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By Nature Dog Food Ingredients


According to our research, By Nature manufactures 4 dog food recipes using 88 unique ingredients. To evaluate the quality of ingredients used by By Nature, we've studied all 88 ingredients. In this article, we'll share our findings on By Nature ingredients.

Dog Food Recipes4
Unique Ingredients88
Artificial Colors0
Animal By-Products0
Anonymous Meats0
Controversial5
Harmful0

First 5 Ingredients

Dog food ingredients in the United States are listed in descending order of pre-cooked weight. The first 5 ingredients typically constitute a significant portion of the recipe.

For By Nature, these are the most common ingredients found within the first 5 dog food ingredients.

  1. chicken meal
  2. turkey meal
  3. yellow pea
  4. lentil
  5. fava bean

As you can see, the most common first ingredient in By Nature is chicken meal. The most common 2nd ingredient is turkey meal, followed by yellow pea, lentil, and fava bean.

Artificial Food Coloring Dyes

By Nature does not use any artificial food coloring dyes. According to our records, none of the 4 By Nature dog foods contain artificial food dyes.

Artificial food coloring dyes are unnecessary and potentially harmful ingredients. In general, we not not recommend feeding any pet foods that contain artificial dyes.

In 2010, the CSPI raised serious concerns regarding the safety of many artificial dyes. Most of the studies referenced by the CSPI involved prolonged or excessive consumption. Since most dogs consume the same foods throughout their lives, concerns raised by the CSPI are alarming to say the least.

To read more about Artificial Food Dyes, click here.

Animal By-Products

According to our records, By Nature does not contain any animal by-products.

Animal by-products are basically the leftover parts of the the carcass after its been processed for meat. AAFCO defines by-products as the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals.

Although by-products are still fairly nutritious ingredients, consumers have equated them with slaughterhouse waste. Therefore, most premium brands, including By Nature have decided to remove by-products and instead use named organ meats (beef liver, chicken gizzards).

For further reading on the controversy over animal by-products, click here.

Anonymous Meat Ingredients

Anonymous meats are inexpensive low-quality ingredients that can come from practically any animal. These type of ingredients are often used to produce very inexpensive dog foods.

In general, we prefer ingredients which specify the animal source used to derive the ingredient. For example, ingredients such as duck fat are much better than animal fat or poultry fat.

In our analysis, we've looked through all 88 By Nature ingredients. According to our data, By Nature does not contain any anonymous animal-based ingredients.

Controversial Ingredients

In most cases, ingredients which are given the controversial classification can be substituted with higher-quality alternatives. You should evaluate each controversial ingredient independently to see if there is truly a valid cause for concern.

Keep in mind, certain sacrifices often must be made to produce dog foods at a reasonable price. In general, the more expensive the product, the fewer controversial ingredients you'll find.

In our analysis, we've identified 5 controversial ingredients inside By Nature products. These controversial ingredients are listed below. Click on each ingredient for more information.

rice hulls
4 Recipes

Rice hulls, also called rice husks, are the outer layer of grains of rice. This ingredient is regarded as an inexpensive and low quality by-product. Rice hulls are high in fiber and mostly serve as fillers in pet food.

The following recipes contain rice hulls:

pea protein
1 Recipes

Pea protein is produced by removing the starchy parts of peas. Pea protein is considered controversial because it provides a substantial plant based protein boost. This boost is undesirable because plant based protein is typically lower in biological value when compared to meat based proteins.

The following recipes contain pea protein:

canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols)
3 Recipes

Canola oil is a plant-derived oil from the seeds of canola plants. Although fat is an essential component of any diet, canola oil is controversial in pet food. Proponents claim that canola oil provides a better fat profile in comparison to other plant based oils. However, opponents claim that canola oil is typically produced with genetically modified rapeseed and that rapeseed oil has multiple adverse health affects.

The following recipes contain canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols):

tomato pomace
3 Recipes

Tomato pomace is a by-product of tomato manufacturing. It's considered a controversial ingredient because many people believe it is an inexpensive low quality filler. However, tomato pomace provides a notable amount of dietary fiber, B vitamins, Lycopene, and vitamin A. Although it is a very inexpensive ingredient, it is not nutritionally empty.

The following recipes contain tomato pomace:

vegetable oil
4 Recipes

Specific vegetable oils are typically positive ingredients; however, this ingredient does not specify which vegetable(s) were used to produce the oil.

Without this information, it is impossible for us to make any specific statements. With any fat source, it is important to know the omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio, a property which cannot be determined with this ingredient. Thus, we have marked vegetable oil as a controversial ingredient.

The following recipes contain vegetable oil:

Potentially Harmful Ingredients

Harmful ingredients are those which have been linked to adverse health effects. In general, we do not recommend feeding any product which contains any harmful ingredients.

During our review, none of the By Nature ingredients analyzed were classified as harmful by our system. The absence of harmful ingredients is indicative of a relatively premium dog food brand.

By Nature Dog Food Ingredient Lists

By Nature

Super Fusion
Lamb & Turkey Meal Recipe For Dogs
By Nature
Super Fusion Lamb & Turkey Meal Recipe For Dogs
First Five Ingredients
lamb
turkey meal
yellow pea
lentil
fava bean

By Nature

Super Fusion
Salmon & Menhaden Fish Meal Recipe For Dogs
By Nature
Super Fusion Salmon & Menhaden Fish Meal Recipe For Dogs
First Five Ingredients
salmon
menhaden meal
yellow pea
lentil
fava bean

By Nature

Super Fusion
Turkey & Duck Meal Recipe For Dogs
By Nature
Super Fusion Turkey & Duck Meal Recipe For Dogs
First Five Ingredients
turkey
duck meal
garbanzo bean
lentil
fava bean

By Nature

Super Fusion
Chicken Meal & Turkey Meal With Brown Rice Recipe For Dogs
By Nature
Super Fusion Chicken Meal & Turkey Meal With Brown Rice Recipe For Dogs
First Five Ingredients
chicken meal
turkey meal
brown rice
yellow pea
pearled barley