Rating: 
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets (dry formula) receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of three stars.
Currently, the Natural Balance L.I.D. line includes eight dry kibble products… designed for puppies and adult dogs prone to allergies.1
All products appear to be completely grain-free except for the two Lamb Meal and Brown Rice formulas.
- Natural Balance L.I.D. Lamb Meal & Brown Rice
- Natural Balance L.I.D. Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Large Breed
- Natural Balance L.I.D. Sweet Potato & Venison
- Natural Balance L.I.D. Sweet Potato & Chicken
- Natural Balance L.I.D. Potato & Duck
- Natural Balance L.I.D. Potato & Duck Small Breed
- Natural Balance L.I.D. Sweet Potato & Bison
- Natural Balance L.I.D. Sweet Potato & Fish
Natural Balance L.I.D. Sweet Potato & Chicken Formula was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Natural Balance L.I.D. Sweet Potato and Chicken
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Sweet potatoes, chicken meal, potato protein, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), chicken, potato fiber, natural flavor, flaxseed, dicalcium phosphate, sodium chloride, salmon oil (a source of DHA), taurine, choline chloride, natural mixed tocopherols, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B-1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin a supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B-6), vitamin B-12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B-2), vitamin D-3 supplement, folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.3%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first item in this dog food is sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a good source of complex carbohydrates. They’re naturally rich in fiber, beta carotene and other healthy nutrients.
The second ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains almost 300% more protein than fresh chicken itself.
The third ingredient is potato protein… the dry residue left over after removing the starchy part of a potato. This product contains over 80% plant protein… so it is must be expected to contribute a notable part of the protein in this food.
The fourth item includes chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is notably high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. A quality ingredient.
This product contains flaxseed and salmon oil… two of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids… another essential fat.
However, I find it surprising to see flaxseed here in its whole seed form. Whole flax seeds are almost impossible to digest (at least for us humans) unless they are first ground to a usable powder before being consumed.
This dog food contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to proteins. This process can make them easier to absorb than non-chelated minerals. Chelated minerals are usually associated with better quality dog foods.
Natural Balance L.I.D. Dog Food… the Bottom Line
With virtually no Red Flag items, Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets might be a useful hypoallergenic dog food.
But that crucial question remains… just how much meat does this product most likely contain?
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 23%, a fat level of 11% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 58%.
Featuring a brand average of just 22%, protein percentages range from a low of 20% for the vegetarian recipe to a high of 23% for four of the others.
Below average protein. Low fat. And above-average carbohydrates (when compared to a typical dry dog food).
When you consider the significant percentages contributed by the potato protein, it’s beginning to look like Natural Balance isn’t just limited in the number of ingredients.
It’s also limited in total meat content, too.
Bottom line?
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets is mostly a potato-based kibble using only a modest amount of meat as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand three stars.
Recommended.
We Welcome Your Comments
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult your veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food brand… or maybe the review itself?
Please feel free to share your comments below.
01/08/2010 Original review
04/15/2010 Review updated
- Natural Balance, 4/15/2010 ↩
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for reviewing this one. We started feeding Wyatt Ray this blend after he didn’t seem to get filled up on Organix Brown Rice and Flax dog kibble. His stomach is very, very sensitive so any new food is scary. It’s been two weeks now, and so far, so good.
We also supplement the kibble with a bit of home cooking and raw meat, along with Omega 3 supplements, so your review of this makes me feel pretty darn good that he’s getting the right kind of foods. Thanks!
I received a new puppy a week ago and I made a lot of research to decide on which kibble I would give to my new girl. I made my mind with Natural Balance L.I.D. The dog loved it, she even started like crying of emotion when eating it for the first time. She did not have any digestive problem for changing from her previous Eukanuba given by the breeder to this. I even use the kibble as a treat between foods, and she really loves it. Extremely recommended, only quality ingredients.
We have Riley, a young Catahoula Leopard Dog with SEVERE allergies in many food categories…milk products and chicken are at the top of his “can’t have” list. You would not believe how many foods out there contain some form of CHICKEN, even when “chicken” is NOT part of the name! After trying out several “better-brand” foods that claimed to have no chicken ingredients whatsoever, we have found that the Natural Balance LID Sweet Potato and Venison is Riley’s favorite. He will even eat it plain (with nothing added–not even water!), which in my opinion is a true test of a quality dog food. He’s had NO allergic reactions from this food, and has yet to be bored with it (as he had become with two of the other brands we tried with him). It’s a bit more expensive, but not as costly as many of the “vet-only” hypoallergenic foods we also looked at. We highly recommend this food to anyone who parents a dog with allergy issues who is looking for a high-quality food with human-food-quality ingredients.
About 3 years after I adopted my dog, I accidentally found out that the poor thing is allergic to chicken! Poor thing. Long story, but I tried all kinds of high end food and nothing seemed to soothe her stomach until I put her on Sweet Potato and Vension. She loved it and she no longer has diarrhea and gas and constant upset stomach. She’s been on it for about 3 years and recently the dry kibbles that I buy are different. The kibbles are not as moist; there’s no sheen; kibbles are slightly smaller in size and dramatically lighter (from brown to dirty beige) in color; smells less appetizing; and most importantly, my dog reluctantly eats it! There’s no excitement come meal time. I have talked to one person at a Petco store that encountered the same thing. Has anyone else? Did anyone call the company to inquire? Results? I called the company and they told me that it was probably due to change in formula and/or variance in the protein. This is not true because I encountered this before and after the formula change. Actually, I encountered this with a different L.I.D formula also. I want my dog to have the same great food that they used to make. I will continue to pursue this inquiry with the company. I do not believe that there is not something irregular with the way the food is manufactured. My analogy is that there is a very obvious difference between an overcook, dry piece of steak and a juicy piece. The problem is in the way it was cooked, if both pieces are of the same cut. Please share if you have encountered a similar problem with your dog’s food. Thanks!
Last week this food was four stars…why has it dropped to three stars now?
Hi Diana… when we originally reviewed this dog food (1/8/2010) I mistakenly omitted my usual study of all the other products in the line. Our newer study (4/15/2010) of the full product line-up revealed the group to be notably lower than average in both protein and fat… a significant clue that meat contact is on the lighter side of average when compared to most other kibbles. Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets still looks like a respectable hypoallergenic product… but too light on meat to merit a 4-star rating. Sorry for the confusion (you can track editing dates at the very bottom of any modified review).
Hi Mike. I’ve been feeding my dog the Venison and Sweet Potato formula for a few months (fed Wellness before) and now came across your article. Do you recommend any other Venison dry foods for dogs? I have a rhodesian ridgeback that only seems to digest Venison well, but I don’t want to feed him something so carb based! Any suggestions? My husband loves Wysong, but their shipping is just too expensive. Wellness stopped making the Venison formula, unfortunately. Help!
Hi SCH… Natural Balance L.I.D. is still a very good dog food… but a bit too low in protein (and high in carbs) to qualify for our highest levels.
Yes, there are indeed a number of 4 and 5-star venison products out there… too many to declare a favorite. Try looking through our top two categories and see if you find one that looks appealing. Buy a small size bag… just in case your Ridgeback (cool dog!) snubs your choice. Hope this helps.
Any suggestions for a small dog 15lbs w/ chronic pancreatitis? Tried the Natural Balance Low fat because it was the lowest fat I could find, but started vomiting again. I might have transitioned him too soon (2 1/2 weeks). He has been on Prescription Diet ID and tolerating that. I really do not want to feed ID for the long term.
Hi Cheryl… probably better to follow your vets recommendations for now. A few weeks (even a month or two) on a lower rated dog food will probably do no long term harm. But switching away (too soon) from a diet that your dog has been “tolerating” might not be in your pet’s immediate interest.
Currently, our dog food data is based upon “brands” (product lines) rather than individual dog foods. However, we do plan to post a cherry-picked list of 4 and 5-star low fat products for animals with issues requiring such a diet… sometime later this year. Hope this helps.
To everybody out there with allergies feeding the Venison and Sweet Potato…..
NB did just change their formula for it over the last few months I heard from my guy at the holistic dog food place where I buy Star’s food.. Can’t quite remember what it is; possibly that there was now even less meat and more potato in it. Regardless, he was not happy about the change.
Have any of you tried the EVO Red Meat? I spent many months finding the right food for my dog who has severe stomach upsets due to ingredients in many of the dog food (even the good ones) and it was thought that maybe she had an allergy to chicken as well. I made the switch to EVO and her ’bouts’ and very, very minimal and the food contains no chicken
It is also very high in protein and I believe on Mike’s 5 star list. Try it, it worked great.
Cheryl,
Chronic pancreatitis is a really hard disease – I was fortunate that mine did not have it, however, it was suspected at one time and I researched a lot of food/ingredients and did find that NB was really good for it because of the low fat. Perhaps wait like Mike suggested until the pup is feeling better and then make a gradual switch.. possibly to a different NB food than you fed before.. there are several to choose from. I wouldn’t recomment NB as a food for a ‘normal, every day, active’ dog; but for issues such as chronic pancreatitis it is a good food to help.
Mike, I want to thank you for the time and effort you put into researching these dog foods. Your Web site is so well done, and it’s obvious that you care a lot about the well being of dogs. I just “found” you today. I too have a pancreatic pooch and am searching for a proper feed for him. I like what I’m reading here about NB, but I’m not sure if I should be worried about whether the flaxseed is whole seed. It’s also good to know you’re working on feed ratings for some of these specialized problems our dogs have. Thank you!
Hi SP… The flaxseed mentioned here may actually be flaxseed meal (a good thing). Manufacturers sometimes mistakenly assume the term flaxseed is descriptive enough for the meal form of this raw ingredient, too. In any case, flaxseed is never a bad ingredient. My only reason for pointing this out is that whole flaxseed would have no nutritional value… as it would pass (undigested) into a dog’s stool.
kingsley is a blue american pitbull with allergies..i started off with NB duck/potato or salmon/sweetpotato and switched to wellness core to get more meat..he did better on NB..i just switched back to NB last night and am mixing the two together(wellness core/NB bison)and hes loving it…i tried EVO sample of the ancestrial diet/grain free and he loves that too..im going to get a bag of EVO 42g protein for treats and continue to mix half NB and CORE with a squirt of wild alaskin salmon oil..hes 13mo and i give hime 3cups morn/3cups night of the new mix plus i need more EVO for treats…does that sound good for a 13 mo sensitive mellow pitbull thats not too too mellow…oh yeah..raw frozen bison bones from tatanka..mmmgreat bison burger joint..
Just a quick comment…some dogs do not respond well to high protein diets. As a rescuer of pit bulls, a breed whose protein levels should be kept low (< 23%) whenever possible & who is susceptible to allergies, we've found Natural Balance LID to be the best food available given the eccentricities of the dogs' behavior and health needs.
I would second Kelly’s comments above. I have a rescue Pit mix who literally could not handle *any* high-protein brands we tried, regardless of ingredients. He gets terrible gas and loose stools. After trying six other brands, plus home-cooked meals with little improvement, we put him on Natural Balance LID Lamb Meal & Brown Rice — – and his stool was 100% normal within two meals. Both of our dogs are thriving on the food after 9 months, so I have a hard a hard time accepting the 3-star recommendation merely for its protein content, particularly since all other ingredients pass muster (with flying colors, apparently). Perhaps your evaluation system needs to take into account whether a formulation is attempting to remedy conditions like allergies or digestive problems. If I’d seen your 3-star rating of NB LID before trying it last year, I probably wouldn’t have tried it, and I might still be dealing with my dog’s tummy troubles. I have no great emotional investment in the Natural Balance brand, but I do feel confident in its quality at this point.
Hi Kevin… Your point is well-taken. And you’re right. Natural Balance is a great product for “special” situations like yours. Like all our 3-star dog foods, this product is still recommended at the conclusion of our review.
However, the food’s protein and fat readings clearly suggest a very low (below-average) meat content. Our reviews are based upon ingredient quality and meat content and not the appropriateness of the food for a given condition or situation.
Although your dog appears to be thriving on this good food, it may not be the best choice for more “typical” pets.
This is just one of the many flaws of all rating systems. Natural Balance may be 3-stars to us… but it rates a solid five stars to you and your Pit mix. Glad you tried it anyway.
My rescue Boston Terrier Ivy Rose is on Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish dry food. I put her on this when she was found to have multiple food allergies – all grains, yeast, shellfish and peanuts. She also needs low fat because of episodes of pancreatitis. Since she has been on this food the chronic soft stool has stopped and she has not had any issues with pancreatitis. She was five years old when she started on Natural Balance – that was three years ago. She is very active – swimming and running in agility. This food has really added to her quality of life.
We rescued a pit mix in Feb 2010 from a park. He thew up and had soft stool, not sure what he had been eating. Tried other foods but gas and loose stole problems. He started to have seizures but not sure why and vet didn’t know either. No knowing his past history gave him food high in fat and he got very sick with pancreatitis. Vet prescribed SD Rx ID and he got better. Vet wanted to keep him on SC Rx ID, but I researched several foods and found Natural Balance Reduced Calorie (dry) and NB Sweet Pot and Venison (can). I have been using both, only mixing a tablespoon of wet w/dry and he is doing great. Of course I gradually did this w/the NB. No gas, loose stools or vomiting and he has been on it for 2 mths now. He has grained his weight back and hopefully will continue to do well. NB has been good for my dog.