Review Summary
We give Nature’s Recipe dog food a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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Introduction
When you’re searching for high-quality, protein-filled dog food for your canine pal, you want only the very best. However, you also want a company that delivers on its promise to provide your pet with the most nutritional food available at an affordable price.
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At a Glance: The Best Nature’s Recipe Dog Food Recipes
Image Product Details
Our Favorite
Nature’s Recipe Easy-to-Digest Dry Food
Contains no fillers
Chicken meal is listed as first ingredient
Aid with digestion
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Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Recipe
Gluten-free formula
High in protein
Chicken as first ingredient
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Nature’s Recipe Lamb & Rice Puppy Food
Lamb meal is one of main ingredients
No fillers
No artificial ingredients
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Nature’s Recipe Healthy Skin Dry Food
Omega-6 fatty acids
No added corn, wheat, soy, or artificial flavors
Made with plant-based protein sources
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Nature’s Recipe Dog Food Reviewed
Now that we’ve listed the best Nature’s Recipe dog food recipes, in our opinion, let’s go into a bit about the brand itself, the ingredients in the food, and more.
Who makes Nature’s Recipe, and where is it produced?
Nature’s Recipe is a dog food brand that sells various kibble and wet pet foods. The top-rated brand has been in business for over 35 years and was founded in 1987 by a company called Big Heart Pet Brands.
Big Heart Brands has since been sold to the J.M. Smucker Company and still sells dog and cat products, including some well-known brands such as Gravy Train and Milo’s Kitchen. The food is produced in the United States and Thailand. The dry food is made in the United States, and the wet food comes from Thailand.
Which type of dog is Nature’s Recipe best suited for?
While you can use this food for any dog, it’s best to feed it mostly to companion dogs. The protein content is a little on the low side for service, working, or highly active pets. The protein content is between 20 to 22%.
The brand produces options for grain-free foods and other recipes that are close to being organic. It is essential to note that there have been reports of Nature’s Recipe dog foods being hard to digest if your dog already has a sensitive stomach.
Which type of dog might do better with a different brand?
As previously stated, if you’re a pet parent to an active or working dog, then Nature’s Recipe, with its lower protein content, might not be the best option for you. Instead, we recommend Purina Pro Plan Spot Dry Dog Food for active dogs due to its higher protein content of 30% and the fact that lamb is the first ingredient listed.
As with any food you give your active dog, it’s best to consult your vet first to determine if it’s the ideal brand for your pet.
Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)
Now that we know a bit about the Nature’s Recipe dog brand, let’s talk about the ingredients.
Contains No Fillers
Nature’s Recipe says they have no fillers in their dog food, and from what we could find, they are staying true to that statement. There’s no corn, artificial ingredients, or artificial preservatives in their food. Soy is found in their vegetarian blend of dog food, but that’s the only recipe we found it in.
Meat Meal
Meat meal, such as lamb meal, is an excellent source of protein, and Nature’s Recipe has it in most of its recipes. Of course, there’s none in their vegetation food. The meat meal contains only the cleanest and healthiest animal parts.
Rice
As long as your dog doesn’t have a sensitive stomach, grains such as rice are a great source of protein and carbohydrates. While rice was once thought to be a filler in foods, experts now agree that it can be beneficial to add to your dog’s diet.
No Whole Meats/Low Protein Counts
The only recipe that contains whole meat that Nature’s Recipe makes is their Prime Blends collection. While meat meals have more protein content, dogs need real meat to be healthy and happy. When you see a lack of whole meat in dog food, it’s usually an indication that the protein content is low, so keep that in mind when shopping for a nutritious dog food for your canine pal.
A Quick Look at Nature’s Recipe Dog Food
Pros
Contains no fillers, artificial ingredients, or preservatives
Dedicated to natural, healthy food
An established brand
Cons
Most recipes contain no whole meat
Has a recall history
Recall History
The only recall history we could find for Nature’s Recipe was in 2012, and that recall was voluntary. It was for a batch of its dog biscuits that had a possible salmonella contamination.
Contains no fillers, artificial ingredients, or preservatives
Dedicated to natural, healthy food
An established brand
- Contains no fillers, artificial ingredients, or preservatives
- Dedicated to natural, healthy food
- An established brand
Most recipes contain no whole meat
Has a recall history
- Most recipes contain no whole meat
- Has a recall history
Although Nature’s Recipe has had only the one 2012 recall, Big Heat Pets had a massive recall in 2016 for a substance known as pentobarbital being found in their foods. This mostly affected cans of Gravy Train.
Reviews of the 3 Best Nature’s Recipe Dog Food Recipes
Keep reading below for our reviews of our top three favorite Nature’s Recipe dog food recipes
The only drawback we saw was that the kibble contains no whole meats.
Nature’s Recipe Easy-To-Digest Chicken, Rice, & Barley Recipe is another of our favorites. It has no fillers, and chicken meal is listed as one of the main ingredients. It has a decent protein level with a 23% content and aids with digestion.
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Pros
Contains no fillers
Chicken meal is listed as first ingredient
Aid with digestion
Cons
Contains no whole meats
This is a great choice of dry food for picky eaters, though some pet parents reported that their dogs didn’t like the taste. The kibble is also easy to digest and has plenty of vitamins and minerals in the sweet potato and pumpkin contained in the food. The biggest drawback we saw with this recipe was that it has poultry fat.
Contains no fillers
Chicken meal is listed as first ingredient
Aid with digestion
- Contains no fillers
- Chicken meal is listed as first ingredient
- Aid with digestion
Contains no whole meats
- Contains no whole meats
One of our favorite foods for our canine pals is Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Chicken, Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Recipe. Not only is the food high in protein, containing 25%, but it’s also a gluten-free formula. This is one of the recipes that feature real meat in the ingredients, in this case, chicken.
Pros
Gluten-free formula
High in protein
Chicken as first ingredient
Easy to digest
Great for picky eaters
Cons
Contains poultry fat
Some dogs didn’t like the taste
Pros
Lamb meal is one of main ingredients
No fillers
No artificial ingredients
Contains vitamins and minerals
Cons
Can be hard to digest for some dogs
Lower protein percentage
What Other Users Are Saying
Nature’s Recipe has been around for long enough to have quite a few reviews out there from customers. The consensus is that the food is above average, and dogs seem to enjoy it. It has healthy ingredients and nothing that is artificial.
Gluten-free formula
High in protein
Chicken as first ingredient
Easy to digest
Great for picky eaters
- Gluten-free formula
- High in protein
- Chicken as first ingredient
- Easy to digest
- Great for picky eaters
Contains poultry fat
Some dogs didn’t like the taste
- Contains poultry fat
- Some dogs didn’t like the taste
Nature’s Recipe Puppy Lamb & Rice Recipe is full of vitamins and minerals your dog needs to be healthy. There are no fillers or artificial ingredients in this recipe either. Lamb meal is listed as one of the main ingredients, and your dog will love the taste. However, the food has been reported as being hard for some dogs to digest, and it has a lower protein percentage than others on our list, at only 22%.
Lamb meal is one of main ingredients
No fillers
No artificial ingredients
Contains vitamins and minerals
- Lamb meal is one of main ingredients
- No fillers
- No artificial ingredients
- Contains vitamins and minerals
Can be hard to digest for some dogs
Lower protein percentage
- Can be hard to digest for some dogs
- Lower protein percentage
Conclusion
Nature’s Recipe is a nutritious dog food, but there is room for improvement as well. If you’re looking for a meal that will work for your companion dog, then this is probably the right choice for you. However, if your dog is an active, service, or working dog, you might need to choose another brand due to the lower protein levels in some of the Nature’s Recipe products.
Sources
Nature’s Recipe Dog Food Review Nature’s Recipe Dry Dog Food Review Nature’s Recipe Dog Food Reviewed
Featured Image Credit: Nature’s Recipe
Sources
Nature’s Recipe Dog Food Review Nature’s Recipe Dry Dog Food Review Nature’s Recipe Dog Food Reviewed
- Nature’s Recipe Dog Food Review
- Nature’s Recipe Dry Dog Food Review
- Nature’s Recipe Dog Food Reviewed
