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We give KetoNatural dog food a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.
As dog owners, we all want what’s best for our pets. That includes feeding them only the best, high-quality food. But with so many different dog foods out there, how do we know which one is best? The best and healthiest dog foods are those that mimic a dog’s natural diet as closely as possible, and that’s exactly what KetoNatural dog food does.
KetoNatural dog food is exactly like it sounds. It is a ketogenic, low-carb dog food that is backed by all kinds of scientific research and is designed to improve your dog’s overall health by optimizing your dog’s blood sugar, reducing itching and inflammation, building strong muscles, and burning fat instead of storing it to help your dog maintain a healthy weight.
KetoNatural dog food is the first dog food of its kind. If you think that your dog might benefit from eating this food, then read on to learn everything you need to know about it, including a personal analysis and review of their most popular recipe based on our experience with this new food.
The KetoNatural Dog Food Recipes
| Rating | Image | Product | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Most Popular  | Ketona Chicken Dry Dog Food | CHECK PRICE | ||
 | Ketona Salmon Dry Dog Food | CHECK PRICE |
KetoNatural Dog Food Reviewed 2024
About KetoNatural Dog Products
Before we get into the review itself, it’s worth mentioning that KetoNatural is a fairly new company compared to a lot of other brands of dog food. It might be helpful if you have a bit of background information about the company and how the food is produced, and if you have you a general idea of what dogs this food is suitable for.
Who Makes Ketonatural and Where Is It Produced?
KetoNatural dog food was first developed in 2017 after the company’s founder, Daniel Schulof, wrote a book titled Dogs, Dog Food, and Dogma that highlighted evidence linking carbohydrate consumption with chronic diseases in pets. He, along with a veterinary nutritionist, two animal nutrition PhDs, and a team of food scientists, set out to create the first low-carb dog food, with the food being first made available to consumers in early 2018.
As far as where KetoNatural dog food is produced, the answer is in the United States; mostly in Kansas, but also in Missouri, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania. The chicken used in the chicken recipe (that this review is based around) is also sourced from the US. But they also have a salmon recipe, and the salmon used in that recipe is sourced from farms in Chile.
Which Types of Dogs is KetoNatural Best Suited For?
KetoNatural dog food is best suited for small, medium, and large breed dogs. It’s even suitable for most puppies due to the size of the kibble. Small kibble helps the makers of KetoNatural use as few carbs as possible in the food, but it also makes the food easy for puppies and small-breed adult dogs to chew and digest.
However, the KetoNatural website states that their food is not suitable for large breed puppies, meaning dogs that will weigh 70+ pounds as adults. The reason that KetoNatural gives for this is that large breed dogs grow at a faster rate than small and medium breeds and need a calcium-restricted diet to prevent growth abnormalities. This fact is backed up by VCA Animal Hospitals.
With that being said, KetoNatural dog food can be fed to large-breed dogs once they have reached adulthood. The food just doesn’t have enough balance for a large breed puppy that is still growing and developing. In fact, the bag itself has feeding guidelines for dogs ranging from 10-100 pounds, but they do offer a disclaimer that the exact amount that you feed your dog should be adjusted based on his or her age, activity level, body composition, etc.
This would also be a good time to mention that if your dog does have any specific dietary needs, whether it be allergies, food restrictions, medical conditions, or other nutritional requirements, it’s always a good idea to reach out to your veterinarian about whether KetoNatural is a good choice for your dogs. But in otherwise healthy dogs, KetoNatural is a great choice for high-quality, nutritious dog food.
Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)
KetoNatural offers two dog food recipes: chicken and salmon. Both recipes are based on the same low-carb, high-protein principle. For this review and discussion of ingredients, we’ll be focusing heavily on the chicken recipe. While most of what we mention applies to the salmon recipe as well, the exact ingredients may differ.
Low-Carb Content
Since KetoNatural dog food is designed to provide a low-carb diet to your dog, we’ll focus on this aspect first. In most dog foods, carbohydrates make up 30%-70% of the food.
- Barley
- Corn
- Millet
- Potatoes
- Rice
- Wheat
Carbohydrates in dog food provide structure and texture to the food, but they also provide energy to your dog. Another nutrient that carbohydrates provide to dogs is fiber, and while fiber isn’t necessarily essential for a dog’s diet, it helps to keep your dog full and aids in the digestion of the food.
KetoNatural dog food is different than other dog foods because its recipes contain less than 5% digestible carbohydrates. The recipes contain no barley, corn, potatoes, rice, soy, or wheat, but they do contain peas and oats in order to provide your dog with a source of fiber.
Ketogenic Diets and Low Carbs
The idea behind ketogenic diets for dogs is that a lower carb consumption can help reduce obesity in dogs, especially when combined with high protein consumption. It’s also thought that restricting carbohydrates in a dog’s diet may also prevent or slow the progression of canine cancers.
KetoNatural is not necessarily arguing that carbohydrates are bad for dogs, but rather that dog food that has the carbohydrate content of what a dog would get from a raw, natural diet, is the better and healthier option than dog foods that contain upwards of 30%-40% and that a low-carb diet can even lower your dog’s risk of chronic diseases. Consuming carbohydrates also raises blood sugar levels, which can lead to the development of diabetes. Feeding your dog KetoNatural can also help to optimize your dog’s blood sugar since it is low in carbs.
High-Protein Content
Another aspect of KetoNatural dog food is that it is high in protein. Both recipes contain a 46% minimum protein content, which is much higher than that of other foods. Proteins can be both meat and plant-based, but meat-based proteins are better for dogs and 90% of the protein in KetoNatural dog foods comes from meat, particularly chicken or salmon. Even though dogs are classified as omnivores and can survive on a balanced meat and plant-based diet, meat is still better for dogs and many other dog foods contain many plant-based ingredients.
With that being said, an all-meat diet is bad for dogs, too. But if you’re worried about KetoNatural being too high in protein, don’t be. Dogs can tolerate dog food with a protein content of 30% or more on a dry-weight basis. And, 95% of dogs are that overweight or have itchy, flaky skin, brittle coats, and poor energy are consuming a diet that is higher in plant-based proteins than animal-based ones. This is why KetoNatural says that their dog food helps to reduce itching and inflammation because it is high in meat-based proteins rather than plant-based ones.
Protein is also critical for helping dogs maintain healthy and lean muscles, especially during growth and development in puppyhood as well as when adult dogs age into senior dogs. Consuming a KetoNatural diet will help your dog maintain strong and healthy muscles due to the high protein content
Healthy Fat Content
KetoNatural also boasts that their dog food helps a dog’s body burn fat instead of storing it, which is due to the food having a healthy fat content of 16% minimum. 10%-15% fat in dog food is best to keep dogs at their healthiest, but the idea behind a ketogenic diet is that more calories are consumed through higher protein and fat intake, which is why KetoNatural dog food falls slightly out of that range.
But, the fat content in ketogenic is still at a healthy level because the fats used in dog foods are highly digestible. A dog’s body also uses these fats for energy before using proteins and carbs, so essentially, the fats found in KetoNatural dog food are the first nutrient to be metabolized.
Fats are also necessary for dogs to help them maintain a healthy coat and are essential for your dog’s body to develop healthy muscles and body tissues. Dogs that don’t consume enough fats can develop dry, dull coats as well as lower immunity to diseases, which is another reason that KetoNatural works to keep your dog healthy.
Is There Anything Bad About KetoNatural Dog Food?
It’s already been mentioned that KetoNatural dog food does not contain the proper balance of ingredients that large breed puppies need to grow and develop normally. This is not anything that the company doesn’t advertise, as they are very open and clear about this fact. It’s not necessarily a bad thing either, it just means that you may have to wait until your large breed dog is an adult before feeding KetoNatural to him or her.
There aren’t really any bad ingredients in KetoNatural dog food either. Both recipes contain calcium, potassium, and other minerals such as zinc, iron, etc., that your dog’s body needs and uses for various processes. The food also contains vitamins A, B3 (niacin), B12, D3, and E, among others and all of these vitamins support different areas of your dog’s body.
All-in-all, KetoNatural is considered to be complete and balanced dog food by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). It meets the nutrition profiles for all life stages except for large breed puppies. For more information regarding the research used to develop the dog food, check out The Science page on the KetoNatural website.
KetoNatural Ketona Chicken Recipe Review
Nutritional Benefits
The KetoNatural Ketona Chicken Recipe dog food contains chicken, pea protein, ground green peas, oat hulls, and chicken fat as the first five ingredients. Having chicken as the first and main ingredient is important for ensuring that your dog gets protein that is meat-based. The protein content of this food is a minimum of 46%, which is much higher than other dog foods but it more closely resembles a dog’s natural diet. If you’re looking for high-protein dog food, then this one fits the bill.
This food also contains a minimum of 16% fat, which is a key part of a ketogenic diet, especially for dogs due to the way that their bodies burn fat instead of storing it. It has 11% maximum fiber and 10% maximum moisture. It also has a maximum of 5% starch and only 0.5% maximum sugar, which is what makes it low in carbs. It’s a great choice for helping your dog maintain a healthy weight. There are 452 calories in one cup of food.
Other Benefits
Another great thing about this food that isn’t related to the nutritional content is the small kibble size, which makes the food just as easy to chew for puppies and small breed dogs as it does for larger dogs. The chicken flavor is also a plus, which most dogs are sure to love provided that they don’t have a chicken allergy (in which case, try the salmon recipe instead!).
Downsides
One of the only downsides to this food is that it isn’t suitable for large breed puppies due to not having the right nutritional balance for their growth rate. But once again, when your large breed dog turns into an adult, then the food can be fed to them as well.
Another downside is that the food is pricey, but that’s to be expected for such high-quality and unique food. With that being said, it may be cost-prohibitive for some people. However, you can subscribe to regular deliveries on the KetoNatural website (you choose the frequency) and save 5% on each delivery of food.
- High in protein
- Good fat content
- Small kibble size
- Great for overweight dogs
- Pricey
- Not suitable for large breed puppies
Ingredients Analysis
| Crude Protein: | 46% |
| Crude Fat: | 16% |
| Crude Fiber: | 11% |
| Carbohydrates: | 5% |
| Moisture: | 10% |
Calorie Breakdown:
| ½ cup: | 226 calories |
| 1 cup: | 452 calories |
| 2 cups: | 904 calories |
Our Experience With KetoNatural
As soon as I opened the box of Ketona Chicken Recipe dog food, my Chihuahua was intrigued. I hadn’t even opened the bag, but she was already jumping up and down and wagging her tail. I was a bit iffy at feeding it to her at first because based on the packaging and the feeding guidelines on the back, the food appeared to be geared more toward larger dogs. But, once I actually opened the bag and saw the small kibble size, I knew it would be the perfect size for her to chew easily.
The feeding guidelines are broken down into 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100-pound increments. Since the guidelines on the bag start at 10 pounds, I had to do a little easy math to figure out how much to feed her since she weighs a bit less than 10 pounds. She’s also a bit lazy and I didn’t want to overfeed her. But if you have a dog that is 10 pounds or larger, the feeding guidelines are very straightforward.
When I put other food into her bowl, she usually doesn’t eat it right away and if she does, she doesn’t eat it all at once. But with the KetoNatural dog food, she gobbled it right up in 5 minutes or less and was begging for more. Even with other new dog foods that she gobbles right up for the first day or so, she usually goes back to not eating all of it within a few days.
But even after a week, she still gobbles up every bite of food within five minutes. She hasn’t had any bad breath, and it hasn’t affected her poop in any way, both of which I consider to be a win. I haven’t been feeding it to her long enough to notice any major changes in her coat or health because they are both good to begin with. But overall, both she and I wholeheartedly approve of this food.
Conclusion
KetoNatural dog food is a great high-quality dog food that is healthy and nutritious, especially if you have a dog with a certain condition such as being overweight, having dry, itchy skin, or a dull coat. This low-carb, high-protein dog food is backed by tons of research about what dogs need in their diet and it closely resembles what they would naturally eat. Although it’s a bit pricey, overall, it’s a great choice for almost any dog.
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