"I have 3 incredibly picky large-breed mix dogs who at 15, 11, and 8 respectively are all considered "senior." Their activity level naturally is not what it once was, and the pounds have been creaping up on the 2 girls in particular. I searched for several months for a "lite" food easily available in my area that would still provide them with all the nutrition that they needed and, most importantly, that they would actually eat. I went through samples from many well known brands of varying quality: Pedigree, Purina One, Eukanuba, Iams, Science Diet, Nutro Natural Choice, Solid Gold, Wellness, and Royal Canin. Of those, the only one my dogs liked was Royal Canin but their MAXI Senior formula is hard to procure in my area and I didn't think the ingredient list was quite worth the price.
I finally found my answer in Natural Balance! My local Petco sells small sample bags of the regular ultra premium Natural Balance cat and dog kibbles (check your own for availability), and I picked some up one day on a whim. The dogs went nuts for it so on my next trip I bought a bag of the reduced calorie food. I am quite happy to report that my picky dogs are just as enthusiastic about the reduced calorie version as they were the full calorie version.
It's been almost 2 months since I made the switch. My oldest girl is slimming down nicely, and my younger one, who had more weight to lose, is also coming along. In addition, coats are thicker and softer, colors are stronger, breath smells nicer, and stool has decreased and breaks down faster than before. I'm so pleased I switched my cats to Natural Balance too."
