I rescue/foster, and own several different mix-breed dogs varying in age and size. My dogs are raised on a mixture of homecooked diets and regular kibble. Natural Balance is absolutely fantastic for allergies and gentle on the digestive systems of sick animals. My dogs excel on this food; Their coats are glistening, teeth are plaque free, and stools are small. Although I've experienced awful customer service with the company, I only continue to support them because my dogs just benefit so much from this food. I've tried other, more 'premium' dogfood brands such as Orijen, Innova, and Nature's Variety, but Natural Balance is the only dogfood that has consistently given me positive results on virtually all of my dogs.

FYI, DVP makes dog food? Wow.

This really helped my bulldogs allergies.
The company is great about working w/your needs. They will send samples and etc.

I have two Jack Russells and two cats, and I feed them all Natural Balance. I wouldn't feed them anything else! I was originally feeding them a different premium food, but since I have switched to this food, I have noticed a huge difference in their health. One of my Jack Russells had "hot spots" and was always itchy before I switched her to this food. And my older cat had always had dandruff and greasy fur. Now their skin problems are all gone, and their coats are unbelievably soft and shiny! Their stools are small and firm, and they don't have gas at all. And this food has natural, human-grade ingredients, without any corn, fillers, weird chemicals, or by-products. It's a whole-food diet based off of Natural Balance's zoological diets. My pets love this stuff, and can't seem to get enough of it--they must know that it is good for them! Recommended to ALL! Oh, and by the way, this company doesn't do any cruel animal testing like some other premium companies do. =)

The vet put us on Wellness, that is pricey... I mix dry and wet.

The only thing that kills it is the price.

for everyone who has been reading the reviews, please be aware the recall has mainly been issued for the CANNED dog food, with the exception of their VENISION AND BROWN RICE, while this review is for their DRY range of dog food.

With that in mind, i would like to reccomend this brand as my dog switched over to it instantly, without needing mixing or coaxing for him to eat. We don't mix it with any canned food either. His poo smells less, and he sheds alot less. His coat was originally very good to begin with, so there wasn't really any difference.

And should i ever come across a bag of funky looking or smelling food, i won't feed it to my pet - i'd ask for a refund INSTANTLY. Never feed your dog suspicious looking food, even if its from a trusted brand. i.e. if the colour, smell, size etc. is different.

But value for money wise, this is a really good brand.

I am writing to let all of you know that my dog had a severe adverse reaction after eating one of the dog foods that Natural Balance manufactures. I purchased a large bag of the Natural Balance Vegetarian formula dog food at Petco and fed it to my dog. The next day she was disoriented, distressed, panting and pacing around the house. Only later did I find out she was acting that way due to having a seizure that morning. I took her to the vet and he thought she might have slipped a disk. But that wasn't the problem as we took xrays and her back turned out to be fine. Not realizing the connection between the food and her sudden malady, I again fed her the Natural Balance Vegetarian dog food. Within 10 minutes of finishing her dinner, she had a grand mal seizure, and had 4 more seizures that same night every couple of hours. This is a dog who has been healthy her whole life until now. It has been more than a week since this happened and she is still recovering. Surely you can imagine how upsetting it would be for both my dog and myself to go through this. As a consumer I expect dog food to be safe and I feel that companies owe it to their customers to provide safe products, but Natural Balance has failed. I highly suspect that it must have been the food that caused this, because as soon as I stopped feeding her the Natural Balance Vegetarian food she also stopped having seizures. I would like to know if anyone else has reported a reaction like this recently. It would save me a lot of trouble because I am considering sending the food to a lab to be tested. Thank you for listening and please feel free to contact me, my name is Allyson and my email is satinandlace8@yahoo.com

My Abby really like this and because it is for allergies it helps her. Our dog loves this food and it is great for her allergies! My English Bulldog Atticus had lost some hair, "hot spots", and was having recurrent yeast infections in his ears.

Great food. My dog loves it.

Good choice for allergy dogs as there aren't many foods out there for us to choose from. I have had good experiences with it and I include it in my rotation of foods. I also supplement with a low- carb canned food (Wellness 95% or NV Instinct) for some added protein.  She loves this food and she really is a picky eater.

They are REALLY serious about testing all of their foods for contaminants after the recalls in 2007. See here: http://naturalbalanceinc.com/NB_testing.html

You can also enter in your Best By Date and your formula and it will show the test results from your actual bag of food. http://naturalbalanceinc.com/PetFoodScreening.tpl    I do not know of any other dog food that puts out that kind of information to their customers.

I feel confident in their mauf. practices.

im giving it 4 stars as my dog loves it over all other brands except Orijen, which is hard to find and high cost. wish this had more meat, but my small terrier mix does very well on the "small bites" chicken and brown rice and lamb formula. i purchased almost every higher end dog food in sample packs at a pet expo, and my dog picked this in approx 2 weeks of testing/offering different brands in small amounts while keeping her on her basic food. when i got her, she was on Pet Promise, but the high corn level worried me and she would spit-up yellow bile a few times a day, happens with alot of the dog foods with her. but on NB, she has a great coat, high energy level, small tight no smell waste, no vomiting, but i still am looking for something a little better in the ingredient list. the first ingredient in NB is chicken, but in a wet state, once dried out in kibble form, loses about 80% of its volume, so the main ingredient is probably brown rice. cant see a wild dog choosing to live on rice as a main food. but 4 stars because of the taste/good results. 3 stars because of ingredients. i do recommend this along with Orijen, but some larger dogs dont do well on Orijen, too much protein, and Orijen has been having some quality issues lately althought NB has also had a few problems since the recalls. i also dont like the fact this is made by Diamond pet foods, which has killed how many pets???

Ive been having trouble with my affenpinscher and this duck and potato seems to have made her tummy happy!!I tell everyone and I'm in the veterinary field

  Well, after reading your incouraging comments.  I have purchased my first page of Natural Balance Salmon and Sweet Pototoes.   I am not exactly sure but the store where I purchased recommended Salmon because it is helpful with allery dogs.  My dog does not have allergies that I am aware of but they say Labs are know to have some allergies.

I have a 9 month old black lab name Zoe.  She has been the picture of pefect health until about 1 month ago.  She has been on Wellness Complete for 3 large 40lb bags now.  She recently developed severe diarrhea. (extremely watery)  She started having accidents in the house that she has NOT had even as a puppy.    I made phone calls to Wellness because it was just too wierd.  They changed their bag to look different and then that is when Zoe got sick.    Zoe sleeps in a crate at night and she has woken me for about 10 mornings covered in feces from head to toe.   NOT fun!    Anyway,  I have been boiling chicken and rice and giving her that for 1 week.    Stool was back to normal, she was a happy bouncing lab until I tried to add her Wellness back in slowly into her diet.    Once I got to 1/2 per feeding the diarrhea started again.    Back to cleaning feces from the crate.  AGAIN NOT FUN!!!

I am totally unsure what to do.  I went yesterday and purchase the Dick Van Dykes - Salmon and Sweet pototoe.  I will tell you when I opened that bag it smelt very good to be a dog food.   That is a compliment in itselt.   

I do pray this works.   My Zoe has lost 8 lbs in 1 month.   I am getting very worried.

Yes she has been checked by my vet.  She is just having trouble with her food.

thanks

kim

If you are seeking a dog food that can help your dog that has food allergies and needs a special diet due to a yeat probelem or skin problems/allergies, I urge you to try Dick Van Patten's dog food. It helped my dog and I know it can help yours. Many people cant afford premium dog food, but believe me in the long run it will be worth it. I took my dog several time to the vet only to spent alot of money on meds that helped for a short time but never killed the source. Dogs with allergies and or skin problems such as yeat are hard to diagnose. Diet alone is not enough but is a start, and you have to start somewhere. What does a dog like??? It likes to eat. Make sure, like your children, your dog is also getting the right nutrition so it can live a long and healthy life. Thank you for listening. Lydia

My dog, who is a VERY picky eater, and has numerous allergies to boot, is doing great on Natural Balance duck & potato wet and dry food. He seems to actually like eating it, which is a total first. His coat looks good, and aside from his outdoor allergies he is a happy healthy dog. He also likes the Duck & Potato treats. I am about to switch my cat to a Natural Balance food also.

LOVE THIS DOG FOOD. I switched from Nutro Natural Choice because my Goldendoodle stopped eating it and I could not be happier with the results. She loves NB.
Her stools are never too soft(like with Nutro), her coat is much more shiny and she isn't shedding at all now. The best dog food my doodle has ever had...

I definately give this food 5 stars!

We adopted our English Pointer at a shelter and he was on Iams, I never know why they choose that food, it is full of by-products.

When we got him his coat was dull and dry and he was always scratching even though he was on Advantage.

For months we would research food, try it and only have him grow bored of the taste and would not eat even with canned food mixed with it, we were at our wits end wonderig if there was a food out there he would actually eat.

One day when we were at the petfood store we saw a woman picking out a food we never tried before, and my husband asked her,"How does it make your dogs stool look like?" , I turned red, , in the past we always had problems with stool too runny or hard. She was happy to answer.

She said it was great, her dog loved it and it was smaller pieces than most food.

We looked at the bag, saw the price and it was reasonable, we tried the lamb and brown rice, and oh my what a transformation in him, he loved it, started having more energy, which you would expect from a pointer, and his coat was the most amazing difference, he stopped scratching, coat is shiny and he does not shed half as much as he did.

It has been 3 years on the same food and he eats 3 1/2 cups a day with no canned food mixed with it.

He never gets diarrhea, only if my husband slips him something from the table thinking I will not find out.

We always get comments on his coat, and we are so happy we found this food.

Now that I have seen the other reviews, I want to try the sweet potato and fish food, but I know my husband will fight with me on that and say, no that he is loving this food so not to mess with that, and I know he is right.

I would suggest anyone trying it out for the first time, to just try a smaller bag, and of course gradually add it to their old food, the only problem with Checkers was he would not eat the old food he would pick out this food and line them all up on the floor, then eat them, so he was not transitioned into it the right way, but he was fine.

Wonderful food, was such a blessing to have found it!!

I will give this food 5 stars because it has saved my marriage. When my Bernese Mountian Dog who was 3 at the time moved in to my home I was feeding him Diamond - food my parents and I have fed for years - we are breeders. However, my dog started having bouts of diarrhea. Out of no where it would be a fountian. My husband could not stand it. I took him to the vet and they told me after checking everything else that he may have IBS.

I didn't know what to do. I had known of the raw or b.a.r.f. diet from friends of mine that feed it and have great stools in their dogs so I decided to try that. For 2 months I did. At first it was fine he liked the chicken and had no problems eating it, but then - it was horriable like a garden hose - UGH! I was desperate. I called a bunch of Berner breeder friends and some that fed the raw food. They thought he might be allergic to chicken. One told me about using fish instead. I was not about to feed him raw fish. I went to the pet supply store and started walking up and down the food aisles. Almost every food has chicken in it. Then the heavens opened and I found Natural Balance Fish and Sweet Potato.

I came home and researched it for a long time. I had to do something at this point I was feeding him rice barley and beans. So I went back to buy some and actully ran into my dad at the store - he was there to buy some bathing equipment but when I told him about the food he wanted to try it with my dog's father. He too has issues and they have had him on meds for a long time. The vet thought that his issues were cause by something different than my dog's.

I took it home and I thought it was the worst smelling dog food on Earth - like Sea World. My dog loved it of course. After a week I saw improvements. After two even better. After three weeks I was so shocked. My dog was having good , no GREAT stools. His coat looked better and he was so happy and energetic. For the first time in a long time he WANTED to play. I started to realize that he must have had a belly ache for so long. (If you are not familar with this breed they hide pain very well - it is hard to know when something is wrong).

So now it has been about nine months and he is still doing great. My husband helps gauge my dog's poops. But I am happy to say for over a month and a half he has had bounce and rolls - the best kind.

The only thing I do worry about now is he is having some UTI issues. I talked to the vet yesterday and he said the fish should be giving him enough protein, but something is up with him again. They put him on meds to help with the urine. i hope that it doesn't have anything to do with the food. Also I have noticed that his nose and eyerims have lighted. He is not outside as much as he used to be so that could have something to do with it, but maybe also there is some vitamins that he needs.

So it stopped the fighting over the dog and saved my marriage - pretty powerful food.

Well I have fed Orijen, Merrick, Innova, Timberwolf which sucks, and Instinct. The only thing I can really say is my dog loved all those brands but shed like crazy on all of them. She prefers the taste of NB over all of them and shedding has almost completely stopped. I prefer the quality of ingredients of the other brands more but i like the results I get from NB way more.

My dogs love it and has made their coats shiny like glass. I used the LID formula and even my finicky dog wolfs it down. It even smells like real food and not disgusting like some dog foods. The only thing that is weird is that it is shaped like little frisbees.

  My 10 year female Dobe developed pancreatitus from Origen. After drugs and Science Diet W/D for 6 weeks she was fed Potato and Duck and what a great choice that turned out to be.  Coat, eyes, stools, skin all normal.  She now has energy levels equlivalent to when she was 5.

she

My scottie has symptoms similar to IBS, and he would suddenly get attacks (straining and diarrhea, some vomiting) every couple of weeks. I googled "IBS in dogs" and found that a diet of duck and potato might help. I wanted a food with few ingredients with a carb and meat source that he'd never had b/f. The Potato and Duck formula (both canned and dry) helped him tremendously and he's never had another such attack--7 months now. His skin also improved, scratching far less. I cannot confirm that my dog had allergies to wheat, soy, rice, etc., but this food helped and that's all that matters.

We started using natural balance sweet potato and fish because our dog has bad skin allergies. The food was great and really helped his skin until we purchased several bad bags. The color, smell and size of the food looked different than the bags we bought previously. We contacted the company after our dog got violently ill and they said that the color, size and smell differences were due to the natural differences in the potatoes and fish used. We bought another bag with a different product code (that was processed on a different day) and he got better. Last night we purchased another bag and had the same problem wrong color, size and smell of the dog food. We tried it again to make sure that it was the food and sure enough, our dog got ill again. We are switching to a new brand since we do not want him to get sick again.

I started using the duck and potato formula about 6 mos ago for my little guy who is allergic to so many things and I was amazed at the results, for a while. When I opened a newly purchased bag and found the color to be different I called the company and they assured me it was only due to the "natural" process they use and there was no difference in the ingredients. Well within two weeks of eating it, my dogs hair was back to falling out and his ears were infected again. So, contrary to what they tell you, there is obviously SOME difference in something. I cannot afford to keep buying their product and hope that each bag will be the same as the last one so I am switching to Pinnacle duck and potato.

This was the FIRST dog food my greyhound ate that finally STOPPED the diarrhea.  He had been almost 8 months on three different Nutro products (it's what they were feeding him in foster) plus on and off Flagyl for months to control it.  However, he developed a severe case of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis that the vet could not discern what the cause was.  I threw out the bad and the cans of Potato and Duck that he had done so well on and was leary to use the food again.  After some of the recalls, I was even more hesitant, although that version was not affected.  I would not give this a bad rating because it was the first thing that helped with the diarrhea, almost miraculously after the first two feedings.  I have my boy on other food now, and would use NB again, if, it were more readily accessable to me, it was always a trip to get it for him, not that I minded it.  Who knows, in the future I may use it again.  I would definitely recommend it for those dogs with allergies/sensitivities

Somethisomething strange about this dog food.tried after dog tested allergic to beef,fish, rice, wheat,peanuts,yeast. dog Didn't really like it but got hungry & had no choice. her alLergies went wild. i have nEver seen them so bad. all this aFter feeding venison potatoes & sweet potatoes in crockpot& she was fine. i suspect soMething not right about listed ingredients.

  I tried for the longest to get my basset hound to eat this food. I even put a little canned dog food in it and she still would not want to eat it. I think its a good food, Its just that she did not like the kibble or the can either.

I have been using NB for at least ten years. At the time I started using it, it was trully one of the 'super' foods. I switched from Iams. I currently have a yellow lab, two pugs, cornish rex cat, and a 'free' cat eating the 'Ultra' dry formulas. As far as the canned stuff, I have only fed it to my cornish rex - as I believe she needs it for her coat. I have never had any problems with this food. I have recommended it to people that had dogs with various problems and they had good results.

When all that hoo haa went down with the pet foods I was glad that this brand was not one of them. Yes, I know that some of the venison/pea was recalled but it was because they where unsure and it was done to be on the safe side. I also know about the canned food problems. They are now extensively testing all their products and you can check your bag/can on their site by the production date to be safe. Do check out their site is very informative.

Now some years back there was a time when my cash flow was not great and I had to lower my outgo and switched to Pedigree for a short time. It was then that I really noticed a difference. I had a Great Dane at the time, his skin and coat looked terrible and all the bad things that happen with cheap food happened. It was then that I vowed that I would never go back to that type of food again and I haven't.

It has been a long time since I've checked around to see what is out there because I have been completely satisfied with this food. Recently, the feed store where I buy my food started carring Taste of the Wild. The bag caught my eye. I didn't realize that companies where formulating higher protien, 'grain free' diets. (I've always been worried about what grain was being used, which is why I started using NB to begin with.) TOTW is a few dollars cheaper, but I think that is because they are carring more volume of that food, plus, it's made by Diamond and they carry some of their other products. Whereas, they got NB per my request and they only carry a small amount of the ones I use. Anyway I've started digging, anytime I can improve my animals' lives within my budget, I will do so. I may be switching to TOTW or similiar product.

That being said, as I've read reviews on this site, there is alot of pettiness it seems. Whenever you can afford to buy a better quality pet food that your animals will eat and thrive on, that's great. It really doesn't matter which one, they all have good qualities and probably a few not so good, but anything is better than what you can buy at the local grocery store.

Good luck to everyone out there seaching for a good food, to me it shows that you really care for your animal. NB is a quality food, the company stands behind their product and seems to really care for the animals that eat it. To me that is what is important.

I have been feeding the NB Sweet Potato/Fish for more than 2 yrs now and I absolutely swear by it. I have one dog with IBS issues and another who is epileptic - both these dogs must have a totally grain free diet. My IBS boy was always a very finicky eater but from day one he has gobbled up this food and continues to do so 2 yrs later. I also rescue/foster dogs and not only do I not have to worry about tummy upset with sudden food change, but I've yet to have one turn up their nose at this dry kibble. I do buy the canned occasionally which they all love, but it's saved more as a treat or for a sickly dog who's recently had extractions or other surgery and requires a little extra TLC.

Wonderful for allergies! We've tried the other flavors and her favorite is Sweet Pot./Venision.

Pretty good. One of the better brands that are commercially available. You could do better, but it's not bad for someone who wants a decent quality dog food but needs to keep to a budget.

My dog was a picky eater from the start, after several attempts at different brands I finally found one that worked. Instead of having to bribe him to eat every meal, he now waits anxiously for his meal to be served. He has done super well on Natural Balance he is very healthy and has a gorgeous coat.

I have a highly sensitive dog-skin allergies, seasonal allergies, and sensitive digestive system. She started out well on the vension and rice, but after about half the bag, she didn't seem to care for it anymore. She has never snubbed a food before, until this one. The ingredients are wonderful and the price is great, just my dog was bored with it. She is a Canidae girl.

This is the only dog food I have ever bought for my dogs (7 and 9 years old) that they would absolutely not eat. I was disappointed too, because Ive heard good things before.

Great food and great ingredients.  The only thing that bothers me about this food is the SECOND recall that they had to do.  Frightens me away from it!!

I tried this food and have found nothing better! I have been using Natural Balance for two years and have the healthiest skin and coat than I've had in 20 years of having dogs on other foods. There is no dry hair, no dandruff, and the color and texture of the coats are vibrant. The skin and coats are healthy from within. Love this dog food!
Kathy B

Some people I know use this food and they love it. I am not a fan of the company seeing they were involved with the food recall by Menu Foods. I would not trust.

Best food I have ever used. Animals love it. Response is fantastic. I will never change.

My 9 month peke-a-poo has developed allergies to chicken and lamb.  So far Natural balance is the only food he is able to tolerate.  He has no gas, his eyes have stopped tearing and his stool is solid on it.  It was very difficult to find a food he would eat that did not have chicken or lamb in it.  I am relieved to have found this food and happy they are now making venison and sweet potato in case he gets sick of the duck.

how are people still rating this product. How are people still feeding this to thier dogs. Can people be charged with "dogslaughter" for knowingly feeding thier pet this food? It only makes sense - I wish there was a "no star at all" rating.

Switched over my 3 year old boxer to potato and duck formula a month ago. He loves it and his coat looks great!

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Dog food contaminated with botulism may be on Maryland shelves, state agriculture authorities warned Thursday, asking dog owners to throw away certain types of Natural Balance dog foods. [Throw away?!! How about getting a refund?] The foods were made by Castleberry's Food Co. of Augusta, Ga., which has recalled about 90 products for humans and animals because of a risk of botulism, a rare but serious illness that can cause paralysis or death. The Maryland Department of Agriculture said Thursday the dangerous dog foods possibly sold in Maryland are four varieties called Natural Balance Eatables. They are: Irish Stew with Beef, Chinese Take-Out with Sauce with Vegetables and Chicken, Southern-Style Dumplings with Gravy with Chicken and Vegetables and Hobo Chili with Chicken Pasta.

RECALL ALERT: 7/23/07 Read article here

Four varieties of Natural Balance canned food have been recalled due to botulism poisening. Please check your cans accordingly!

My pug was on the NB duck and potato canned formula for approximately 2 1/2 years. I recently bought a few cans with different dates on it and my dog had very loose stools. Since they have had quite a few recalls, I have taken my dog off it. The new formula smelled more like liver than duck and the meat was much darker than it used to be. I emailed the company, but have not heard back from them. Extremely dissappointed as my dog had been doing great on it for years. Now I have to start looking for another food that will agree with her as she suffers from a lot of allergies. Any suggestions? MaggieM

Dogs love it! Great condition and coats.

I can't believe I fed this to my dogs.  NB not listing rice protein on ingredient list til the recall.  Shady business.

I have had great success with the Duck and Potato. My dogs find it very palatable. I have one dog in particular who had been coughing for over one year. She was treated for allergies and was even on a diuretic because her abdomen was very swollen. Within 10 days of feeding her the duck and potato, the coughing ceased and her abdomen reduced considerably. She is alert, energetic and a loves to run and play, something she had not been able to do for over a year. I have a small kennel of Yorkshire Terriers and have switched all my dogs to this food. I feed my puppies Natural Balance Premium. My only complaint is that the kibble is quite large for puppies so I must break it up for them. I love the flat shape of the kibble, though.

I will never trust any company that has been recalled. Horrible that they did not check ingredients. Trust orijen. They are a great company and will never be recalled. Unlike NB.

***FYI, nearly all Natural Balance cans were recalled this past week. (I thought that a lot of people would have heard about it by now, but since I am still getting people in my store that are wondering why all the Natural Balance cans are off the shelf I decided to post it here) If you were feeding your dog Chicken, Lamb, Beef, or Venison cans return them immediatly!!

Word of advise, I would honestly take your dog off of this stuff all together. As soon as a company stops manufacturing their own food, they take risk that the manufacturerer that they are going through is going to skrew up, and that is exactly what happened. Since Natural Balance must sell to Petco, they are unable to manufacuter the quantities of food they want if they had a privately owned manufacturering plant. They therefore, had to go through ANI to have their food made. Now they are paying for it. Try foods like Nature's Variety, Canidae, Honest Kitchen (this company acutally manufactures their food in a USDA approved human facility), or Innova (I would not buy this companies cans as they are manufactured by MENU, but their food is manufactured through their own plant). You will never have to worry about the products having ingredients that shouldn't be in there, or having ingredients that would get recalled period, as they make their own food and do not have someone else do it for them.Good luck, and I hope no ones pets have been seriosley effected by this event.