honestly I just want to know if Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice is a good food (obviously looking at the ratings there are better and worse), but I will feel better knowing I’m not feeding my dogs crap. . .

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Roger… Most dry dog foods look this way when they list a whole meat in the first position. As I mention, after cooking, the moisture is lost and the meat’s impact on the finished product is less (thus it would be in a lower position on the ingredients list if that list was organized after cooking).

    Compare almost every food I review. You’ll see a similar pattern. Always keep in mind, most all kibbles are carb based. The carbs (grains, tubers, etc.) are the predominant ingredient in dry foods. So, this is a nearly perfect example of a 3-star product.

    For a better understanding, re-read the whole review.

  • Jonathan

    Roger, it still has an average amount of protein, with no plant based protein boosters, meaning it has an average amount of meat. If you wonder why it’s a three star food, look at some two star foods. This food doesn’t contain any synthetic vitamin K, BHA, animal by-products or generic animal fats or meats.

  • Roger Prows

    I am confused as to how this gets a 3 star rating when the likely true first ingredient (and quite possibly the second as well) are cheap filler ingredients and the meat base is extremely low.

  • anthony

    all this time i’ve been feeding my 15 month old german shepherd eucanuba only to find it’s not even a 5 star food. I guess it’s an ok food cause he seems to like it, but it’s a big hit on the pocket.