Founded by actor and animal activist Dick Van Patten, Natural Balance dog food has been on the market since 1989. He developed the product as a means to provide a holistic food option to the commonly-found low quality foods that were present at the time. The healthy and natural reputation that this food has is expressed by its motto, “Truly the Food for a Lifetime.” Let’s examine if Natural Balance dog food could be right for your dog.
Origin
A privately-owned company, Natural Balance dog food is manufactured by a large, well-known company known as Diamond Pet Foods. Some pet owners are concerned with this, as Diamond Pet Foods is not known to value the quality of the ingredients they put in their dog food. So some find this to be inconsistent with what Natural Balance is supposed to represent.
Examining the Ingredients
Perhaps the most mentionable aspect of the Natural Balance Company is that they stand behind the quality of their ingredients. This is why they implemented what is known as their Buy With Confidence program. Here is how it works. After you buy a bag of Natural Balance dog food, you go to their website. Choose the formula that you have, and then enter the best by date found on your package. In return, you will be given the laboratory test results of the exact bag you purchased. This is done in order to boost your confidence in the product.
Let’s take a minute to carefully examine all of the ingredients that go into Natural Balance Dog Food. The first thing to speak of is that the grade of the meat that goes into Natural Balance formulas has been deemed good enough for humans. The vegetables and grains that it contains are also considered to be high-quality.
The top 5 ingredients that Natural Balance contains are as follows: chicken, chicken broth, sweet potatoes, potatoes and dehydrated potatoes.
It is a great thing that chicken is the first ingredient. However, it might be better if it were made of chicken meal instead of whole chicken meat. This is because during cooking, some of the nutrients are lost and it is made of 80% water. The sweet potatoes, potatoes and dehydrated potatoes provide a sufficient amount of energy. There is one questionable ingredient, which is sodium nitrate, as it is considered to be a carcinogenic substance.
As a majority of Natural Balance formulas contain grains, this may be of concern if your dog is allergic to them. If this is the case, Natural Balance also has a grain-free formula called Alpha Grain-Free Dry Dog Food Formulas. It contains more energy-boosting ingredients such as sweet potatoes and other natural carbohydrates.
A grain-free diet may be especially beneficial to an overweight dog. One of these formulas is called the Alpha Chicken, Turkey Meal & Duck Dry Dog Formula. This particular formula contains 26% crude protein and 11.5% crude fat. Those levels are acceptable for dogs in need of losing weight.
The highest ingredients on the list are chicken, potatoes, duck and lettuce. Vitamins, acids and sulfate comprise the remainder. It is a good thing that each ingredient seems to serve a particular purpose and that they don’t waste any space on fillers.
You can buy Natural Balance dog food both online and in your local store. Most dog owners agree that Natural Balance dog food should receive a 5 out of 5 stars.