Rating: 
Natural Life dry dog food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3.5 stars.
The Natural Life product line includes ten dry dog foods.
Since we could not find any AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements for these products on the Natural Life website, we’re unable to report life stage recommendations.
- Natural Life Adult Complete
- Natural Life Puppy Complete
- Natural Life Senior Complete (2.5 stars)
- Natural Life Adult Lamaderm Formula
- Natural Life Puppy Lamaderm Formula
- Natural Life Adult Vegetarian Formula (2 stars)
- Natural Life Complete Duck Meal and Potato (3.5 stars)
- Natural Life Complete Turkey Meal and Barley (3.5 stars)
- Natural Life Adult Complete Venison Meal and Rice Formula
- Natural Life Weight Management Lamaderm Formula (2.5 stars)
Natural Life Adult Lamaderm Formula was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Natural Life Adult Lamaderm Formula
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Lamb meal, ground brown rice, oatmeal, ground grain sorghum, poultry fat (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols, citric acid, and ascorbyl palmitate - a vitamin C ester), ground flax seeds, natural flavors, linseed meal, dried beet pulp, potassium chloride, dried kelp, choline chloride, dl-methionine, Yucca schidigera extract, natural antioxidants, vitamin supplements (E,A,B2,B12,D3), niacin, calcium ascorbate, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, inositol, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous proteinate, manganous oxide, cobalt proteinate, potassium iodide, sodium selenite, rosemary extract
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food lists lamb meal. Lamb meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh lamb.
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 is oatmeal… a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, fiber and is also (unlike many other grains) gluten-free.
The fourth item is sorghum. Sorghum 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 lists poultry fat. Poultry fat is obtained from rendering… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Poultry fat is high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. However, we consider poultry fat lower in quality than a single-species item (like chicken fat).
The sixth ingredient mentions ground flaxseed… one of the best vegetable sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Plus the seeds are naturally rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber.
After the natural flavors, we find linseed meal… a by-product left after extracting all the oil from linseed (another name for flaxseed). High in inferior plant-based protein, this item can exaggerate the protein reported in this dog food.
The seventh 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, we find no mention of probiotics… friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.
Next, we do note this food contains 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.
And lastly, this Natural Life product also contains menadione… a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.
Natural Life Dry Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Natural Life 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 24%, a fat level of 11% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 57%.
Due to their apparently lower meat content, the Senior and Weight Management Recipes and (meatless) Vegetarian product were downgraded to our next lower star category.
If we eliminate the lower-rated products detailed above, the remaining group features an average protein content of 28% and a mean fat level of 15%.
Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 50% for the overall product line.
Below-average protein. Low fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
When you consider the use of the protein-boosting corn gluten and linseed meals in some of the products, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.
However, it’s unfortunate the company chose to include menadione in its recipes. Without this controversial supplement, we may have been compelled to award this brand a higher rating.
Bottom line?
Natural Life is a grain-based dry dog food using a only a modest amount of poultry or lamb meals as its main sources of animal protein1 thus earning the brand 3.5 stars.
Recommended.
Those looking for a wet food from the same company may wish to visit our review of Natural Life canned dog food.
Some Final Thoughts
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 your veterinarian for help.
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Notes and Updates
03/22/2010 Original review
10/22/2010 Review updated
07/23/2011 Review updated (2 new recipes added, Senior Lamaderm discontinued)
- Excluding the meatless Vegetarian Formula ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.