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Nulo vs. Essence

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

Guaranteed Analysis: Essence vs. Nulo

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.

Nulo Dog Food vs. Essence Dog Food

Dry Dog Food	Nulo	Essence
Crude Protein	35.7%	40.9%
Crude Fat	19.6%	19.3%
Crude Fiber	5.1%	5.7%

Wet/Canned Dog Food	Nulo	Essence
Crude Protein	45.6%	46.2%
Crude Fat	31.4%	32.6%
Crude Fiber	5.5%	6.0%

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.

Nulo dry recipes contain 5.11% less protein than Essence dry recipes. This difference in protein content is a notable difference between Essence and Nulo. For wet dog foods, Essence and Nulo provide roughly the same amount of protein.

Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Dietary fats serves a multitude of roles in the proper development and function of our canine companions. Here are some of the benefits (not exhaustive):

Help produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among other critical functions.
Aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
Improve skin and coat health
Improve the palatially of your dog's food

Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. With regards to wet dog food, Essence and Nulo also provide roughly the same amount of crude fat.

As you can see, Nulo and Essence guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Essence and Nulo also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Nulo Cat Food vs. Essence Cat Food

Dry Cat Food	Nulo	Essence
Crude Protein	44.3%	44.1%
Crude Fat	20.0%	18.5%
Crude Fiber	5.0%	4.8%

Wet/Canned Cat Food	Nulo	Essence
Crude Protein	53.3%	46.2%
Crude Fat	24.2%	31.8%
Crude Fiber	4.6%	4.8%

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.

Essence and Nulo both provide roughly the same amount of crude protein. For wet cat foods, Nulo provides more protein (about 7.08% more).

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):

Aid in the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
Improve the health of skin/coat
Slow the growth of yeast infections
Slow the development and spread of certain type of cancers.
Maintain healthy blood pressure

There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fat content of the two brands. For wet cat foods, Essence provides more fat (about 7.59% more).

Nulo Pet Food Ingredients vs. Essence Pet Food Ingredients

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

Powdered Cellulose

Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols And Citric Acid)

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

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Nulo.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Nulo & Essence?

According to our records, neither brand has issued any product recalls. Therefore, consumers have no reason to question the safety of Nulo or Essence pet food products.

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog Food	Nulo	Essence
Per Pound	$12.70	$4.11
Per Calorie	$0.0067	$0.0024

Dry Cat Food	Nulo	Essence
Per Pound	$16.85	$4.64
Per Calorie	$0.0082	$0.0027

Wet Dog Food	Nulo	Essence
Per Pound	$4.44	$4.99
Per Calorie	$0.0081	$0.0090

Wet Cat Food	Nulo	Essence
Per Pound	$8.53	$5.98
Per Calorie	$0.0202	$0.0103

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 Nulo or Essence, 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 Nulo or Essence will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Nulo and Essence. 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 Nulo Pet Foods

You can purchase Nulo pet foods from the following stores:

78 Recipes In-Stock Today

34 Recipes In-Stock Today

42 Recipes In-Stock Today

23 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Essence Pet Foods

You can purchase Essence pet food products from these retailers:

12 Recipes In-Stock Today

13 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

Product	Nulo	Essence
Dry Dog Food	29 Recipes	6 Recipes
Wet Dog Food	21 Recipes	6 Recipes
Dog Treats	8 Treats	None
Dry Cat Food	15 Recipes	3 Recipes
Wet Cat Food	27 Recipes	3 Recipes
Cat Treats	7 Treats	None