Rating: 
Natural Balance Ultra canned dog food gets the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
The Natural Balance Ultra product line includes six canned dog foods… five designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages and one for adult maintenance (Reduced Calorie).
- 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 worthless. 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. So long as it’s not over-weighted in a dog food, lamb liver is a beneficial component.
The fourth ingredient includes carrots. Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The fifth ingredient is oat bran… a nutritious by-product obtained by 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. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The seventh ingredient is potato. Assuming they’re whole, potatoes are a good source of digestible carbohydrates and other healthy nutrients.
The eighth ingredient lists dehydrated potato… a dried product made from potatoes and retaining most of the tuber’s healthy nutrients.
The ninth ingredient includes lamb meal… another protein-rich meat concentrate
The tenth ingredient includes canola oil. Most applaud canola for its favorable omega-3 content… while a vocal minority condemn it as an unhealthy fat.
Current thinking (ours included) finds the negative stories about canola oil more the stuff of urban legend than actual science.2
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 one notable exception…
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
Natural Balance Ultra appears to have many of the hallmarks of a quality 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 32% for the overall product line.
Average protein. Average fat. And near-average carbohydrates… as compared to a typical canned dog food.
With no evidence of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a wet product containing at least a moderate amount of meat.
In addition, it’s important to acknowledge the absence here of any critical Red Flag items.
Bottom line?
Natural Balance Ultra is primarily 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 four 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.
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 a specific health benefit 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
01/10/2010 Original review
08/16/2010 Review updated
08/16/2010 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) ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.