Rating: 
Natural Balance Vegetarian dry dog food gets the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of two stars.
The brand’s vegetarian product line lists just one dry dog food… designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.
Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Brown rice, oatmeal, cracked pearled barley, peas, potato protein, canola oil, potatoes, tomato pomace, vegetable flavoring, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, flaxseed, potassium chloride, choline chloride, taurine, natural mixed tocopherols, spinach, parsley flakes, cranberries, l-lysine, l-carnitine, Yucca schidigera extract, kelp, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B-1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B-6), vitamin B-12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B-2), vitamin D-2 supplement, folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first item lists brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The second ingredient is 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 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 includes peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re rich in natural fiber.
The fifth ingredient 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 good portion of the reported protein in this dog food.
The sixth 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.1
The seventh ingredient lists potato. Assuming they’re whole, potatoes are a good source of digestible carbohydrates and other healthy nutrients.
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.
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, we find no evidence of probiotics… friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.
And lastly, this food does contain chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.
Natural Balance Vegetarian Dry Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Going by its ingredients alone, Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula appears to be a low-protein dry dog food.
Now, this is the point in our review where we usually try to estimate how much meat is present in the food.
But of course, this Natural Balance Vegetarian recipe is (by design) a meatless product.
So, 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 two 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 20%, a fat level of 9% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 63%.
Low protein. Low fat. And unusually high carbohydrates… when compared to a typical dry dog food.
These figures reflect the fact this is surely a meat-free kibble.
However, even for a vegan product, this one is particularly light on protein… a number just barely meeting AAFCO nutrient guidelines for adult maintenance.
Bottom line?
Natural Balance Vegetarian is a meat-free dry dog food probably using its potato protein as its main source of protein… thus earning the brand two stars.
Not recommended.
Those looking for a wet vegan food from the same company may wish to visit our review of Natural Balance Vegetarian 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
01/09/2010 Original review
08/15/2010 Review updated
01/16/2011 Review updated
- 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.