Rating: 
Nutro Natural Choice dry dog food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of three stars.
Currently, the Nutro Natural Choice product line includes sixteen dry dog foods… each designed for dogs of specific sizes, lifestyles, life stages, or health conditions.
All meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for their intended animals.
- Nutro Natural Choice Puppy
- Nutro Natural Choice Senior
- Nutro Natural Choice High Energy
- Nutro Natural Choice Lite (2 stars)
- Nutro Natural Choice Small Bites Puppy
- Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Adult
- Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy
- Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Senior
- Nutro Natural Choice Lamb Meal and Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Herring Meal, Rice and Potato
- Nutro Natural Choice Small Bites Lamb Meal and Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Venison Meal and Whole Brown Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Adult Chicken Meal, Rice and Oatmeal
- Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Adult Lamb Meal and Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy Lamb Meal and Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Weight Management (2 stars)
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Adult Lamb Meal and Rice dry dog food was chosen to represent the others in the line for this review.
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Adult Lamb and Rice
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Lamb meal, ground rice, rice flour, rice bran, pea protein, whole brown rice, poultry fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), lamb, dried plain beet pulp, natural flavors, soybean oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), sunflower oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), egg product, potassium chloride, salt, taurine, dried kelp, vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, choline chloride, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), biotin, copper proteinate, niacin supplement, potassium iodide, vitamin a supplement, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (source of vitamin B2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), sodium selenite, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food lists lamb meal. Because it is considered a meat concentrate, lamb meal contains almost 300% more protein than fresh lamb itself.
The next three items are all rice ingredients… ground rice, rice flour and rice bran. Though they’re a mixture of both high and low quality cereal grains, there’s a bigger issue to consider here…
The questionable practice of ingredient splitting.
If you were to combine all three items, the rice would likely occupy a higher position on the list… probably nudging out the lamb meal to become the predominant ingredient in this food.
The fifth ingredient is pea protein… what’s left after removing the starchy part of peas.
Compared to meat, pea protein is a cheaper (and inferior) source of protein. Yet its inclusion here can boost the protein content of this dog food.
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 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. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, poultry fat is actually a quality ingredient.
The next ingredient is lamb. Although it is a quality item, raw lamb contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost… reducing the meat content to just 20% of its original weight.
After processing, this item would probably occupy a lower position on the list.
The ninth 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.
After the natural flavors, we find soybean oil… flagged here only due to its controversial (yet unlikely) link to canine food allergies.
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 three notable exceptions…
First, we find no evidence of probiotics… friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.
Next, we 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.
Unfortunately, this Nutro dry dog food also contains menadione… a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.
Nutro Natural Choice Dry Do Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Nutro Natural Choice dry dog food appears 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 27%, a fat level of 14% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 51%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 26% and an average fat level of 13%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate proportion of 53% for the full product line.
Below-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbohydrates when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Yet when you consider the plant-based protein-boosting effect of the pea protein (and for some products the corn gluten), this is the profile of a kibble containing only a modest amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Nutro Natural Choice dry dog food is a grain-based kibble using only a modest amount of various named meat meals as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand three stars.
Recommended.
Those looking for a better kibble from the same company may wish to check out our review of Nutro Ultra dry 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
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow I wished I had done my homework thre years ago. Thats when I started my sinourdog on Nutro dry and canned alike. I must have read the lable many a time and like many dog owners. Beliived in that if i were buying a higher priced product, with a name like Nutro. I thought oh that means netural and great. That I was buying a great product. My vet has never advised me diffrent. In fact I have a 2nd dog now and he advised me not to keep giving the younger one pup food seprate from my older dogs. So after he turned 1 and and I changed him up from puppy to sinour as the vet adviced. Our vet said the sinour brand was better for the pup.
My older dog will be 11 next month. The other turned two. Adding both their weight toghther comes to 24lbs of little dogs. I am going to spend at leadt the next hour or two, however long it takes tonight. To find a brand that is both Great for their health, not full of bi-products and proven healthy I do hope. I am going t read about all the ingrediants and if I find none I will be happy with. I will do what we used to do with our old dog who diid of old age and was much bigger. We made our own dog foods with a specail recipe book ion natural cooking for dogs. I do have to admit one thing however. This food has not lead my dogs to developing any health issues thus far. My 11 years old is even happy healthy and even free of / arthritis.
Thank You Kindly for this great advice!
I have 7 dogs, 3 small (under 15 pounds) and 4 large (over 70 pounds). It was suggested that I feed my dogs Nutro by a friend of mine who has a rescue shelter. I saw a noticable improvement in their coats soon after starting them on Nutro dry food. I have fed Nutro for the past 4 years. They have all done well on it but because it is so expensive and we go through alot of dog food in a week I have started researching other options. I am shocked to find out this is not a high quality food because I have certainly been paying a high quality price for it. One reason I have continued to use it is because of the glucosamine and chondriotin but I have found an alternative that contains more of both ingredients.
Ultra is Nutro’s high end, high quality food product but Nutro Natural Choice is also good. I and other friends I know have used it for years with no problems, healthy dogs, no vet problems, good teeth, coat, poops etc. Have you even tried it with your dog??
Mrs. Clark – given your positive experience with Nutro, “This food has not lead my dogs to developing any health issues thus far. My 11 years old is even happy healthy and even free of / arthritis.”, I am surprised that you would consider changing to something else. I, too, have fed my dogs (seven of them) Nutro foods for the last 4 years. They have had no health issues and they are living happy, energetic, healthy lives. Why would I change them to something else? We are still very happy with the Nutro line of foods, treats, and biscuits.
Rescue Mom – all of my dogs are rescues. We have a very happy, healthy pack. Most dog foods have some glucosamine and chondroitin in them. Some have more than others. No dog food you are able to buy off the pet specialty store shelves has enough of those two items to make a huge difference. If your dog has arthritis or some other bone/joint condition which requires these, you definitely need to supplement their diet to provide clinical levels (which will make a difference).
I have no need or reason to change foods just because the “Advisor” says they think (in their opinion) it is sub standard. My experience with the food says otherwise. Also, my experience with the company has been outstanding. Every question answered completely to my satisfaction. I have a very healthy family of dogs as well as people (smile).
Hi Mike… we only rate dog foods on two parameters… the quality of the reported ingredients as well as an estimate of the amount of animal based protein present in a product. There are admittedly many other ways to rate a dog food product. We do not field test dog food for that is the duty of many other sites (and readers) who openly discuss products.
If you’ve been using Nutro with success, then by all means, continue to do so. We maintain a database of over one thousand products (still growing). So far, this dog food resides at the lower end of our scale for the likely amount of meat-based protein present. It also contains menadione… which is considered by many to be a “controversial” (though not necessarily bad) ingredient.
We certainly don’t claim to be all knowing or infallible… so we periodically re-visit each dog food. And over time our reviews evolve to reflect changes in both the product as well as our own opinion.
We really appreciate your opinion and promise to take your comments into consideration as we re-evaluate this food in the future.
My 8 year old vizsla (female) was just diagnosed with Addison’s disease. She’s been on Nutro Natural Choice foods for most of her life. Of course I have no idea whether diet is related to her condition (loss of adrenal function). One issue the vet suggests is to consider RAISING the sodium in her food. She’s now on the Senior formulation which has 0.3% sodium. Unfortunately I can’t find much info about sodium content in many dog foods. Curious if anyone has suggestions –
Hi David… Unfortunately, most dog food manufacturers do not publish their products’ sodium content. But many of them will share the numbers with you if you call their customer support departments.
I can’t say this is the greatest dog food ever, but my experience is that it has been helpful to my dog so far. He has tested positive to several of the minor vegetable ingredients that are common in many foods with more ‘complex’ recipes. This food’s simplicity seems to have quieted his allergic response. I sure wish it were lower carb. I just wanted to chime in with a possible reason why the experience of other posters seems to be more positive than your review would suggest. Finding a simple recipe dry food is a challenge.
Hi Laurie… We may have selected an “example” product (Lamb Meal and Rice) that may not properly represent a typical Nutro Natural Choice dry dog food. In the last few months we have begun computing the average for all the dog foods in a particular product line.
Within the next 30 days we will be updating Nutro with our improved system. So, be sure to check back shortly. It’s quite possible we could be changing the rating of this dog food.
We have 2 shih tzu/bishon. They have both been on nutro ultra puppy and then transitioned to the natural lamb & rice. My boy has always had problem stools (hard & pebbly). For about the last month my girl has been regularly vomiting her food back up. My boy started about a week ago. Vet check shows signs of under nutrition: thinning frame, whitening gums, otherwise good health. Neither of them have ever been too interested in eating this food but I thought it was a really good dog food. So today I took back the recently opened natural choice bag. I went to buy Wellness Core but my local store didn’t carry it so Blue Wilderness it is. They both ate very well and I am looking forward to a positive change and report on the Blue.
Reposting to appropriate Nutro site. What a lot of information this site provides! There are some great suggestions/recommendations provided by other readers, particularly Laura. Great, rotation is always a good philosophy in everybody’s diet – four paws/humans. What I have not seen is any discussion about the Nutro NC (Lite) claim to “guaranteed coat and skin improvement”. Petsmart Nutro rep used this as the biggest sell point for my dog with allergy problems. Not taking a reps word, I asked other buyers about this claim – they agreed and highly recommended the product for those reasons. I have moved slowly to both the dry and wet formulas.
Any insight or comments on these particular points?
Hi Beverly,
I’m Sue the one that left the comments for Laura about how I rotate my dogs’ food between Evo, Orijen, Acana, Fromm’s etc., all the time. I just read your question about Nutro NC Lite. Nutro carries 3 grades of their dog food. Nutro Max is the bottom, Natural Choice is the middle line and Nutro Ultra is their premium. If you go to their website and see the ingredients for Nutro Natural Choice Lite, you might not believe the claims. Here’s the list I copied and pasted from their website:
Ground Rice, Lamb Meal, Rice Bran, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Powdered Cellulose, Lamb, Natural Flavors, Yeast Culture, Soybean Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Calcium Carbonate, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Potassium Chloride, Monosodium Phosphate, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Egg Product, Dried Kelp, Magnesium Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Copper Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Folic Acid.
Rice is listed twice in the first 5 ingredients. Powdered Cellulose is a cheap fiber filler. Dried beet pulp, another filler, is 4th and only 1 meat product in the first 5. It uses synthetic Vitamin K (Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex) a contorversial item! Also, this is a lite food. People don’t really need to feed a lite food, they just need to feed their dogs less food or give them more exercise! Kind of the same as humans. We need to eat less or exercise more to stay at the right weight. When you are feeding a good food the cost is not really much more. They eat less of it for the same or more nutrition. Less poop to clean up too because it is metabolized better and has less fillers. Our lab got a little bit heavy over the winter, so we just fed her less, per our vet’s direction. She looks great!
When talking to sales reps or other buyers, people may say the Nutro food is great for their dogs, but what were they feeding their dogs before this? Maybe a really bad dog food, which would make Nutro an improvement. Some people also feed table scraps, which would enhance the dogs food to some extent.
Sorry I made this so long. I hope Beverly gets a chance to see this. Great work with this site Mike! People can feed whatever they want, but the information is helpful.
Good post Sue! people come into my store all the time looking for “lite” dog food. and it drives me nuts! There is nothing good about lite dog foods. they just remove a bunch of healthful meat and fat and replace it with crappy carbs which will just turn into sugar, then fat. kind of counter productive, really. plus, the dog is hungry all the time because they crash off their blood sugar high soon after eating, making them lethargic, thus they burn less calories. It’s simple. you can loose weight eating steak and eggs every day… you just have to eat the correct amount of it! Calories in, calories out. Don’t buy gimmicky “lite” dog food! the only thing it’s lite on is the meat content; the part that’s the most biologically important and correct thing for a dog to eat.
Hey Mike, the Lamb & Rice is one of the “better” foods in the NC line… and that’s not even saying much. Here is the ingredients, up to the fat, for NC large breed puppy: “Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Flour, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Poultry Fat”
and of course it has the synth vitamin k in it too. Those ingredients are more representative of NC’s regular line, and right there in the top 8, there are two potential allergens, both not even digestible for dogs, three ways of saying “rice” meaning even less actual meat, and gross poultry fat, from god knows what birds. While the lamb and rice, and a few of the other NC “skin” and “stomach” foods don’t have as many red flag items, and i guess could slip into the 3 star area, their regular line within the NC line is full of garbage like the above list. Maybe you should split up the NC line with the “skin and stomach” ones getting 3 stars, and the rest of the line getting 2 stars. for a food that cost as much as NC does (about the same price as Blue Buff) it shouldn’t contain all that junk. if this food was priced in between high end brands and, say, Dog Chow, I would agree it could be recommended to someone to step up from a really awful product to something better. But when it’s the same price as a really good, not just splitting hairs, obviously better food like Blue or Wellness, then there is no reason to recommend it. Natural Choice is about the same quality as Pro Pac, but Pro Pac is 25.99 for 30 lbs. While NC is 45.99 for 30 lbs. You see where I’m coming from here? Blue Buff is 44.99 for 30lb and Wellness is 53.99. If Natural Choice wants to be priced like a premium food, it should have ingredients like a premium food. Apart from the “skin and stomach” formulas, I can hardly tell a difference between the NC and Max line when reading the ingredients.
Hi Jonathan… Good point. Since we don’t keep up with product pricing, your analysis makes sense.
Yeah, man. maybe you should add a price-point “value” rating. Compare foods in the same price range. like NC is in the “premium” price range, so it gets 2 stars because it is inferior to other premium foods. but then something like pro pac, that is priced in line with national store brands, does deserve to be recommended because it is much better than other foods in it’s price range. Like Roger Ebert would say, if he gives a fun, over-the-top action movie 4 stars, that does not mean it’s as good as, say, an award winning 4 star film like American Beauty. It’s just that as a fun pointless action movie, its at the top of it’s genre.
Hi Jonathan… I agree. Considering the relative cost (in our ratings) would be a nice feature. But as with the price of all goods and services in a free market society, accurate pricing would be very difficult to maintain on an ongoing basis. Our star system intentionally limits all judgment to the (“by definition”) quality of the ingredients and estimated meat content.