Six reviewed Nature’s Recipe dry foods are absent from its current lineup

What we found

We checked Nature’s Recipe’s current dry dog food range on September 28. Six foods we have reviewed are absent under their reviewed names: Healthy Skin Vegetarian Recipe; Original Small Bites Chicken Meal & Rice Recipe; Prime Blends Beef, Barley & Venison Recipe; Prime Blends Grain-Free Beef, Lamb, and Potato Recipe; Prime Blends Grain-Free Chicken, Turkey, and Butternut Squash Recipe; and Prime Blends Salmon, Barley & Chicken Recipe. All six are dry foods.

The brand has not given a discontinuation date for these six recipes in the pages we read. Its FAQ says products at a particular store may change and select items may be discontinued. That leaves the status of each missing recipe unclear. Retailer listings can remain online after a food leaves a range, so a listing alone does not establish current availability.

The Small Bites name needs a closer look

The current Nature’s Recipe range includes Small Bites Chicken, Barley & Brown Rice Recipe. Its label names chicken first, followed by chicken meal, brewers rice and barley. That is a different name from the Original Small Bites Chicken Meal & Rice food in our review. We cannot establish from the current catalog alone whether it replaced the older recipe or when any change happened.

Chewy marks a four-pound bag of Small Bites Chicken, Barley & Brown Rice as discontinued at Chewy, while Nature’s Recipe still lists that named food and a four-pound bag size. Chewy’s notice therefore should not be read as confirmation that the entire Small Bites recipe has been discontinued.

What this means for owners

The missing foods cover different needs and ingredient choices. Healthy Skin Vegetarian was a vegetarian dry recipe. Four carried the Prime Blends name, including two labeled grain-free and two named for barley. The sixth was the older Small Bites chicken meal and rice recipe. A current Nature’s Recipe food with a similar flavor or name may have a different ingredient list or nutritional statement.

If one of these was your dog’s regular food, use our review page for that exact recipe to see its label details and listed alternatives. Our reviews cover Healthy Skin Vegetarian, Original Small Bites Chicken Meal & Rice, and each of the four Prime Blends recipes named above. The brand’s FAQ also provides a phone number for owners who want to ask about a missing product.

What to check on the bag

Read the complete recipe name and compare the ingredient list, guaranteed analysis, calories per cup and nutritional adequacy statement with your previous bag. Check that the statement fits your dog’s life stage. For Small Bites in particular, check the full name rather than relying on the words “Small Bites” alone.

If your dog eats a food for a specific dietary reason, check any proposed replacement with your veterinarian before changing it. Follow the feeding directions on the new bag and adjust the amount to its calorie content. Nature’s Recipe’s current catalog shows other dry foods, but it does not identify a direct substitute for each of the six missing names.