Rating: 
Natural Balance Ultra canned dog food gets the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4 stars.
The Natural Balance Ultra product line includes six canned dog foods, five claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages and one for adult maintenance (Reduced Calorie).
The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.
- Natural Balance Original Ultra Premium
- Natural Balance Ultra Reduced Calorie
- Natural Balance Ultra Chicken
- Natural Balance Ultra Lamb
- Natural Balance Ultra Liver
- Natural Balance Ultra Beef
Natural Balance Ultra Premium Lamb canned dog food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Natural Balance Ultra Premium Lamb Formula
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Lamb, lamb broth, lamb liver, carrots, oat bran, brown rice, potatoes, dehydrated potatoes, lamb meal, canola oil, dried kelp, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, guar gum, choline chloride, natural hickory smoke flavor, carrageenan, zinc sulfate, Yucca schidigera extract, ferrous sulfate, parsley, vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), sodium selenite, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin A supplement, riboflavin, calcium iodate, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B-12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 6.8%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 8% | 5% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 36% | 23% | 33% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 29% | 44% | 26% |
The first ingredient in this dog food lists lamb. Lamb is considered “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered” lamb and associated with skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.1
Lamb is naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient includes lamb 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 lamb liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The fourth ingredient includes carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The fifth ingredient is oat bran, a nutritious by-product obtained from milling whole grain oats. The bran is the fiber-rich outer layer of the grain containing starch, protein, vitamins and minerals.
The sixth item is brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest. However, aside from its natural energy content, rice is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The seventh ingredient is potato. Potatoes can be considered a gluten-free source of digestible carbohydrates. Yet with the exception of perhaps their caloric content, potatoes are of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The eighth ingredient lists dried potatoes, a dehydrated potato product usually made from by-products of a food processing plant. This item is equal to corn in calorie content yet possibly with more protein.
The ninth ingredient includes lamb meal. Lamb meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh lamb.
We’re always surprised to find a meat meal in a canned dog food. However, because this is an animal based protein, it must still be considered superior to almost any plant-based ingredient.
The tenth ingredient includes canola oil. Many applaud canola for its favorable omega-3 content while a vocal minority condemn it as an unhealthy fat.
Much of the objection regarding canola oil appears to be related to the use of genetically modified rapeseed as its raw material source.
Current thinking (ours included) finds the negative stories about canola oil more the stuff of urban legend than actual science.2
In any case, plant-based oils like canola are less biologically available to a dog than fish oil as a source of quality omega-3 fats.
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 have much of an effect on the overall rating of this product.
With two notable exceptions…
First, carrageenan is a gelatin-like thickening 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.
And lastly, 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.
Natural Balance Ultra Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Natural Balance Ultra looks to be an above-average canned dog food.
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 36%, a fat level of 23% and estimated carbohydrates of about 33%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 37% and a mean fat level of 23%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 33% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 62%.
Near-average protein. Near-average fat. And above-average carbs as compared to a typical canned dog food.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a canned dog food containing a moderate amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Natural Balance Ultra is a meat-based canned dog food using a moderate amount of species-specific meats as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.
Highly recommended.
Those looking for a kibble from the same product line may wish to visit our review of Natural Balance Ultra dry 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
The descriptions and analyses expressed in this and every article on this website represent the views and opinions of the author.
Although it's our goal to ensure all the information on this website is correct, we cannot guarantee its completeness or its accuracy; nor can we commit to ensuring all the material is kept up-to-date on a daily basis.
Each review is offered in good faith and has been 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 analyze each product, please 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 qualified veterinary professional for help.
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Notes and Updates
01/10/2010 Original review
08/16/2010 Review updated
05/26/2012 Last Update
- Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for beef published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, 2008 Edition ↩
- Mikkelson, B and DP, Oil of Ole, Urban Legends Reference Pages (2005) ↩
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