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TheVegLife

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We Believe In Natural Balance

This is a bit of a different post from me and for this blog.  It’s more of an educational post of sorts, but I am a huge pet lover and wanted to share with you why we believe in Natural Balance® in our family.  And for my vegetarian/vegan readers who want to feed your pets the same, stick with me: Natural Balance offers a vegetarian option for your furry canine friends! Little known fact about me: I spent 12 years working in the veterinary industry.  During those 12 years, I learned a lot about various prescription and over-the-counter diets for both cats and dogs. Armed with all of that information, I choose to feed my dogs Natural Balance.  So when the opportunity came up to be able to share my dogs’ story with you, I was literally chomping at the bit to do so!  What pet parent doesn’t love talking about their pets? 🙂 Before we get into the food though, let me formally introduce you to my little fur babies.  I can’t believe this blog is over 3 years old & this is the first you are seeing their furry faces!  All three are rescues and I would do absolutely anything for them.  From left to right, we have Piti (pronounced “Petey”) a 9-year-old female Rat Terrier, Ryleigh a 5-year-old female Heeler/Chihuahua mix and Sparky a 3-year-old male Rat Terrier.

We Believe In Natural Balance

Why I switched to Natural Balance®

I did a lot of research before choosing to feed my dogs a vegetarian diet and made that decision in conjunction with their veterinarian.  Finding a high quality food that met with Piti’s many nutrition-specific needs was of the utmost importance to me. You see, Piti has had quite bumpy road in life and this is a story of her health journey.  She came to the animal clinic I was working at with a freshly repaired broken leg and a surgically implanted plate … that she had just broken. Uggh! Her previous owners were just too financially strapped to go through the surgery all over again and care for her continuing health needs.  Long story short, she came home with me.  If you look closely, you can see the scar on her leg.  She used to love to sit like this while she was recovering 🙂

PitiPILLOW

But it didn’t end there.  She also fractured her spine playing a bit too rough with Ryleigh a few years later …which also required major surgery.  So needless to say, she was on heaps of steroids & months of crate restrictions, which caused her to gain a significant amount of weight. And perhaps due to that extensive amount of steroid usage, she developed a secondary condition called hyperlipidemia.  We needed to keep her protein at a specific level and reduce her weight to make moving around easier according to her veterinarian.

Fast forward to the present…

But don’t worry, Miss Piti sailed through all of her health issues like a champ and runs around this house like nothing ever happened!  Need proof?  See for yourself.  She loves her stuffed animals. I couldn’t resist showing you her “smile” 🙂 PicMonkey Collage But I think the most representative photo of her recovery & weight loss progress is this one. After everything she has been through, we couldn’t ask for more than a happy, healthy dog running around in the grass (usually chasing birds).  She hasn’t lost her spunk, that’s for sure!

IMG_3676

Natural Balance VEGETARIAN option

I knew I wanted to feed my dogs Natural Balance, but I also wanted to feed them a vegetarian diet.  After consulting with our veterinarian, we agreed that Natural Balance Vegetarian was a good fit for all three of them.  We’ve also used the reduced calorie and sweet potato formulas in the past. Just remember, when switching your pets diet from one food to another, do so gradually over a week or more to avoid tummy upset.
Food

Buy With Confidence® promise

Natural Balance products are made with premium quality ingredients such as garbanzo beans, green peas, sweet potatoes, flax seeds, whole grains, brown rice and more!  What I love is that you can actually see the whole vegetables in their canned food.  That was a huge selling point for me. Natural Balance understands that the best pet food is not only healthy, but it’s also safe. While I of course want my pups to enjoy their meals, I care even more that they are eating safe and healthy ones. With all of the pet food recalls these days, that’s an important factor when choosing food for your pets. Natural Balance stands out in an industry full of food recalls and issues. Normally, paying more for a product means that it is higher quality but that isn’t a guarantee in today’s world. That is why Natural Balance goes the extra mile to test all of their products for safety. They care about your pet’s health and happiness above anything else! Did you know that Natural Balance tests for nine separate things?  You can even go online and get the lab results for every single batch you buy.  No other pet food brand goes to this length to make sure your pets are safe and sound! Use the “Help Me Choose” feature to determine the right food for your pet.  Additionally, all of their customer care representatives have a degree in animal health science and are there to answer your questions.  Still unsure?  You can always check with your own personal veterinarian.

A Few Final Pet Safety Tips…

In addition to choosing a high quality, nutritious diet for your pet, here are a few other tips.  Always be sure to purchase food that is in good condition, without obvious signs of damage to the packaging such as dents or tears. Store food in airtight containers. Check the date!  Food older than two years is likely expired and should not be consumed by your pet. Practice good hygiene when it comes to your pet’s food and water bowls and keep them clean, always taking care to provide plenty of fresh water especially if you live in a hot climate as I do. Do not leave your pets unattended outside or in a car for any reason, regardless of the temperature.

Thanks Natural Balance®

So that’s our story (so far) & why I believe in Natural Balance.  After all the years I spent in the veterinary industry and as a HUGE animal lover, a vegetarian and avid animal advocate, I would not recommend a product that I didn’t feed my own dogs.  As you’ll see below, they love their food! You can find Natural Balance in most pet food stores such as Petsmart, Petco, at independent retailers or online.  To locate Natural Balance products online or near you, click here.  Use the “Help Me Choose” feature to determine the right food for your pet.  Additionally, all of their customer care representatives have a degree in animal science and are there to answer your questions.  Still unsure?  You can always check with your own personal veterinarian.

PitiFOOD Three Dogs

Comment to win!

What kind of pets do you have?  Dogs, cats?  Tell me all about them in the comments below for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!  Each comment will be automatically entered to win 🙂

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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

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This sweepstakes runs from 11/9/2016 – 2/9/2017* (Natural Balance has extended the end date from 12/31/16 to 2/9/17)

Be sure to visit the Natural Balance Pet Foods® brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

Comments

    • aimee says

      Oh my gosh, too funny! What color is your Sparky? I was shocked when a DNA test told me that little blonde dog we thought was a Chihuahua was a PUREBRED Rat Terrier 🙂

      Reply

  18. Julie Wood says

    I have a female basset hound dog named Molly. She is so cute with those big floppy ears and sad eyes. She is really a funny dog.

    Reply

  23. Diane Lewandowski says

    My rescue Jazz, probably a Cock-a-poo, has been thriving on Natural Balance for 5.5 years. The vet guessed that he about a year & a half when I was lucky enough to get him from Saving Saints Rescue in the Flint, MI area. He’s smart, loving, and very obedient. He’s all black & curly. Loves playing with his ball full of treats.

    Reply

  26. Mary Wade says

    I have a hound/ lab mix. She was a rescue and I got her when she was 9 months old. She had “issues” so during the first 6 months that I had her, I consulted with a trainer, a behaviorist, an animal communicator and a nutritionist. The nutritionist recommended a food that matched the ingredients in Natural Balance Sweet Potato and duck. That’s what her main food source is still today. She is now 7 1/2 years old.

    Reply

  31. Madeline says

    We have 2 cats at the moment. One is a calico female and one is a long-haired male. They’re both absolutely adorable but the male is also incredibly social and lovable.

    Reply

  33. Kathie says

    Shared via twitter and Facebook. I do rescue and have 10 of my own dogs. One came in (an old former hunting beagle) with horrible skin and allergies a few years ago. Another of my dogs had colitis with numerous visits to the vet for steroids, etc. I occasionally have to listen to people saying how horrible I am for feeding my dogs vegetarian but my old beagle has no more itching (after spending 1,000.00 at dermatologists and having her on steroids, etc) and my chihuahua mix who had terrible bouts of colitis where he would throw up and not eat and then get either diarrhea or constipation has not had ONE problem in a year and a half since switching them all to this vegetarian food. My dogs are healthy and happy and the old beagle, she is at least 17 years old from what the vet can tell and is like the energizer bunny. She used to have cracked bleeding skin, constant ear infections, etc.

    Reply

  34. Amy Tong says

    I used to have a cat…since he was a baby but now he’s gone. My kids wanted a dog now, so we’ll consider it when they are ready for the responsibilities.

    amy [at] uTry [dot] it

    Reply

  37. Terri Harris says

    we recently had to put our beloved 14 y/o Griffon to rest. waiting for a bit but them will rescue a mutt that needs love!

    Reply

  39. Lisa Howell says

    I rescued my Nelly from the streets of Cancun when she was about 4 months old. I lived there at the time, but moved back to Canada about 3 and a half years ago. Since moving back home, Nelly has been eating Natural Balance’s vegan kibble and canned food. She loves it, and is fit as a fiddle. She is now 9 and a half years old. She has never been sick a day in her life, and her weight has been stable her entire life too. I would never go back to feeding her the commercial brands that use non human grade meats. I love her too much to feed her foods that could be made from roadkill and other nasty stuff. I am so glad that there is a good quality, and affordable vegan option for dogs. Nelly’s fur has never been softer either. Thank you, Natural Balance. <3

    Reply

  46. rachel says

    Right now, due to my baby who does sleep well, we do not have any. I just can’t handle any other reason for getting up early (like having to let the dog out). Someday though!

    Reply

  57. Anastasia says

    I don’t currently have any pets 🙂 My last pets were actually my roommates shih-tzu’s 🙂 They were cute and funny boys, for sure 🙂 I hope to get another dog sometime in the future 🙂

    Reply

  64. Rebecca W says

    We got our dog from a shelter, and he is a great dog. He doesn’t bark much or jump up on people, plus he loves any kids that come to visit.

    Reply

  66. Ellie Wright says

    We have 2 shar-peis, Paisley and Spike. Spike is a big baby who walks
    around with his eyes half shut running into furniture. We call him Magoo.

    Reply

  72. Jeffrey says

    We have to sibling cats that we adopted from the humane society as kittens. Each of my boys have their own and its funny how their personalities match! They play so well together, I’m glad we adopted both!

    Reply

  83. angie says

    I have two fur babies, cats, named Oats & Piggy. They are biological sisters from the same litter but have different daddys. They are so very different but very close. 😀

    Reply

  87. Jennai says

    I have three cats. Two I got from the pound and one I found in my apartment complex, basically a feral cat, who had been badly injured from fighting. I took him to the vet, patched him up, and he’s a great cat now!

    Reply

  89. Kathryn C says

    #SweepstakesEntry- comment

    I have five cats- Two are sisters from one litter, two are brothers from an entirely different
    litter and then there is my Maine Coon “Callie” who I rescued as a stray kitten when I lived in New Jersey – they all get along

    Reply

  90. Chrissy says

    Sadly we don’t have a pet right now because we just found out that my husband is allergic to cats. However, my sister has two adorable cats that I love to spoil rotten and who are just amazing with my toddler so that’s how I get my pet fix for now. 🙂

    Reply

  94. Wanda McHenry says

    I’ve go a dog and her name is Folly, she’s an obstinate Westie who somehow has taken on my personality. She is playful and knows her toys by name. She has a boyfriend next door who is a Boxer and they are great fence buddies. They run up and down and peak through the spaces in the fence. My neighbor and I allow them to visit sometimes in dog person, but, he’s 30 times bigger than her, so we watch carefully.

    Reply

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