I bought a new bag last week, noticed a difference in the food and fed it to the boys anyway :frown: I am feeling so guilty now, please don't ask me why I fed it to them, because I can't answer it.

Three days after them eating it, they both had VERY loose poop. I brought the food back to the store, we opened multiple bags, food looked the same. Not the same coloring, harder, almost filled with air, very greasy.

While I was there the Manager of the store called NB, they "said" they have not had any other complaints, but wanted the store to send a sample of the food. I was trying to listen to their conversation as best I could, when she got off the phone I simply asked the manager what was going on. She said, I think their freaking out, which leads me to believe that I am not the only person who has had this problem.

I am not telling you guys to scare you, I am telling you because if you notice that a bag is different, please don't be an A$$ like me, return the food.

I called NB again today, (they were overnighting me a new bag) I told the rep, that I know they are testing the food, and that I NEED to know the results for the health of my dogs. She said she would let me know. I do not expect them to tell me the results if they are indeed harmful but, knowing that they are freaking out, makes me even more scared :cry2: :cry2:

I bought a new bag last week, noticed a difference in the food and fed it to the boys anyway :frown: I am feeling so guilty now, please don't ask me why I fed it to them, because I can't answer it.

Three days after them eating it, they both had VERY loose poop. I brought the food back to the store, we opened multiple bags, food looked the same. Not the same coloring, harder, almost filled with air, very greasy.

Could you tell us what the coloring was of the food that you had? Did you check the date on the bag? I am hoping that maybe it was just one batch and we can be on the lookout.

I posted a thread earlier this week that Neo won't touch it right now unless I add 1/2 can of the canned food. Two different bags though. Heather mentioned that one of hers (don't remember which one off of the top of my head) had diahrrea this week with a new bag of D&P.
I hope that your two are feeling better real soon!

Could you tell us what the coloring was of the food that you had? Did you check the date on the bag? I am hoping that maybe it was just one batch and we can be on the lookout.

I posted a thread earlier this week that Neo won't touch it right now unless I add 1/2 can of the canned food. Two different bags though. Heather mentioned that one of hers (don't remember which one off of the top of my head) had diahrrea this week with a new bag of D&P.
I hope that your two are feeling better real soon!

Great, now I feel horrible. I havent been on much because I went back to work. If I saw those threads, I would have, well, you get the point

The food was actually almost two colors. Does that make sense? Some pieces were the regular color and some were darker.

The date on every bag we opened was for 07

Neo hasn't gotten sick from it yet (knocking on wood) but I am now wondering if there is a difference in the food. ARGH! D&P people let's see your kibble and compare!

Neo not liking D&P (http://www.lab-retriever.net/board/showthread.php?t=51178)

wow...I hope it was nothing serious and so emthign they can easily fix. I bought a can of dog food once that was rotten when I opened it..explain that! No dents the can, no open seams , no odor from the can at all but when I opened it..whew!! I called the company and they send me a bunch of coupons for free cans..I offered to send them the can and the food but they said no they didn't need it..I still think it means that they knew about the problem but were laying low about it.

Jen, I just took a pic of the good food and bad food, i'll download the pics. They are not that good :rolleyes:

OMG --- On Monday, I poured a new bag into Rock's container of food and immediately noticed that the kibble was a different size. Not thinking, I gave him 2 cups of the newer kibble mixed with 1/2 can of NB. He ate it, and within 5 minutes he was heaving and it all came right back up. I thought it was because I had just picked him up from the daycare after being away for 4 days, and he was just excited.

Since then, I mixed the two foods together. This morning I gave him 2 cups of the mixed kibble (new/old) with 1/2 can of NB, and he seemed ok for a few minutes and then he hacked a bit, and literally spewed kibble 3 feet out of his mouth. Now I'm wondering whether it is the newer kibble .............

We went through this once before, and posted pictures and everything. The reason they gave at that point was the oil machine that sprayed the kibble was broken. More of a quality control issue they said. Go and do a search and you will hopefully findsome of the old threads. We have not noticed a problem yet, but I have not had to buy kibble lately. We buy a TON of it at one time. :)

Kirsten - but with the old thread that was SUPER long, were there any labs that were getting sick?

I think that it is suspicious that we have three labs that we know of at this point that have gotten sick after noticing a change in the food.

OMG --- On Monday, I poured a new bag into Rock's container of food and immediately noticed that the kibble was a different size. Not thinking, I gave him 2 cups of the newer kibble mixed with 1/2 can of NB. He ate it, and within 5 minutes he was heaving and it all came right back up. I thought it was because I had just picked him up from the daycare after being away for 4 days, and he was just excited.

Since then, I mixed the two foods together. This morning I gave him 2 cups of the mixed kibble (new/old) with 1/2 can of NB, and he seemed ok for a few minutes and then he hacked a bit, and literally spewed kibble 3 feet out of his mouth. Now I'm wondering whether it is the newer kibble .............

Please bring the food back, something is going on :nothing: Call NB and tell them what you are experiencing.

Here is my not so good picture. I'm sorry about the quailty
The "bad" food is on the left, notice the shape, it's also bubbly, you really can't see the color, but it is darker than the "good" food on the right

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid184/pc03f47c6bad01457f70fe041403cf2ab/f28aea65.jpg

Last night I drove 30 miles to find a good bag of food :rolleyes:

No, none were sick that I can remember, but they would not eat the food. I just kept calling the company, and they sent me a letter with a bunch of coupons. Remember, this is an allergy food. I don't know about you guys, but one LITTLE change can upset the whole apple cart with mine. Maybe THEY think it is a minor problem, but with sensitive labbies, this can be a real problem. I will write to them too. I am getting low, so will have to buy some more soon.

Kristen, when I spoke to the rep today I told her both of my guys were on it for severe allergies. And that Chase has colitis, so the poor guy really has it bad right now :nothing: She was taking notes on everything I said. Before you buy a bag, open it and check the food.

I'm definitely going to compare the two kibbles, and take it back! I'll try to take a pic when I get home tonight. I had bought a smaller bag to take with Rock to daycare while we were out of town. When I picked him up Monday, I poured the remainder of the bag from daycare in with his other food (which was a few weeks older). I'm going to call the daycare and see if he was sick while we were gone. I'm also going to call NB --- this is NOT good! :nono:

Thanks for the heads up. If I rememer correctly, It took different anmounts of time to reachdifferent areas of the country. We will have to see tonight.

OMG --- On Monday, I poured a new bag into Rock's container of food and immediately noticed that the kibble was a different size. Not thinking, I gave him 2 cups of the newer kibble mixed with 1/2 can of NB. He ate it, and within 5 minutes he was heaving and it all came right back up. I thought it was because I had just picked him up from the daycare after being away for 4 days, and he was just excited.


We just bought a new bag too. Scout heaved up dinner yesterday, ate it, and heaved it up a second time. Uh oh.

2 weeks ago I bought the small size bag at Petco. I opened it and looked lighter in color and a little shiny (greasy).

Brady had diarrhea for 3 days. I stopped giving it to him after 2 days though.

I bought a large size bag and brought it home, and it looked like it usually did.

Guys, if you have a weird bag or your dogs are getting sick please call them, they really need to know!

Jenn...........you being in CT and me here in Western Mass........I wonder if we got some of the same shipments?

Jenn...........you being in CT and me here in Western Mass........I wonder if we got some of the same shipments?


I know, I was thinking the same thing. Is Brady okay now?

Yeah. Brady is ok now.

I only fed him the greasy stuff for 3 days. To which he had horrible diarrhea from :(

I plan on calling them tomorrow morning.

Good, I'm glad he's feeling better and it's not something serious "phew!"

I'm also glad yourgoing to call them, at least you'll get coupons :)

WE just bought a new bag last week and it was perfect...I actually remember thinking that it seemed fresher than ever (even though it always seems fresh) Glad to read this though because I will know now to watch for it. I will also give the pet store a heads up I bet she would like to know. Please keep us updated if anyone gets an answer.

We have not seen a problem here - just bought a new bag last week. I know that many of us using the food have dogs with issues - my girl is no exception there. I would hate to see her with a pancreatitis flare up :nono:

I just wanted to say thanks for the heads up! Please keep us updated on what you all hear from the company!

This is really pretty sad. For such an expensive food, to have these problems with it. I have a new bag which I haven't opened yet, will do that first thing in the morning and check it out.

Hello Everyone...I just read through this thread and I am very sorry to hear about the problems with the NB Potato and Duck food...I know many of you feed it to your dogs and depend on it for your dog's allergies etc. I also have a Labby with food sensitivity and I actually feed the California Natural Lamb and Rice...(he does very well on it) I have never tried the NB, but I just wanted to bring to your attention that I read an article once about dog food companies that use Duck in their food and it seems to matter where the duck comes from...if I understand correctly, the duck that comes from Europe is supposed to be much better than the duck that comes from the US...some companies like Solid Gold will not make a duck food and others like Eagle Pack Holistic only get their duck from Europe...I am wondering if any of you know where NB is getting their duck meat...I would be very worried that something may be wrong with the meat??? I certainly understand your concerns.....I would be very upset if my Toby got sick after eating his food...I do hope this issue is resolved...but I would be very concerned...

I haven't had a problem yet but our bags of food are from the middle of August. I bought 2 big bags for the trip and Guinness coming home. We will need more soon so I will check then!
I hope all the dogs that aren't feeling well get better fast and that NB does something!

Oh my...thanks for the heads up as we are almost to the point of needing another bag. Cinder would definately get sick if it was the food...he has a very sensitive stomach.
I hope that everyone is feeling okay!

Repeating Lily's question regarding where NB gets their duck meat from...does anyone know?

Repeating Lily's question regarding where NB gets their duck meat from...does anyone know?

This is copied from NB's website:
Our Potato and Duck formula combines fresh duck, (no by-products) from USDA approved plants, a single source of animal protein that most dogs have not been exposed to, and a single source of carbohydrate not commonly found in dog foods, along with effective natural ingredients to help rebuild the dog's immune system.


Susan

I am so sad!

I got my overnighted bag and it was the same BAD!

I called them yet again, and spoke to the supervisor on duty, she got a litttle snippy telling me that there is a variety in the food and that it is normal for it to vary in shape and size. I agreed, but I told her it IS NOT normal for dogs to be getting ill.

The bag they sent me was from a totally different batch :frown: I am at such a loss now. Obviously I cannot feed my boys this, what do I do? I FINALLY found a food that they both can eat and actually helps them, and now it's making them sick!

Tuesday night I drove 30 miles and found a good bag. Can anyone recommend a new food? Chase has Colitis along with bad allergies and Jack has allergies :frown: :frown:

I am so sorry to hear this Jenn....not to scare anyone...but I would really be concerned here...a few years ago, there was a dog food, I think it was called "Go Natural" ..it was supposed to be a very good good and then some dogs starting getting sick on it...(I don't mean to scare you) but I read that a few dogs actually got so sick, they died...I don't remember the exact details..but a certain batch of the food got contaminated somehow....they eventually pulled the food off the shelves....I don't mean to upset anyone...but I don't like what I am hearing here...and I would be very concerned if I fed this food... :worried: I know some other dog food companies make a duck based food...Wellness makes Simple Solutions with duck...Eagle Pack Holistic also makes a duck food.... I hope your dog is feeling better.
Lily

I was wondering if the food comes from a couple of different plants. It seems like the people who are having problems are on the Eastern side of the US whereas those of us on the Western side haven't noticed anything. I wonder if there is anyway to find that out.

here is an email I received just a few minutes ago. All I asked is where the duck is from...I will ask about the other issues right now. I think it's worth an email to these folks if you don't already get coupons!

All of our Duck is from the U.S., specifically in California. I am happy to here that both of your dogs like the Natural Balance Potato & Duck. If you can e-mail me your mailing address, I would be happy to send you some coupon's and a frequent buyer's card. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me via e-mail or phone.

Yeah, I got that same email 6 months ago :rolleyes:

I haven't had any problems other than some of the kibble are darker than the next one, being in the same bag. I've noticed though that some bags has a stronger smell than the other bags that I've bought. From reading the threads regarding this, I've made it a habit to look at the dates (but I'm not really sure if that makes any difference). The recent bag I just bought yesterday has a Jan 07 date on it. Biner's hasn't refused the kibble, fingers crossed! Though, I bought a can of the liver meal and he had diarrhea so I stopped that for now. Keep us posted.

Oh no! Jenn, I'm so sorry to hear about this! Thanks for sharing the information.

We just bought two 30lbs bags this past month. I just ran out and opened the second...they both are normal.

I think Max's Mom is on to something....it does seem like the west coast bags are ok. Perhaps it has something to do with the plant it's made at?

I'm so sorry to hear all the problems. I've had no problems at all. I am fairly sure the food is made for Natural Balance by Diamond. I think the plant is in Meta, Mo. There are not that many manufacturing plants and many smaller company's pet food is made for them by other pet food manufacturers. Diamond, as far as I know, has a stellar reputation. It is probably more of a problem with the duck supplied/purchased by Natural Balance.

Sorry for my non-help. I tried posting the concerns in this thread on the i-dog discussion forum. All I received were accusations of trying to pass along unfounded rumors.

So much for compassionate dog owners on that board.

ZacksPa stated that the food was made by Diamond. I have tried to get a confirmation of that by Natural Balance, to no avail. The only place I have seen that in print is on a dog food retailer website. I emailed that retailer and she told me that is what her distributor told her.

So much for my non-help. Sorry!

Sorry for my non-help. I tried posting the concerns in this thread on the i-dog discussion forum. All I received were accusations of trying to pass along unfounded rumors.

So much for compassionate dog owners on that board.

ZacksPa stated that the food was made by Diamond. I have tried to get a confirmation of that by Natural Balance, to no avail. The only place I have seen that in print is on a dog food retailer website. I emailed that retailer and she told me that is what her distributor told her.

So much for my non-help. Sorry!


John..you weren't kidding..they were horrid to you. What a bunch of morons. I haven't joined that site yet but do read some things and the more I read the less I like..I think I will just stick with this board. They are so mean and hateful sometimes..wow.

I apologize for getting a little off-topic, but thought I would show some of you a comparison of how two different dog boards handle this issue.

Here is a link to the thread concerning Potato & Duck I started on i-dog. Not much help or compassion there.

http://www.i-dog.com/board/messages/46/159183.html?1125770637


P.S. to Timberlabs - Thanks for your words of support. In comparing the two boards, I find a lot friendlier, compassionate, caring bunch here than on i-dog.

P.S. to Timberlabs - Thanks for your words of support. In comparing the two boards, I find a lot friendlier, compassionate, caring bunch here than on i-dog.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I second that without a doubt!! :)

:rolleyes: I just read your thread on i-dog, i'm sorry they treated you so poorly. JERKS!

I wouldnt say your thread was "non-helpful" :)

Ok, let's get back to this issue about Potato & Duck.
Has anyone heard from ZenCat lately? She has had a lot of experience with this food and was also part of a thread several months ago about it's change of appearance, color, smell, and texture. She also tried contacting the company with our concerns.
It could be because it is such a popular food, but questions about its changing "quality control" seems to come up more frequently than any other food.

I'll PM ZenCat and see if she can give us some quidance.

That happend to me with Nikki last year. I bought a bag from a feed store instead of petco. Nikki got loose stool the next day. The food looked much ligther in color. I thought they mixed up and put there vegetarian in the nb duck and potato bag. I called NB they asked me to send it in to get tested to. Never heard any more for them about that. But they did tell me the had made a change in there potatoes using a red potato instead of white. I don't see how that would make a difference.

hi guys... i just read this thread on D & P... I was going to start Jet on it due to his diareah... but now... I just don't know.

have any of you changed from D & P to something else ?

Any other suggestions for simple food ?

just thought i would chime in.. jazz has been on the natural balance duck and potato for about a month and i have not noticed any inconsistency down south.. she absolutely loves it.. no complaints at all.. she has never done better.. much better for her than diamond lamb and rice or nutro..

We just got a bag that has two different colors in it and look like what was shown here. More ridges. The dogs are doing fine on it...it's just odd!

I just opened a new bag and the kibble was flatter than in the past. Piper's stools were a bit softer on the last bag, but I think maybe the food had gone bad. I sent the container of food with Piper while she was boarded for a week and maybe the container was left outside; she was fine before she went there. I will see how she does on this new bag of flatter kibble.

What concerns me the most is that NB doesn't seem responsive about the complaints. Those that have called with issues of sick dogs, did NB ask about the lot number on the bag? When you call a company about human food, that is the first question they ask. They want to track the production of the food. And what is the big secret about where the food is made? Why can't they disclose that information?

Just wondering whether this problem is just confined to the D&P formula? My dog is only the original ultra premium, but she's also recently been rejecting her food (which is very very unusual for her!).... but she hasn't been sick though...

I haven't had any problems with the potatoe and duck as yet, although the trial size bags I got were very "different". I have had trouble recently with the canned NB foods. I feed either the canned duck or chicken formulas. I have had some cans ,with a good expiration date, make that "oil can" popping noise whn pressed. When I contacted NB they said it was probably a production error. They asked for no info from the cans and only wanted to know where to send the replacement cans. Tonight I ran accross a can that was different in appearence & consistency from any can I have ever had. Inside this one was soupy and had a huge "glob" of fat on top. Usually, the NB canned food has been firmer, more like a loaf, than this slop I found tonight. Natural Balance has not been inspiring confidence of late.