Natural Balance Fat Dogs Dog Food Review (Wet)

This Natural Balance product line contains one recipe, Original Ultra Fat Dogs Chicken and Salmon in Broth, a recipe claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient guidelines for maintenance. It has received the Dog Food Advisor’s rating of 3.5 stars.

Specially formulated to support the nutritional needs of overweight dogs, using quality chicken and fish proteins along with vegetables and wholesome grains for easy‑to‑digest fiber that helps your dog feel full.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient is chicken broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common component in many wet products.

The second ingredient is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.¹

Chicken is naturally rich in the 10 essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The third ingredient is whitefish, a marine or freshwater species native to Canada and the California coast.

The fourth ingredient is salmon. Salmon is an oily marine and freshwater fish not only high in protein but also omega 3 fatty acids, essential oils needed by every dog to sustain life.

The fifth ingredient is carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

The sixth ingredient is pea fiber, a mixture of both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber derived from pea hulls. Aside from the usual benefits of fiber, this agricultural by-product provides no other nutritional value to a dog.

The seventh ingredient is potatoes. 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 eighth ingredient is brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest. However, aside from its natural energy content, rice is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The ninth ingredient is oat hulls are a by-product of processing whole oats into flour. They are most likely included here to add bulk.

Except for the usual benefits of dietary fiber, oat hulls provide no other valuable nutrients to a dog food.

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 the product.

This recipe has four notable exceptions.

First, flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.

However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

This food also contains chelated minerals, that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Next taurine, an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.

We view its presence in this recipe as a positive addition.

Lastly, yucca schidigera, a natural extract made from a flowering desert plant and used in pet foods to control fecal and urinary odor.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Natural Balance Original Ultra Fat Dogs Chicken and Salmon in Broth looks like an average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 31.3%, a fat level of 14.6% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 27.1%, alongside a fat to protein ratio of 47%.

This means this Natural Balance product contains below-average protein, above-average carbohydrate and below-average fat, when compared to typical wet dog food.

Natural Balance Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Natural Balance through June 2026.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

Our Rating of Natural Balance Fat Dogs Dog Food

Natural Balance uses high‑quality ingredients and rigorously tests all its recipes for safety, unfortunately the protein content in this recipe is lower than we would like. Otherwise, we would have been compelled to award it a higher rating.

Recommended with Reservations

About

Natural Balance Pet Foods was co-founded by actor Dick Van Patten and his friend Joey Herrick in 1989. Natural Balance has changed ownership several times. It is currently owned by Nexus Capital Management.

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