Changes to Natural Balance

Hey Everyone!

This morning I saw a tweet that from YorkieSpace that read, "Heads up for anyone feeding Natural Balance to their dogs. There has been a formula change. Problems are surfacing on Internet Boards."

Because I like to be informed about news and events concerning dog food, I did a little research on the problem. I came across the following letter that the company sent to a customer who had experienced their dog vomiting after eating the food.

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Natural Balance regarding the Potato & Duck Formula. Please know that we have implemented a recent change to this formula. As Natural Balance continues to grow, we have found it increasingly difficult to obtain the quality and quantity of duck meal from the United States that our rigorous standards require. In order to address this issue before supply becomes a problem, Natural Balance has decided to add more fresh duck and potato protein to the Potato & Duck formula. We have found this adjustment enhances the palatability and performance of the product, but may lighten the kibble color. 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. A very small percentage of dogs with sensitive stomachs may experience a temporary digestive upset with the formulation change to the Potato & Duck Formula. For this limited number of dogs, we recommend feeding smaller, more frequent meals, combined with the old formula (if available), over a 5 to 7 day period to adjust to the new formula. You may also try any of our other LID formulas, which include the Sweet Potato & Fish, Sweet Potato &Venison, or the Lamb & Brown Rice. Have a good day.

Sincerely,
Kristi Choy, B.S. Animal Nutrition
Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc.

I also looked at the new ingredient statement. It looks like this:

Potatoes, Duck, Potato Protein, Canola Oil (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols), Potato Fiber, Natural Flavor, Dicalcium Phosphate, 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, 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.

Now, I do NOT have a copy of the old ingredient statement, but from this ingredient statement and the complaints I found, I have these thoughts:

* First, I recommend that you focus on the ingredients before the fat when analyzing any food. In this case, you have: Potatoes, Duck, Potato Protein - that's good, no corn, wheat or soy in this food. Also, no meat by-product meals (which is mystery parts, just for the record)

*When looking at a food, you also need to remember that meat meals (like duck meal) stay where they are in the ingredient list, but meats (like duck) actually move down the list because they lose water in the processing. So, when they went from duck meal to duck, it actually moved down the ingredient list, which is why they had to add more potato protein. That's probably where the problems come in, because some dogs are going to be sensitive to the large quantity of potato now present in this food. Potatoes are good, but they are NOT meat and they're harder for some dogs to digest.

*I can understand having a difficult time sourcing duck meal for a growing company. But, I'm also guessing that this food just became cheaper for them to produce as well, because let's face it, potatoes are cheaper than duck.

*Overall, this is still a quality food, it doesn't have any sugars, salt, food colors, by-products or grains. It's probably just a little less quality than it used to be.

One more thought:

Several dog owners report that the company is less than forthcoming about where they are now sourcing their duck, leading many people to believe that the duck is coming from outside the United States. One key indicator of this is consumers report that the packaging now reads "manufactured for" their company based in the United States, rather than "made in the USA". This technique is frequently used by all sorts of companies that know you want products made in the United States. However if it doesn't say Made in the USA, it isn't. If it was really made in the USA, they'd have it in big letters on the packaging. They aren't going to hide that from you. It's possible that the duck comes from a reputable country, such as Canada, but I would be leery if they won't say... That speaks volumes in itself (remember I did not call the company myself, just read internet reports, if you feed this food, I suggest you call the company and ask where the duck comes from)

So, my advice to you, if you're feeding Natural Balance Potato & Duck, is just to take a minute the next time you pick up a package. Look at it like you would a new food, because that's basically what it is.