Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium Dog Food

[Jaegergirl]

i found this food on the petco website. has anyone every heard of it/used it? is there anything listed that wouldn't be good?

here are the ngredients:
Chicken, brown rice, duck, lamb meal, oatmeal, pearled barley, potatoes, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols--a source of vitamin E, citric acid, and rosemary extract), natural flavor, tomato pomace, canola oil, brewers yeast, lecithin, choline chloride, carrots, potassium chloride, flaxseed oil, dried kelp, salt, parsley flakes, calcium carbonate, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, glucosamine hydrochloride, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplements, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), taurine, yucca schidigera extract, l-lysine, manganese sulfate, niacin, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), copper proteinate, grape seed oil, copper sulfate, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A acetate, inositol, folic acid (vitamin B), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), d-activated animal sterol (source of vitamin D3), biotin, ethylene diamine dihydriodide (source of iodine), cobalt sulfate, menadione sodium bisulfate complex (source of vitamin K activity), sodium selenite.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude protein (min.) 23%, crude fat (min.) 13%, crude fiber (max.) 3%, moisture (max.) 10%.


thanks!

ps who woulda thougth the dad from 8 is enough would start making pet food! : )

[Roscoe's dad]

I would only wonder why it has oatmeal and barley in it. I feed BARF and see grains as mainly filler and a possible cause of allergies.

[mmgy]

Lots of people I know use and like Natural Balance. But the grain/carb/starch group is bigger than I like. Also, I am always a bit suspicious when I see taurine added to dog food.

Taurine is an essential amino acid that cats have to ingest in order to get enough. Dogs and humans can manufacture their own from the meats they ingest. So I would have to know why they're adding extra before I would use it.

Mary Mac

[frontierrots]

Taurine deficiency in pet food has been tentatively linked to some types of cardiomyopathy in dogs so many manufacturers are starting to add it. It is a good sign

Oatmeal is much much better than corn, wheat and soy and is also a good sign

Dry food must be more grain/carb than a homemade diet by virtue of the fact that to make it have a form and not mold it must have grain/carb and a low moisture content

This is probably one of the better foods. Though I'm still very fond of my Healthwise

[mmgy]

You're right Diane, there was a lot written about that taurine deficiency last year, I think about weimeraners in particular?

My personal thing goes back to dogs being carnivores, should eat mostly meat, and if there's enough meat in the food, you don't need to add taurine. For instance, Solid Gold adds it because they have to, there's not enough meat in the food to provide it. That's where I draw the line for my dogs.

MM

[Jaegergirl]

mm, what solid gold product would you recommend/do you feed? i found a place that sells it locally. my pup is 7 mo. thanks!

[mmgy]

Whoops, did I write that sentence crookedy?!?! Sorry, I meant to imply that I am NOT a Solid Gold fan!

Solid Gold is designed to be fed with a group of corresponding supplements made by the same company. The food itself is heavily based in grains, and in my opinion, when fed alone, is no better than Purina at five times the price. Then when you add in the supplements.......

If convenience is a factor for you, though, try the MMillenia Beef and Barley. That's the only one I would consider. They say it's designed for sporting dogs.

Or go back to Natural Balance.

My household is a rather frantic place, and my dogs must have a good ready-made, meat-based food, which for us is Canidae.

Mary Mac

[Jaegergirl]

mary, sorry i misunderstood your post. : ) maverick can't have food that has beef in it anyway (gives him bad gas). i didn't know you had to add a bunch of supplements to the food. if that's the case, by the time i'd pay $$ for all that other stuff, i might as well pay to have canidea shipped to me! thanks!

[moondog]

Pearled barley contains germanium, a trace element said to be beneficial to the immune system and taurine is an antioxidant and immune regulator that is necessary for white blood cell activation and neurological function. Oatmeal contains glutamine, which my hero Dr. Strombeck refers to as a "mucosal defense mechanism", meaning it contributes to intestinal health. These look to me to be contributions towards health and don't bother me at all.

I fed Luna the regular Natural Balance kibble (before the Ultra formulation was developed) for years and she did very well on it. :)