Rating: 
Nutro Natural Choice dry dog food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of three stars.
Currently, the Nutro Natural Choice product line lists 18 kibbles… each designed for dogs of specific sizes, lifestyles, life stages, or health conditions.
All meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for their intended life stages.
- 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 Small Breed Adult Chicken and Rice
- Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy Chicken 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
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 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
02/27/2011 Added 2 new small breed products
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.