I probably have one of the pickiest dogs around. I've never heard of or know of a dog that is more picky on what she will eat than Zero. If Zero doesn't like something she will spit it onto the ground and it will lay there until it gets picked up to be thrown out or until Dylan or Lucy snatch it off the floor. Zero also doesn't eat all her dog food at one time, she will eat a little then come back and eat some more. Just once I wanted to see her excited to actually get fed, enjoy eating her dry food, and maybe see an empty bowl. I believe that time has finally come. I've always heard the name Science Diet referred to as the highest quality dry dog food out there. I've seen it displayed in the Vet's office and have sat there, while waiting, watching people come in and purchase it also. Yes, you can buy Science Diet at your veterinarian's office, or at least I know you can at mine. I never really gave giving a try much thought, after all our dogs had been on the same brand food for years and years. It seemed to work, or was it really? Considering we have had to deal with putting a few dogs on a diet a few times perhaps the brand we are using isn't really working. I was presented with the opportunity to try the NEW Hill's Science Diet Ideal Balance Adult Chicken and Brown Rice Dinner dry dog food, I took the opportunity to see if this high quality dry dog food would pass the test of my trio of picky eating dogs!
Just a few little facts about Hill's Science Diet - it is the #1 Choice of Veterinarians to feed their own pets - (ding ding ding! this should have been the bell ringer alone right there, but there is more), also comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back, clinically proven antioxidants for healthy immune systems, and a visible difference in your pet in 30 days! Those factors all coupled together should have been my sign to at least see if my trio of picky eaters would enjoy it, but to be honest I was naive in the fact I had ignored all that I had read. I'm on a dog food mission. I want to know that my dogs are getting the very best dry food that I can possibly afford to feed them - all while finding a dry food that is indeed all natural. Again, all natural meaning the first ingredient isn't a meal or a dry powder of some protein. Along comes Science Diet's NEW Ideal Balance all natural dry dog food! There it was.. all natural from a dog food industry leader. I jumped on the BzzCampaign wagon quicker than a bolt of lightning to try the Chicken and Brown Rice Dinner! Upon receiving the bag the first thing I did was read the ingredients.. I was very impressed to read Chicken as the first ingredient (not chicken meal or chicken bi-products, but REAL chicken) followed by brown rice, whole grain wheat, cracked pearled barley, and soybean meal! The beginning of this introduction to Ideal Balance was already singing the praises of awesome just from reading the bag. It had yet to pass the test of Zero, my 4 yr old solid white purebred Boxer.
Taste tester #1 was the Queen of Picky, Zero! I figured if she would like the Ideal Balance then I'd have no issue with the other two also liking it. Zero has to sniff everything and sometimes I swear she thinks she is a hound dog, well the bag of Science Diet was no exception she almost knocked it out of my hand trying to sniff the bag. I finally just put it on the floor for her to sniff while I went and "fetched" her food bowl. As you can see she was eager enough to see what was in that bag, not to mention I would imagine to her doggie nose it probably smelled pretty good too! I opened up the bag and put a handful of the Ideal Balance on top of what food she had left in her bowl, would you believe that she picked out ever last piece of the Chicken and Brown Rice Dinner, then looked at me as to say "I don't want that other stuff give me some more" YES! This dog has some amazing expressions and that is exactly the look that came from her. I gave her another big handful, just to watch her barely be able to contain her excitement to get back to burying her nose into her food bowl! 
As you can see Zero's face is buried in her bowl! She really did enjoy Ideal Balance by Hill's Science Diet. Seeing she is kept upstairs her food is also kept upstairs, in the one big room closet and I've caught her at least half a dozen times in the closet sniffing the food bag and even one time she tried to drag it out of the closet. Zero sure is a character and she is also a good judge of taste. What I noticed was that Ideal Balance actually smelled good. It didn't have that almost eww smell to it that most dry dog foods have. Also, when I gave Zero a handful of it afterwards my hands did not have a greasy feeling, that too has also been a trait of most dry dog foods that greasy feel to them. The size of the pieces are of good proportion for large dogs, and also the bag has a zip closure to keep it fresh.
Now that the pickiest of picky had approved of this new dry food so now I was off to go downstairs to see how the other two (Lucy - 10 yr old female Boxer & Dylan - 1 yr old male Boxer/Lab mix) would react to it. Would this be a love affair the trio would all enjoy? Lucy is an older girl and over the years she just eats anything you give her, but I knew this time I'd be giving her something good for her! The old girl needed good nutrition as well. She has a thyroid issue and also a heart problem so I felt extremely well after reading the bag that I was giving my Lucy something that she could benefit from. Lucy ate her handful and proceeded to turn around and look at me for more... so of course I gave her another handful and then another! My Goodness Lucy came back for three handfuls! Now Dylan, he is a little picky too but nothing like Zero. Dylan gets shy when it comes to new things almost as if he is a little kid bawking at trying a new food. He went through his bowl and picked out all the Ideal Balance pieces and put them into one pile on the floor so he could eat them all at once, all while Lucy hoovered over him watching, because had he moved one foot she would have had her nose in his bowl eating his food too!
My only negative about this product is the cost. This brand is known to be more costly than others and seeing I am still in a financial pinch I worry that I won't be able to afford such a high quality dry food for my three furry babies. I did however notice that on their main website page there is an advertisement to TRY IT FREE with a mail in rebate and also a section for coupons and discounts - which can all be seen here.
Over all - and after a few days of having Hill's Science Diet Ideal Balance Chicken & Brown Rice Dinner my trio of picky eaters give this new product, from a very reputable brand TWO PAWS UP! Thank You Hill's for making a dog food that all natural goodness!
More Information about Hill's Science Diet & The Products they offer can be seen at Hill's Pet
Hi Kathy,
ReplyDeleteWell, that was a nice story.
The fact that your dog eats that food does not, however, automatically make it healthy.
You might have kids that enjoy eating in certain fast food chains. Does that make fast food healthy ? Guess not.
You may want to study the subject of dog / cat nutricion a lot more. and you will probably find out that Hill´s Sciene Diet is a dog food high in grain content, low in protein. You may want to know that grains are not the ideal food for dogs or cats, since they lack the enzymes necessary to process them. Even in the relatively new series "Ideal Balance" you may want to notice that the 1st ingredient is fresh chicken, which loses 80 % in weight after the dog food has been processed into dry pellets. And since the list of ingredients is listed according to weight BEFORE cooking, well, you do the math on the protein content. Finally, the next 5 ingredients are carbs and fat.
So, even though your dog did eat the food, you might want consider some of the less expensive but a lot higher quality dog foods out there. Take off those rosy-shaded sunglasses of yours, and READ the list of ingredients. After that, let us know your conclusions.
Our grain-free dog food formulas are ideal for active dogs. They provide the optimal balance of protein, fats and healthy complex carbohydrates using high-quality ingredients. Real meat or fish is the first ingredient, providing quality protein and flavor your dog will love. Best grain free wet dog food
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