Frontrunner is a grain-inclusive kibble line built around oats and barley, which appear in the first five ingredients of all six recipes. Every recipe lists a deboned meat first, and turkey and egg appear in all six. No recipe contains peas, lentils or potato.
The recipes barely differ in their figures. Each shows 27% protein, 16% fat, 4% fiber and 37% estimated starch as fed, and calories run from 429 to 433 kcal per cup. What changes is the lead protein: chicken, pork, turkey or beef. Fish appears in two recipes, and lamb and pork in one each. Chicken appears in five of the six.
Compared with the 1,834 kibbles in the catalog, protein and starch are about level with the averages of 26.9% protein and 37.4% starch. Calories are higher than the catalog average of 395 kcal per cup, so a cup of any Frontrunner recipe carries more energy than the typical kibble. The trade-off is that the nutrition barely changes from recipe to recipe. Owners looking for more protein or less starch will not find it in this line, and because five recipes contain chicken, owners avoiding chicken have one choice.
| Recipe | Protein | Fat | Starch | Kcal / cup | First ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient Grains Chicken, Oats & Turkey Recipe | 27% | 16% | 37% | 431 | Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oats |
| Ancient Grains Pork, Barley & Beef Recipe | 27% | 16% | 37% | 429 | Deboned Pork, Pork Meal, Barley |
| Puppy Ancient Grains Chicken, Oats & Turkey Recipe | 27% | 16% | 37% | 431 | Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oats |
| Small Breed Ancient Grains Turkey, Whitefish & Quinoa Recipe | 27% | 16% | 37% | 432 | Deboned Turkey, Chicken Meal, Oats |
| Ancient Grains Beef, Barley & Lamb Recipe | 27% | 16% | 37% | 433 | Deboned Beef, Chicken Meal, Oats |
| Ancient Grains Turkey, Trout & Spelt Recipe | 27% | 16% | 37% | 431 | Deboned Turkey, Chicken Meal, Oats |
| Line average | 27% | 16% | 37% | 431 |
All figures as fed, from the guaranteed analysis on each label. Starch is our estimate, since no bag prints it. Highest in the line is marked in bold, lowest in italics.
27% protein · 16% fat · 37% starch · 431 kcal/cup
Deboned chicken and chicken meal lead this recipe, followed by oats, barley and brown rice, with turkey and egg also listed. It is sold for all breeds with no life stage on the label, so it suits owners who want a chicken-first grain-inclusive kibble.
Full review of Ancient Grains Chicken, Oats & Turkey Recipe27% protein · 16% fat · 37% starch · 429 kcal/cup
This is the only Frontrunner recipe with pork and the only one without chicken, opening with deboned pork, pork meal, barley, oats and millet. At 429 kcal per cup it is the line's lowest-calorie recipe and the one choice for owners avoiding chicken.
Full review of Ancient Grains Pork, Barley & Beef Recipe27% protein · 16% fat · 37% starch · 431 kcal/cup · Puppy
The only recipe in the line labeled for puppies, it shares its chicken, chicken meal, oats, barley and brown rice opening and its 431 kcal per cup with the chicken recipe that has no life stage listed. It suits owners raising a puppy on chicken and turkey.
Full review of Puppy Ancient Grains Chicken, Oats & Turkey Recipe27% protein · 16% fat · 37% starch · 432 kcal/cup
The only Frontrunner recipe sold for small breeds, it opens with deboned turkey and chicken meal and adds whitefish and quinoa. At 432 kcal per cup it suits small-dog owners who want turkey and fish in a grain-inclusive kibble.
Full review of Small Breed Ancient Grains Turkey, Whitefish & Quinoa Recipe27% protein · 16% fat · 37% starch · 433 kcal/cup · Adult
The only recipe in the line labeled for adults and the only one with lamb, it opens with deboned beef and chicken meal and also lists turkey and egg. At 433 kcal per cup it is the line's most calorie-dense recipe, suiting adult dogs fed beef and lamb.
Full review of Ancient Grains Beef, Barley & Lamb Recipe27% protein · 16% fat · 37% starch · 431 kcal/cup
Deboned turkey leads this recipe, which names trout and spelt in its title and is the only one in the line with turkey meal among its first five ingredients. It suits owners of any breed size who want a turkey and fish recipe not made specifically for small dogs.
Full review of Ancient Grains Turkey, Trout & Spelt RecipeNo. All six Frontrunner recipes contain grain, with oats and barley among the first five ingredients of every recipe. None of them contain peas, lentils or potato.
All six recipes list 27% protein, so none has more than the others. Calories differ slightly, from 429 kcal per cup in the Ancient Grains Pork, Barley & Beef Recipe to 433 kcal per cup in the Ancient Grains Beef, Barley & Lamb Recipe.
The Ancient Grains Pork, Barley & Beef Recipe is the only Frontrunner recipe with no chicken listed. Its animal proteins are pork, beef, turkey and egg.
Protein is close to the average kibble we review (30.0% on a dry matter basis).
100% of recipes lead with a meat, fish or egg ingredient (89% across the site).
0% of recipes are grain-free.
this range, lowest to highest its average average of all 3,205 foods we review
Starch is our estimate from the guaranteed analysis, since no manufacturer prints it. How we work it out
Share of recipes that list each animal protein as an ingredient, not counting oils, fats or flavorings. Useful if your dog has a food sensitivity.
These are not unsafe. They are listed because readers ask about them.
MOST PROTEIN
Nulo Frontrunner Ancient Grains Pork, Barley & Beef Recipe Dry Dog Food
30.0% dry matter
LEAST STARCH
Nulo Frontrunner Puppy Ancient Grains Chicken, Oats & Turkey Recipe Dry Dog Food
37% as fed
FEWEST CALORIES
Nulo Frontrunner Ancient Grains Chicken, Oats & Turkey Recipe Dry Dog Food
431 kcal per cup
Our log holds FDA dog food recall notices from 2012 on, so this is not a guarantee that Nulo has never had one. See the recall log
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