Natural Balance 'mystery kibbles?!'

Bewt,
That is absolute BS rest assured that A- NB is manufactured by Diamond and B- NO contaminantion.
 
Here is an email reply from them to me in regard to the same question and concern you have.

[color=#000000][size=3]Dear Angel:
 
Thank you for contacting us regarding your concerns about our products.
 
There is no evidence to suggest that Nutro#%92s Natural Choice Lamb Meal & Rice Adult Dog Food is the source of any illness in dogs as has been suggested on some internet sites.
 
Nutro Products, Inc. thoroughly tests all of our products. Our Quality Services Department runs extensive testing on every lot of every product made. Similar testing is performed on all raw materials.
 
Testing on the production lot of Natural Choice Lamb Meal and Rice Adult Dog Food that was fed to the dogs referred to on the internet postings indicated that this lot met all standards & specifications with no evidence of any spoilage, pathogenic micro-organisms, or mycotoxin contamination. Chemical analyses were normal and met specifications.  Kennel feeding of samples from this lot indicated typical consumption and no abnormal reactions in any of the dogs fed.
 
Thousands of dogs are fed Natural Choice Lamb Meal & Rice Adult in the U.S. everyday, and we are not aware of any instances of any pets having suffered an illness as described by these recent internet postings as a result of having been fed Natural Choice products.
 
Sincerely,
 
Victoria Gutierrez
Consumer Services Department
800-833-5330[/size][/color] -----Original Message-----
From: nutroproducts@nutroproducts.com mailto:nutroproducts@nutroproducts.com]
Sent: Monday, April 17, 2006 9:27 AM
To: WebSite Response
Subject: Contact Us Submission

[blockquote]Product Complaint

I was allerted that the Lamb and Rice Formula of Natural Choice has been recalled. Is this true. The lot number in regard to this recall is SKU# 7910520143

would like to receive information: Y [/blockquote]
 

You can also go to the web site and look at what they have to say about Diamond and them.

I didn't say anything about NUTRO Natural CHOICE, I was referring to Natural Balance. Nor did I say anything about Natural Balance/NNC being CONTAMINATED. I said there were little red Y shaped kibbles mixed in with the NB. If that's what you're saying is "BS," I'll try to find some and take a picture of them.

But that's Nutro and not Natural Balance. The following was posted here about Natural Balance and Diamond.
 

Please know that the Natural Balance Dry formulas are co-packed at a Diamond facility in California. This means that Natural Balance uses their machinery to manufacture our OWN formulas. The problem that you are referring to happened in South Carolina and NOT in California, which is a seperate facility. Also, Natural Balance has it's own quality control representation that test every ingredient, batch, etc (start to finish of production). Every batch is also tested BEFORE it ever leaves our warehouse for distribution. It is extremely important to Natural Balance that we provide the best quality of food that is not only completely balanced, but 100% sade for our fellow companions. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me via email or phone.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Freeman, B. S.
Animal Nutrition
Natural Balance Pet Foods Inc.

 
In this situation, if you are able, I would take a picture of the kibbles and e-mail [email=info@naturalbalanceinc.com]info@naturalbalanceinc.com[/email] and see what they say. Be sure to include the production code or any other identifying information off of the bag. I've heard they have good customer service.

I'm confused.  Isn't the question about Natural Balance not Nutro Products?
 
I feed Natural Balance too and haven't had any problems.  I've seen posts about odd shaped kibble or it having and odd smell, but personally haven't had any experiences like that.  I thought that someone posted a reply from Natural Balance saying that their products were made in a Diamond plant but hadn't had any of the problems Diamond had and maybe even said they used their own equipment not Diamonds.

Sorry thought they were one and the same. But not to worry. I know you did not say anything about being contaminated. I was told this and sent off an email. This was their reply to me b/c someone said they were also manufactured by Diamond factory. Since one of my clients feeds her dogs this and was freaking out I investigated it.
There was  a huge scare about someones dog getting sick then dieing etc over it on this forum in which I cannot seem to find now. But no big deal.
Good luck in your search.

Im sorry someone responded to you in that wasy Bewt...
 
I agree that you should take a picture of it and email them to see if they know whats going on.

[:@] I never really considered contacting the company, and by the time I started noticing these weird kibbles, I had already thrown the bag away. Should I email them anyway? Here they are: (if I can get them to upload)

Just my opinion, but I would email them and include the picture.  I think they'd want to know and I also think it's important that dog food manufacturers hear from us as consumers.  I'm a big advocate of writing companies if I'm unhappy about their product.

One thing I forgot to mention before, the round kibble in the middle is 'normal'

I agree with Cathy. Contact them and ask about the new strange kibble.
 
Hopefully they did not change the formula. Another food company did that very thing and not only would my dog not eat it but all the others that were on the same stuff also wouldn't eat it either. They eventually changed back to the old formula. The only reason they changed in the first place was b/c someone complained to say it did not look appealing to them. Ummm shouldn't that be left up to the dog that is eating the food???

Yep, the round kibble looks just like the Natural Balance food I feed, although it's Duck & Potato.  The other in the picture does look like cat food to me too.  My dogs would probably think they were getting something special [], but I'd be worried about the allergy issue too.

I'm pretty sure it's cat food, but I thought NB didn't use artificial colors? The kibbles look like Cat Chow or another not-so-great brand, and I'm not sure if it's some other Diamond brand with god-only-knows-what in it.

I've been having the same problem for a couple of months now. I first noticed it in February:
[linkhttp://forum.dog.com/discus/messages/46/243434.html]http://forum.dog.com/discus/messages/46/243434.html[/link]
 
I feed Daisy the NB Duck and Potato, and it does seem that they have changed something in their formulas. The kibble used to be a hard crunchy all brown and perfectly formed. Now it is multi-colored, and has a very greasy texture- similar to the round kibbles you posted.
 
I think that SOMETHING in the formula has changed, because Daisy is as itchy as ever, and she's developing hot-spots again. (whether it be problems with her food, or seasonal allergies, I really don't know.) Every bag (except one) that I've gotten since then has been the exact same. I will probably have to switch Daisy again, because the last couple of days she's puked up her food about 20 minutes after I give it to her, so I really don't know what to do.
 
Just putting in my  [sm=2cents.gif] and to let you know that I know exactly what you're talking about.