Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Sweet Potato & Venison Dry Dog Food
The first five ingredients are Sweet Potatoes, Venison, Pea Protein, Potato Protein, Canola Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols). One of them is a named animal protein. We put the starch at 54.4%, above the 38.51% average across the foods we hold.
Protein runs low or starch runs high for this type of food. That does not make it unsafe, it just measures lower.
How we got to 44
Five things, one hundred points, and the reason for every one. We would rather show our working than ask you to trust a number.
26-32% dm reads typical mainstream.
Estimated, 6% ash assumed.
Count of named animal proteins.
Matched against the flag list.
Manufacturer, not recipe.
The numbers, without the water
Percentages on a bag include the water in the food, so a wet food always looks lower than a dry one. Taking the water out puts any two foods on the same footing. This one is 90% dry matter.
That is 15.9 points above average, so proportionally more of the bag is starch.
Everything on the label
Printed exactly as the manufacturer lists it, heaviest ingredient first. A dog food needs very little salt, so the 11 ingredients listed after salt are present in even smaller amounts. That is the salt divider, and it is why we only weigh the top of the list.
Sweet Potatoes, Venison, Pea Protein, Potato Protein, Canola Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Brewers Dried Yeast, Natural Flavor, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salmon Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Flaxseed, Dried Potato Products, Calcium Carbonate, Salt*The Salt Divider. Ingredients are listed heaviest first, and a dog food needs very little salt, so everything after this point is present in an even smaller amount., Dl-methionine, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, D-calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Mixed Tocopherols (Preservative), Lactic Acid, Citric Acid (Preservative), Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract, Spearmint Extract
What those first ingredients actually are
The top of the list is most of the food by weight, so it is worth knowing what each one is. Green marks a named animal protein.
Sweet Potatoes
The tuber of the sweet potato plant, cooked and used as a grain-free carbohydrate. Botanically unrelated to the ordinary potato.
Venison
The clean flesh of deer, used fresh.
Pea Protein
The protein fraction separated out from peas after the starch and fiber have been removed.
Potato Protein
The protein fraction separated from potatoes after the starch is removed.
How much of this to feed
A starting point, worked out from the resting energy formula vets use and this food's own calorie density. Every dog is different, so watch their weight and adjust. Your vet's advice beats a calculator.
How it compares
Same figures, same method, put next to another recipe from Natural Balance and the archive average.
| Metric | This recipe | Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient… | Archive average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Score | 44 | 59 | -- |
| Protein, water out | 22.2% | 26.7% | -- |
| Starch, water out | 54.4% | 48.3% | 38.51% |
| Named in first five | 1 of 5 | 2 of 5 | -- |
Recall history
Recalls are matched to the manufacturer, not this exact recipe. A recall on a different product still tells you something about the plant it came from.
We have not matched any FDA recall to Natural Balance. We check the feed daily and this page updates when that changes.
Other flavors
More from Natural Balance, scored the same way.