# Wellness CORE vs Natural Balance



## Bock (Jun 23, 2008)

I'd go with the Wellness CORE. According to ingredients, the Wellness has quite a bit more meat in it. The first ingredient in Natural Balance is potato.


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## Doodle (Apr 6, 2009)

I agree with Bock.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Wellness CORE Reduced Fat is more in keeping with industry standards as far as protein levels. I'm not sure the same can be said for the Natural Balance ... and definitely not the reduced calorie Natural Balance.

I feed Wellness CORE Reduced Fat and my dog does really well on it.


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## marshab1 (Aug 28, 2006)

I've used both, we actually switched from Natural Balance to Wellness Core Reduced faat. Tinkerbell ate them both, but I still had to add things to the Natural balance for her to eat it. The Wellness she just loves even plain, I can actually use it as treats.

She put on weight while on Natural Balance (check the calories), when we switched to the Wellness Core we hoped she would lose some weight, so we cut her down to a cup in the morning, and a cup in the evening. She lost about 20 pounds in about 9 months. And was not hungry. I would recommend it to everyone.


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## Bock (Jun 23, 2008)

How much does Wellness CORE go for these days? I've never used it.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I buy mine on line, a large bag (26lbs) is $58.99 plus shipping. 

Pricey, but worth it


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## marshab1 (Aug 28, 2006)

My local store does not carry the large bags of the reduced fat but if I tell them by Friday that I need it, they order it and I can pick it up on Tuesday, it's just under $60 after tax is added. And for me it lasts a full 60 days and a few more.

I've also ordered it from petfooddirect.com I just look for a 15-20% off coupon code and that more than covers the shipping. After you order they tend to send you coupon codes pretty regularly.


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## Doodle (Apr 6, 2009)

It's about $60 for the large bag in MA too.


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## goldencontriever3 (Nov 7, 2008)

Thanks everyone for your help. It looks like we will try the Wellness since it seems to be a better quality food. The cost seems to be the same as the Evo we were already feeding.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

My dogs are doing well on NB Sweet Potato and Fish. The biggest difference I see in the NB and Wellness is the price. I get 28 lbs of NB for $48.99, the same type of Wellness food, very similar ingredients and protein/fat content is $56.99 for 30 lbs.


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## Garfield (Apr 7, 2009)

Between the two, I'd say Wellness Core over the Natural Balance, but have heard questionable things about both of late. Have you checked out the grainfree Acana formulas - by a reputable company with moderate protein/fat levels (similiar to the Wellness Core you cited). Also, isn't feeding less of the EVO an option?


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

I'm feeding the golden girls the Acana Provencial Prairie and am very pleased. It's a moderate protein grain free. And Champion, the manufacturer, is a family owned Canadian co..... the same one that makes Orijen. Since I can't find it locally, I've been ordering from www.pawschoice.com Free shipping if you order two of the large bags.


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## Garfield (Apr 7, 2009)

mylissyk said:


> My dogs are doing well on NB Sweet Potato and Fish. The biggest difference I see in the NB and Wellness is the price. I get 28 lbs of NB for $48.99, the same type of Wellness food, very similar ingredients and protein/fat content is $56.99 for 30 lbs.


Given the vast difference in protein, it's necessary to feed a lot more of the Natural Balance than Wellness CORE, the NB is probably ultimately the more costly of the two.


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## MurphyTeller (Sep 28, 2008)

Garfield said:


> Given the difference in protein, it's necessary to feed a lot more of the Natural Balance than Wellness, so the NB is probably ultimately the more costly of the two.


Actually I've found the opposite - the more protein in the food the more I feed my very fit intact agility/obedience dog. Our last rotation I fed the core - and ended up having to supplement him with an additional 2tbs coconut oil and an extra chicken breast with every meal just to keep weight on him (23.5" and ranges between 64.5-67 lbs - agility weight). In other words on the core his calorie requirements more than doubled - not on a volume level - just on calorie for calorie level on the core. My 5 yo neutered hypothyroid boy held his weight on the core, but he's also in semi-retirement mode and not as active - his daily calorie requirement did also increase though to maintain weight. I won't feed the NB, but if I did I'd expect to feed a lot less of that than I would (by volume) of the core or the honest kitchen (which is what they've rotated to now). 
Erica


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## Garfield (Apr 7, 2009)

MurphyTeller said:


> Actually I've found the opposite - the more protein in the food the more I feed my very fit intact agility/obedience dog. Our last rotation I fed the core - and ended up having to supplement him with an additional 2tbs coconut oil and an extra chicken breast with every meal just to keep weight on him (23.5" and ranges between 64.5-67 lbs - agility weight). In other words on the core his calorie requirements more than doubled - not on a volume level - just on calorie for calorie level on the core. My 5 yo neutered hypothyroid boy held his weight on the core, but he's also in semi-retirement mode and not as active - his daily calorie requirement did also increase though to maintain weight. I won't feed the NB, but if I did I'd expect to feed a lot less of that than I would (by volume) of the core or the honest kitchen (which is what they've rotated to now).
> Erica


I was talking in terms of protein (on which feeding guidelines are based), not calories (though CORE is probably greater in both). Agility animals have significantly greater nutritional needs across the board and therefore skew things a bit (though I bet you'd have to supplement even more so). Agree with your premise though - my dogs hold _leaner_ body mass on foods that derive more of their protein from animal v. carb sources (and require less feeding to do so) than they did on the grain heavy/protein derived foods, which is one of the reasons why I'd suggest the CORE over NB to Goldencontriever based on info provided in the original post.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Garfield said:


> Given the vast difference in protein, it's necessary to feed a lot more of the Natural Balance than Wellness CORE, the NB is probably ultimately the more costly of the two.



Actually, my experience is the opposite. They are getting less NB because they were gaining weight on it. Their stools are very small, so apparently they are absorbing much more of the nutrients in the food. They each only get 2.5 cups per day.


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## marshab1 (Aug 28, 2006)

I think it depends on the dog. Each one is a little different. When Tinkerbell was on NB she got a cup of food in the morning with a few spoonfuls of yogurt, she was always looking for food afterwards so we upped what we gave her to 1 1/2 cups, that helped. With the Wellness Core she gets 1 cup and is satisified. We had the same problem at dinner time.


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## Garfield (Apr 7, 2009)

mylissyk said:


> Actually, my experience is the opposite. They are getting less NB because they were gaining weight on it. Their stools are very small, so apparently they are absorbing much more of the nutrients in the food. They each only get 2.5 cups per day.


For each dog it is indeed individual, but the kibble weight/density (not volume) and specfic formulas*/nutritional breakdowns of each food as well as the weight of the dogs needs to be factored in feeding amount comparisons. (*should have specified I was referring to the regular Wellness Core formulas and not the reduced calorie/low fat one which indeed would equate to lower weight and thwart feeding amounts). 

As to stool size/consistency/appearance, my vet says that is more an indication of the dog's digestive health and food tolerance (& sometimes fiber intake) than of digestability, which is determined through actual nutrient analysis of the stool (there's a profession you don't see on the "hot jobs" list too often! lol).


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## goldencontriever3 (Nov 7, 2008)

Thank you to everyone for their input. You have given me a lot to think about. Since Tasha has so many other problems, I think I will wait for the blood results from Dr. Dodds before we make the change. She may have different suggestions with the results.


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