Food Friday: Natural Balance LID Venison and Sweet Potato Canned Formula

In preparation for Ru's upcoming dental next week, he has been sampling a variety of soft foods including Natural Balance LID Venison and Sweet Potato Canned Formula. This is a Limited Ingredient Diet intended for dogs with allergies and food intolerances. I have previously discussed the kibble version of this food, this is the canned variety.

The first thing I have to say about Natural Balance's LID canned foods is that they smell amazing. Most are sweet potato based and have a rich people-foody smell. They don't smell like something I think I would like to eat, but are definitely not as nauseating as some canned foods.

Unfortunately, the reason this food smells so inoffensive is because it is mostly made out of sweet potatoes and not-sweet potatoes. Though venison is the first ingredient on the label, some of the protein comes from plant sources so the overall meat content is less than impressive.

Dog Food Advisor rates Natural Balance's LID canned foods with three out of five stars, but this particular formula only merits two out of five stars. This is probably due to the relatively relatively low protein content. Most canned dog foods have quite a bit more protein, a bit more fat, and therefore a lot less carbohydrates.

I'm not thrilled with the "Limited Ingredient Diet" label on this food. Sure, it doesn't have as many different ingredients as Orijen Six Fish, but it does have more than I'd like to see in a food specifically marketed for dogs with sensitivities. In addition to venison and sweet potatoes, Venison and Sweet Potato Formula also contains white potatoes and salmon oil. I've known a number of dogs who had issues on potato-based foods, so this would not be my first choice for use in an elimination diet.

Since this would only be part of a temporary soft diet for Ru, it was something I was willing to try. Ru has not liked most of the canned foods I have offered him, even when they are warmed up. Unfortunately, he didn't like this one either. At least Brisbane enjoyed it.