The scores
Nutro Wholesome Essentials Adult Chicken: B (77/100) — Chicken and chicken meal lead, with whole brown rice and oatmeal as the grain base. Clean label, non-GMO positioning from Mars Petcare. No corn, wheat, or soy.
Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Chicken: B (77/100) — Chicken and dried chicken up front, with sweet potatoes and potatoes as the carb base. Grain-free formula from J.M. Smucker (same parent company as Rachael Ray Nutrish). Includes probiotics and taurine.
How the ingredients compare
Both formulas lead with dual chicken protein sources, then diverge sharply on carbohydrates:
Nutro: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Brown Rice, Brewers Rice, Rice Bran
Nature’s Recipe: Chicken, Dried Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Pea Starch
The protein strategy is nearly identical — fresh chicken plus a concentrated chicken source (meal vs dried) in positions one and two. After that, the formulas split. Nutro commits to rice in three forms (whole brown rice, brewers rice, rice bran), while Nature’s Recipe stacks three starchy carb sources (sweet potatoes, potatoes, pea starch). Both approaches have trade-offs: Nutro’s triple-rice load includes two filler-grade ingredients, while Nature’s Recipe’s grain-free carb stack raises the FDA-flagged DCM concern.
Where Nutro pulls ahead
No DCM concern: Nutro’s grain-inclusive formula sidesteps the FDA’s ongoing investigation into grain-free diets and dilated cardiomyopathy. Whole brown rice and oatmeal are well-studied, well-tolerated grains with no regulatory flags. For owners worried about the grain-free-DCM link, this alone may settle the debate.
Whole grain oatmeal: Oatmeal is a nutritionally superior grain — high in soluble fiber, B vitamins, and iron, with a lower glycemic index than rice. It’s a meaningful upgrade over the standard rice-only carb base most brands use.
Sunflower oil for omega-6: A dedicated omega-6 source that supports skin and coat health. Nature’s Recipe includes flaxseed (omega-3) but lacks a dedicated omega-6 source, creating a gap in fatty acid balance. Shop on Amazon →
Where Nature’s Recipe holds its own
Probiotics: Dried Bacillus coagulans is a spore-forming probiotic that survives the kibble manufacturing process — a genuine functional ingredient that Nutro omits entirely. For dogs with digestive sensitivities, this is a real differentiator.
Taurine supplementation: Added taurine supports heart health, which is especially relevant in a grain-free formula where taurine deficiency has been theorized as a factor in the DCM concern. Nutro doesn’t include supplemental taurine.
Chicory root prebiotic: Dried chicory root provides inulin, a prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Combined with the probiotic, Nature’s Recipe offers a synbiotic approach to digestive health that Nutro can’t match.
Flaxseed for omega-3: A plant-based omega-3 source (ALA) that Nutro lacks. While ALA conversion to EPA/DHA is limited in dogs, it’s still a net positive for the formula’s fatty acid profile. Shop on Amazon →
The bottom line
At B/77 each, the score can’t pick a winner — so your dog’s needs have to. If you want the safer, more conventional choice with no regulatory questions, Nutro’s grain-inclusive formula is the straightforward pick. If your dog thrives on grain-free and you value the probiotic-prebiotic-taurine trifecta, Nature’s Recipe delivers functional ingredients Nutro doesn’t. Both formulas have filler issues — Nutro leans on rice derivatives, Nature’s Recipe leans on starchy carbs — but neither is egregious enough to drop below a B. It’s a genuine coin flip decided by one philosophical question: grains or no grains?