Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsUPDATED REVIEW : Parent company allowed toxic euthenasia drug in its dog food.
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2017
UPDATED REVIEW
Well, after years of being a loyal Natural Balance customer, I'm leaving. It turns out, in 2013, NB was acquired by Big Heart Pet Brands (which, in turn, was acquired by Smucker's in 2015). After a lengthy investigation, ABC 7 in Washington DC has found pentobarbital, a drug used to euthanize animals, in one of Big Heart Pet Brands's other subsidiaries, Gravy Train. How did the toxin get in the food? Well they say, "Animals that have been euthanized are picked up by renderers who process the carcasses--which may be blended into pet food." This is illegal. An animal that has died otherwise than by slaughter (e.g., from euthenasia, sickness, etc.)--is considered an adulterated ingredient. Adulterated ingredients cannot legally be in food meant for human or animal consumption. The problem, however, is that the FDA, which is responsible for enforcement of this law, has admitted in its own compliance policy that it won't really enforce the law when it comes to animal food. I urge everyone to contact the FDA and get them to change this compliance policy (which you can find by googling "FDA CPG Sec. 690.300 Canned Pet Food").
Back to the review: "But Gravy Train is a separate subsidiary," you might say. Doesn't matter. Someone at the parent companies, Smucker's/Big Heart Pet Brands, signed off on using illegal, adulterated ingredients that ended up containing a dangerous drug used to euthanize animals. And even if NB doesn't use those adulterated ingredients now, what's to say Smucker's/Big Heart Pet Brands doesn't cut corners in the future and demand NB, as one of their many subsidiaries, follow suit? It's a risk I can't take with my doggo. (The investigation into this euthanasia drug, pentobarbital, being in pet food started when a poor woman's dog died in 2016 after consuming lethal doses of it in another brand, Evanger's. Pentobarbital can kill your pet if there's enough of it.)
4 stars now down to 1. We'll be trying Canidae Pure.
***
OLD REVIEW
We've been using this food for a while. Our dog has had allergies in the past, and we find this helps with her itchy skin. And she loves it. We tried Wellness's limited ingredient kibble in the past. That was also great, but one complaint: her stools were too soft with Wellness, and so her anal glands weren't expressing naturally. (Gross, I know.) As a result, her butt would occasionally get stinky. No good. We switched to NB, and that's no longer a problem. HOWEVER, she does have a bit of a stink on her skin/fur now. Kind of link ammonia/cat pee. It's not too bad, but once in a while I'll get a whiff of it, and you can definitely pick it up if you put your face in her fur. Every dog is different, though, and some will have this problem more or less than others. Do not fret, though, it is not harmful or bad. And it doesn't leave the odor on furniture or anything. I did some digging and NB explains why. (See below. You can find the full discussion on r/dogs on Reddit, which I'd otherwise link to, but Amazon won't let me.)
"...it is more common to see dogs develop a skin odor on products with more naturally occurring sources of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. If they release more oil through their skin, this oil can accumulate and begin to turn rancid, which will cause a noticeable odor (similar to cat urine). If the fatty acids are much higher in this formula than in the last diet, this could be what is causing the odor as well."
So there you go. No big deal. For us, the smell is tolerable, especially in light of her allergies. And, honestly, I have to admit, all of those extra Omegas, while stinky, make her coat super shiny and super soft, which is a big upside. For what it's worth, we experimented with the different flavors and think she's a little less stinky on the bison versus the venison (the former having a little less Omega-3 and Omega-6). But some of you may find the smell intolerable. Like I said, every doggo is different and will react to those Omega fatty acids differently.
