Side by Side Comparison of: Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance® vs Hill's Science Diet

One of our dogs has colitis and we were recomended by our vet to purchase this food for him. They believed that his colitis was brought on by an allergy to the food we were feeding him. They must have been correct as he no longer has any issues. The price is the same as the local pet store, but as we live rurally, "local" means 45 minutes away. No problem with the bag during shipping ane the food appears to be the same quality we got from the brick and mortor store. If your dog has a food allergy, sometimes limited ingredients, coupled with a more exotic style meat will help.

I had a Great Pyrenees that had many allergies. I switched him to this and he did very well. We lost him to bone cancer a couple of years ago and I continued to use this to feed my 3 Yorkies. They are very health and happy, no digestive problems at all. My oldest is 10 yrs old and the puppies are 3 yrs old. I just signed up last week for the subscription to receive a bag every 2 months. Sometimes our local pet store has it and sometimes they are out. Now I will have it delivered to my door without delay. I actually just received my first one via delivery yesterday.

I love that the ingredients in this line of dog food are simple and easily digestible. Our Goldendoodle has a sensitive tummy and unfortunately did not like this particular flavor (she prefers the Duck & Potato) but I highly recommend this product to anyone looking to feed their pup a food with quality ingredients.

Our dog loves this product. We buy it all the time via Amazon. It's healthy without a bunch of artificial junk in it...no sugar. Why sugar is put in animal food I will never understand. We've bought this product for over 5 years now. Alternate flavors. We buy the big bag, and don't have to get it to the car, into the house. Love ordering this via Amazon. We usually get it within 3 days. Perfect.

My dogs are spoiled and picky and got to the point that they would not eat dry kibble at all. I tried lots of dry kibble that they refused and finally tried Natural Balance. They loved it and enjoy the different varieties, such as Venison, Buffalo and Fish. They also offer Alligator and Kangaroo - which I find interesting. I am so happy that my babies have found a kibble that they really like to eat and is good for them. Another reason I love this dog food is that it is for puppies and adult dogs as I have one of each! Makes my life so much easier!! Our vet said they need joint supplements to ward off arthritis. We shopped around and got Vitapet Advanced Strength Joint and Hip Chewables. These are delicious and I like to sprinkle on their food. Since using this product one of them is able to move better even trying to run after a squirrel. My other two also seem more active.

My puggle with a grain (and we think chicken) allergy LOVES this food. My vet recommended switching him to this after he started developing some weird scabs on the tips of his ears, hoping that it was a food allergy, and the switch worked! No more bloody scabbed ear tips, and he can't wait to eat his meals every day. Plus it's a unique flavor combo, so not like the treats he gets all the time. He also has a very shiny coat and less frequent bowel movements. Can't recommend this food enough for dogs with allergies to common kibble ingredients!

So far so good, my little dog is enjoying this dry food. We are trying this brand because we had been noticing for a few months that her breath and her mouth were smelly, even though her teeth are perfectly clean. A vet recommended us to try dry food for sensitive stomach, because that might be the source of the problem. She has always been a bit sensitive and would vomit here and there for no apparent reason. After relocating, we saw she was struggling to adapt to the new food we had bought in the new town, so we put her first on digestive dry food for a while, and then we switched to Hill's Science. She had problems again when we switched to this brand, but she is getting now used to this food. She poops very few though (which some vets say is good, but not usual in her). Her breath issues are now gone, but she craves for grass (which is not a good sign). We will keep observing her development, but for now, Hill's Science is a keeper.

Our 4 yr old black lab has reflux and pukes up stomach acid a lot. This seems to do well for his stomach, and it doesn't make his coat or breath stinks as bad as others we've tried. Go for subscribe and save and have it shipped to your door - you don't get easier than that!

We were feeding our dog Blue Buffalo Life Protection, he started to become a picky eater and had diarrhea probably once a month so the vet recommended switching him over to a limited ingredient diet. We tried the the limited ingredient line from Blue Buffalo but he still was a picky eater, only eating once a day or once every two days when he was really starving; he has always been a twice a day meal eater. We incorporated actual chicken pieces and tricked him into eating more on schedule but that didn't last long. We ordered Hill's Science Sensitive Stomach and on day 1 after incorporating just 1/4 cup into his Blue Buffalo to introduce the switch, he became a normal twice a day eater again, no tricking him to eat. He eats as soon as his food hits the bowl now.

I have a rescue small 10 lb dog. She was found on the streets of California, flown to Washington where we adopted her at 6 months old. She is frightened of absolutely everything, and eats just enough to stay alive. When I switched to Hill’s science diet, Tinna started to eat with excitement. I was shocked. A friend of mine told me about adding Vitapet Omega Fish Oil Chewables with EPA and DHT for Dogs with CoQ10 and these chews have done wonders for Tinna. I have given her these the past 2 months & her coat is filling up nicely.

My dog has pretty severe allergies: general itching all over, very itchy paws (especially back ones) that she would lick and bite at until they were red, frequent yeast growth and severe ear infections (got so bad once that it emitted a horrible odor that smelled like sour milk) in one or both ears, rubbing her face on the ground, and just general discomfort. Because the allergies were so severe, and they could literally be caused by one or any number of things, I was NOT looking forward to potentially embarking on a extremely time consuming and expensive wild goose chase to figure out what was causing her allergies. Additionally, I was concerned about how long she would have to continue to suffer until I could figure it out.I really didn't know where to start with narrowing things down, and then someone suggested to try switching her food out - that's the easiest and least expensive thing to do. I know Science Diet is heralded a very good brand on the less expensive side of the "good dog foods" out there, so it was worth a shot. Before ordering, I called Amazon to see what their return/refund policy on foodstuffs was, in the event that my dog either didn't like the food or that it did not help with her allergies. Amazon customer service informed me that if I didn't like the product for any reason and I notified them within 30 days, they would refund the money and I would NOT have to return the food. Perfect!I ordered it and immediately started transiting my dog to this food. When she finally got transitioned to the point where she was eating mostly the Science Diet (about a week and half after I received the food), the majority of the allergy symptoms that she was experiencing basically disappeared. To date (approximately 1 month later), she has completely stopped obsessively scratching as well as licking and biting her paws. Even her ears cleared up a lot, although they still require weekly/bi-weekly cleaning. I AM SO GLAD THIS FOOD WORKED FOR HER.Additionally, I have found that this food is a lot more filling and she gets full at lot faster. She's not eating nearly as much (and thus not pooping as much), so I'm sure the food itself will last a lot longer!On the downside, I don't think she really cares for the taste. In fact, she started going on a partial food strike earlier this week (she could never just completely stop eating). But I explained to her that this isn't Burger King and you cannot have it your way. I also told her that she wasn't getting anymore treats until she eats her food like she is supposed to. She is now back to eating her food regularly.All in all, this food worked perfect for her! I can't say it will work for all dogs, but at least ordering from Amazon, you can get a refund if you find that it doesn't work.

I have 2 mastiffs and one of them has developed allergies to most dog foods, this particular type has been amazing for her, she had some black spots all over her stomach and was starting to lose hair in a lot of spots in addition to dandruff, that's all gone now. Will continue purchasing this for as long as it's available.

Everything is great. My only wish is that I had the small dog option and changing flavors monthly.

My dogs seem to really love it. I've read a lot of good reviews before switching my dogs to this

appears my dog is doing well on the new dog food. He does seem to drink more water now - which is not a bad thing. He has only been on this food for a couple days as we still wean him off the old food.My Daughter uses this food for her dog as she has a skin issue and this is the only food she can eat that does not cause her dog to chew at her skin

My dog loves this dog food and my vet says it is an excellent choice because of the limited ingredients. She had gone from a 24 pound Cairn terrier to a 19 pound lean, active great Cairn terrier in 3 months. I also bought the biscuits, but they came to me so crushed that the last half of the bag was only crumbs. Don't think it was Amazon, packed in bubble wrap in a box. Will buy locally so I can check contents of bag. Not sure if this is an inherent problem with the biscuits. She loved even the crumbs. Nice to know I can find a dog food made in the USA that won't poison my dog or give her worthless calories.

My dog likes 1/2 a bag of this then gets tired of it. I end up having to mix things into her meals to make them 'more interesting' for her in order to finish off the bag. Good quality ingredients are used in the product. My dog just gets bored with it. She used to not so am not sure if it's just a "picky eater" thing starting or not. Yes, I would recommend this food/brand to others.

My American Bulldog has had ongoing skin issues for the past few years. Our vet suggested that we try a novel protein dog food since protein allergies are more common than most people think. After a few months on this food I've seen a marked improvement in out dogs skin. Although it's not completely clear, the itching and scabing cycle has stopped and just a few minor marks remain. If you are having skin issues with your do this food is certainly worth a try and although it's a bit pricey it's less costly than expensive antibiotic shots over and over. The ingredients are great and they leave out all the junk which I really like.

My dog loves it, she has very sensitive stomach, I've been searching for the food for her that would not cause any gas or diarrhea. So far she's doing great and she absolutely loves the taste.

I feed this to my two Bichons. It has helped my youngest one a lot. They both have sensitive stomachs but he has had colitis before and has done great since I changed him to this food. They both seem to like it. They can be picky eaters and with other food I would have to add something to their kibble to get them to eat it. Not so with this food. I feed it to my young pup who it 14 months and my old man who is 10. I was buying it at local store but they only carried the 4 lb bags so I was happy to find the larger back on Amazon. Much cheaper and more convenient.

My dog seems to like it... I thought it tasted like dog food.But seriously, this food has done wonders for my German Shepherd with a sensitive stomach. She always had "issues" with her bowels when the vet recommended this food. Since we started her on this, she's been doing great.

I don't write many reviews but felt this dog food warranted one. This food was recommended by our vet bc he has very dry and itchy skin. My dog absolutely loves this food! He can't get enough of it. We are still in the process of introducing it by mixing it with his old food. He's not a stupid dog and eats around the old food to get to this food. Then, he scratches at the pantry door for more.... Not sure if it will help with his dry, itchy skin yet but, he sure does love it! Will update review in a month or so.

I have a sm. dog that has suffered with a sensitive stomach. I have tried everything including making his food. I really was not impressed with the ingredients on Science Diet dog food, but when I told our vet about his problem SD was recommended - also sold at the vets which was expensive. We bought one from the Vet and then I checked Amazon and purchased for less and a larger bag. I noticed our sm. dog's stools became more normal. Now and then I will see he has some runny stools and mucus, but by and large better. Sometimes he eats good and sometimes he doesn't. I think at the Vets you can get the bag with smaller kibbles, but not on line. I think he would like the smaller kibbles better.

My 12 (almost 13) year old yorkie eats this , I still have to put a little wet food on it, but in the past she wouldn't go anywhere near dry food period. She also has Pancreatitis and I have not had any issues with her being on this food.

My dog didn't really like it, she liked the Bison flavor a lot more.

My dog loves this food, but the price was not much different than at the store.

My dogs didn't like it. After months finally finished it by mixing with other dog food.

I haven't developed a taste for it yet.

Ok

I have been very happy in the past, with the quality of this product. For the first time, with this shipment, the food appears to be old??? It is two different colors. The outer edge of the food is lighter than the middle. Have you change is product?

I ordered this dog food for my two dogs who have stomach and skin issues. It seems to be helping with the sensitive stomach issues, but I have not seen improvement in my dog with the severe skin issues. They really enjoy the food and the lessening of the stomach issues is a good reason to keep purchasing it.

Terrible for small dogs. My dog wouldn't touch it.

Not a bad price, but dog did not like. The dog would only eat it if it had people food mixed in.

i expected to see more, my dog had upset stomach for 3 weeks on this food

I started giving our dog Hill's Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach & Skin in an effort to address his skin and weight issues. My three-year-old German Shorthair Pointer has always had a hard time maintaining a healthy weight—always too thin, ribs and hips showing—and, he was always scratching and gnawing to the point of hair loss and bleeding. The dog likes the food—eats every bite. But, in order to put weight on, I had to double the recommended amount; he now eats six cups a day to maintain a healthy looking 65lbs. Unfortunately, his skin issues did not improve, and he is now on medication for allergies. Hope this helps.

My dog loves to eat everything and he was not happy about being forced to eat this. He did not like the taste. I got this food hoping it would improve his skin/yeast problem or at least wouldn't have any allergens in it. This food didn't make his skin worse but it didn't get better either. I don't think it's worth the price.

Love this food and dog reduced itching but seriously made my dog smell like cat pee!

My dog did well on this for a couple months. Our most bag was delivered and the color of the kibble was different than the previous bag. It was a much lighter shade of brown. Maybe it was old stock? Anyway, the dog ate it ok but has thrown up 4 of the last 6 meals. This also happened with another variety of the same brand. I'm moving to another brand.

Smelled and old.

My girl was put on d/d venison prescription food so I thought we could try this as a substitute, but unfortunately she hates it, refuses to eat it and she has never been all that picky about her kibbles.

This is good quality food but it's so bland my dog won't eat it.

We used to love this dog food. My English Bulldog really thrived on it and it cleared up all of his allergies and existing skin conditions. We've been ordering this food from amazon for years. But this new bag I received was much darker in color and extremely oily, to the point that the box it came in had oil stains all over it. I've noticed that his stool has become a bit looser and darker since we started this new bag. Hopefully it's nothing to be concerned over. It would be a shame if this is the new norm for Natural Balance.

Purchased for a senior advanced cardiac patient as this was on the recommended short list of low-sodium foods provided by my vet.One- my dog didn't want to eat it. I had to toss it in salt free broth and oatmeal to get him to bother with it. He's already old and keeping him fed and his energy up is important.Two- I could tell immediately that "low sodium" is relative. My dog takes diuretics and any time he has too much salt, he gets bloated noticeably and quickly, and requires more medication. I wound up feeding this to my other dog and going to Royal Canin Boxer which is a lower sodium food he finds palatable without adding anything to it (the kibble is quite large and might not work for smaller dogs) and does not cause any fluid retention.

Did not help with his sensitive stomach.

My 20 lb. dog refuses to eat this food, picks it out and only eats the Nutro food which I mix with it...VERY disappointed.....

Dog wouldn't eat

my dog ate it for the first few days but then refusedan to eat it.

Dog's developed gas. The price was to much.

My dog is not picky at all, but she refused to eat this kibble. I don't know why. It smells good, but she didn't touch it.

Changed formula and now made my border collie sick, thank you for the $780 vet bill. Stay away.

The food is what ive come to know and love. However, twice the bag has come ripped and food scattered in the box. Not sure if its mice in the warehouse eating through or rough shipping but be aware if you have no container to store it will go stale quickly.

This kibble looks and smells different than the previous bags I have bought over the past 3-4 years. They changed the formula. What ever they did, my dog doesn't like it anymore. A few days after starting the new bag, my dog started wretching. The third day she vomited. I threw the food out - she's on a different brand and is doing awesome. No more tummy troubles.

My dog refused to eat this food. I left it down for 3 days and she would not touch it. She has never been a picky eater before. You cannot return this dog food so I would caution against purchasing it.

I thought this product was old, stale. My husband and I compared this to a newer bag from a local store and it looked stale, dark and off brand. Will not be ordering again.

Normally this is a good product, for some reason the smell of it is off. I looked for an expiration date but never found one. I know it's too late to return it, but in the future, I would like the expiration date on the packaging. I have bought 2 4lb. bags from my local Petco, and I could clearly see the expiration date on it. I'm very sorry, I should not have procrastinated on returning it. I'm pretty sure it's new dog food, as it has the new velcro zipper on it. I just can't in good conscience feed it to my dog.

My poor dog baby had a very bad reaction to this food. After he ate only one meal of this food; a little while later my dog started rolling around on the floor and dragging his ears back and forth to relieve the itching.I tried to console him and I knew he was suffering because his normal pale pink ears were beet red and he began to yelp and hollar.The vet said that my dog's allergic reaction was most definitely caused by the Sorghum grain (in this food) that is a grass grain also referred to "Jameson grass." I don't understand why this sorghum grain is in even in this dog food other than it's cheap filler; since dogs with itchy skin normally would be suffering with allergies and would probably react to this ingredient as well.We have been feeding my dog Purina Sensitive Skin and Stomach and will keep using that for now since he has had no allergic reactions to that food.We were hoping this food would be better in improving my dog's skin but unfortunately this food didn't work out for us.

I am so disappointed. I wanted this food to help with my dogs itching. I slowly introduced it in with her other dog food. She's now been eating it for 2 wks and has the worst diarrhea. I'm afraid I'm going to have to put her back on her original food. Has anyone else had this problem?

My dog threw up and itched like crazy on this food. They say to keep your dog on it for a few weeks so that you can give it a chance to work, so I did, but after realizing it didn't work for him, it was too late to return. Now I have a big bag that I can't use.

did not work

I have adopted two boxers in the last 5 years, and both were being fed Science Diet Sensitive Stomach when we got them. The foster mother was a veterinarian and said that both had sensitive stomachs and needed this food. My first boxer did just ok on it, but she would occasionally get nauseous, wasn't very energetic and had a few "bloat" scares early on. She passed away from cancer a few years ago and we adopted our second boxer. Her previous family gave her up because they thought she had pancreatitis and couldn't handle the constant throwing up/sickness and vet bills. The foster agency claimed they started her on Science Diet and she wasn't throwing up anymore... way off!!! She was throwing up 1-2 times a week for months and months and was miserable! My poor girl was having bloat and nausea issues, and would throw up her food as long as 8-12 hours later and it would still be undigested! We noticed that it would soak up a ton of liquid in her stomach too and double or triple in size. After tons of vet visits and money spent with no real solution we decided to research dog food and get her a limited ingredient food and see if that helped. Within a week she was feeling better... no throwing up, no nausea, no trips to the vet. It's been six months and not one instance or even a hint of her being nauseous! Her skin is gorgeous, she has a ton of energy, and she is the happiest dog I have ever seen.