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Crave vs. Natural Balance

In this comparison article for Crave vs Natural Balance, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Crave and Natural Balance, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this Natural Balance vs Crave comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Crave Review Page or Natural Balance Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Natural Balance vs. Crave

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Crave Dog Food vs. Natural Balance Dog Food

Dry Dog Food	Crave	Natural Balance
Crude Protein	37.8%	27.6%
Crude Fat	18.9%	14.4%
Crude Fiber	4.0%	5.2%

Wet/Canned Dog Food	Crave	Natural Balance
Crude Protein	53.7%	39.7%
Crude Fat	26.4%	20.5%
Crude Fiber	4.5%	8.5%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Dogs require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Twelve of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining ten are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these ten essential amino acids.

The comparison table above shows that Crave dry dog foods provide significantly more protein than Natural Balance. More specifically, Crave guarantees at least 10.17% more protein. Similarly, Crave wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Natural Balance wet foods.

Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Fats are an absolutely vital component of a balanced canine diet. Not only do fats provide energy, but they also serve important roles in the normal development and function of your dog's body. For example, fats help dogs produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among many other significant functions.

There is a relatively large difference between the fat content of Crave and Natural Balance. On average, Natural Balance dry dog food recipes contain 4.53% less fat than Crave recipes. In addition, Crave wet dog foods also provide more fat than Natural Balance wet foods.

There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. For wet dog foods, Natural Balance typically provides a little more fiber (about 3.91% more).

Crave Cat Food vs. Natural Balance Cat Food

Dry Cat Food	Crave	Natural Balance
Crude Protein	44.7%	36.8%
Crude Fat	19.6%	14.3%
Crude Fiber	4.7%	5.5%

Wet/Canned Cat Food	Crave	Natural Balance
Crude Protein	53.0%	46.7%
Crude Fat	26.4%	20.2%
Crude Fiber	4.9%	7.1%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Cats require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Eleven of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining eleven are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these eleven essential amino acids.

Natural Balance dry recipes contain 7.87% less protein than Crave dry recipes. This difference in protein content is a notable difference between Crave and Natural Balance. In addition, Crave wet cat foods also provide more protein than Natural Balance wet foods.

Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food

There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):

Fats help with the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
Reduce inflammation associated with arthritis
Slow the growth of yeast infections
Prevent or reduce the likelihood of certain heart problems.
Aid in the development of the retina and visual cortex.

The table shows that Natural Balance provides far less fat than Crave. The difference in fat content is roughly 5.24%. In addition, Crave wet cat foods also provide more fat than Natural Balance wet foods.

Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. For wet cat foods, Natural Balance typically provides a little more fiber (about 2.20% more).

Crave Pet Food Ingredients vs. Natural Balance Pet Food Ingredients

Crave and Natural Balance both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Pea Protein

Caramel Color

Tomato Pomace

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Crave.

Pork Plasma

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Natural Balance.

Giblets

Beet Pulp

Canola Oil

Brewers Rice

Feeding Oatmeal

Poultry Giblets

Dried Tomato Pomace

Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Crave and Natural Balance both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Natural Balance.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Crave & Natural Balance?

According to our records, Crave has never been recalled.

Natural Balance has been recalled 6 times.

July 21, 2007: ofbotulinum toxin
May 4, 2012: Salmonella
June 18, 2010: Salmonella
April 27, 2007: Melamine
April 17, 2007: Melamine
July 3, 2020: elevated levels of choline chloride

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog Food	Crave	Natural Balance
Per Pound	$2.37	$5.23
Per Calorie	$0.0014	$0.0029

Dry Cat Food	Crave	Natural Balance
Per Pound	$3.58	$3.69
Per Calorie	$0.0021	$0.0023

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Crave or Natural Balance, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Crave or Natural Balance will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Crave and Natural Balance. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.

Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Crave Pet Foods

You can purchase Crave pet foods from the following stores:

7 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Natural Balance Pet Foods

You can purchase Natural Balance pet food products from these retailers:

96 Recipes In-Stock Today

79 Recipes In-Stock Today

82 Recipes In-Stock Today

16 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

Product	Crave	Natural Balance
Dry Dog Food	4 Recipes	39 Recipes
Wet Dog Food	8 Recipes	27 Recipes
Dog Treats	None	33 Treats
Dry Cat Food	5 Recipes	16 Recipes
Wet Cat Food	10 Recipes	43 Recipes
Cat Treats	None	None