I have had good results with natural balance L.I.D. no-grain formulas,especially the venison and potato.Some folks will nitpick over the order of the ingredients on the bag or say its not as good as its competitors,who are higher priced..whatever.But its good quality food,and the limited number of ingredients makes it ideal for dogs with allergies.Plus,its lower in protein than other no-grain formulas which makes it better for senior dogs or dogs prone to digestive upset.And most dogs love the taste.Mine does.

I have had both my dogs on NAtural Balance Ultra due to allergies in one of my older dogs. Natural balance cleared up the rash and skin itchiness and restored his fur to normal within 2 weeks. When we got a new puppy the breeder was feeding Purina , but I immediately switched over to Natural Balance for her as well. I highly recommend this brand to anyone. In fact I have. People always ask me what I am feeding as my dogs fur is soft and shiny and extreemely healthy. Believe me.I have been the gauntley with dog foods dealing with allergies. I cant speak highly enough of this product. Keep up the good work and keep me a contented customer forever.

Well....after years of using this food for my dog, I am greatly disappointed in what Natural Balance has done to their Limited Ingredient Diets. First, they changed the Potato and Duck. I said, OK, I can still feed him the Venison formula and the Fish formula. They just did the same thing to the Venison formula that they did to the Duck one...took out the Venison meal!!!!!! So it is now 3/4 carb and 1/4 meat, basically. It's a only a matter of time before they change the Fish formula too, I suppose.It is hard enough to find grain free exotic protein dog foods for dogs with major allergies. I am on a limited budget so buying dehydrated foods, while very healthy, all the time will break me. Why do dog food companies have to change and cheapen their ingredients like this?
At least I know I can order the Great Life Grain/Potato free formulas online, but it's more expensive than Natural Balance. I will have to cut corners in other aspects of my life because I refuse to deny my dog healthy dog food, even on a fixed income. Shame on you Natural Balance for ruining a good thing!

Last update 5/14/08-Yet again, this food has surpassed my expectations!! I am on the second month of feeding my dog the Sweet Potato and Venison Dry Formula and so far, so great! To boost the protein levels he is also eating the Wellness 95% Venison Canned food as a topper. Allergies are still diminished, coat is wonderful, and no digestive issues. I do add supplements to his meal which might also help. He gets fish oil capsules, Immune Blend, and a Green Blend all made by the same fabulous company called B Naturals. I don't mean to plug another product as well, but I think the amazing food and the fantastic supplements together have made my dog very healthy and happy. Another home run by Natural Balance.

Update 3/06/08-I have had my English Springer Spaniel, Jasper on the Sweet Potato and Fish Dry formula along with the Fish and Sweet Potato Canned Food for about 3 months and the results are amazing!!! He did fantastic on the Potato and Duck and is doing just as great on the Fish. He went to the vet for his physical last week and the whole office was stunned at how well he looks. His coat is flawless and shinier than when he was a puppy. They said he looks the best he ever has and that he looks like he is a young dog. He is going to be 10 this month and is in perfect health. I credit alot of this this wonderful food. It has made him look and feel younger than ever!! I can't believe that a dog with so many allergies and sensitivities has come out of it better than I thought he would. This food has been a miracle!!

Even though this food has had some recalls, the Potato and Duck Dry and the Duck and Potato Canned food is the ONLY food that my dog does amazing on. He has loads of food allergies and sensitivities, and this food is the only one that agrees with his skin and ears, doesn't bother his stomach, makes his breath great, and keeps his eyes from running. I have tried many other premium brands, but always go back to this one for my guy. For my dog, this food is a keeper!! 

Same happened to us. Our 10 year old Maltese, Byron, had been on DVP Duck/Potato since early 2009 with great success. However, he was diagnosed with low red blood cell count/anemia and an enlarged liver in early September and we had to take him off Duck/Potato for home made diet until his health improved. I received the OK from the vet last week and purchased a new bag of DVP Duck/Potato this weekend . I also noticed the color was different and didn't pay attention to the "new and improved" sticker on the 5 lb. bag. I only gave him a few kibbles at a time w/his current diet for a smooth transition but he has been battling a terrible case of the runs and gas since Monday night. Poor thing was up every 2 hours. I returned the food to Pet Supply Plus and received a full refund. I also talked to our vet and she suggested Royal Canin which has three single source diets that could work. A duck/potato, rabbit/potato and whitefish/potato. Once the bathroom situation is under control we are trying the rabbit/potato formula. Price was the same as Natural Balance and hopefully the results will be positive. If not, our other dogs are on Wellness Core and Core Light and it is a supreme product. The vet wants him to stay away from chicken right now if possible, but if Royal Canin doesn't work, then we will switch to Core Light. This type of single source diet Royal Canin formula is not sold in pet stores (at least not in Michigan), but it is sold online and at the vet. Maybe it will be a solution for you too. Good luck!

My Jack Russell, Benny, was started on this food in May '09 after a bout of pancreatitis. He loved it, as did my other 2 dogs. I was happy to find a food that he ate readily, without any additions, which were off limits after the pancreatitis. He had previously been on Nutro Natural, and wasn't overly fond of it. Went to Petco in July to buy a 30 lb. bag of DVP Potato & Duck, happy to find a food they all liked. Upon returning home , and opening up the bag, I thought it looked darker & duller than my previous purchases, which were 5 lb.er's only. That night my dogs told me what I had suspected... something was different. They refused to eat it. Upon reviewing the bag there was no mention of a change, till I read the ingredients, and noticed the absence of duck meal. Checked their website, and read about the "new & improved" version, and how it was so much better. What a load of bull !!! Called the company 4 times before I could talk to someone other than a receptionist. The "right people" I needed to talk to were either in a meeting, away from their desk, out to lunch ( at 3:00 p.m. ) etc. ect. When I finally reached someone "in the know", they were surprised about my complaint & hadn't heard of any dogs having problems with the new formula. Seems they had been working on the change for 6 months, but I guess hadn't got around to having new bags printed touting this newer, better, formula. According to them , the Petco employees were supposed to have put stickers on the bags to let the public know of the difference, "warn" in other words. Too bad the people at my local Petco knew nothing of this.

To make a long story short, I stocked up on the old formula, but sad to say, we are coming to the end of the supply. Currently trying to switch to the DVP Sweet Potato & Chicken, but the results are dismal. My 10 year old female Jack Russell, Ruby, started vomiting last night. She has only vomited a couple times in her whole life, and tonight she's vomited 5x that amount in a few short hours. Was it the DVP food, I'm not sure, but I suspect as much. I'm going to try Pinnacle Duck & Potato, or Wellnes Core, and hopefully will have the same good results I had with the Dick Van Patten brand, in the beggining.

Moral of the story : Though our pets can't speak, they can sure tell us when something isn't quite right...
Rubylee in Nebraska

The same thing happened to my pups, terrible diarrhea from a new vegetarian formula bag. I have been using this brand for over a year and it is horrible now. Don't recommend it at all.

I had been using NB Duck & Sweet Potato for over a year with great success. In August my Irish Setter stopped eating entirely - took her to the Vet where she continued not to eat for 3 days. We ended up feed ing her hand to mouth with eggs and cottage cheese until her stomach returned to normal. We thought she ingested something or contracted a virus. We started her back on NB Duck & Sweet Potato again and the symptoms reappeared once more. Then I checked this blog and realized that it was the NB food. The new mix is crapola and anyone that loves their dog should stay away from it. There is a comment above that says we should have checked the bag and then to introduce the food slowly. Well I am sorry to say to that person that when you trust a manufacturer and there is not any indication warning to the consumer that the formula has been substituted with junk we feed it to our dogs out of trust of the manufacturer. Other companies put notes inside of their bags to the consumer that the formula has changed. PLEASEDON"T USE THIS FOOD and I would recommend not trusting any of the Natural Balance mixes because if they change Duck & Sweet Potato without notifying the consumer what is to say that they won't change the other formulas to 'save production costs, decrease the size and increase the cost'. One more thing - answering Jak above - I am referring to the substitution of duck meal with duck protein - furthermore duck protein could be composed of duck bills, dick feet and duck feathers.

I wasn't sure what was causing my 10 mth old Rhodesian mix to have diarrhea, breakouts and an upset stomach, so I put all of her treats in the trash, and turned to a bland rice and chicken diet. Like most of you, I had not realized DVP's Natural Balance had undergone a formula change; so after slowly moving her back to her DVP's NB diet (minus the treats I assumed were the culprits), the breakouts and digestive issues/diarrhea started again. I switched her food to Acana Grasslands, and she's doing very well.
The new "improved" DVP's Natural balance formula is, "eloquently" put, GARBAGE, so for the health of your pet please don't try this product.

PS. Price of this food has increased while quality has decreased. This company's rising profit margin is making a lot of our pets sick.

I bought a new bag of the NEW AND IMPROVED” Natural Balance duck and potato. The color was lighter and long story short. My Two Wheaten's (18 mo old) got the runs.
I ran down to Petco and bought an older bag, now they are fine. I don’t know if I should put them on the sweet potato and fish or switch brands altogether but the NEW DUCK SUCKS! Any suggestions?

Has anyone having the same problem tried a new food with any success?

Update. After using up most of the large bag of "old and unimproved" duck and potato that I found at the pet store, i switched them over to Venison and sweet potato. It seemed to be fine for about eight or nine weeks. Then I decided to try the duck again. I started with 5 days of a 1/4 cup of duck we moved slowly, I took 2 weeks before they were 100% duck. It seemed OK for about a week and then it got looser and looser until finally it was mushy piles. So first rice and chicken and back to venison. So I still say THE NEW DUCK SUCKS!

PS, I also think maybe Princess21 works for Natural Balance, And Jack Bauer should stick to saving us from TV terrorists.

Our eleven year old golden retriever Bailey has been on Natural Balance Duck and Potato for almost a year with great success. Then they changed the formula (unfortunately there was nothing on the bag to indicate a change had been made). Bailey immediately began having diarrhea so we called the manufacturer and found out about the change. At that point, we didn't have any of her old bag to mix with the new formula so we put her on a bland chicken and rice diet and very very very slowly began to add the duck and potato formula back in. Every time we get to 100% duck and potato, Bailey gets sick again. We are back to chicken and rice for the fourth time... starting all over again!

Now that I see others are having this same difficulty, we are definitely going to make a switch to another brand. We no longer trust Natural Balance and will never go back. In fact, I found out yesterday a friend with a golden retriever also on this diet has had the same problem and spent hundreds at the vet. She has since switched to Buffalo Blue Fish and Potato diet.

Two weeks ago I started using Potato & Duck Formula because of my dogs allergies, It seemed to work, less licking. My mini- pin became very ill 2 days ago throwing up and bloody diarrhea so I took her to the vet ,over $300.00 dollars later he said she suffers from Pancreatitis . I don't know if this is a coincidence or not, but reading these current reviews I wonder. If this was the reason for her getting sick I'm VERY angry, not so much about the large vet bill ,but because how sick she is and possible how this my effect her health in the future. It's to bad that these Companies are all about how much money they can make and not about the health of our best friends. Silly thou, because I watched eight is enough growing up and like Dick Van Patten I trusted he would only sell food that was good for are best friends.

The quality and purity of this brand cannot be doubted, that is true! The wide range of formulas and elimination diet products really do run the gammit and provide something for just about any dog. My only criticism is the protien and fat levels for many of these foods. With a retired Lab and two adult Pitbulls, we need a higher protien diet. Though most dogs don't need extra fats, a good quality high protien is GREAT for all life stages. Bump up the protien levels by 5-10% and they would be there!!!

I thought Pedigree was an okay dog food to feed my healthy adult mixed breeds... until a friend pointed out that my spaniel's incessant itching may be a food allergy. I started looking online and researching dog foods and allergic reactions and realized something that has had me infuriated and scared ever since: Pedigree is a SAD excuse for "complete nutrition"... rarely does the Ingredients section even mention items that a dog/wolf/dingo may eat in the wild. After hours of research, I settled between Solid Gold, Innova Evo, and Natural Balance. Due to NB's moderate price, all natural ingredients, and specific diets (which help you determine what your dog is allergic to via trial and error), I chose this brand. My worst fear was that the "healthy" stuff would not taste good to my dogs, as they were used to the Pedigree's salty taste. I couldn't even open the bag all the way before my hound dog had her nose half way in it. They love it. My dogs BOTH are transforming from having runny eyes and nose, itchy body, hot spots from biting, dry skin, low energy, and dull coat and into dogs I barely recognize-- bright eyed, shiny coats, smiley-faced, and HUNGRY when the food comes out. I feel AWFUL that I deprived them of the nutrition they needed for SO long. Trust me-- even as an owner who spoils her dogs rotten (toys, parks, days at the beach, even a decorated kennel with floral print rug and matching bed for my hound, Maebelle!)... it was very easy to overlook the importance of researching nutrition. I recommend NB to any owner, with a new pup or just for a change. It may be more pricey than Pedigree, but it saves me trips to the vet, Benadryl and Cortizone shots, sleepless nights listening to itchy dogs, and the weight of seeing them miserable due to allergy and malnutrition. Try it.

I have 2 mixed breed dogs (6 month old Boxer/Lab/Pit Bull, and a 13 week old Boxer/Australian Shepard/Pit Bull Mix) and when I got the 6 Month old, she was on O'l Roy Food, the cheapest food you can buy at walmart. She was sickly looking and didnt have much energy. I looked all over the internet for the best dog food (besided the raw food diet) and landed on this as recommended by one of my closest friends. I tried to do the switch gradually but she refused to eat the other food. She is on the lamb meal and brown rice formula and she has more energy and is always happy happy happy :) My 13 week old I got from a lady on craigslist when 9 of these puppies showed up on her door step. I got him at 8 weeks, and she gave me a little bag of what she was feeding him, but when I got him home to switch the food gradually (again trying) he would pick out my food and leave the other food. So once again, I threw it away. (I have no idea what type of food it is) To make a long story short these two dogs love the food I give them as well as some healthy veggies and fruits in their diets. I highly reccommend this food to anyone who wants to make their "children" as healthy as possible. (they still need regular check ups) The way I look at it (and this is my honest opinion) if you were a dog and only got one thing to eat (with a little varity) wouldn't you want your "owners" to research what food would be the best for you? It may be expensive but I feel my dogs health and well being shouldn't have a price tag. The best advice I have for ANY pet owner is to do your homework when looking at food. Don't just read the products web site, READ EVERYTHING ON THE INTERNET, and you can always do pet forums, and your vet is an awesome resource.

Kassidy

I have all my dogs, from puppy to my elderly springer, on Natural Balance Sweet Potato/Fish. My male had terrible skin when I got him and after one month he had quit itching and now his coat looks great. My puppies coats look shiny and clean all the time. I am very happy with Natural Balance. The only down fall is that it is expensive and so when you are feeding multiple dogs it can be expensive. I would highly recommend this brand of food to everyone.

When I got my puppy she was on royal canin mini puppy and though she was doing fine on it, decided to switch to natural balance ultra premium small bites. She did great with the switch, no tummy upset at all. I also use the canned and she loves it. I intend to keep this as part of her rotation diet, she is a happy healthy puppy!

My dog is allergic to almost everything, so I was thrilled to find the Potato and Duck formula over three years ago. Then, Natural Balance came out with the new and improved formula and I thought we were going to have to find a new food. The transition, a very slow one, was one horrible process. In fact, Lila's digestive issues were SO bad that I was ready to switch to the Sweet Potato and Venison. Our vet said to give it a few days once the transition was complete with the new food, and I couldn't have been more surprised. Suddenly, (and I do mean suddenly), all was right with the world! Digestive issues disappeared literally overnight. It is now three weeks since the transition was complete, Lila's coat is gorgeous, she has tons of energy, more even that she had on the original Potato and Duck formula, and she loves it! I mix it with a prebiotic powder, some of the Natural Balance canned Potato and Duck and an omega 3 supplement. I called Natural Balance regarding my concerns that the new formula did not have as much protein from meat, after reading comments on this site and others. They reassured me on the phone and snail mailed me data to show that in both old and new versions, 60% of the protein is from meat. Their customer service was more than responsive. I am very happy with this food, more importantly, so is Lila and I think the company that makes it is trying very hard to be responsible with their ingredients and sources.

My older dog does GREAT on venison and sweet potato but I'm not at all happy with the change in the duck and potato recipe. We slowly switched our puppy to it, as he was eating plain purina puppy chow we got him, and he (a growing puppy) refused to eat it without cooked fresh meat added. Within 2 weeks the pup started loosing weight and we switched to a different brand (which he eats dry no problem). The quality looks like it took a major dip, and if (as I've read) they've changed to duck protein rather than duck meal I am extremely disappointed. "Protien" can derive from duck bills, feet and even feathers. Steer clear of the new and improved duck and potato.
I wish I had a better review but like I said my older dog does great on venison and sweet potato.

Hi, I have a 7 year old Toy Fox Terrier who for a year and a half was = digging his ears raw and chewing his feet until they bled. He literally = had no fur on his feet and would leave blood spots all over the floor = from chewing his feet. I had him to the vet numerous times and was told = he had allergies and would walk out with lots of medicine and totally = broke. The medicine would give him temporary relief but then he was = right back to the same old thing. The next step was the allergist which = was insanely expensive. My husband found Dick Van Patten's dog food on = the internet and we went in search of the food and found it at Pets = Supply Plus. We purchased the "light" formula along with the small = treats in various flavors. Within one month our little guy was 60% = better and within two months he was 100% better. He is a changed dog = who now loves to run and play with our other dog, a Rat Terrier. This = food was our saving grace for this little guy. The other thing that we = noticed was his coat is so soft and shiny and healthy looking and his = shedding is less than half of what it was. Our Rat Terrier now eats = this food as well and the same goes for her with the shedding and the = beautiful coat. It is a wonderful product and I just can't say enough = about it. I would tell everyone that their dog should be eating this = food!!! I thank God that we found something to help our dog live a = normal and happy life.

I feed my dog Natural Balance small bites chicken. Havent tried any other ones yet cause my dog is picky lol. But, I have to say its pretty good food. They are all natural with no by-products or preservatives and have many different flavors to choose from. I would never recommend the vegetarian formula! (as would any other dog lover) Your dog needs meat! The L.I.D (Limited Ingredients Diet) formulas are also good. I've been feeding my dog that now because she is getting older and is starting to gain a little weight. They also believe their food is good for all stages of your dogs life. (this goes for the cat formulas as well) Im a little iffy about that though. Im thinking of changing my dog's food to the wellness just for seniors (once she reaches the age) because I love my dog and I would never want to put her life in danger. Overall its a good brand and at a reasonable price!

This review is for the original Natural Balance formula, with chicken, lamb, and salmon. I understand that there are some HUGE issues with the Potato and Duck formula Natural Balance, but I was never a huge fan of the various allergy formulas, anyway. Regardless, on to the review...

Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Original Formula is a great food. Four meats listed, good, non-allergenic (for most) grains listed, and listed only once each, and good supplemental nutrition and extras. My biggest complaint about this food is that with the four meat ingredients being of four different species, it makes an elimination diet all the more difficult in the event of a food allergy cropping up. On the other hand, of all the top-echelon foods, Natural Balance is one of them with a lower price tag than many others. A worthwhile food to try... not the best, but far from the worst.

My Lab has used Natural Balance for years. The change in the Duck and Potato didn't bother him. He had terrible allergies to all the other dog foods. Natural Balance was the last one we tried before getting into the really expensive type.

Because he is older we have switched him to the reduced calorie. He still loves it. So do the other dogs who try to muscle in on his food. They are currently eating Iams.

FYI - we tried Pedigree with one of our other dogs. It was terrible...she started eating the poop of the dog that ate Natural Balance.

All three dogs will be on Natural Balance.

Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish.

My bulldog has ate this since March of 2008 when he developed food allergy.
After eating it for a couple of months he quit itching, his red skin went away, and his digestion improved so much.
The only reason I just give 4 stars and not 5 is bc it is low in protein and quite costly.

We are currently trying to transition to TOTW pacific stream bc it has more protein and is cheaper...we will see how it works.

My Doberman's ate Potato and Duck for 4 years. Now they changed the formula without my knowing about it. My dogs were vommiting and diarrhea. And they can't stand the flavor. I have 3 30lb bags sitting here and now I have to change their food to something else :( Very unhappy.

I've been feeding Natural Balance to my dog since she was a pup. I used it because it was on a list of recommended dog foods given to me by the vet. My dog has always had skin problems and what looked like acne on her muzzle. She also did not have as much energy as I would expect from a young dog. I recently switched to Pedigree from the grocery store and all of her problems have cleared up. I recommend to stay clear of Natural Balance products.

I have a 14 yr old mixed breed with severe allergies. I have been feeding her Natural Balance Duck and Potato and she was doing great. She recently started vomiting and refused to eat the food.
She is not a picky eater so I knew something was wrong. I had purchased a bag which indicated that the formula was changed and this seems to be the issue. I am very upset over this because it took years to find a food that worked for her. Unfortunately now I have to change to something else. I sent an e-mail to natural balance and basically was told to mix the old and new formula and the vomiting would stop. I will not feed my dog something that makes her sick and that she doesn't like. This was an unacceptable answer and they lost a customer.

Same vomiting and runs with my doberman the morning after she ate the new and improved version of the potato and duck formula. She was also reluctant to eat it at first as well. I have had her on the old formula for almost 6 months and she loved it. Also, it really helped with her alergies. I am off to the pet store to return it and start the trial and error regiment again.

I just recently rescued my Border Collie and had been experimenting with the different foods out there. Then I tried NB AMP for high energy dogs and couldn't be happier. I especially love their summer sausage looking treats. He is crazy about those. Originally was cutting them up in cubes but he would end up swallowing them whole rather than chew them so I thought about what the girl at the feed store said and crumble them into his dry food where he preceeded to eat the entire bowl in no time.
On a side note, I am not understanding most of these negative comments. You are suppose to be rating Natural Balance and in most of these comments you people have obviously loved the product or you wouldn't have been feeding your dogs this brand for so long. Now unfortunately you have a problem with one specific type that has recently been changed. So instead of bad mouthing the brand which you thought was great in most cases for years, why not write the company with your complaint and have that specific product changed back. Just a thought.

I don't know about the potato and duck but I've been buying the venision and sweet potato and I LOVE it!! We found out our rescue has a gluten allergy and this is the ONLY food he can tolerate. We tried everything, from nutro to wellness to making his food. This food worked wonders!! I read the reviews on this website and they helped tremendously. This food has made such a difference!!

In an effort to find some information on the "new and improved" formula of Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato dog food, and to see if others were experiencing the same problems we have had, I ran across this site. I want everyone to be aware of the potential negative effects of giving this "new" food to your pets. Our two schnauzers have always been given this brand, and done very well. On July 2 we bought a new bag, and noticed a slight change in color, but thought nothing of it. We did think it a bit odd that our two dogs, normally chow hounds, sniffed the food, and seemed tentative in eating it. For the next two days both dogs vomited continually. We were not suspicious of the food being the cause until the 4th. My husband took the bag back to Petco, and as soon as the clerk saw the bag he said, "You don't have to say anything....I already know what your story it." Apparently, he had been dealing with customers with sick pets since the "new and improved" formula was introduced. He explained that the ingredient change was due to costs--the new ingredient is cheaper. A week later, trips to the vet, carpet cleaning, etc., we are still trying to transition them to another food. It has been an expensive "new and improved" experience. The last time I checked the Dick Van Patten website there was only a brief bit of info on the new formula, in very small print.....very disappointing. Spokane, WA

The best dog food in the world! I would never even thing about putting my dogs on anything else. Natural balance is a very helpful and trustworthy. Their reps at the Petco that I go to are always very nice and knowledgeable of all of my questions.


I HIGHLY recommend trying Natural Balance. All of the bad reviews are problems that the owner and the owners dog have, some dogs cant eat any dog food.

Natural Balance is the way to go when it comes to the health of your dog.

We have a rottweiler and doberman mix who is allergic to everything including herself! We have had her on the duck and potato for 5+ years. She really liked it and noticed she was not itching and licking as much as she was before. Just recently, we bought a bag and noticed the color of the food was different. We didn't really think anything of it. But our dog stopped eating it. We thought since she was old maybe she lost her appetite but that wasn't the case. We gave her some Iams that we feed our other dogs and she ate it up. We now found out that the duck and potato is a new formula. It's saying something when our dog notices the change and refuses to eat it. We're now on a hunt for a new food.

We adopted a 2-year-old chocolate lab from animal control. He was missing most of the hair on one side of his face, had terrible diarrhea, major shedding, runny eyes, and was just generally gross. But we loved him. I took him to the vet, who put him on a really expensive prescription food with white fish and potato as the main ingredients. It made a huge difference. But I still needed to load him up with pumpkin and antihistamines to get him comfortable. In light of our new "pumpkin budget" (pretty expensive) I asked her if we could try some non-prescription foods to save some money. Someone at Petco recommended Natural Balance white fish and sweet potato. What a difference! First -- cheaper! Next, Moose looks and acts like a completely different dog. His coat is BEAUTIFUL! He practically never sheds, his eyes are clear, his stools are totally healthy, his facial hair grew back and he's just about as handsome as could be! I don't know exactly what it is about this food, but for some reason, for this dog, it was the answer to a lot of problems.

Natural Balance is an awesome brand of dog food. My dog absolutely LOVES the Sweet potato/Venison(red meats is best for dogs who have allergy problems..scratching,licking paws,gas,burping ect) . For dogs with allergies especially because it contains only one source of carbs and one source of protein for the allergy formulas.(potato & duck,Sweet Potato/Venison,Sweet potato/Fish). Dont stay on the same protein of dog food all the time..how would like to eat chicken and chicken and chicken EVERYDAY! you wouldnt so why would your dog? It could also cause an allergic response if you do feed the same food over and over. I would recommend when transitioning your dog over from other foods especially SCIENCE DEATH(diet), or any other commercially dog food give them DIGESTIVE ENZYMES/probiotics , and acidophiles(cheap way is to use yogurt with it in but NOT the fat free because it has artificial sweeteners in it that can kill dogs/cats) that way there is no diarrhea or stomach upset because its alot richer than commercial dog foods(by-products, corn ect) OH YEAH its the ONLY pet food on the market that actually starves out the yeast (which is very common in dogs)in the ears.

I have been feeding my pugs Natural Balance Potato and Duck for the last 7-8 months and have always been pretty happy with it, until I just looked at their website and realized they have a "new and improved" formula for it....

Directly from their website:

"We have recently improved our Potato & Duck Formula by adding more fresh duck and potato protein. This improvement enhances the performance of the product, but may lighten the kibble color. This change was made because we have found it increasingly difficult to obtain the quality and quantity of duck meal from the United States that our rigorous standards require. We have been feeding this formula for the last six months to many of our own Natural Balance pets and it has produced exceptional results."

This ENRAGES me... their "new and improved" formula is NOT improved at all....they took out the duck meal and added more duck, and potato protein, which means absolutely nothing. Everyone knows that meat is 80% water so replacing more duck over the duck meal is nothing. Essentially my dogs have been eating a potato dog food with a hint of duck for god knows how long, I don't know when they changed the formula because there are no dates on the website and certainly not on the bags. Dog food companies disgust me. I am now changing their food to Nutrisource Pure Vita Duck and Oatmeal formula which is an all natural pet food with excellent ingredients. I have already started to gradually add it into their diet and they are adjusting well. I hope this find helps everyone out!!

love this NB. my chis also love it. we have used the organic formula and the premium blend as well. i feed my chis 4 x a day due to low sugar levels. they do great on both formulas. i also give them canned twice a day mixed with the kibble and they just love the canned natural balance eatables.as soon as they see the can come out they are at my feet waiting eagerly. i love it because its wholesome for them and it seems to keep there glucose levels in check.ive had nothing but good experience with this brand thus far. my vet even commented on there shiny coat and who well they maintain there weight. i would recommend this brand . on occassions i like to switch up the food but i only try other formulas of NB and it doesnt upset there tummys.

I have been using Nature's Balance for about 5 months after using Canidae for about 3 years. Canidae changed its ingredients and therefore had a negative impact on both of my dogs. Nature's Balance has been a success with both my boxer and my cairn terrier. I have noticed beautiful coats, teeth, and less stools. Also, I previously had lawn burn from my dog's urine but not anymore. The formula I use is grain free and my dogs have little to no gas and my boxer no longer has sensitive, dry, itchy skin. The only downfall is that it is a little pricey but on the other hand I no longer have to buy the expensive oatmeal dog bathing products from the vet and am cleaning up a lot less land mines in the yard.

I HAVE A 4 YR OLD GERMAN SHEPHERD WHO HAS SO MANY FOOD ALLERGIES HE GETS MONTHLY INJECTIONS. IT WAS HARD TO FIND A FOOD SUITABLE AND I AM NOW GIVING HIM SWEET POTATO AND SALMON DRY FOOD. HE DOES WELL ON THIS FOOD BUT I AM THINKING OF SWITCHING TO THE VENISON TYPE BECAUSE HIS BOWEL MOVEMENTS REALLY REALLY SMELL ON THIS FOOD & IM HOPING THE VENISON WILL NOT ! I CANNOT GIVE HIM ANYTHING WITH POULTRY.
DOES ANYONE ELSE FIND THE FOOD GIVES A BAD SMELL IN THEIR BOWEL MOVEMENTS ?

My 3yo Lab has had lots of trouble with ear infections and chewing his paws. I have tried lots of different foods in the past. I had him on NB sweet potato and salmon and this seemed to do the trick for awhile. While I was out of town on business, my husband accidentally purchased the wrong dog food and this threw our Lab way off track. He has been back on the NB for almost 3 months and still isn't getting the results we had the first time. Does anyone have any suggestions. Seems to be chewing his paws alot and still battling ear infections. Should I try switching to the potato and duck formula????

After hundreds of dollars in vet bills and antibiotics for what our vet thought was a staph infection on our 10 year old border collie/chow mix, a local pet store recommended Natural Balance. Six months later, our dog no longer has black spots and bald areas, no more incessant scratching, and seems to be a much happier and healthier mutt. This is a great product and one that I've recommended to several people whose pets have skin problems.

I've been using natural balance potato and duck for few years and my dogs got skin allergies and keep coughing.
I have 2 dogs, one of them has been coughing for years since I start to feed him potato and duck formular and I didn't realize why, now the other one start to coughing with same problems and now I got it.
I only use natural balance dog food and it was great at the begining,
the thing is HOW LONG I've been using the natural balance dog food.
When I read the reviews, problem always comes up when they are using it too long like I said.
My dogs got red skin on their feet, coughing, sometimes got wierd color on the skin around the eyes.
Not sure only the "potato and duck" makes problem with my dogs so
I'm gonna try the other small bag of the natural balance and will see.
Anybody has something about "potato and duck"?
Can anybody recommend a good one?

We adopted a dog from a shelter last year. We wanted to give her a high quality dog food so we originally transitioned her to Wellness brand. But her stomach apparently couldn't handle it. After a brief time on a bland diet, we transitioned her to Natural Balance Ultra. Her stomach handled it very well. Her coat improved a lot. And she seems to really like it. We also give her Natural Balance treats - Bear Biscuits and Potato and Duck treats. She has been happy and healthy ever since. I recommend this dog food to people that are looking for a quality food for a pet they love.

Considering the reviews on NB brand only has a few bad reviews every now & then, I think this it is a really good dog food. I've been doing some research and found tons of "designer stuff" but found out that expensive doesn't equate to good quality. However, the reviews on NB are more or less (90%) very positive. You wanna see bad, you should look at the WELLNESS reviews. Very, very scary, with pets have diarrhea, vomiting, getting extremely ill. What also impress me about this brand is that they use human grade meat and you can actually see their food testing based on dated stamp on each bag (you can see the results on their web site) especially since the pet food poisoning a couple of years ago. In addition, although it will cost more than your average supermarket brand, it is still affordable especially if you buy in bulk or on line and very conveniently available at local pet chains like Petco. I'm going to look into their food roll to use as a food topper & treat and buy some cans of wet to mix in with the dry food. My little Yorkie Mix pup also loves their dry treats. NB has such a great variety that my little guy not only loves to eat but I feel good about because it is also good for him.

Good food, kinda grainy. Excellent price, and widely available.

My pom loves these dog treats. The turkey, oatmeal and cranberry are her favorites. They are reasonably priced, too.

My female Lab mix started having hot spots, rashes under her arm pits and between her legs. Someone I met who had gone through extensive allergy testing for their dogs told me about Van Patten Dog Food. I switched immediately and within 2 weeks the hot spots and rash were gone. Scaring has stayed but the problem is gone. Both my Female and Male Lab mix children have beautiful silky coats, healthy bowel movements and the best thing is they love the food. We eat the Potato and Duck for alergies recipe. The problem my female was experiencing had escalated to the point where I was being refered to specialists. How simple the solution "Just feed your canine children Van Patten Dog Food".

what is the colour of the poo, when feeding Natural Balance w/ venice in it

This Message is to RebeccaP with the Bernese Mountian Dog. D-Mannose is a natural preventative for UTI. While treating the current UTI with antiboitics, begin the D-Mannose. Continue with D-Mannose as a preventative after the UTI is gone. Use 1/2 tablespoon twice daily dissolved in the dogs water. It has worked wonders for my dog, she had recurrent UTI for 6 months, until we started using D-Mannose powder in her water. You can get it from HEB and Whole foods. Its a bit pricey, $25, but its cheaper and healthier than antibotics. Good Luck.

I just bought a bag of the Sweet Potato and Fish for My dog. So far she loves it, and I love that is has none of the things she's allergic to in it.

We decided to try this food after going through several different brands. Here's the history - We have a 6 year old pug with severe skin allergies. We have been through various treatment methods, vet prescribed shampoos and medications, and who knows how many different brands of dog food. We had finally decided to stick with Purina Pro Plan, which seemed to be helping initially, until we talked to an employee of our local pet supply store, who also has dogs with severe skin allergies. She highly recommended the Natural Balance, and we, rather reluctantly at first, decided to give it a try. Boy am I glad we did! Our beloved pug has never looked and felt better! Not only is he finally 100% free of hot spots, he also has a gorgeous shiny coat for the first time in ages, isn't biting or scratching anymore, and not shedding nearly as bad. I was sweeping and vacuuming mounds of his fur, but no longer. We are also feeding it to our 18 month old Blue Pit Bull, and he is looking gorgeous and shiny and seems to feel great as well. I am so glad we decided to give the natural balance a go, and this is definitely what we'll be using from here on out.

I have a 14 year old dalmatian who has been a vegetarian for almost 13 years. This food helps her with her allergies since meat protein is often a huge factor in allergic reactions. Although she does have arthritis, most people think that she looks like a puppy. She certainly acts like one, despite her difficulties in walking. I would absolutely recommend this food since I think it has been a huge contributing factor in her overall health. She was on the Techni-cal vegetarian diet for years, and although she did well on it, she did not like the taste as much since Techi-cal smells very strongly of garlic.