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Inception vs Natural Balance

Inception vs. Natural Balance

In this comparison article for Inception vs Natural Balance, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Inception and Natural Balance, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this Natural Balance vs Inception comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Inception Review Page or Natural Balance Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Natural Balance vs. Inception

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Inception Dog Food vs. Natural Balance Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodInceptionNatural Balance
Crude Protein28.4%27.6%
Crude Fat17.0%14.4%
Crude Fiber6.8%5.2%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodInceptionNatural Balance
Crude Protein36.4%39.7%
Crude Fat20.5%20.5%
Crude Fiber9.1%8.5%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Protein is an extremely important part of your dog's diet. Without sufficient protein, dogs can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.

Natural Balance and Inception both provide roughly the same amount of crude protein. For wet dog foods, Natural Balance typically provides a little more protein (about 3.32% more).


Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Fats are an absolutely vital component of a balanced canine diet. Not only do fats provide energy, but they also serve important roles in the normal development and function of your dog's body. For example, fats help dogs produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among many other significant functions.

According to our data, Inception guarantees 2.69% more fat than Natural Balance. Although this difference is relatively small, it's still a notable difference. For wet dog foods, Natural Balance and Inception provide roughly the same amount of fat.


There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. With regards to wet dog food, Inception and Natural Balance also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Inception Cat Food vs. Natural Balance Cat Food

Dry Cat FoodInceptionNatural Balance
Crude Protein33.3%36.8%
Crude Fat15.6%14.3%
Crude Fiber7.8%5.5%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Protein is an extremely important part of your cat's diet. Without sufficient protein, cats can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.

There is a small difference between the protein content of Natural Balance and Inception. We can see that Natural Balance guarantees about 3.46% more protein than Inception.


Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food

There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):

  • Fats help with the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
  • Reduce inflammation associated with arthritis
  • Slow the growth of yeast infections
  • Prevent or reduce the likelihood of certain heart problems.
  • Aid in the development of the retina and visual cortex.

Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fat.


According to our average data, Natural Balance typically provides less fiber than Inception. However, this difference is relatively small and doesn't represent a significant difference between the two brands.

Inception Pet Food Ingredients vs. Natural Balance Pet Food Ingredients

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Natural Balance.

Giblets
Beet Pulp
Canola Oil
Pea Protein
Brewers Rice
Caramel Color
Tomato Pomace
Feeding Oatmeal
Poultry Giblets
Dried Tomato Pomace
Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Natural Balance.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Inception & Natural Balance?

According to our records, Inception has never been recalled.

Natural Balance has been recalled 6 times.

  • July 21, 2007: ofbotulinum toxin
  • May 4, 2012: Salmonella
  • June 18, 2010: Salmonella
  • April 27, 2007: Melamine
  • April 17, 2007: Melamine
  • July 3, 2020: elevated levels of choline chloride

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodInceptionNatural Balance
Per Pound$2.05$5.23
Per Calorie$0.0012$0.0029
Dry Cat FoodInceptionNatural Balance
Per Pound$2.85$3.69
Per Calorie$0.0017$0.0023
Wet Dog FoodInceptionNatural Balance
Per Pound$3.49$6.27
Per Calorie$0.0074$0.0137

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Inception or Natural Balance, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Inception or Natural Balance will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Inception and Natural Balance. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.


Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Inception Pet Foods

You can purchase Inception pet foods from the following stores:


14 Recipes In-Stock Today

12 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Natural Balance Pet Foods

You can purchase Natural Balance pet food products from these retailers:


96 Recipes In-Stock Today

79 Recipes In-Stock Today

83 Recipes In-Stock Today

16 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductInceptionNatural Balance
Dry Dog Food4 Recipes39 Recipes
Wet Dog Food4 Recipes27 Recipes
Dog Treats4 Treats33 Treats
Dry Cat Food3 Recipes16 Recipes
Wet Cat FoodNone43 Recipes
Cat TreatsNoneNone

Top Rated Inception Recipes

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Dry Cat Food Chicken Recipe
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Top Rated Natural Balance Recipes

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Targeted Nutrition Fat Dogs Dry Dog Food
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Limited Ingredient Diets Sweet Potato & Venison Formula
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Ultra Premium Cat Food Fat Cats
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Limited Ingredient Diets Duck & Green Pea Formula
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