Natural Balance serving question

Kimrisa

New member
Jun 20, 2010
73
4
Hello..I'm so glad to have found this forum! I've been a regular contributer to Bulldogsworld.com but am always eager to meet more online bully friends!!

For some background, I have an 8 month old Bulldog named Tuffy McTuffster who is the light of our lives but he has been causing me many sleepless nights with his food sensitivies and also he is prone to some skin irritations as well. :eek:Since we've brought him home, I've tried an array of foods to try to get his sensitive tummy under control. I've done the high end ones (C. Natural, Wellness, etc) but had limited success and had to put him on Purina One Lamb and Rice to get a decent poop out of him. But I don't think the corn filler in that product is doing his skin any favors beause he has a red muzzle and some chin acne and am looking to put him on a higher quality limited Edition food. After careful deliberation, I'm going to try the Natural Balance Limited Edition Lamb and rice formula but had a question about the serving. I normally feed Tuffy three cups per day but the feeding guidelines say to give him6-7.5 cups for his age/weight size. That seems like a ridiculous amount of food. I'd love to hear from those of you who feed Natural Balance and get a recommendation for a more appropriate amount of food for an 8 month old bully who is approx. 45 lbs?

Thanks and I can't wait to get acquainted with y'all!!
 

TessaAndSamson

New member
May 7, 2010
4,260
162
Southern California
Bulldog(s) Names
Samson
Welcome to the forum! Theres alot of great, helpul people here!

I feed Samson Natural Balance's allergy formula, the Sweet Potato and Salmon one. Samson is an adult (4 yrs), 55 lbs, and for that size they say 2.5 - 3 1/3 cups a day. I always feed less than the guideline because bulldogs are so inactive. I feed him 2 cups but one of those cups gets fixed with wellness 95% salmon and salmon oil for his allergies so that adds calories as well. It's worked WONDERS for his allergies, no kidding! I would say to you to still feed him about that 3 cups. Maybe 4 is he seems really hungry or looses weight.

As for the chin acne, what kind of bowls do you give him food and water in? Plastic food and water bowls can cause that. Stainless steel is the best, or ceramic.
 

bullmama

Owner/Administrator
Staff member
Community Veteran
Jan 28, 2010
24,756
1,251
Tucson, Arizona
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
The Home of the Desert Sky Pack
OMG Tuffy is adorable. Look at him!

Yes, whatever the recommended guidelines are on a bag of dog food, split it in half. Give yummy snacks such as baby carrots and frozen green beans. They love these during the summer!
 

cali~jenn

..........
Mar 28, 2010
0
419
Southern California
Bulldog(s) Names
Cutty, Miila and Mugsy the pug :)
I dont feed nayural balance but I agree that seems like a ton of food. Just do what desertsky said and supplement with veggies. If he seems hungry then add more like Tessa said. I have no input of my own I guess. lol. Your guys is adorable tho I must say!!!
 
OP
Kimrisa

Kimrisa

New member
Jun 20, 2010
73
4
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
Thanks for the posts everyone and the great advice!! I wil post for pics of my guy soon. I use stainless steel bowls. I originally thought it was his plastic slow feeder bowl but I only used that for a short time. Then I thought it was the bully sticks so those went bye bye. Now I'm thinking its either just a hormonal thing (they say it's not uncommon in the puberty months) or allergy related. I swear with these dogs, if it's not one thing it's another. But they are totally worth it!
 

bullmama

Owner/Administrator
Staff member
Community Veteran
Jan 28, 2010
24,756
1,251
Tucson, Arizona
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
The Home of the Desert Sky Pack
Purina could have definately Bern the cause of those problems. No purina!! LOL

Remember to switch foods slowly- switching too fast can make them have a really bad intestinal reaction to the new food. Forgot to mention that in previos post....
 

Vatrice23

New member
Jan 16, 2016
4
0
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Harley
I have a 2 year old female Bulldog who we feed her natural balance sweet potatoe and venison and she loves it she is 45 pounds we give her one full scoop and she is fine we feed her twice a day. Does anyone else who feed their dog natural balance notice they smell a little funny? What do you do to prevent that?
 

Vikinggirl

Norwegian Rose
Community Veteran
Oct 8, 2012
9,740
597
Burlington, ON Canada
Country
Canada
Bulldog(s) Names
Bulldozer and Blossom
Hello..I'm so glad to have found this forum! I've been a regular contributer to Bulldogsworld.com but am always eager to meet more online bully friends!!

For some background, I have an 8 month old Bulldog named Tuffy McTuffster who is the light of our lives but he has been causing me many sleepless nights with his food sensitivies and also he is prone to some skin irritations as well. :eek:Since we've brought him home, I've tried an array of foods to try to get his sensitive tummy under control. I've done the high end ones (C. Natural, Wellness, etc) but had limited success and had to put him on Purina One Lamb and Rice to get a decent poop out of him. But I don't think the corn filler in that product is doing his skin any favors beause he has a red muzzle and some chin acne and am looking to put him on a higher quality limited Edition food. After careful deliberation, I'm going to try the Natural Balance Limited Edition Lamb and rice formula but had a question about the serving. I normally feed Tuffy three cups per day but the feeding guidelines say to give him6-7.5 cups for his age/weight size. That seems like a ridiculous amount of food. I'd love to hear from those of you who feed Natural Balance and get a recommendation for a more appropriate amount of food for an 8 month old bully who is approx. 45 lbs?

Thanks and I can't wait to get acquainted with y'all!!

Hi and Welcome, I fully understand what you are going through with food allergies and sensitivities. I have two EBs, who are siblings and litter mates, they are both 4 years old. When we first brought them home from the breeder, he was feeding them Royal Canin, and I switched them right away, due to the corn and other fillers in this brand, and also seeing on the Dog Food Ratings Page that it wasn't the best choice of food, and was rated at a 3 Star. I switched them both to Fromms Puppy Gold, but quickly realized that they were both allergic to chicken. ( many bullies are allergic or sensitive to chicken and lamb), I switched them to Fromms Beef Frittata, which they were on for over two years, and did really well on, but then my male Bulldozer developed many allergy symptoms, like excessive paw licking, excessive shedding, itchy skin, goopy eyes, and yeasty ears. I switched them to Fromms Salmon, but they both didn't tolerate the salmon, so I switched them both to Fromms Lamb and Lentil, and they were on that food for about 9 months, and then Dozer developed an allergy to the lamb as well. Blossom is still on the Lamb and Lentil, and she is doing well on this food.
Last summer, switched Dozer to Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Vegan kibble, I fed him this food for one month to detoxify him from all proteins, he did very well on this food, and all of his symptoms disappeared. You can only feed this kibble for 3 weeks to a month max, because it doesn't contain any protein, and Dozer lost weight on this. I then tried the Natural Balance Limited Ingredient " Novel " proteins, these proteins are ones that are not common such as Kangaroo, Rabbit, or Bison. The idea is that since they are not common proteins, the immune system won't recognize them, and they will tolerate them more. These did not work for Dozer, and Rabbit was the worst for him, all his symptoms returned, and he scratched his chest area raw. I then went back to the Natural Balance Vegan, and added my own non animal proteins like scrambled eggs, kidney beans, or Lentils. I have recently tried Go Natural Sensitivity and Free Venison, and he does well on this food, so I now rotate the two foods. I feed him the Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Vegan with eggs or kidney beans added for two weeks, and then I feed him the Go Natural sensitivity and Shine Venison. He tolerates this well, and I hope by rotating his food, he won't develop an allergy to one or the other, because he seems to develop allergies when he's been on a protein for a while. I also add natural supplements to their kibble to help boost their immune systems. In their morning kibble, I add 2 Tbsp's of plain unsweetened yogurt, for the Probiotics, it is good for digestion, and helps to boost the immune system. I add 1 Tbsp of Coconut Oil to their evening kibble for the Omegas, this is beneficial for their skin, fur, joints, and also for the brain. I add 1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar to either their drinking water or to their evening kibble, there are many health benefits to ACV, it is a natural anti inflammatory, as well as a natural anti bacterial and anti fungal, so it kills the bad bacteria in the body, so boosts the immune system, and it also balances the Ph levels of the blood. I like using these supplements because they are inexpensive, and healthy and all natural, so don't have any side affects. All these supplements can be bought at a Health Food Store or in the Organic or healthy food section of your grocery store. I buy my yogurt at Costco in a two pack, the Liberte brand, I buy my ACV at Nutrition House, and I buy the Coconut Oil at Costco. The process of finding a food that they tolerate can be frustrating, it is really just trial and error until you find one, but one you do, it's worth it. I hope you find a food that Tuffy tolerates soon. Good Luck, and please share your experiences and what worked for you.
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
Staff member
Community Veteran
Jul 28, 2011
48,581
3,673
Gilbertsville, PA
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Chelios (Frenchie), Nitschke (2004-2011) Banks (2005-2014) and Lambeau (2014-2024)
I have a 2 year old female Bulldog who we feed her natural balance sweet potatoe and venison and she loves it she is 45 pounds we give her one full scoop and she is fine we feed her twice a day. Does anyone else who feed their dog natural balance notice they smell a little funny? What do you do to prevent that?

Can you describe the smell? Fishy, corn chips, etc?
 

Most Reactions

📰 Latest posts

Members online

Top