Best Natural Dry Dog Food in the UK: What 'Natural' Really Means
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Nearly every premium dry dog food now calls itself natural, and the word has less behind it than it appears. As far as we can tell, there is no tight definition of "natural" for pet food beyond the general labelling rules, which require statements to be accurate and not misleading. That leaves room for a lot of interpretation, so we have not tried to rank foods by how natural they are. Instead, this roundup looks at four dry foods whose listings use the word or something close to it, and reports what the ingredient lists actually contain.
Reading the word on the bag
Used carefully, "natural" usually points to a food made without artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. It does not mean organic, unprocessed or free from added vitamins and minerals. Every one of these four is sold as a complete food, which means each has vitamins and trace elements added to meet a dog's needs. The Forthglade Lightly Baked listing, for instance, shows additive lines for zinc sulphate, iron sulphate and similar compounds beside the ingredient list, and that is normal for any complete kibble.
A more useful test is to look at the ingredient list itself:
- Is a named meat first, with a percentage?
- Are fresh and dried meat separated, so you can see what each contributes?
- Does the recipe use vague terms such as "meat and animal derivatives"?
- Which cereals, legumes or fillers make up the bulk?
Our guide to reading a dog food label in the UK explains how ingredient order and percentages work. Treat marketing claims as claims.
Lily's Kitchen Adult Chicken & Duck: the clearest meat breakdown
Lily's Kitchen Adult Chicken & Duck Grain-Free gives the clearest breakdown of the four: 42% chicken and duck in total, made up of fresh chicken (31%), freshly prepared duck (8%) and chicken liver (3%). The listing says it contains no meat meal. Sweet potato (29%), peas, lentils and flaxseed make up much of the rest, with salmon oil, prebiotics, a joint care mix (glucosamine, MSM and chondroitin), and a botanical blend. It shows 4.6 out of 5 from 3,508 ratings.
Best for: owners who want a named, transparent meat content and a grain-free base. Main drawbacks: the bag on the listing is 2.5 kg, so it runs out fast for a large dog, and a footnote says it is made in a factory that handles grains, so traces may be present. It is also high in legumes and sweet potato, and some research is looking at whether certain grain-free, legume-heavy diets are linked to heart problems in dogs. The evidence is unsettled, but worth raising with your vet. Our guide to grain-free versus grain-inclusive food covers it.
Forthglade Lightly Baked Chicken & Sweet Potato: half the recipe is chicken
Forthglade Lightly Baked Adult Dry is a 6 kg bag with chicken at 50% (25% dried, 25% fresh), dried sweet potato (26%), peas, beet pulp, chicken gravy, alfalfa, chicory root extract, brewer's yeast and a few botanicals. The label figures are 33% protein and 11% fat. For dogs of a year or older, the listing says the food is lightly baked, grain-free, resealable and recyclable. It suggests a two-week introduction. The rating is 4.6 out of 5 from 244 ratings.
Best for: dogs that do well on chicken and need a mid-sized bag of a grain-free, higher-protein food. Main drawbacks: chicken is the whole story, so it is no use for a dog that reacts to it, and the listing's "hypoallergenic" wording is a marketing term, not a promise. It is intended for dogs from 1 year, so it is not a puppy food.
Burns Original Chicken & Brown Rice: natural without grain-free
Burns Original Adult & Senior describes itself as made with simple, natural ingredients and wholegrains. The list is short: brown rice (67%), dried chicken (20%), oats, peas, chicken oil, sunflower oil, seaweed and minerals. The 6 kg bag shows 4.6 out of 5 from 2,883 ratings, and the listing refers to veterinary development and awards, which are claims we cannot check.
Best for: owners who want a natural-labelled food that includes cereals rather than legumes, and a short list to read. Main drawbacks: it is mostly rice, with chicken as a smaller share, and it contains oats and peas. The feeding guidance on the listing is a wide 400 to 600 g a day, so check the bag for the weight-based table.
James Wellbeloved Turkey & Rice: natural ingredients, marked as such
James Wellbeloved Adult Hypoallergenic Turkey & Rice marks its natural ingredients with an asterisk in the list: dried turkey protein (24%), naked oats, brown rice (13%), white rice (13%), barley, linseed and more. The listing says there are no added artificial colours, flavours or antioxidants, and that it excludes beef, pork, soya, eggs, dairy and wheat. It comes in a 7.5 kg bag with 4.7 out of 5 from 238 ratings.
Best for: dogs that need an adult recipe without that list of common allergens. Main drawbacks: it contains barley and oats, so it is not gluten-free, and it includes poultry fat and fish oil.
Comparing the four
| Lily's | Forthglade Baked | Burns Original | James Wellbeloved | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pack on listing | 2.5 kg | 6 kg | 6 kg | 7.5 kg |
| Grain-free | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Named meat share | 42% chicken and duck | 50% chicken | 20% dried chicken | 24% dried turkey protein |
| Main carbohydrate | Sweet potato | Sweet potato | Brown rice | Oats and rice |
If you are choosing between the first two, our Forthglade versus Lily's Kitchen comparison looks at them in more depth.
If these are not right for you
If you want a natural diet and your dog reacts to chicken, grain or turkey, a label will not help you. Ask your vet to help work out which ingredient is the problem, and be wary of treating any food as a treatment for itching or digestive trouble. For cost, check the current price on Amazon and divide each pack price by the number of days a bag lasts at your dog's feeding amount, since pack sizes here range from 2.5 kg to 7.5 kg. This article is general information and not veterinary advice.
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