Only Natural Pet Dehydrated DOG FOOD Review

Only Natural Pet Dehydrated dog food has a score of 6.4/10 and is considered a moderate risk dog food. There are 7 recipes that average 33% protein and 34% carbohydrate, as calculated. This is much higher in carbohydrates than we expect to see in a dehydrated food, and this leads to a loss in points. Foods that are high in carbohydrate can increase insulin levels, increase the risk of obesity and cause unwanted changes to the gut microbiome.

This line loses significant ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed raw ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes. Only the Lamb and Sweet Potato recipe did not lose points for having excessive added vitamins and minerals. 

It’s also worth noting that most recipes contain sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s usually added in very small amounts. However some research suggests that sodium selenite may be associated with potential toxicity, so selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral. Again, only the Lamb and Sweet Potato recipe has selenium yeast. 

The ingredient quality also loses points for using a plant protein and a seed oil. Plant proteins are a less expensive substitute for quality animal protein. You want to see animal sources because they’re more digestible and contain a wider array of amino acids than plant based protein sources. Most recipes contain sunflower oil, which is a highly processed and inflammatory oil. It’s an inexpensive alternative to higher quality animal fats and oils.

It’s good to see that several foods have probiotics but only Poultry Feast and Red Meat Feast have guaranteed the amount of CFUs (colony forming units).

On the ingredient safety side, the dehydrated line loses minor points for being dehydrated. Dehydration uses some heat with processing, which can cause a loss in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids and phytonutrients. 

Ingredient safety points are lost due to ingredients known for high pesticide or herbicide residues like garbanzo beans in the top 5 ingredients. Crops that are spray-dried with Roundup contain higher glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases. 

Lastly, this recipe loses a point for using natural flavor, which is added to make processed food more palatable. But natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.

This line uses unsubstantiated marketing terms on its labels such as free-range, grass-fed or cage-free. Without third-party certification, they are purely marketing terms that have no legal meaning under pet food regulatory standards. 

It’s also worth noting that Only Natural Pets doesn’t state the omega 6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is true of most companies, it’s unfortunate since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. These recipes don’t specify whether the fish is farmed or wild caught. Farmed fish is less nutritious than wild caught fish and does not contain the same healthy fatty acid balance.