Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free (Canned)

by Mike Sagman
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Rating: ★★★☆☆

Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free canned dog food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3 stars.

The Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free product line includes 2 canned dog foods, each claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.

The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.

  • Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free Adult Turkey and Potato
  • Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free Adult Whitefish and Potato

Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free Adult Turkey and Potato was selected to represent both products in the line for this review.

Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free Adult Turkey and Potato

Canned Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 34% | Fat = 23% | Carbs = 35%

Ingredients: Turkey, turkey broth, whole potatoes, turkey liver, dried potatoes, sunflower oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), guar gum, carrageenan, potassium chloride, brewers dried yeast, calcium carbonate, ferrous sulfate, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, zinc oxide, copper proteinate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, vitamin A supplement, potassium iodide, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (source of vitamin B2)

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.5%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

The first ingredient in this dog food is turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.1

Turkey is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is turkey broth. Broths are nutritionally empty. But because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food they are a common addition component in many canned products.

The third ingredient is potato. Assuming they’re cooked, potatoes can be considered a gluten-free source of digestible carbohydrates. Yet with the exception of perhaps their caloric content, potatoes are of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The fourth ingredient is turkey liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The fifth ingredient is dried potatoes, a dehydrated item usually made from the by-products of potato processing. Compared to cornmeal, dried potatoes contain slightly more protein.

The sixth ingredient is sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is nutritionally similar to safflower oil. Since these oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids and contain no omega-3′s, they’re considered less nutritious than canola or flaxseed oils.

Sunflower oil is notable for its resistance to heat damage during cooking.

There are several different types of sunflower oil, some better than others. Without knowing more, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this ingredient.

The seventh ingredient is guar gum, a gelling or 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.

The eighth ingredient is carrageenan, a gelatin-like thickening agent extracted from seaweed. Although carrageenan has been used as a food additive for hundreds of years, there does appear to be some recent controversy regarding its long term biological safety.

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 two notable exceptions…

First, brewers dried yeast. Brewers yeast can be a controversial item. Although it’s a by-product of the beer making process, this ingredient contains about 45% protein and is rich in other healthy nutrients.

Fans believe yeast repels fleas and supports the immune system.

Critics argue yeast ingredients can be linked to allergies. This may be true, but (like all allergies) only if your particular dog is allergic to the yeast itself.

What’s more, a vocal minority insist yeast can increase the risk of developing the life-threatening condition known as bloat. However, this is something we’ve not been able to scientifically verify.

In any case, unless your dog is specifically allergic to it, yeast can still be considered a nutritious additive.

And lastly, although apparently limited to the copper, this food also 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 Grain Free Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Judging by its ingredients alone, Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free looks to be an average canned dog food.

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 34%, a fat level of 23% and estimated carbohydrates of about 35%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 34% and a mean fat level of 23%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 35% for the overall product line.

Below-average protein. Average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical canned dog food.

Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a canned food containing a below average amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free is a meat-based canned dog food using a below-average amount of turkey or fish as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 3 stars.

Recommended.

Those looking for a similar kibble product from the same company may wish to visit our review of Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free 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

01/15/2011 Original review

  1. Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for chicken published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Official Publication, 2008 Edition ↩
Dog Food Advisor IconThe Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.


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  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com/ Mike Sagman

    Hi Ann,

    Thanks for the details. And thanks to Sandy for converting the labels of these 2 products to dry matter basis.

    Since average protein content for a canned dog food is about 39.5%, it’s easy to see why we called the Nutro product “below average” and the Blue recipe was above average.

    Hope this helps clear up the difference between ratings. It’s a simple matter of meat content.

  • sandy

    After conversion to dry matter:

    Blue 44 protein/28 fat

    Nutro 34 protein/23  fat

  • Ann

    Mike,

     I used from your review, the Blue Family Favorite Turkey Day feast(5 stars) to the Nutro Turkey(3 stars) because both list turkey as the only meat.  Blue has eggs for protein, Nutro has turkey liver but the only meat is turkey.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com/ Mike Sagman

    Hi Ann,

    Exactly which Blue Buffalo and Nutro product lines are you referring to? Natural Choice? Ultra? Longevity? Wilderness? Blue Basics?

    In any case, don’t just read the ingredients list. That’s because it’s easy for a manufacturer to manipulate ingredient lists using deceptive ingredient splitting techniques to distort the actual positions of those ingredients on the list.

    Be sure to read the Bottom Line section of each review and notice the paragraph before and after my sentence that defines the amount of meat.

    These “Guaranteed Analysis” figures are declared on the label by each manufacturer and are the very best clue to how much meat is in the product. It’s important to always convert these percentages to dry matter basis.

    These adjusted percentages provide valuable information when determining which recipes have above or below average meat content when compared to their competition..

    You should be able to find the answer to your question there.

    Hope this helps.

  • aimee

    The protein content on an energy basis between Blue Wilderness canned and this diet are not all that different, a few percentage points.

    High protein diets often also have high fat. Wilderness is higher in protein but also higher in fat which as Shawna says “dilutes out the protein” ( I think that is how she words it)

  • Dog Food Ninja

    The blue buffalo canned food has almost 10% more meat than this food. That’s why there is a star difference. You can’t simply look at the order of the ingredients. You have to look at the protien and fat content to estimate total meat versus carbs.

  • Ann

    Nutro grain free turkey ingredients: Turkey, turkey broth, whole potatoes… Blue Buffalo: Turkey, turkey broth, water… Not that different but Nutro has “below average amount” of meat and Blue has a “notable” amount of meat??I don’t see where Blue should rate that much higher or that Nutro should be that much lower.

  • sandy

    It needs to be higher in protein to earn more stars.  These foods are being compared to the canine ancestral diet which is high in protein.  Grain free does not automatically make it a better food.  It still needs to have some meat in it.  Compare this particular food to some on the 5-star list and look at their numbers. 

  • monkey

    Mike S says “Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free is a meat-based canned dog food using a below-average amount of turkey or fish as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 3 stars.
    Recommended.

    Wet foods compete against wet foods. Now if it were a dry food then it would probably get 5 stars. But it’s a wet food and must be compared to other wet foods. Personally I think it has too much potato.

  • RJ

    Grain Free & not a single red item yet only 3 stars? Something doesn’t add up here.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks so much for the great information. I always love to read more about how to keep my dog healthy.
    Thank you.
    http://timberwolforganics.com/

  • Crazy4dogsSue

    This isn’t a bad dog food, but there are so many other canned dog foods that rate much better for the same price.  Merrick and Taste of the Wild are good examples.  Merrick offers tons of variety too!

  • http://www.all4petsmart.com/ Donald Watts55

    nice post and yes grain free dog food is always good for dogs