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Natural Balance vs American Journey

Natural Balance vs. American Journey

In this comparison article for Natural Balance vs American Journey, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Natural Balance and American Journey, 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 American Journey vs Natural Balance comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Natural Balance Review Page or American Journey Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: American Journey vs. Natural Balance

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.

Natural Balance Dog Food vs. American Journey Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodNatural BalanceAmerican Journey
Crude Protein27.6%31.8%
Crude Fat14.4%14.7%
Crude Fiber5.2%6.4%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodNatural BalanceAmerican Journey
Crude Protein39.7%40.7%
Crude Fat20.5%27.6%
Crude Fiber8.5%7.0%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Protein is an extremely important part of your dog's diet. Without sufficient protein, dogs can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.

Our analysis shows that American Journey guarantees 4.15% more protein than Natural Balance dry dog food recipes. For wet dog foods, American Journey and Natural Balance provide roughly the same amount of protein.


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.

Natural Balance and American Journey both provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. For wet dog foods, American Journey provides more fat (about 7.10% more).


There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. With regards to wet dog food, Natural Balance and American Journey also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Natural Balance Cat Food vs. American Journey Cat Food

Dry Cat FoodNatural BalanceAmerican Journey
Crude Protein36.8%39.8%
Crude Fat14.3%16.2%
Crude Fiber5.5%5.5%
Wet/Canned Cat FoodNatural BalanceAmerican Journey
Crude Protein46.7%52.9%
Crude Fat20.2%20.8%
Crude Fiber7.1%5.8%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Protein is an extremely important part of your cat's diet. Without sufficient protein, cats can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.

According to our data, American Journey guarantees 3.05% more protein than Natural Balance. Although this difference is relatively small, it's still a notable difference. In addition, American Journey 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.

Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. With regards to wet cat food, American Journey and Natural Balance also provide roughly the same amount of crude fat.


As you can see, Natural Balance and American Journey guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet cat food, Natural Balance and American Journey also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Natural Balance Pet Food Ingredients vs. American Journey Pet Food Ingredients

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

Pea Protein
Brewers Rice
Dried Tomato Pomace
Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

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

Giblets
Beet Pulp
Canola Oil
Caramel Color
Tomato Pomace
Feeding Oatmeal
Poultry Giblets

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by American Journey.

Canola Meal
Wheat Gluten
Ground Whole Wheat
Powdered Cellulose
Animal Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

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

Natural Balance and American Journey 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 Natural Balance & American Journey?

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

According to our records, American Journey has never been recalled.

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodNatural BalanceAmerican Journey
Per Pound$5.23$2.16
Per Calorie$0.0029$0.0014
Dry Cat FoodNatural BalanceAmerican Journey
Per Pound$3.69$2.96
Per Calorie$0.0023$0.0018
Wet Dog FoodNatural BalanceAmerican Journey
Per Pound$6.27$2.83
Per Calorie$0.0137$0.0054
Wet Cat FoodNatural BalanceAmerican Journey
Per Pound$7.63$6.24
Per Calorie$0.0183$0.0141

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 Natural Balance or American Journey, 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 Natural Balance or American Journey will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Natural Balance and American Journey. 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 Natural Balance Pet Foods

You can purchase Natural Balance pet foods from the following stores:


96 Recipes In-Stock Today

79 Recipes In-Stock Today

82 Recipes In-Stock Today

16 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy American Journey Pet Foods

You can purchase American Journey pet food products from these retailers:


126 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductNatural BalanceAmerican Journey
Dry Dog Food39 Recipes43 Recipes
Wet Dog Food27 Recipes11 Recipes
Dog Treats33 Treats44 Treats
Dry Cat Food16 Recipes14 Recipes
Wet Cat Food43 Recipes23 Recipes
Cat TreatsNone5 Treats

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