# Tell me what is so bad about Natural Balance LID



## Canadian In Texas (Feb 16, 2011)

I know that the protein content is low but is there anything else I am missing? I have a recently acquired 6 y/o golden retriever who I started this on because I had some left over from my dog who recently passed away. She seems to be doing great on it.

Is there something I can add to make it a better food? I am playing the food game with the golden retriever puppy and it is making my head spin.

The 6 y/o issues so far seems to be ears and arthritis.


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## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

It's not that it's low protein, the problem is that the meat content is relatively low, and they add plant protein (not in every formula) but in more than one. With the added innapropriate plant protein, and the foods *still* having only 21% protein, there can't be much meat in them.
Highlighted in bold red.

*Sweet Potato and Chicken:*

*Sweet Potatoes*, Chicken Meal, *Potato Protein*, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Chicken, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potato Fiber, Natural Flavor, Flaxseed, Sodium Chloride, Salmon Oil (a source of DHA), Taurine, Choline Chloride, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Folic Acid.


*Potato and Duck:*

*Potatoes*, Duck, Duck Meal, *Potato Protein*, Canola Oil (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols), Dicalcium Phosphate, Potato Fiber, Natural Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Chloride, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, L-Carnitine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Folic Acid.


*Sweet Potato and Venison:*

*Sweet Potatoes*, Venison, *Potato Protein*, *Pea Protein*, Canola Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potato Fiber, Flaxseed, Natural Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Folic Acid

Yeooowch at that Venison formula, not one but *TWO* plant proteins.

Their "Alpha" line of food is much better in that matter but even then they still have quite a high level of potatoes/carbs, etc.

Edit/P.S: Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes aren't a bad ingredient themselves but they should never, ever be the first ingredient in any dog food. If the dog has severe allergies to chicken, then these are a good option to avoid the chicken fat/etc, but otherwise I would not recommend these foods to a healthy dog.

Edit #2: If you want to keep her on this food then I would say to use a high quality canned topper such as the Merrick 96% canned foods (which can be fed on their own) or the Wellness 95% canned/similar canned foods. Otherwise I'd start switching the puppy to something like one of the Acana formulas, and on the cheaper side maybe a food like Blue Buffalo, or one of the more meat-inclusive grain-frees.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

I dogsat a dog for two months who was fed NB dog food. It is very low in protein and fat. His coat was dry and dull and I started giving him canned/raw meat scraps once every couple days or so and his coat got much much nicer.


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

I feed California Natural, which has the same percentages of protein and fat. I supplement with Salmon Oil and my dog's coat looks really good. 

If she's doing great on it, then it's a no-brainer to me. Stick with it.


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

NB's had quite a few recalls and low protein = low meat. Plus, the food doesn't even start with meat as its most plentiful individual ingredient. There are vegetable based protein boosters, too, so I'm sure California Natural has more meat. NB is basically cashing in on "grain-free" love and charging a ridiculous amount for sacks of potatoes. 

I think California Natural is the better limited ingredient food. Uno's Mom also started a thread about Nature's Variety Instinct LIDs, which are going to have 29% protein. I think that will probably top CN.


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

My 2 Boxers were on the NB LID's for a couple of years and did GREAT on them. Now I did supplement with some meat 1-2 times a month and fish oil daily but both had great soft shiny coats, my boy's allergies were kept under control, he grew nicely (he was 8 months old when I started him on it and I didn't branch out into any other brand until he was almost 3 years old), personally we had no problems with it. It is still part of my food rotation along with TOTW's Pacific Stream and Earthborn's Primitive. 

IMO nothing wrong with NB LID if you have a dog with food allergies and it helps them.

Good luck!


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## KittyKat (Feb 11, 2011)

Potatoes as a first ingredient? No thanks... dogs are carnivores... first problem is stuffing them full of potatoes. 

..and the venison isn't even a meal. >.<


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

Serendipity said:


> NB's had quite a few recalls and low protein = low meat. Plus, the food doesn't even start with meat as its most plentiful individual ingredient. There are vegetable based protein boosters, too, so I'm sure California Natural has more meat. NB is basically cashing in on "grain-free" love and charging a ridiculous amount for sacks of potatoes.
> 
> I think California Natural is the better limited ingredient food. Uno's Mom also started a thread about Nature's Variety Instinct LIDs, which are going to have 29% protein. I think that will probably top CN.


California Natural is only "better" if the allergy dog can eat it. Mine could not. In fact that was the worst reaction to any food that he had when I tried that.

Live with a dog with severe food allergies, try every healthy food on the market, find that NB is the only food that works for them, and then come and say what an awful food it is. That dog food saved my dog's life, it didn't have anything nasty in it, it was reasonably priced, and he could eat it and thrive on it. I woudln't give it to a dog that can eat anything as there are better foods out there, but for dogs with multiple severe food allergies it can be an absolute god send!


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

you might have to try several foods before
your dog settles into one food that he likes.
it's ok to switch untill you find the right one.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Oct 29, 2008)

I highly agree with BoxerMommie! It worked wonders for my dogs that have allergies (I have a couple)! And it is still in our rotation, too, along with TOTW Pacific Stream and Sierra Mountain. I used the Pot. & Duck and the Swt. Pot. & Fish formulas for my dogs. I did add canned meat (Wellness 95%, Evangers, etc.) and a whole food vit. supplement and salmon oil. The food got rid of a skin issue that my poodle mix had and now he looks wonderful! So, don't knock the food that works. LIke I said, it did wonders for us!


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## AmeliaPond (Mar 25, 2011)

My dog was on Natural Balance Ultra for two years. And has been on NB Sweet Potato and Fish for four months. I don't think there is anything wrong with it. However, it didn't improve my dog's skin at all so we're going to be switching her to something with more meat in it instead (since her skin problems are probably environment/seasonal.)

But overall, I still consider NB to be a good brand.


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

A dog with serious allergies is like a special-needs dog, if possible, try not to compromise good nutrition just because the LID formulas are a bit lacking. My dog didn't have any serious allergies but I did have issues with skin dryness and boogerie eyes. I've tried Orijen 6 Fish supplemented with fish oil and raw eggs and it didn't help.

I suppose what I'm trying to imply is that just because your dog has bad allergies doesn't neccesarily mean you're restricted to commercial foods that doesn't meeet your standards. Isn't that why we are all on Dogfoodchat, to provide the best possible nutrition? Try homecooked, relatively easy, not terribly expensive and you can control every morsel of food that goes in his belly and exclude any and all allerdy triggers.


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## AmeliaPond (Mar 25, 2011)

Doing a raw diet is not something everyone wants to do. I certainly have no desire to do it. I think people need to pick a food they feel is right. Not everyone has to agree. I've only been here a few days but it's kind of frustrating to see so many people basically telling others to do a raw diet here in the dry/canned food section of the forum.

To the OP, if your dog is doing well on a certain food, I wouldn't really worry too much about it. It doesn't have corn, by-products, or any of that stuff. To me, the only thing it's lacking is the meat content. So if you wanted to try a new brand with more meat...you could always do that and just see how your dog does. But I, personally, don't consider any of the Natural Balance products to be bad at all.


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

I fed the LID to my chihuahua, I always added some additional meat to her food several times a week. I added things like canned sardines or salmon and cooked turkey. She was on the Duck & Potato one. I feed raw now, but that was my choice.


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

AmeliaPond said:


> Doing a raw diet is not something everyone wants to do. I certainly have no desire to do it. I think people need to pick a food they feel is right. Not everyone has to agree. I've only been here a few days but it's kind of frustrating to see so many people basically telling others to do a raw diet here in the dry/canned food section of the forum.


I agree that you can only do what you're comfortable with doing but I didn't mention raw, I was merely suggesting homecooked so you can avoid certain ingredients that bother your dog.


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## AmeliaPond (Mar 25, 2011)

I see. To me, raw, home cooked, homemade, etc. are all basically in the same category. I think it's great if people want to do all of that but I just don't. And I'm guessing a lot of people here on this section of the forum are probably in the same boat.

For me, personally, I still have no clue what my dog is allergic to or even if it's a food allergy at all. So even if I wanted to do that kind of stuff...I wouldn't know what to avoid. But again, it's certainly not something for me.


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

AmeliaPond said:


> I see. To me, raw, home cooked, homemade, etc. are all basically in the same category. I think it's great if people want to do all of that but I just don't. And I'm guessing a lot of people here on this section of the forum are probably in the same boat.
> 
> For me, personally, I still have no clue what my dog is allergic to or even if it's a food allergy at all. So even if I wanted to do that kind of stuff...I wouldn't know what to avoid. But again, it's certainly not something for me.


I'd be in your boat. Well forgetting if I want to or not I don't have the time or the cash. I sat down and figured it out money wise and it was FAR more expensive for me to feed raw or homecooked than it was to feed a decent kibble. Not to mention I don't have the time for homecooking with 2 jobs, a kid in activities and school, and 2 dogs and spouse. Add in the fact I think my husband would commit me and yeah it's not going to happen anytime soon.

However by choosing a food with limited ingredients (one protein and one starch source) finding what their allergic to can make things much easier. Having an allergy dog myself (multiple food allergies) for the past 3 years I completely understand.

Good luck!


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

I got some samples of Natural Balance's new 'Alpha' formula. Jackson ate it up! He really loved it, which is rare for him. I was considering trying NB out but of course he'd be getting canned food mixed in (we get NV Instinct, Go! Endurance, and a bunch of different canned foods from higher protein brands) and also Stella & Chewy's pre-made raw a few times a week, as I'd still want him to have more meat in his diet. 

I'm not sure yet tho.... Orijen has been causing him some runny poos lately and I'm not sure what to do about it. It's not a huge problem, he has solid stool most of the time... but like today, he pooped regularly in the AM and our walk he pooed 3 seperate times and each time a little bit came out and it was smelly and runny. This never used to happen on Orijen before until the formula change? He's already eating way less than recommended. (He's very active 16lb dog and eats 1/2 cup per day of kibble). Maybe we'll just go back to Acana.


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## Canadian In Texas (Feb 16, 2011)

Thanks for all your help and advice. I am trying to get the puppy set on a food and when I find that food I will try to switch the adult dog over. I am still dealing with runny stools with the puppy on Acana and that has been through 30 pounds of food. I am not overfeeding so I guess he just doesn't tolerate acana, I would love to get them both on the same food. In the meantime I am feeding the adult golden Natural Balance LID with Salmon oil supplement and s protein food topper.


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

How do you all think about Nature's Logic.I have found my Bullmastiff can at least eat the Venison Meal.Also she can eat EVO.I'm not sure what to think about P&G buying it out.Where I get my dog food they have quite getting it so I have to order it on the internet.I'm afraid to try anything new but if I do get something I can always feed it to my Pitbull, he seems to be able to eat anything with maybe just a little lose poo and gas.But at lest no rash on belly and inside of the thighs like the mastiff.I'm don't know what it is that shes allergic to, I feed her Evo turkey and chicken but she was raw on Nature's Logic chicken.Also she was raw right at first with the venisen but not for long.They also get fish oil that I change from salmon to sardine and anchovy.And I put just a little canned TOTW, but she can't eat dry TOTW.Maybe I should just stay with what works instead of trying to find the best?


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## AmeliaPond (Mar 25, 2011)

Herzo said:


> How do you all think about Nature's Logic.I have found my Bullmastiff can at least eat the Venison Meal.Also she can eat EVO.I'm not sure what to think about P&G buying it out.Where I get my dog food they have quite getting it so I have to order it on the internet.I'm afraid to try anything new but if I do get something I can always feed it to my Pitbull, he seems to be able to eat anything with maybe just a little lose poo and gas.But at lest no rash on belly and inside of the thighs like the mastiff.I'm don't know what it is that shes allergic to, I feed her Evo turkey and chicken but she was raw on Nature's Logic chicken.Also she was raw right at first with the venisen but not for long.They also get fish oil that I change from salmon to sardine and anchovy.And I put just a little canned TOTW, but she can't eat dry TOTW.Maybe I should just stay with what works instead of trying to find the best?


I don't know antying about that brand. Sorry.

But I definitely would stay with what works even if it's not the absolute best out there. I think as long as it's not one of the really bad foods, like Beneful....I wouldn't worry about it if your dog is doing well on it.


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## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

Herzo said:


> How do you all think about Nature's Logic.I have found my Bullmastiff can at least eat the Venison Meal.Also she can eat EVO.I'm not sure what to think about P&G buying it out.Where I get my dog food they have quite getting it so I have to order it on the internet.I'm afraid to try anything new but if I do get something I can always feed it to my Pitbull, he seems to be able to eat anything with maybe just a little lose poo and gas.But at lest no rash on belly and inside of the thighs like the mastiff.I'm don't know what it is that shes allergic to, I feed her Evo turkey and chicken but she was raw on Nature's Logic chicken.Also she was raw right at first with the venisen but not for long.They also get fish oil that I change from salmon to sardine and anchovy.And I put just a little canned TOTW, but she can't eat dry TOTW.Maybe I should just stay with what works instead of trying to find the best?


I like Nature's Logic, they make very good kibble/cans, for including millet (which I believe is a grain?) they're pretty up there with a lot of the grain-frees. They also make some pre-made raw :biggrin:

Also, I like that for their "beef" kibble, they don't use any chicken, they even use beef fat. Same with the venison, they add some lamb (but they use saflower oil as the fat =/ ), I still like the the way their beef one looks a bit better.


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

I haven't tried the beef yet.The chicken and the oh I think duck and salmon seemed to make her raw.But actually the venison did at first then she cleared up maybe I didn't give her enough time, I can't remember.The last time I went they had the venison $5.00 off because the bag was damaged so I just went back to that.I'll probably try the beef at some point.But I'm thinking I better order some more EVO for a change next.

I haven't tried the different EVO's because it's all so expencive.I also have looked a little into Orijen and Acana (hope I spelled them right) but with the cost and all the stuff in there I just don't know if she could eat them.


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