Only Natural Pet Canned DOG FOOD Review

Only Natural Pet Wet dog food has a score of 5.9/10 and is considered a moderate risk dog food. There are 9 recipes that average 48% protein and 18% carbohydrate, as calculated on a dry matter basis. This is a decent amount of protein for a wet dog food, but it’s still higher in carbohydrates than we’d like to see, and this leads to a loss of ingredient quality 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 (and is only in the Lamb and Sweet Potato recipe). 

On the ingredient safety side, this food loses points for being highly processed. Canned foods are heated before and during canning, which will cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species. The Wet line includes two “ProteinStew” recipes that are not canned and may be subjected to less heat than the canned recipes, but the company doesn’t describe the processing. 

One recipe loses an ingredient safety point for using kale in the top 5 ingredients, which is a high herbicide crop. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases. Potato starch is a GMO ingredient that appears in the top 5 ingredients of most of these recipes. 

It should be noted most of the recipes include glam ingredients like fruit or vegetables that are listed after salt, which means they’re included in minimal amounts that won’t provide any nutritional benefit. 

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 salmon oil is from farmed or wild caught fish. Farmed fish is less nutritious than wild caught fish and does not contain the same healthy fatty acid balance.