Natural Planet Dog Food

Brief Overview

Natural Planet Pet Foods are manufactured by Tuffy’s Pet Foods, part of KLN Family Brands, a family-owned business located in Perham, Minnesota. According to their company information , KLN started making pet food over 50 years ago, in 1964, with Tuffy’s Pet Foods, which they still make. Today the company also makes NutriSource and Pure Vita pet foods, along with Natural Planet. KLN also make lots of popular snack foods such as Wiley Wallaby licorice, Vic’s Popcorn, and Barrel O’ Fun snacks, sold throughout the U.S. Their pet foods include foods for both dogs and cats. They make dry, canned, grain free, and organic pet foods. The Natural Planet pet foods include organic foods and foods with exotic protein sources such as venison, duck, kangaroo, and rabbit. Their super premium foods use the company’s “Good 4Life” system of nutrients. They are all life stage foods. Natural Planet also offers foods with grain free options.

Who Manufactures Natural Planet Dog Food?

KLN makes their own pet foods at their own pet food facilities . Their plant in Perham, Minnesota produces only pet food and nothing else. They have an on-site, fully equipped, wet chemistry lab that constantly monitors and tests products to insure correct formulation, appearance, palatability, aroma, and digestibility.

Natural Planet Dog Food Recalls

We did not find any recalls for Natural Planet but KLN/Tuffy’s did have a voluntary recall in 2015 for certain lots of Nutrisca Chicken and Chick Pea Recipe Dry Dog Food in 4 lb. bags after routine testing by the Ohio Department of Agriculture found Salmonella in a sample. Nutrisca is not a KLN/Tuffy’s product, but they are (or were) a co-packer of the food for Dogswell. This is the only recall we found online or in the FDA database associated with KLN.

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Natural Planet Dog Food Overview

KLN/Tuffy’s has been making pet food for over 50 years. They point out on their Nutrisource web site that they have a seasoned, specially-trained work force and management team. The company has a very good reputation for making pet food. According to their web site and other sources, they use high quality fresh and raw ingredients in their foods that are tested upon arrival. KLN uses state-of-the-art equipment to develop and produce their products and they have a new 130,000 square-foot pet food plant. The company also says they conduct extensive research and quality testing of their products.
The KLN pet foods also use something they call the “Good4Life” formula. This formula includes Sel-Plex – an organic form of Selenium; Yea-Sacc to help improve digestion; Bioplex organic trace minerals; and Bio-Mos to help build health bacteria in the intestines. According to the company, they use the Good4Life vitamin and mineral formula for optimum gut health and immunity benefits. This formula is also found in their Nutrisource and Pure Vita foods. They also use a specially sourced probiotic in their organic foods.
The Natural Planet foods are made with organic and non-GMO ingredients. (Organic ingredients are, by definition, non-GMO.) The canned foods have at least 95 percent organic ingredients while the dry foods are made with organic ingredients (so they are at least 70 percent organic). While Nutrisource and Pure Vita are also considered premium dog foods, they do not use organic ingredients.
The kangaroo in Natural Planet dog food is wild and harvested from Australia. The rabbit and duck used in their foods are farm-raised and come from France. These exotic proteins can be good choices for dogs that are sensitive to chicken, turkey, and other more common meat proteins. Dogs with food allergies may do well on the Natural Planet dog foods.
There are lots of other things to like about Natural Planet foods. They use proteinated minerals which make it easier for your dog to absorb them. Digestive enzymes are sprayed on the outside of each piece of kibble so they are quickly activated in your dog’s digestive system. All of their formulas include glusocamine and chondroitin. Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are balanced and enhanced with DHA. They do not use by-products or corn. They use natural preservatives. And KLN/Tuffy’s, the maker of Natural Planet, is a family owned business with over 50 years of experience.
Natural Planet currently has five dry dog foods, two canned dog foods, and one kind of treat for dogs.

Kibbles

Chicken & Oats Formula
First Five Ingredients: Organic chicken, chicken meal, organic oats, organic barley, organic peas
Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein (min) 23 percent, Crude Fat (min) 14 percent, Crude Fiber (max) 6 percent, Moisture (max) 10 percent
Metabolizable Energy (calculated): 3,888 kcals per kg, 397 kcals per cup
This is an all life stage food.

Duck & Whitefish Entree
First Five Ingredients: Duck, whitefish, salmon meal, chickpeas, organic peas
Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein (min) 23 percent, Crude Fat (min) 14 percent, Crude Fiber (max) 5 percent, Moisture (max) 10 percent
Metabolizable Energy (calculated): 3,900 kcals per kg, 453 kcals per cup
This is an all life stage food.

Rabbit & Salmon Entree
First Five Ingredients: Rabbit, salmon, salmon meal, chickpeas, organic peas
Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein (min) 25 percent, Crude Fat (min) 14 percent, Crude Fiber (max) 5 percent, Moisture (max) 10 percent
Metabolizable Energy (calculated): 3,856 kcals per kg, 448 kcals per cup
This is an all life stage food.

Kangaroo & Venison Entree
First Five Ingredients: Kangaroo, venison meal, chickpeas, organic pea flour, sunflower oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid)
Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein (min) 25 percent, Crude Fat (min) 14 percent, Crude Fiber (max) 6 percent, Moisture (max) 10 percent
Metabolizable Energy (calculated): 3,844 kcals per kg, 436 kcals per cup
This is an all life stage food.

Turkey & Peas Formula

First Five Ingredients: Organic turkey, organic peas, turkey meal, organic pea flour, organic tapioca flour
Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein (min) 25 percent, Crude Fat (min) 15 percent, Crude Fiber (max) 4.5 percent, Moisture (max) 10 percent
Metabolizable Energy (calculated): 3,850 kcals per kg, 420 kcals per cup
This is an all life stage food.

Canned foods

Organic Chicken Dinner
First Five Ingredients: Organic Chicken, Organic Chicken Broth, Organic Chicken Liver, Organic Flaxseed Oil (natural source of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids), Organic Sunflower Oil (natural source of Omega 6 fatty acids)
Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein (min) 10 percent, Crude Fat (min) 9 percent, Crude Fiber (max) 1.5 percent, Moisture (max) 78 percent
Metabolizable Energy (calculated): 1,309 kcals per kg, 481 kcals per can (Cans are 13 ounces.)
This is an all life stage food.

Organic Turkey Dinner
First Five Ingredients: Organic Turkey, Organic Turkey Broth, Organic Turkey Liver, Organic Flaxseed Oil (natural source of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids), Organic Sunflower Oil (natural source of Omega 6 fatty acids)
Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein (min) 10 percent, Crude Fat (min) 9 percent, Crude Fiber (max) 1.5 percent, Moisture (max) 78 percent
Metabolizable Energy (calculated): 1,309 kcals per kg, 481 kcals per can
This is an all life stage food.

If you go to any of the pages linked to the foods above, you will notice that Natural Planet also provides the nutrient profile for their foods, which is always nice. Here you can see the As Fed numbers as well as the Ash content of the foods which lets you make more precise calculations if you are figuring the dry matter basis for the foods. Pet food experts usually recommend that you figure 7 percent for the Ash content when figuring the dry matter basis but you can see that Natural Planet’s dry foods consistently have a little more than 8 percent Ash. Ash is the mineral content of the food when all of the food matter is removed. Experts recommend that you use a 3 percent figure when estimating the Ash content for canned foods but, as you can see from checking the Nutrient Profiles for Natural Planet’s canned foods, they have just a little over 1 percent Ash. In general, up to a certain point, a lower Ash figure is better in pet foods since it can indicate the food has better quality meat sources.
Otherwise, as we’ve already discussed, the foods have organic ingredients (but not exclusively organic), non-GMO ingredients, natural preservatives, well-balanced omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, chelated minerals, and digestive enzymes. The protein percentages are moderate but not in the high range that you often see in biologically appropriate foods such as Orijen. This is not unusual in pet foods that use organic ingredients. Presumably the cost of these ingredients is such that companies focus on the quality of the ingredients instead of looking for higher meat protein percentages to attract customers.
At first glance, the Natural Planet foods look very good based on their ingredients and company reputation. We can take a closer look at one of the foods below.

Natural Planet Rabbit & Salmon Dog Food Review

We’ve selected Natural Planet Rabbit & Salmon dog food for our review. This is a grain free food. Natural Planet notes in their FAQ section that some of their products are labeled organic and some are not. This is due to the fact that there is not currently enough organic salmon available (the second ingredient) to make the food have 70 percent organic ingredients. We have encountered this situation with other dog foods that use organic ingredients so we are aware that this is a genuine issue in pet foods, especially with salmon. Many sources feel that the best source of salmon is still wild salmon. So, we wanted to single out this Natural Planet food and note that even though it may not have the same “made with organic” ingredients as some of the other Natural Planet dog foods, it should be the same quality.
You can read Natural Planet’s explanation about organic labeling here.
The first five ingredients in this food are: Rabbit, salmon, salmon meal, chickpeas, and organic peas. As you can see, the first three ingredients are meat/fish proteins which is always nice to see in a dog food. Rabbit is an excellent lean meat that breaks down to 81 percent protein, 18 percent fat, and 1 carbohydrate. It’s a terrific source of niacin, iron, phosphorus, and vitamin B12. It even provides some nicely balanced omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. And it has a gamey taste that most dogs will enjoy.
Salmon and salmon meal make up the next two ingredients. Salmon has about 46 percent protein and 54 percent fat. It’s a fantastic source of omega 3 fatty acid. As you probably know, dogs are able to use omega 3 from fish easily but it’s a different matter when they try to obtain omega 3 from plant sources like flaxseed. Dogs are not very efficient at converting the alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in plant-based omega 3 sources to the DHA and EPA that they need. With a cold water, fatty fish like salmon however, your dog can just about soak up the DHA and EPA from the omega 3 in the fish. Salmon is also high in thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, and vitamin B12. Salmon meal, of course, is a concentrated form of salmon with most of the moisture removed so it will be higher in protein.
The fourth ingredient is chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans. Chickpeas are legumes – a member of the pea family. They are frequently used in dog foods today since they are a plant source of protein. In the case of chickpeas, they have 19 percent protein, 13 percent fat, and 68 percent carbohydrates. They are considered to be a good source of dietary fiber and copper, along with folate and manganese. We have noticed in looking at the guaranteed analysis figures for the Natural Planet foods that most of them have fiber percentages that are higher than the industry norm. Most of their dry foods use chickpeas so their could be some correlation. Chickpeas are not necessarily a bad ingredient but they will augment the protein percentage, i.e., when you consider the food’s protein percentage, you should take into account that not all of the protein is meat protein or even animal protein. Not all dogs digest chickpeas and peas well, even with digestive enzymes added.
The fifth ingredient is organic peas. Peas in dog food usually refer to split peas (yellow or green). Since these are organic peas, we’re not sure what kind of peas they are. If they are split peas, they have about 25 percent protein, 72 percent carbs, and 3 percent fat. Again, they provide dietary fiber, thiamine, folate, and manganese. As with chickpeas, we caution that peas up the protein percentage in the food – especially when they appear in the first few ingredients. You should take this into account when looking at the protein percentage for the food.
Other ingredients of interest in the food include organic pea flour, tapioca starch, and pea starch – carbohydrate sources that are not likely to bother most dogs, even if they have sensitive digestion. The food also contains dried brewers yeast which is often given to dogs to improve their skin and coat. It’s high in vitamins and contains most of the B vitamins. We also note that the food contains catfish meal; blueberries which are a natural anti-oxidant; and rosemary extract which is a natural preservative, along with a number of fermentation products (“digestive enzymes” or probiotics).
The quality of the ingredients in this food look good. We have no problem with organic foods or non-GMO foods. We do call your attention to Natural Planet’s discussion of organic and non-GMO foods here. And to this statement:

What are the benefits of feeding organic? vs. all natural food (like Pure Vita)?
Organic is truly a lifestyle where the Pet Parent believes that Ingredients that NON Genetically Modified are better for their pets. Organic food is not necessary better than all natural food but is truly a choice that one believes is best for their pets. Organic food is a VERY nice option to all natural food.

We agree with this assessment (and so does the USDA).
We do have some qualms about the high amount of plant protein in the food; what seems like higher than normal fiber percentages; and rather high ash percentages.

Calorie Content: Metabolizable Energy (calculated): 3,856 kcals per kg, 448 kcals per cup

Nutrition Statement

Natural Planet Rabbit & Salmon dog food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages.
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein (min)…………………..….25.0%
Crude Fat (min)…………………………….14.0%
Crude Fiber (max)……………………….….5.0%
Moisture (max)…………………………….10.0%

The dry matter basis (DMB) figures for this food are: 27.8 percent protein; 15.6 percent fat; 5.6 percent fiber; and 42.2 percent carbohydrates.
This food has above average protein and average fat compared to many premium dog foods. It has average fiber and above average carbohydrates.

Where can you buy Natural Planet Dog Food?

According to the parent company of Natural Planet dog food, Jet.com, Walmart.com, Amazon.com, and other similar sites are not authorized distributors or retailers of their products because the company cannot confirm how the food is handled or stored after it leaves their factory. To find authorized retailers of Natural Planet and other KLN/Tuffy’s foods, visit this page. Note that Nutrisource pet foods has this statement on their web site regarding their pet food warranty:

NutriSource Brand Pet Foods Warranty/Guarantee: NutriSource branded products are covered by a 100% satisfaction warranty/guarantee when purchased from an authorized retailer. To receive warranty/guarantee service a valid receipt or proof of purchase from an authorized retailer is required. Warranty/guarantee service may be initiated by calling 1-800-525-9155 or writing to KLN Family Brands Company, P.O. Box 190, Perham, MN 56573 Attn: NutriSource Customer Service or by working with an authorized retailer.

If you have problems with one of their products, you may or may not have trouble replacing the food or getting a refund if you buy the food from an unauthorized retailer. It appears that all of the authorized retailers are brick and mortar stores. Chewy.com does sell Nutrisource foods, including Natural Planet. Even though they are not an authorized retailer, we do know that Chewy.com provides excellent customer service and will replace any food if there are problems.

Natural Planet Dog Food Coupons

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Visit the Nutrisource web site to sign up for KLN’s pet food newsletter and receive savings. You can also check out their Facebook page to learn about discounts and special offers.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for dog foods made with organic/non-GMO ingredients, then you may like Natural Planet foods. KLN/Tuffy’s also has a good reputation and they have been in business for over 50 years without any problems affecting their own products. We do have some concerns about the Natural Planet foods based on the fact that they seem to have relatively modest amounts of meat protein and use a lot of plant protein to round out the protein percentages – especially considering the fact that these are not inexpensive foods. If you are paying for meat protein, you should be getting meat protein and not garbanzo beans. The fiber content of the foods may be high for some dogs which would show up as diarrhea and gastrointestinal problems. If your dog needs a food with unique proteins and organic ingredients, Natural Planet foods should be considered but there are other foods which may not have some of these issues. However, there are not a lot of really organic dog foods, though some foods use some organic ingredients. Many organic dog foods do have lower protein percentages and more plant protein. You may end up paying very high prices for a food with more meat protein AND organic ingredients. Or, you may have better luck with Natural Planet’s canned foods which are 95 percent organic and appear to contain more meat protein.