Label analysisGrade CKibble (Extruded)

Natural Balance

Natural Balance Original Ultra Large Breed

Editor ingredient insight

Natural Balance Original Ultra Large Breed starts with chicken, chicken meal, pearled barley, and oat groats. At 23% protein, 13% fat, 5% fiber, and 3,640 kcal/kg, I would use it for a moderate chicken-and-grain large-breed food, but not for chicken avoidance, meat-density goals, or detailed mineral transparency.

Logic-based verdict

This food offers a stable basic protein structure.

Manufacturer-independentPublic-data basedIngredients · nutrition · safety

Protein source

Ingredient guide

Whole plant protein source observed early

Animal protein

Chicken (#1), Chicken Meal (#2)

Plant protein

Dried Pea (#5)

The protein number may include influence from whole plant ingredients.

This is not treated like processed protein boosting, but it is worth checking.

Included support ingredients

Nutrient guide

Fish oil

Skin and joint support ingredient

Taurine

Heart support ingredient

Cranberry

Urinary support ingredient

Yucca extract

Stool odor support ingredient

L-carnitine

Heart and weight support ingredient

View full ingredients
Solid build

Ingredient grade

B

Grade B

Top ingredient profile

Chicken
Chicken Meal
Pearled Barley
Fresh-meat leadNo plant booster
Crude protein23%
Crude protein23%
Crude fat13%
Other 64%

Protein position, fat position, and calorie density position are relative to foods in the same processing type cohort.

biotechProtein position
Lower
query_statsFat position
Typical
local_fire_departmentCalorie density
Typical

The first and second ingredients are both animal-based, so baseline protein quality stays stable. A whole-grain ingredient appears in the third slot, so this reads more like a mixed recipe than a fully animal-led one.

Nutritional strengths

  • The first ingredient is a species-named fresh meat.
  • Top ingredients do not show a prominent FDA-investigated non-hereditary DCM ingredient profile.

What still needs work

  • Whole plant protein sources can contribute to crude protein, so the animal-protein share still needs a closer read.
  • Public nutrient disclosure is still thin, so deeper comparison remains limited.

Alternative foods

Smart chicken alternatives

Exact protein-type matches come first, then close protein-family matches fill the comparison.

147 alternativesKibble (Extruded) · protein type/family cohort

Other recipes from the same brand

Other recipes from the same brand with a different purpose or feeding target.

Natural Balance

Original Ultra Whole Body Health Chicken

All life stages · All sizes

Label score

4.0/5

Grade B

Natural Balance

LID Chicken & Brown Rice

Adult · All sizes

Label score

4.0/5

Grade B

Natural Balance

LID Salmon & Sweet Potato

Adult · All sizes

Label score

4.0/5

Grade B

Natural Balance

LID Lamb & Brown Rice

Adult · All sizes

Label score

3.5/5

Grade B

Brand context

Brand background availableRecall history confirmed

Founded in 1989 in the United States. This brand has a confirmed public recall history.

Ingredient analysis

The top ingredients give this recipe a strong first protein read, so the ingredient section starts from a favorable position.

restaurantIngredient Quality Analysis

B4.5/6
Ingredient Grade
Good
1Chicken
Fresh Meat · Top
2Chicken Meal
Named Meal · Upper
3Pearled Barley
Semi-Refined Grain · Mid

Ingredient Analysis Comments

  • •Chicken is a named fresh meat ingredient. The animal source is clearly identified. It reads as an top-tier protein source.
  • •Chicken Meal is a species-named animal meal ingredient. It is rendered rather than fresh, but the species source is still clearly identified. It reads as an upper-tier protein source.
  • •Pearled Barley is disclosed, but its role is not explicit enough to count as a strong quality signal. It reads as an mid-tier carb source.
restaurantIngredient Grade BGood

Full collected ingredient list

57 ingredients
ChickenChicken MealPearled BarleyOat GroatsDried PeaChicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols)Brown RiceCarrotDried Brewers YeastFlaxseedNatural FlavorDicalcium PhosphateDL-MethionineMenhaden Fish Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols)SaltPotassium ChlorideTaurineVitamin E SupplementNiacinAscorbic AcidThiamine MononitratePantothenic AcidVitamin A SupplementRiboflavin SupplementPyridoxine HydrochlorideFolic AcidBiotinVitamin B12 SupplementVitamin D3 SupplementSpinachDried Tomato PomaceZinc ProteinateZinc SulfateFerrous SulfateIron ProteinateCopper SulfateCopper ProteinateManganese SulfateManganese ProteinateSodium SeleniteCalcium IodateCranberryBlueberryL-Ascorbyl-2-PolyphosphateL-TryptophanKelpCholine ChlorideL-ThreonineMixed TocopherolsLactic AcidL-Lysine MonohydrochlorideYucca Schidigera ExtractL-CarnitineCitric AcidRosemary ExtractGreen Tea ExtractSpearmint Extract
Primary positive ingredients
Support positive ingredients
Alternative protein
Neutral ingredients
Caution ingredients
High-caution ingredients

Why did the base review land here?

Ingredient qualityNutrient disclosure levelManufacturing & trust

This review score combines ingredient composition, nutrient disclosure, manufacturing trust, and core nutrient caution signals.

Nutrient disclosure

Limited disclosure

This section is more about what is still undisclosed than about reading a complete nutrient story.

Safety verification

No fails

No major red flag jumps out first, though undisclosed rows still define the limits of this safety read.

Public data trust (ETF)

B tier

Current data is maintained, so the baseline trust level is still fairly high.

Final word

There is enough here to keep the food in comparison, but not enough to stop comparing yet.

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