Rating: 
Natural Balance Vegetarian canned dog food earns the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of three stars.
The Natural Balance Vegetarian product line lists just one canned dog food… designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.
Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Water for processing, ground brown rice, cracked barley, oatmeal, canola oil, carrots, potato protein, tomato pomace, fresh potatoes, dehydrated potatoes, natural flavor, peas, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, natural hickory smoke flavor, cassia gum, carrageenan gum, sodium chloride, taurine, potassium chloride, spinach, parsley, cranberries, zinc sulfate, Yucca schidigiera extract, ferrous sulfate, 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, calcium iodate, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D2 supplement
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 6.8%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food lists water… which (of course) adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.
The second item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The third ingredient lists 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 fourth ingredient lists oatmeal… a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, fiber and is (unlike many other grains) mostly gluten-free.
The fifth item is 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.1
The sixth item includes carrots. Carrots are high in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The seventh item is potato protein… the dry residue remaining after removing the starchy part of a potato. This product contains over 80% plant protein. So, it will almost surely account for a notable part of the protein in this food.
Tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient… a by-product left after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.
Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content… while others scorn it as a cheap pet food filler laden with pesticides found on the skin of the tomato before processing.
Just the same, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.
The ninth item includes potato. Assuming they’re whole, potatoes are a good source of digestible carbohydrates and other healthy nutrients.
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…
We note the minerals 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 Vegetarian Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Natural Balance appears to be an average canned dog food.
Now, this is the point in our review where we usually try to estimate how much meat is present in the dog food.
But Natural Balance Vegetarian is (by design) a vegan product… meatless.
Now, before we continue…
Please understand we do recognize the need for some dog owners to provide (for whatever reason) a completely meat-free diet.
However, we also respect a dog’s natural carnivorous bias. For this reason, the highest rating awarded any vegetarian dog food found on this website can never exceed three stars.
That said, and before we determine our final rating… let’s estimate how much plant-based protein might be present.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 23%, a fat level of 14% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 56%.
Low protein. Below-average fat. And high carbohydrates… when compared to a typical canned dog food.
As you’d expect, this is obviously the profile of a canned dog food containing no meat.
But allowing for the quality of the vegetarian ingredients, we’re inclined to overlook the lower protein content of this food and award it an acceptable three stars.
Incidentally, this product should only be offered to adult dogs. It should not fed to puppies or pregnant or lactating females.
Bottom line?
Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula is a meatless canned dog food most likely using potato protein as its main source of protein… thus earning the brand three stars.
If a vegetarian diet is your goal (a strategy we cannot scientifically endorse), then Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula may be worthy of your consideration.
Recommended.
Those looking for a higher protein wet vegetarian product may wish to visit our review of Evolution Diet canned 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
08/14/2010 Review updated
- Mikkelson, B and DP, Oil of Ole, Urban Legends Reference Pages (2005) ↩
