Dog News

Natural Balance

by Lilly

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Natural Balance was founded by actor Dick Van Patten in 1989. The idea came to him when he appeared as a guest on a show and had lunch with the show’s band drummer who was involved in rescuing stray cats and dogs. Together they came up with the idea to develop holistic and healthy food for the pets that they loved so much. In conjunction with a qualified vet who just so happened to be Dick’s tennis partner, they learned that the best pet foods shouldn’t contain any fillers such as wheat, soy, corn or by-products.

Today, the company promotes itself as being one of the best at creating tasty, nutritious and safe pet food. While many of their dry foods follow the initial formulas creating from the start, there have been some changes since 2014 where some of their popular options have been reformulated to include brown rice instead of wheat flour; this was in response to the latest veterinarian research showing that brown rice is better than wheat flour as far as the digestion is concerned.

Why Natural Balance?

You might be wondering why you should go for a brand like Natural Balance when there are so many other different brands that offer almost the same thing on the market. In many cases, you will find that you can make an informed judgment call on a business based on the fact you have at hand. Some of the things to look at when dealing with companies that produce products such as dog food include:

  • The ingredients they use
  • The standards to which they adhere
  • The customer reviews they get from people who have already used their products

Natural Balance excels in all three fronts. Today, we will look at some of the ingredients they use as well as some of the processes through which their products go and finally, we will review a few of their best products to give you an idea on how good the pet food from Natural Balance is in real life.

What Kind of Ingredients Are Used in Natural Balance Pet Food?

Like many excellent pet food brands, Natural Balance uses a limited range of ingredients that are not only fresh and natural but are also locally sourced from the best producers in the country. On average, their pet foods have a 21% protein content which makes them excellent for the development of your pet’s body and muscles.

These foods also have a crude fat level of about 10% and contain no artificial fillers within their ingredients list. In fact, the only problem you might have with the ingredients list is the fact that it has tomato pomace listed, which is still kind of a controversial inclusion because there is an on-going debate on whether it’s a filler or a good source of fiber for your pets.

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If you look at their meals that have chicken in the recipe, you will find that they contain chicken meal which has about 300% more protein than your typical chicken as well as chicken fat and a high dosage of omega-6 fatty acids. This means that your furry friend will undoubtedly be getting all the nutrients that he/she needs to grow.

What are the Pros and Cons of Buying from Natural Balance?

Of course, there are going to be several advantages and some disadvantages when it comes to dealing with big brand names such as Natural Balance. Here are some advantages and reasons why you really should consider buying Natural Balance Pet Food:

Pros:

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  • They only use good, high-quality ingredients in their recipes
  • They carry out extensive tests on their dog food before sending it out into the market. Natural Balance carries out a total of nine rigorous tests on every single batch of their dog food and publicly shares the results; this means that they are confident in their product and that you get to see for yourself that your pet food is safe and meets the highest possible standards
  • Natural Balance has a highly qualified customer care team (all with degrees in animal health) on standby to help you with your questions as well as guide you towards choosing the right food for your type of dog.

Cons:

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  • Natural Balance is a bit pricier than typical brands, but you can choke that up to the price you pay for natural ingredients and good quality product

Natural Balance Recalls

Natural Balance has had to recall some of its pet food options on two occasions – 2010 and 2011. Both recalls where initiated by the company and were due to the discovery or fear of salmonella contamination either in their production plant or in specific options.

Natural Balance Dog Food Review

Now that you know all there is to know about Natural Balance, let’s take a quick look at a couple of their most popular dog food flavors on the market today:

Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets Dry Dog Food – Sweet Potato & Venison Formula

The Sweet Potato & Venison Formula is by far one of the most popular of the lot with good reason. Not only is it nutritionally sound for your hound but it’s tasty and easy on the tummy too.

Pros:

  • Formulated with Natural Balance’s limited ingredients
  • Has no fillers no artificial ingredients
  • Contains sweet potatoes and venison that are easy to digest

Cons:

  • Pricier than most bags in its range

One of the most surprising things about the Sweet Potato & Venison Formula is that some consumers reported a decrease in allergy symptoms in their pets after they fed on this food.

Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Health Dry Dog Food

While it’s true that some Natural Balance products are a bit pricier than other brands in the market, the Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Health Dry Dog Food definitely gives you the best bang for your buck.

Pros:

  • Contains wholesome natural ingredients that include proteins, vegetables, and fruits
  • It’s formulated to suit pets of all life stages including puppies to senior dogs
  • It has a low price for a premium Natural Balance food

Cons:

  • It isn’t grain-free

Natural Balance is undoubtedly one of the best in the market today, and it’s easy to see why – they use the best natural ingredients and put all their batches through rigorous tests before putting them on the market.