Natural Balance Pet Foods Reviews

After reading the 10/26/2011 report at a seminar for pet food companies at Petfoodindustry.com about the use of rendered by-products in pet food and their contents, such as 15% feather meal, there is no denying the deceptive practice. Four million metric tons are shipped from renderers to mostly pet food companies. I love how Jim ** from Nutro used the words, value-added, environmentally responsible, enhanced aroma, giving a healthy coat, and giving the food a nice sheen and adds to the shelf life, to the by-products. Where is the word, nutrition?

It is also interesting that NB is coming out with a new line of food called Alpha. It will have all the natural and healthy things the animals in the wild ate. Most consumers are not so naive to see through this new concern at NB. I hope the executives at NB will add some of the great food they produce for our animals to their Thanksgiving meal. Maybe stuff the turkey with it. I am personally more and more saddened and angry as new complaints come in. NB you can make this stop.

Original Review: Nov. 3, 2011

My vet called this morning to tell me that my sweet four year old lab, Stella, had passed away. We originally thought she may have been exposed to rat poison, due to her lab work, but as we do not use it, she really has not had access to it. Two weeks ago, we started a new bag of Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Venison, which we had been using for several months. After the first few feedings, she refused to eat anymore. I put chicken gravy on it to entice her and she licked the gravy off and spit out the food. She would eat "people food" if offered alone but not with the dog food.

Last Saturday she stopped eating completely. We took her to the vet on Monday, her liver enzymes were very high and her coags were very thin. They started treatment for toxicity induced liver failure. On Tuesday her liver panel and coags were looking better, although she was becoming very jaundiced. On Wednesday her amylase and lipase shot off the charts. She died Wednesday night. She was four years old, had never been sick other than some ear allergy issues. After reading several similar stories on this site after using the same dog food, I am concerned that I was killing my dog every time I put food in her bowl.

I recently purchased a new bag of Sweet Potato & Venison Formula. When I opened the bag, the food looked quite different in texture and color. I have always supplemented a small portion of the Sweet Potato & Venison Formula with a larger portion of Nature's Variety Chicken Chubs and no ill effects occurred. Due to my current finances, I have had to stop the Nature's Variety. Now she has been eating only the Sweet Potato & Venison Formula. Approximately twenty days have gone by since I began giving her only the Sweet Potato & Venison Formula.

I recently noticed a bit of scratching; no fleas and skin is clear. The past couple of days, the scratching has progressed and last night was the worst. She was up all night scratching and biting. The food has been the only change in this past month. I chose the Sweet Potato & Venison Formula as she’s allergic to wheat, corn and this product is supposed to be grain-free.

I started putting it together that the food formula had to have changed a different color and the scratching which was occurring due to the only thing that she was eating was more of the Sweet Potato & Venison Formula. I don’t know what they have done to their product but with further research, I’m finding that the formula has changed. I will be returning the product to the store and purchase another dry formula other than Natural Balance.

I finally started putting it together that this all started when I purchased her last bag of food. I switched to a new food immediately and within two days she is back to her normal, healthy self. Just a note: I had her urine tested by the vet and he confirmed that no infection was found. I do not know what they changed in this formula, but it is no longer the quality food that I started giving her as a puppy. I will not be purchasing any of the Natural Balance products anymore.

We have always gotten the very best care and treatments for our pets. When we took Buster into the hospital and found out he had pancreatitis, we were stunned. We advocated every test and drug that was indicated. We did not want to do exploratory surgery, because we were afraid of his survival from that and the pancreatitis. We did not want to cause him more pain and suffering. We spent over $3,000.00 on his care. That does not show a lack of responsibility or negligence on our behalf.

Buster had been treated for pancreatitis for 24 days before the liver problem became apparent in the form of jaundice. He did not show any of the common physical symptoms of liver cancer. Liver nodules are common in dogs over the age of 14. It is not conclusive evidence of cancer. Liver damage often results from pancreatitis. By this time, Buster had lost more weight. And even with our force feedings, we believed surgery was too risky. Buster did not have chronic pancreatitis. He had no chronic illnesses. He was a very healthy senior dog. He played like a pup.

Jennifer from NB spoke to one of three vets who were involved with his care. She did not speak to the vet who was there when we had to release him from his suffering. There was never any mention of an autopsy at any time during his treatments. We were not trying to gather evidence against NB. NB does not manufacture their own pet food. It uses at least 2 different manufacturers. I am glad they test the food batches because they are not on site as the food is made. They say they test for the 9 most common contaminates. Did they test for melamine in 2008? It is very possible there are many more poisons that can be included in the food, as different components are bought from around the world. NB had a recall of food in June 2010 for salmonella. Why did it not show up in their tests?

As far as Teddi not having the same response, it does not prove the food was not tainted. There was a third dog in our house at the time. We had visitors and their Golden, who has always gobbled down their food. He would not touch it at all. We usually have to put it up from him. If I knew then what I know now, you can bet the food would have been removed from their dishes. I just don't want other pet parents to be as uninformed about the pet food industry as I was.

Sometime last year, I noticed the shelves at Petco were very empty of D&P. I asked a clerk and he said it was very popular. Actually there was recall that no one told the consumer about. I proceeded to buy various flavors with the sweet potato in it. They also ate a tiny amount of canned food daily and dog treats. After all, they say it is all natural.

On July 6, 2011, I went to Petco and bought food and the D&P was back, so I got the entire set. I had to open the treats right away because they were out. The shape was more flattened and very hard, the smell was also different. Buster would not take his treats or he put it in his mouth, rolled it around and spit it out. We thought he was having trouble biting it with his 14-year-old teeth. We gave him just half, but that did not matter. The new bag of food was taken unopened into the RV, since we were leaving to go to the medical clinic for me. We left on the 13th. We took their food bowl, still 1/2 full to the RV, so they could always eat the dry food at their leisure. They ate that until my husband opened the new bag. It was darker, flatter shaped circle and smelled different as well. We always gave them a morning and afternoon snack of canned food that was about 1 tbls. each.

I was gone every day, but in the evening Buster, "our take it easy boy" was going to the food and water dish and barking. He did this over and over. They usually told us if the bowls were empty, but we told him to be quiet since they were full. Then he would go to the refrigerator and bark. We knew he wanted food from there but they had enough in the bowls. I thought Bo my husband was filling the food and he thought I was filling it.

We got home late on 7/20/2011 and brought the food in the house. Teddi was taking the food and throwing it on the floor. I thought she was playing so I tossed some her way. She ate two bites and walked away. Late Friday, I noticed Buster was having a hard time having a BM, so we thought he was constipated. We even tried to buy a baby enema for him.

First thing on Monday the 25th, we were at the vet. and they tried to get a stool sample, but his body was empty. The tests showed he had pancreatitis. He was in the hospital for six days and came home on July 30, 2011. He was now obviously losing weight. We feed him baby food, but had to stick it in his mouth, also sweet potato and boiled chicken breast. Pills were the hardest. He would not eat on his own.

We decided to go to Lassen Park for a few days on August 7 and continued with the feedings. He was eating more and more easily. He seemed stronger and more alert than when he got out of the hospital. That night, he threw up all the days' undigested food. Friday he ate good, but that night he threw up all the days' undigested food. We left early Saturday to get to the vet. The tests on 8/6/2011 showed the pancreatitis was back. He stayed in the hospital almost two days and we brought him home with a really strict diet of a teaspoon of the canned vet food every two hours. This was not easy, but we got the food down him.

We called and asked if we could increase the food since he was not throwing up. We did and had to get a large syringe to get the food in and down. He fought so hard, but would lick his lips and stay for more. He was starving, but we did not know what was happening inside of him. We made a mush of his Rx food and baby food and got up to 1/2 cup a day by force feeding him at least every one to two hours.

He was taken into the vet on August 18 for a check and the vet noticed he had jaundice. The tests showed his liver was involved now. We brought him home with more pills and watched his jaundice. We continued the daily job of getting food into him. We looked for any sign of improvement. We were in touch with the vet almost daily. He slept good at night and laid on his favorite places during the day. He would go out to potty when we asked him and he used his doggy door as well. He did have some very small BM's. He was very frail and wobbly, but we did all we could do.

On the 25th, he looked like we had made it. He had his tail up and almost trotted outside. He followed us around the house and we were feeling good. We went to bed and the next morning he was in a trance-like state, something catastrophic happened during the night. His jaundice that had been receding was horrible. We took him to the vet and they saw in an ultrasound his bile ducts were swollen shut. Even with our hourly feeding he had lost another pound to 13 lbs. He had been 19 lbs. They admitted him to the hospital again. It was the worst night. We had all worked so hard and knew he could not make it. The next morning before we called the vet, they called and said it was time. We could not let him suffer any longer. His liver test was off the charts. We went in and held our sweet little boy, who was always in a good mood. We could feel all his bones through his pretty black and white hair. He put his head on my shoulder, which he never did. He was not a kissy dog, but that was his goodby to me. We were devastated. We always know when you adopt an earth angel that they will pass before you, but you pray it will not be so traumatic.

I went home and was working on the Internet as I had been trying to make sense of what happened. I put in pancreatitis and up came the website, Consumer Affairs. I was looking at a complaint about a dog dying like my Buster who had been eating the same food. There were more cases and as I started looking at all the brand names they listed, I could not believe it. I had never thought it could be the food, since I always choose the best food available. My heart was even more broken since he was trying to tell me he would not eat it and was hungry.

We went to bed and I jumped up and remembered the food was still down and Teddi had eaten some. It was not much, but what had we done to her? After throwing out two large bowls, we still had 1/2 the bag. We took her in to be checked and her liver test was up slightly. I looked and looked to find a food that was not currently killing dogs and cats. I think it is 2008 all over again. The companies are denying any problem with their food. As a retired detective, I know where coincidence stops. It was too late to have an autopsy since we had him cremated, but I have the food. It is well wrapped up and sealed like evidence in a case.

Today we saw crystals in Teddi's urine. My heart has dropped, since many pets have died from kidney failure. We have another appointment tomorrow to make sure we get ahead of the problem. I have been saying it looks like poison. My dogs are never out of the house without us in sight. They only eat what we give them. We live in the country without close neighbors or stray animals roaming. The food companies are trying to say it is antifreeze. Everyone knows not to have that around pets.

I have filed with the FDA. You can go to safetyreportingportal.gov. They even called me when I asked about reporting. Everyone who has a suddenly sick dog should check out the food and file with the FDA. Our sweet little friends need our help. It takes forever for a recall and how many other pets have to die for greed? If this was a baby food issue it would be on the front page and the companies would be quickly pulling the food and apologizing. We can do something for our four-legged friends. Tell everyone about Consumer Affairs and to see what their pet is eating. Their food should be fit for human consumption. I have found out that many companies buy their food from a few large pet food manufacturers. Try to find out where yours really comes from.

I won't sleep tonight worrying about Teddi.

My next purchase was 6 bags, and the diarrhea has become terrible, smells awful and is attracting flies. Invested $40 in Golden Maldrin to keep flies down, bleach to sterilize 3x's a day, and a gallon of Odoban from Sam's. Took another sample in and again came back clear. My dogs are not harboring illness or parasites and act hungry and look skinny and unthrifty. Not happy about this at all. Not happy about this costly and concerning turn of events on an otherwise highly rated food. Will be doing research to change foods....Forgot to mention, NB sent me three $2 coupons after our conversation. It was almost insulting compared to the extra expense ($165.00+/not incl. the additional 6 large bags invested in their company) that has gone out. I almost forgot to mention, of course we've been treating them for the diarrhea to no avail. I was told they have received no other complaints and that is why I ran the tests again and gave them a second chance.

I've had him on Natural Balance Grain Free Fish and Potato because I've done a lot of research and have found Aussie's tend to have allergies of the skin and GI tract. It seemed to make his coat very shiny, yet he has so much dandruff and smells awful! It's not the normal "dog smell." It's so rank! Even if I bathe him, he will smell a couple of hours later. Is anyone else going through this with Natural Balance food? I want to switch, but want to make sure first that it's actually the food.

Her liver enzymes were five times normal, she was dehydrated. They said she was bleeding internally. They treated her symptomatically but did not expect her to make it. She died 7:30 a.m.

I am posting this since reading the previous posts, there may be something wrong with the food. Had I read about the food before starting using it, I would not have used this food. My girls were using IAMS F/P before, but for some reason that was discontinued and this was supposed to be the closest food. I hope this information helps someone avoid my grief.

They both had very noxious smelling gas! In fact, if I hadn't known better, I would have thought they had gotten into garbage, but knew they couldn't as our entire yard is fenced in and locked! On Sunday, we met with our veterinary and switched Homer to a Prescription soft dog food. He did not throw up again, until on Tuesday, June 14th. I mixed about 20 pieces of their N.B. dry food with his soft food. Like clockwork, 2 hours later, symptom’s back! My wife found this site Tuesday evening, and on Wednesday morning, I was at the store buying EVO dry food for them. With the exception of a mildly soft stool from the switch, all symptoms are gone! Thanks to everyone who had posted on this site, because had this not been available to us, who knows what would have happened to our boys!

There was an overpowering smokey smell so she called Natural Balance for me and was told that they are now adding it to their small cans and will be adding it to their large cans soon. I guess my question is why? When pet owners and their animals like a product, why mess with it and why add artificial smoke? Awful. After reading all these other complaints, I am glad I decided to give my little Bichon the Merick's, which is a fabulous food and the same canned food that I now give my PWD and lab.

I have a whole bag left of her old Iams dry food that I mix in with her wet food until it’s finished. There were no problems adjusting to Blue Buffalo wet food but once I switched to Natural Balance I noticed she had bouts of gas all day. The gas did not stink but it does not seem to be comfortable for her. Her body odor and breath also got worse. She also has runny diarrhea. This morning I woke to her puking on my carpet, something that has never happened before.

She is an inside dog so I know she has not gotten into anything toxic. I supplement her feeding with Omega Treats, Zuke's Hip Action, and Blue Buffalo Blue Bits for treats and training. She has done just fine with these treats for the past 3 months. I am no longer going to feed her Natural Balance and am switching back to Blue Buffalo.

The vet suggested I feed her special dog food which I purchased from them. As she gained her strength back the vet told me to start adding her regular food until she was back totally onto her food, which was the Natural Balance. Again, after feeding her the Natural Balance Dog Food from the same bag, she became deathly ill again. At that point, it was back to the vet, I also decided to no longer feed her that food, because I had a strong feeling the food was the culprit, but couldn't prove it. Then months later, I have heard of other pets becoming deathly ill from the same food. That was when I found this site and decided to complain about my dog almost dying and the expenses incurred.

Currently, my Chihuahua is back to normal after days of suffering. I no longer feed my dog Natural Balance Dog Food. The economic damage to my husband and I has been very difficult, to say the least, to the tune of close to $2,000.00. It is so sad, and totally wrong that a company does not have to pay retribution when a situation like this, happens, most specially when you put your trust in a company by purchasing their products. They reap the reward while our animals suffer.

I have just given up my pet health insurance. I am long-term unemployed. So, this is very bad timing for me and my pet. I want to take him to the vet, but I also want to pay my mortgage. It's agonizing to think that his condition may worsen, due to the food I am providing him.

The diarrhea began and blood was in her stool. I tried the 2nd day to get her to eat with no luck. On the 3rd day, she ate some food and again vomited within 4 hours. The stools contained blood. We made a rice and broth mix and she vomited that immediately. We took her to the vet on the 4th day. They did blood work and nothing showed up. They also did a stool sample. They had us give no food for 24 hours. We then started a prescription can food, small amounts at a time. They also gave her anti vomiting medicine and fluid injections to keep her hydrated. The stool sample came back negative also. The only change was the food. I will not feed her the Natural Balance product. I called the company and they indicated there have been no complaints on the Sweet Potatoes and Duck. We have another dog and she eats Royal Canin and had no issues. I would contribute her problems with the food.

Zinc is found in the food, however, if too much is consumed, it will make them very sick. If you consume high levels of vitamins that can make you sick too. I am making this posting to inform the public that if your dog gets sick and you can rule out all other factors, do not trust the pet food companies that will tell you again and again that the food is 100% safe. Go with your gut and change food. My dog started to leave food around the house that was the first sign, then I added water to her food to entice her to eat it. Well she did and I have guilt over it because that is what caused her explosive diarrhea. My dog only eats this food and is not offered treats or table food. I hope to get the food independently tested and I will post an update.

The veterinarian explained that she had to be completely unconscious for many hours to have as many fly eggs on her as there were. Also it takes 8 to 30 hours for fly eggs to hatch, etcetera. He immediately said it looked as if she had gotten into something toxic. I left her for treatment and the next morning, I took her to another veterinarian because the first didn't seem to want to provide the care I thought she needed. He acted as if he was giving up. This was 12 hours after I took her in for an emergency visit. The new veterinarian immediately started her on IV fluids and done blood work. He said she had a complete kidney failure and agreed she seemed to have eaten something toxic.

On the morning of 6/24/2010, we visited her and despite the efforts of flushing the toxins from her body, hoping her kidneys would improve, she ended of passing away that same night of 6/24/2010. We had no idea what could have happened or what she ingested until 6/28/2010, when our other cat started having similar symptoms. We noticed both were not eating as well as they should have been but again, we thought it was from the heat or summer. Today, is 6/29/2010 and our other cat, Powder, is now on IV fluids because of dehydration and not eating. I rushed her to the veterinarian after noticing she was not eating or drinking and not able to stand up. After doing blood work, the veterinarian called and said that Powder's kidneys were failing as well, the test results are close to the same results as our other cat, MJ. The only thing both cats ate in common or at all for that matter is the Natural Balance cat food.

I emailed the company a few hours ago, I told them this exact same information and I am waiting for a response. I also plan to call them tomorrow on 6/30/2010 and I am offering to send them a sample of the food since we have a whole bag left so hopefully they will offer to test it. I also hope to find a local laboratory to test the food as well. This may be a little difficult in our area. I may have to look into other cites for testing. I may have lost 2 very important family members and honestly, I believe the food is the cause and that the food may be contaminated. I want the company to be aware of the problem and recall the food before more animals die. I also have a 7-year-old Labrador on the same brand food and I plan to have blood work done on him just in case it is not just the cat food contaminated.

Well my first baby, MJ, died from renal failure and I have no idea how much she suffered. I have pictures and video footage of the last 2 days we spend visiting her. The veterinary bill alone was over $600 although I would have spent more to save her life if it would have come down to it. She was part of our family and would have been a year old on July 4, 2010. My other baby, Powder, is in ICU, on an IV, also with kidney failure. She was very dehydrated, weak, vomiting, no appetite and we have no idea until tomorrow morning if she might have a chance to pull out of this or not. Plus we have to make the decision on what to do depending on what the doctor says tomorrow.

I have only had to put one pet to sleep in 20 years so this is very difficult for me and my family. I have had to see a doctor myself for my nerves after watching both become so sick so fast. My 10-year-old son is worried sick. There is no way to express the heartbreak we feel at this time. I can't imagine the thought of having to bury another pet this week.

During this time we switched to the salmon formula and the cats continued to show the same symptoms. Our vet encouraged us to feed KC canned food so we switched his diet to the canned venison formula from Natural Balance. We noticed that our new cat would not eat the canned Venison formula and that KC would only pick at the venison food without eating all of it.

KC was very lethargic and near death. We changed to a Science Diet DD formula and KC became significantly better. KC immediately devoured the canned Science Diet formula where he would only pick at the Natural Balance food. The Science Diet formula was rabbit and green pea. Natural Balance admitted to changing the formula to add "more duck and green pea". We have samples of the Natural Balance duck and salmon formulas. I suspect that there is some tainted ingredient in the food. Its not just that grain or other meats were added. Something is poisonous in this food. Our cat Teddy passed away in July. Our other cat became very ill and required treatment and testing at the vet. We paid roughly $300 in vet bills for KC and $100 to dispose of the cat that passed away.

They told me their products used no gluten or RPC. 5 days later they pulled everything and stated none of their products made any customers pets sick. Then when I blasted them for that, they changed their stance on that, that only a few were made sick. Then they changed their stance that their products did have RPC but it was not supposed to be sourced from China. Then they changed their stance on that and said their manufacturer Diamond Pet Foods did not tell them the RPC used came from China.

They have kept up this never ending tissue of lies, and they need to step up to the plate owning up legal and financial responsibility.

I then shortly learned about the recall on a service dog site. I returned the bags of dog food for a refund $50 +/-.

I changed food to another Natural Balance product the organgic food and that was allery city, then the next day I switched to - potato and duck and he hasn't thrown up since.

I had a blood test done the day after I found out about the recall and the 3 odd things my dog had done. the blood test came out normal, so far. I will do another test in a couple weeks.

If my service dog is permanently sick, it is awful.

I am outraged. I have not agreed to any reimbursement or compensation with Natural Balance for I don't know the final outcome will be. I am beside myself with worry. No person or any animal should die a death by poison!

By late Saturday night, Abby our 10 month old girl from Germany, began showing signs of decline. Sunday morning, we loaded up 3 of our dogs and started on our way to Texas A& M University's Small Animal Emergency Clinic. We took Abby and our Timmy, and Tia. We made the 3-hour trip and once arriving, we quickly learned that all three dogs were in Acute Renal Failure. The doctors at A&M were almost certain that it was from some sort of toxic exposure.

Monday morning, we learned that Abby had taken a rapid decline at the hospital overnight and that her chances were very slim at best. The doctors requested that we let her go and have them perform an autopsy in order to perhaps figure this out and save the other dogs. By Monday afternoon, we loaded up again with our remaining dogs and took them to A&M University Hospital. Peaches is in severe acute renal failure with her numbers being off the chart.

With several college professors and doctors, fortunately for us, verifiably some of the best in the nation, working on our case, around 9:00 p.m. last night (4-16-07), the doctors met with us and confirmed that it was the Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice Dog food that is the cause. The autopsy on Abby confirmed the crystal formation that is seen in all the renal failure cases concerning the recent dog food recalls. We still have 3 Adult Cavaliers at Texas A&M and although they are making improvement, our vet is uncertain if they have will have long term renal disease if they make it through treatment. We also have 5 puppies that are being treated at Texas A&M as well and their outcome is still uncertain.

After hydrating him for two days his kidneys were re-tested only to find that his condition had worsened. This was a very sick dog and there was nothing more the vet could do for him. We just returned home this afternoon after having him euthanized and we are sick at heart and devastated to lose our special friend this way.

I have yet to find out what my vet bills are but after all the work done at the vet's and the critical care unit I am sure that they will be substantial.

I am very concerned about the fact that I learned about the recall of your Venison and Green Pea dry cat food on the CNN crawler last evening. I have been feeding my cats both canned and dry Venison and Green Pea formulas for months, and 10 days ago, one of my cats was treated as an emergency for kidney stones at our veterinary clinic.

She very well could have died had she not had surgery in time.

I would have thought that as soon as the first pet food recall had occurred, you would have investigated the Natural Balance formulas for safety and purity.

I pay extra money for Natural Balance products and I do not understand why, if there is no wheat or gluten in the special allergy formulas, there would be reason for a recall of this product. This leads me to believe that despite all of your published claims, you are using inferior ingredients in your products and I have discontinued the use of all Natural Balance products.

Until now, the Venison and Green Pea formulas had been the answer to my prayers in terms of feeding my allergic cats. But now I realize that I had only been putting my cats' health in jeopardy by feeding them your product.