ProBalance is essentially a home brand of Petbarn (also available at City Farmers) and verges on the more budget-friendly side of the scale.
As of 2025 the formula has been simplified and looks a little better than the previous formula,
Let’s take a look at the formula, and I’ll let you decide if ProBalance is right for your dog and/or your budget.
Related: Best Affordable Dog Foods
Wording such as “Scientific Pet Nutrition” and branding fairly similar to well known prescription dog foods can easily give you the impression ProBalance is a good, solid choice for your dog.
We trust in science don’t we?
Or should I say, we trust in clever marketing.
As consumers we should really overlook marketing such as this (it’s just the marketing department doing their job, right?). If we want to be really scientific, without bias, we can take a look at the ingredients and see how they compare to other dog foods – doesn’t that give us a more realistic impression?
“Pro’AgeTM” is something which may convince you to buy ProBalance, because it suggests your dog may live longer. It’s a mix of Rosemary, Turmeric, Clove, Grapefruit, which although are all great for your dog, we have to be realistic given this combo ingredient sits way below salt, and salt should be around 1% of the formula. Therefore, it’s more a marketing thing than a nutritional benefit thing.
“Single Animal Protein” is a more useful statement on the bag, which may matter to you if your dog has digestive issues or food sensitivities… but let’s get to the ingredients.
Right. Ingredient analysis time!
For the sake of a benchmark, let’s take a look at the Medium Breed Formula, for Adult dogs.
Credit where credit’s due, dehydrated chicken as the first ingredient is what your dog will benefit from the most (combined with poultry tallow as fourth ingredient).
However – the reason I started this review with “on the more budget-friendly side” – is we also find sorghum, rice, and later rice bran AND rice hulls. This makes me question the “Scientific Pet Nutrition” on the label, and also how appropriate the recipe is for your dog.
To finish on some positives, compared to a dog food made of wheat and wheat derivatives it has to be better, and single protein may matter to you. It’s good the bulk of protein comes from meat rather than corn or legumes (which is common in many dry dog foods).
Other than that, it’s a fairly basic dog food even if it’s marketed as something scientific.
If Petbarn is your retailer of choice, and ProBalance is a realistic option based on your budget, also have a look at SavourLife.
You can buy ProBalance directly from Petbarn (or click and collect).
Ingredients of ProBalance dog food (Medium Breed Formula for Adult dogs):
Dehydrated Chicken, Wholegrain Sorghum, Rice, Poultry Tallow, Natural Chicken Flavour, Rice Bran, Rice Hulls, Salt, Minerals (Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorous, Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, Copper, Manganese, Selenium, Iodine), Vitamins (A, B1, B2, Niacin, B5, B6, B7, B12, Beta-Carotene, C, D3, E, K, Folic Acid, Choline Chloride), Canola Oil, Flaxseed, Fish Oil, L-Threonine, Taurine, L-Carnitine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Pro’AgeTM (Plant & Botanical Extracts (Rosemary, Turmeric, Clove, Grapefruit)), Chicory Root Inulin, Yeast Extract, Natural Antioxidants (Mixed Tocopherols), DHA Omega-3.
The guaranteed analysis of ProBalance dog food (Medium Breed Formula for Adult dogs):
* May be estimated. Read how to calculate carbohydrates in a pet food.
Read more...
As of 2025 the formula has been simplified and looks a little better than the previous formula,
Let’s take a look at the formula, and I’ll let you decide if ProBalance is right for your dog and/or your budget.
Related: Best Affordable Dog Foods
ProBalance review
What the marketing says
Wording such as “Scientific Pet Nutrition” and branding fairly similar to well known prescription dog foods can easily give you the impression ProBalance is a good, solid choice for your dog.
We trust in science don’t we?
Or should I say, we trust in clever marketing.
As consumers we should really overlook marketing such as this (it’s just the marketing department doing their job, right?). If we want to be really scientific, without bias, we can take a look at the ingredients and see how they compare to other dog foods – doesn’t that give us a more realistic impression?
“Pro’AgeTM” is something which may convince you to buy ProBalance, because it suggests your dog may live longer. It’s a mix of Rosemary, Turmeric, Clove, Grapefruit, which although are all great for your dog, we have to be realistic given this combo ingredient sits way below salt, and salt should be around 1% of the formula. Therefore, it’s more a marketing thing than a nutritional benefit thing.
“Single Animal Protein” is a more useful statement on the bag, which may matter to you if your dog has digestive issues or food sensitivities… but let’s get to the ingredients.
Right. Ingredient analysis time!
What the ingredients really say
For the sake of a benchmark, let’s take a look at the Medium Breed Formula, for Adult dogs.
Credit where credit’s due, dehydrated chicken as the first ingredient is what your dog will benefit from the most (combined with poultry tallow as fourth ingredient).
However – the reason I started this review with “on the more budget-friendly side” – is we also find sorghum, rice, and later rice bran AND rice hulls. This makes me question the “Scientific Pet Nutrition” on the label, and also how appropriate the recipe is for your dog.
To finish on some positives, compared to a dog food made of wheat and wheat derivatives it has to be better, and single protein may matter to you. It’s good the bulk of protein comes from meat rather than corn or legumes (which is common in many dry dog foods).
Other than that, it’s a fairly basic dog food even if it’s marketed as something scientific.
If Petbarn is your retailer of choice, and ProBalance is a realistic option based on your budget, also have a look at SavourLife.
Where to buy?
You can buy ProBalance directly from Petbarn (or click and collect).
Ingredients
Ingredients of ProBalance dog food (Medium Breed Formula for Adult dogs):
Dehydrated Chicken, Wholegrain Sorghum, Rice, Poultry Tallow, Natural Chicken Flavour, Rice Bran, Rice Hulls, Salt, Minerals (Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorous, Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, Copper, Manganese, Selenium, Iodine), Vitamins (A, B1, B2, Niacin, B5, B6, B7, B12, Beta-Carotene, C, D3, E, K, Folic Acid, Choline Chloride), Canola Oil, Flaxseed, Fish Oil, L-Threonine, Taurine, L-Carnitine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Pro’AgeTM (Plant & Botanical Extracts (Rosemary, Turmeric, Clove, Grapefruit)), Chicory Root Inulin, Yeast Extract, Natural Antioxidants (Mixed Tocopherols), DHA Omega-3.
Guaranteed Analysis
The guaranteed analysis of ProBalance dog food (Medium Breed Formula for Adult dogs):
| Protein | (min) 26% |
| Fat | (min) 16% |
| Crude Fibre | (max) 4% |
| Carbohydrates * | Listed (max) 40% |
Read more...
