Nulo Medal Series Puppy Ancient Grains Turkey, Oats & Guinea Fowl: our recipe review

Nulo · Medal Series Puppy Ancient Grains Turkey, Oats & Guinea Fowl · Dry food · All life stages

On the facts printed on its own label, Nulo Medal Series Puppy Ancient Grains Turkey, Oats & Guinea Fowl scores 92 out of 100 on our rubric: top of the range we have scored. The panel opens with Deboned Turkey, and the first ingredient signal earns 20 of its 20 points. At 28% crude protein it ranks 59 of the 116 Nulo recipes we scored for protein. Crude fat reads 16%.

Its adequacy claim rests on formulation: balanced on paper against the AAFCO nutrient profiles rather than fed to dogs in a trial. Our November 2026 check of FDA records found no posted dog food recall events for Nulo.

The panel runs to 53 ingredient lines. 6 of them are animal source lines and 12 are plant lines. The first added fat appears at line 7, so 6 lines sit ahead of it in the recipe by weight. Salt appears at line 25 of 53: ingredients listed after salt are present in small amounts, a standard reading aid for long panels. The vitamin and mineral pack begins around line 30; the 24 lines from there on are mostly supplements, preservatives and functional extras rather than staple foods.

Its closest relative in this brand is Medal Series Ancient Grains Beef, Barley & Lamb, sold as Dry food: the two panels share most of their ingredients. In the first ten, this recipe has Deboned Turkey, Guinea Fowl, where its relative has Deboned Beef, Deboned Lamb. The full comparison is on the relative's own review page.

The label facts

How the score breaks down

Ingredient notes: the first ten, one by one

Definitions below are written from AAFCO's ingredient definitions in our own words. They describe what an ingredient is, never what a brand claims about it. Names that appear in our ingredient dictionary link to it; the dictionary counts how many scored recipes carry each ingredient.

• Deboned Turkey. Deboned Turkey is the named meat in fresh form. Panel order is set by weight before cooking, and fresh meat is mostly water, so its share of the finished food is smaller than its place at the top suggests.
• Turkey Meal. Turkey Meal is the named animal rendered and ground, with water and most fat cooked off before it is weighed. Per kilo it carries far more protein than the fresh meat does.
• Chicken Meal. Chicken Meal is the named animal rendered and ground, with water and most fat cooked off before it is weighed. Per kilo it carries far more protein than the fresh meat does.
• Oats. Oats is a whole grain that digests slowly and brings soluble fiber, a steady energy source in grain inclusive recipes.
• Barley. Barley is a whole grain rich in beta glucan fiber, which feeds gut bacteria and slows digestion.
• Millet. Millet is a plant ingredient, bringing energy, fiber or plant protein to the panel.
• Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols & Citric Acid). Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols & Citric Acid) is rendered fat from the named source. Fat is the densest energy in the recipe and carries much of its flavor.
• Ground Flaxseed. Ground Flaxseed is a plant seed bringing fiber and ALA, a plant omega 3. Dogs convert ALA to the active forms poorly, so it does not do the job fish oil does.
• Guinea Fowl. Guinea Fowl sits on the panel as a functional ingredient: a binder, supplement or processing aid rather than a nutrient base.
• Spelt. Spelt sits on the panel as a functional ingredient: a binder, supplement or processing aid rather than a nutrient base.

The brand's recall record

No FDA posted dog food recall events for this brand were found in our November 2026 check of FDA recall records. That is a statement about what we could verify, not proof of a perfect history.

See the full dog food recall tracker for recent events across all brands.

Other Nulo recipes we scored

Those are the twelve highest scoring of the 115 other Nulo recipes we scored. The full comparison, flagship review included, is on the Nulo brand review.

Feeding it

Switch foods gradually over about a week, mixing more of the new food into the old each day. Portion by calories, not by the look of the bowl: our feeding calculator works out a daily amount from your dog's weight, and this recipe's calorie line above is the number it needs.