sandooch

Like most people these days, money is getting pretty tight for us right now. I still want to feed my animals (Gigi and 3 cats) the best quality dry foods I can afford, so I started looking around online. I normally shop at Petco/Petsmart, and even their least exspensive good-quality brand (not the best) is still pretty costly at around $30 per 15-pound bag.

But here is the major problem I am having. Gigi is allergic to chicken (she itches when she eats it and has more problems with tear stains), and although it is easy to find a dog food at Petco without chicken in the list of ingredients, it is not so easy to find a cat food without it. As much as I try to watch that Gigi doesn't eat the cat food while the cats are being fed, I know she will eat it if my kids or husband feed the cats because they do not move the cat's food bowl to the top of the fridge when they're done eating like I do. So I started looking online for a cat food that doesn't have chicken in it. I lucked out and found Natural Balance Pea & Salmon for only $22 for a 10-pound bag! It is a high-quality food at a price I can afford.

Gigi is also a pretty picky eater, so I bought her the Natural Balance Lamb dog food to try so that I could get free shipping on my order from Amazon. I really hope she likes it because it was only $27 for a 12.5-pound bag and got great reviews.

What also got me excited to read about this dog food is that it's helped some people's dogs who've had tear stains. What a Godsend that would be to find a less expensive, good-quality dry dog food that would also get rid of Gigi's tear stains (believe me...I've tried everything from using distilled water, to vinegar in the distilled water, to probiotics, to stainless steel bowls, to very expensive dog foods to get rid of them and nothing but Angel Eyes works, and even that doesn't work that great).

Has anyone here had success using Natural Balance dog food in getting rid of tear stains on their poodles?

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Countryboy

Would this be the stuff, Sandy?

I've got to switch Tonka to a new kibble shortly and was thinkin' of gettin' away from chicken too. It doesn't make him itch, but his eyes! . . . always weeping!!

Like u, nothing helps. Drops, washing, antibiotics . . . nothing...

I'll maybe try some of this on him.

I see that it's a 'three-star' food. Perfectly adequate as long as u add outside protein. *All the way up to five-star foods the reviews give almost the same advice. I think there's maybe only one of the top-line Acana mixes that provide all the protein the reviewer would like to see.*

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Onyx11

NB is a great food I worked at a pet store for 5 years and sold a-lot of NB I also use it for my cats. I like that they have the limited ingredients I feed my cats the peas and chicken and they do great on it.

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Onyx11

What can you add to the dog foods? I would like to start adding things to Onyx's food

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Countryboy

I suppose I don't so much add it to the food but just feed it to him separately.

Beef heart is what's on the menu presently. Mostly 'coz it's sooooo easy to handle. I just slice off a chunk or two . . . once or twice a day.

Sometimes marrow bones, sometimes whatever the butcher's got too much of.

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Onyx11

Should I cook it?

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sandooch

Yes,that's the one, Frank. I actually thought it had a 4-star rank though. Let me know if you do get it and if it helps with Tonka's tearing.

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Ginagbaby1

Hi Sandooch!

Casper is allergic to chicken too so we avoid that and also do grain free. We feed him TOTW lamb or salmon and have added the Natural Balance as a topper but it didn't help with tearing or stains. Could've have been that it wasn't enough to make a difference. Not sure what part of CA you are in but we get the TOTW from our groomer (it's a store and grooming salon) and pay $25.99 for the 15 pound bag and they sell the cat line as well.

I have also heard good things about Costco's Salmon and sweet potato. It's grain free and doesn't have any chicken. The 35 pound is $34.00 and they have a cat version as well but I'm not sure how much that is. I thought about trying it out for Casper but a big that big would last us more than two months and I'm not sure how long it would stay fresh.

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Gorky

Lichen is on Natural Balance Venizon and sweet potato and he is doing just fine on it. We tried Acana and Orijen and he didn't much like it. Just before neutering his liver count was slightly high. I got advice from my breeder as well as members of another forum I was on that sometimes poodles cannot take high protein. We then put Lichen on Natural Balance and his liver count has gone back to normal.

Countryboy

I've heard this too. And I'm keeping it in mind as I'm experimenting with Tonka's diet.

I've never cooked the Beef heart but I'm considering it. Something is giving Tonka dire rear so I'm still experimenting with xtra protein . . . and whether or not it should be cooked. He's actually on a protein 'time-out' 'coz of this dire rear.

It goes without saying that cooked food is safer to feed than raw. Simply 'coz of the guaranteed elimination of any harmful bacteria. But, having said the unsayable, I have to say that dogs have been eating raw meat for thousands of years. So which is right?? . . . I dunno...

Before Spud, I sliced up raw Beef heart for him with no problem. Then I didn't . . for months . . 'coz Spud couldn't eat it. Now, I'm thinkin' that Tonka's stomach upset may be from my re-introduction of outside protein.

Good thread, Sandy. Maybe we'll have to see how it all breaks down and get back to it in a couple of weeks, eh? lol

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