# Natural Balance vs Fromm



## marcink31 (Aug 26, 2011)

Hi everyone, we have a 9 month old GSD, hes a good boy, hes been eating Acana Wild Prairie for a while now but has gotten bored of his food lately and our trainer who has GSD's has recommended Fromm or Natural Balance as good foods. On Acana he scratches fairly often and nibbles on his fur and legs sometimes but doesnt actually do any 'damage' to his coat/skin. Also he will have a solid poop then a soft one and then some runny bits at the end.

We are all for changing and giving him something different for a change, wel blend of course. Hopefully he will scratch less and his stool will improve...

Any thoughts on the two brands compared and the different products they offer? I did some research on here and seems both brands get positive feedback on here. Cost isnt an issue really and both are available at the local store we use.


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## shannonrae (Sep 9, 2010)

I feed Fromm to my dogs, I love it. I would not hesitate to reccomend Fromm to others. 

I don't have experience with Natural Balance.


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## Wolfiesmom (Apr 10, 2010)

shannonrae said:


> I feed Fromm to my dogs, I love it. I would not hesitate to reccomend Fromm to others.
> 
> I don't have experience with Natural Balance.


Same here. My daughter feeds her dog Fromm and now her cats. The cats wouldn't eat their own food, and were always eating the dogs food. My daughter went out and bought Fromm cat food, and the cats eat their own food now, and leave the dog's food alone. Fromm must be tasty. My Wolfie won't touch any other dry food but Fromm.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

I'm feeding fromm, and having all the different flavors is great. We're also going to start rotating in Earthborn foods for a little more protein diversification. I look for the local brands when I make my decision and both foods are made within 2 hours of where I live. My dog grew up on Fromm gold LBP and always did great.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I am feeding Fromm to Beau (6.5 months) and am happy with it and plan to continue if I see no issues with the grains (I think I would by now). I do add Grizzly Salmon Oil. Right now the other dogs are eating TOTW and I will leave it alone as they are doing good on it.

I have fed Natural Balance LID to another dog but I felt the fat and protein content were a bit too low and figured that while potatoes are better for allergic dogs the grains have a little better glycemic index than the simple potatoes.


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## marcink31 (Aug 26, 2011)

thats great any specific flavours that are better from Fromm?


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

We do use Natural Balance and if you have a truly allergic dog it is great to weed out what's making the dog react. It is the only food to use only one source of protein (LID = limited ingredient diets). 
Our dog chews her paws too much on chicken. She's better on duck or venison.


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## jprice103 (Feb 16, 2011)

I was feeding Fromm to my dog, but then found Life's Abundance. I love what the company stands for, the fact that the food is never older than 6 weeks until it reaches my door, has never had a recall, and it is the FIRST food (and believe me I've tried MANY) that my dog will eat without having to add stuff to make her eat!! It is only available online, but it actually makes it easier, since there is a calculator and you can figure out how often to get it. It seems a little pricey up front, but is actually cheaper than the food I can get elsewhere...because it is a 40 lb bag and I feed less. She is doing WONDERFUL on it! Great stools, loves to eat (which I'd never thought I'd see) and I really trust in the company!! You should check it out!


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

It looks fine. Their comparisons with other brands do look out of date though.


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## Clyde (Feb 13, 2011)

If you are concerned about finding the cause for itching I would go with a limited ingredient food. Just remember sometimes potato, sweet potato etc. can be bad depending on the cause of the itching.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

marcink31 said:


> Hi everyone, we have a 9 month old GSD, hes a good boy, hes been eating Acana Wild Prairie for a while now but has gotten bored of his food lately and our trainer who has GSD's has recommended Fromm or Natural Balance as good foods. On Acana he scratches fairly often and nibbles on his fur and legs sometimes but doesnt actually do any 'damage' to his coat/skin. Also he will have a solid poop then a soft one and then some runny bits at the end.
> 
> We are all for changing and giving him something different for a change, wel blend of course. Hopefully he will scratch less and his stool will improve...
> 
> Any thoughts on the two brands compared and the different products they offer? I did some research on here and seems both brands get positive feedback on here. Cost isnt an issue really and both are available at the local store we use.


The poop issue could very well be a simple case of over feeding. (Which is the most common cause of mushy poop. But is one thing many folks don't consider.)

Has he always scratched or just since it has been winter?


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## marcink31 (Aug 26, 2011)

Hes scratched a couple times a day kinda always, and he likes to nible on his fur in the mornings and before bed (grooming?? lol) We got a bag of Fromm Surf and Turf, as salmon was recommended as a good thing to have in his diet, yesterday and are working it into his diet and he seems to like it a lot wel go from there, any thoughts?


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I would call and ask about the calcium and phosphorus content.
They tend to have low ash foods and not so high on the calcium but I would just verify. I am not sure at what age you quit worrying about calcium for a puppy.


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