Rating: 
Nutro Natural Choice canned dog food earns the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of three stars.
Currently, the Nutro Natural Choice product line includes twenty canned dog foods… each designed for dogs of specific sizes, life stages, lifestyles or health conditions.
All meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for their intended animals.
- Nutro Natural Choice High Energy
- Nutro Natural Choice Lite (2 stars)
- Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Senior
- Nutro Natural Choice Adult Lamb and Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Lamb and Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Senior Lamb and Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Senior Lamb and Pasta
- Nutro Natural Choice Senior Turkey and Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Senior Chicken and Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Adult Lamb, Duck and Pasta
- Nutro Natural Choice Adult Original Lamb and Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Adult Turkey, Lamb and Pasta
- Nutro Natutal Choice Adult Herring and Sweet Potato
- Nutro Natural Choice Adult Chicken, Rice and Oatmeal
- Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Adult Lamb and Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Weight Management
- Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Chicken, Rice and Oatmeal
- Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy Lamb and Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Adult Chicken and Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy Chicken and Rice
Nutro Natural Choice Adult Lamb and Rice canned dog food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Nutro Natural Choice Adult Lamb and Rice
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken broth, lamb, chicken, beef liver, chicken liver, rice gluten, beef, ground rice, sunflower oil, natural flavors, guar gum, brewers dried yeast, salt, potassium chloride, carrageenan, sodium ascorbate (source of vitamin C), ferrous sulfate, choline chloride, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, zinc oxide, vitamin E supplement, copper proteinate, manganous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, potassium iodide, sodium selenite
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.5%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken broth. Broths are nutritionally worthless. But because they add moisture to a dog food they are a common finding in many canned products.
The next two ingredients are lamb and chicken. Lamb and chicken are both naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The fourth and fifth items list beef liver and chicken liver. These items are both organ meats sourced from named animals. So long as they’re not over-weighted in a dog food, liver can be considered a nutritious addition.
The sixth ingredient is rice gluten. Rice gluten is the residue from rice after the removal of most of the starch and germ.1
Technically speaking, rice is gluten-free. So, it’s better to think of this ingredient as simply a rice protein concentrate.
No matter what you choose to call it, rice gluten is still capable of increasing the protein content of any dog food. What’s worse, the biological value of rice protein is inferior to that of meat.
The seventh ingredient is beef. Beef is defined as “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cattle” and includes skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.2
Beef is another quality addition.
The eighth ingredient mentions ground rice. Is this whole grain rice, brown rice or white rice? Since the word “rice” doesn’t tell us much, it’s difficult to judge the quality of this particular item.
The ninth ingredient lists sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is high in linoleic acid… an essential omega-6 fatty acid needed by every dog to sustain life.
But the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in a food is nutritionally critical… and can vary significantly (depending on the quality of the source ingredient itself).
There are several different types of sunflower oil… some better than others. Without knowing more, it is impossible to judge the quality of this ingredient.
After the natural flavors, we find guar gum… a thickening agent found in many wet pet foods. Refined from dehusked guar beans, guar gum can add a notable amount of dietary fiber to any product.
From here, the list goes on to include a few 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.
Finally, this product 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.
Nutro Natural Choice Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Nutro Natural Choice canned dog food appears to be an acceptable wet product.
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 39%, a fat level of 32% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 22%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 37% and an average fat level of 26%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate portion size of 29% for the full product line.
Below-average protein. Above-average fat. And average carbs… as compared to a typical canned dog food.
With many of the foods in this Nutro Natural Choice line benefiting from the protein-boosting effect of the rice or wheat gluten, this looks to us like the profile of a wet product containing a moderate amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Nutro Natural Choice canned dog food is primarily a meat-based wet product using a moderate amount of poultry or lamb as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand three stars.
Recommended.
Those looking for a better wet food from the same company may wish to check out our review of Nutro Max canned dog food.
A Final Word
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
12/18/2009 Original review
07/25/2010 Review updated
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Yes. I am pleased with the rarting in general and the fact is that after having just read about the dry formula of this brand, I am now planning to ween both my dogs off of, for a better dry product. I am pleased to see that their canned food,( which I stay away from Lamb, dock or veal) is not as bad ofr them . Just today I saw their new chicken and liver and was surprised to find my 11 year old dog, was not i’ll after eating it. He is sanative to the smallest changes.My two years old, normally had been intolerant to products with liver. To my surprise hes fine as well. So the great news is I am still impressed. However I already mostly by ones wthout added rice and I think after reading this report. I will be sure to only allow them the rice I make for them and will be more carefull.
I am concidering changing their canned food If I find after my reserch theres better ones out there for them.
Always our dogs aree like our kids. If we wouldn’t wat it, they shouldn’t either.