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Tuscan Natural Simply Pure Dog Food receives the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.
The Tuscan Natural Simply Pure product line includes the 3 dry dog foods listed below.
Each recipe includes its related AAFCO nutrient profile when available on the product’s official webpage: Growth, Maintenance, All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
Use the links to check prices and package sizes at an online retailer.
- Tuscan Natural Simply Pure Lamb Meal (4.5 stars) [A]
- Tuscan Natural Grain Free Ocean Extreme Grain Free [A]
- Tuscan Natural Simply Pure Chicken Meal [A]
Tuscan Natural Simply Pure Lamb Meal was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.
Tuscan Natural Simply Pure Lamb Meal
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Lamb meal, brown rice, rice, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), olive oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), natural flavor, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, d-biotin, riboflavin supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, sodium selenite, cobalt proteinate, ethylenediamine dihydroiodide
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 2%
Red denotes any controversial items
Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
---|---|---|---|
Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
Guaranteed Analysis | 21% | 11% | NA |
Dry Matter Basis | 24% | 12% | 56% |
Calorie Weighted Basis | 22% | 27% | 51% |
The first ingredient in this dog food is lamb meal. Lamb meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh lamb.
The second 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 third ingredient is rice. Is this whole grain rice, brown rice or white rice? Since the word “rice” doesn’t tell us much, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this item.
The fourth ingredient is canola oil. Unfortunately, canola can be a controversial item. That’s because it can sometimes (but not always) be derived from genetically modified rapeseed.
Yet others cite the fact that canola oil can be a significant source of essential omega-3 fatty acids.
In any case, plant-based oils like canola are less biologically available to a dog than fish oil as a source of quality omega-3 fats.
The fifth ingredient is olive oil. Olive oil contains oleic acid, a healthy monounsaturated fat. It’s also rich in natural antioxidants and carotenoids.
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 2 notable exceptions…
First, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.
And lastly, 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.
Tuscan Natural Simply Pure Dog Food Review
Based on its ingredients alone, Tuscan Natural Simply Pure Dog Food looks like an above-average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 28%, a fat level of 15% and estimated carbohydrates of about 49%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 29% and a mean fat level of 14%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 48% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 49%.
Which means this Tuscan Natural product line contains…
Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a notable amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Tuscan Natural Simply Pure lists both grain-free and grain-friendly dry dog foods that incorporate a notable amount of named meat meals as their dominant source of animal protein, thus receiving 5 stars.
Enthusiastically recommended.
Tuscan Natural Dog Food Recall History
The following list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 directly related to Tuscan Natural. If there are no recalls listed in this section, we have not yet reported any events.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls sorted by date. Or view the same list sorted alphabetically by brand.
Notes and Updates
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A Final Word
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