I just started BalanceIT and kind of figured out most of it, but these videos are definitely helpful in understanding exactly what I am looking at. Also, didn’t know about the human supplement toggle. Great video! Will definitely recommend.
I'm so glad you found these videos helpful! I know when I started with BalanceIT it was a lot to learn, and there really weren't many resources! So I'm really happy to be able to provide that for other people. :)
Thank you so much! I am a dietitian, so nerding out about actual grams of nutrients and making adjustments to get the most nutrients using food is fun. This is very helpful!
I love the nutrient breakdowns from BalanceIT! I highly recommend clients bring those into vet visits - they can be helpful to have on file, and vets like seeing that you are feeding a balanced diet. :)
On the recipe printout, the ingredients weights are for cooked ingredients right? I feel like I remember reading that but now I’m second guessing myself.
@@maryeagnew Yes! All the ingredients are in cooked weights. This means you will need to start with a bit more raw-weight for meats, and a bit less dry-weight of carbs like oats. I typically cook 30% more than the recipe gives for meats, 40% more for fish. Then about half the volume listed for the dry grain. Then you will measure everything after cooking.
I just started using BalanceIT for my dog. She really hates kibble and is very picky. Your videos have explained the BalanceIT program waaay better than anything I have found on their site. Thank you for doing this. As I said, my dog doesn't like kibble so we really don't have recipe to "match". I really am just using the AutoBalancer to pick food she likes but I really have no idea what I'm doing. I figure if it "passes", I'm good ;)
I'm glad you found something to help your pup eat more consistently. I think BalanceIT provides such a great tool for picky dog owners because of it's flexibility - you can give chicken one week, then pork the next to keep them excited about their food. Good luck on your journey!
My mom said that pet dogs should eat kibble bc the hard food helps keep their teeth cleaner. If you’re feeding this kind of softer food, do you just need to brush their teeth more often? Is once a day enough? Or can you supplement some bones in?
We do have some research that suggests that plaque buildup happens slower on dry food in comparison to a moisture-rich diet. But dry food doesn't really clean teeth unless it's specially designed to do so? Typically if you are brushing your dog's teeth my recommendations are as follows regardless of what diet you feed: brush twice daily for any dog under 20 lbs, daily for 20-50 lbs, and every other day for >50 lbs.
I’m working with a nutritionist who has recommended the balance it supplement. She refused to touch her food with even the smallest pinch in it previously. How do you increase palatability with a very very sensitive, picky dog with IBD? Her only good stools are when she’s on a simple rice, carrot, chicken recipe with balance it but lacks so much nutritionally.
That can be extremely frustrating. Honestly, it depends a bit on the recipe and your dog's case - so I'd probably touch-base with the nutritionist you worked with. But typically we can either go with a "savory" or "sweet" flavor. Something like organ meat puree (ground chicken hearts with water to make a paste), or something sweet like honey to mask the taste. Because yeah - it doesn't taste great. Another option is to see if you can reformulate the recipe using more organ meats and reduce the supplementation.
Would love a tutorial on the different categories (higher protein/fat vs mid-range vs higher carb) Balance it gives. It's a nightmare for me. After I adjust from 35# dog to my 6# dog it usually won't pass. Only the high fat diet passes and then it causes my dog to gain weight. Plus I don't think a high fat diet it healthy. Might as well be feeding processed food. Any help would be appreciated.
It's most likely the ingredients you are choosing that is causing only the high fat recipe to show up as an option. Which proteins and fats are you choosing for your recipe? But I could definitely do a more in-depth video on how ingredient choice affects composition of diets.
@@nikkipetnutrition the last batch was ground turkey and ground chicken. I think both were 85/15. Besides that I chose broccoli, oats, and vegetable oil. I'm never sure, is the grams/volume called for in the recipe pre or post cooked? And should i drain the fat before combining with the other ingredients or leave it in? I would normally drain the fat if cooking for myself but I've learned dogs have different dietary needs. :) Thanks so much for responding and for your videos! I swear by Balance It but it's, like you said, sometimes too flexible with so many options to choose from. I appreciate the help!
Great video! I went to BalanceIt at the recommendation of my vet. He knows nothing about nutrition I guess. Made my first recipe - according to BalanceIt - the recipe passed..... with having to add the supplement of course. Problem for me is.... my senior dog has possible IBD issues with bloating. Vet believes the issues are from the Purina HA prescription food. So he recommended home-cooked diet using a novel protein. I have researched and researched types of food for IBD and bloating.... but still feel a nutritional person would be of more help.
BalanceIT can be very hard to use for particular diseases and conditions without some guidance. The good thing is you can get access to premade recipes for different diseases and conditions through balanceIT. Look at the drop-down menu for "homemade food" then click "Ez recipe generator for vet patients". One of these options is "Food Allergy/IBD". This will give you access to hundreds of novel protein recipes. Then you simply choose the recipe, and apply for a prescription approval with your vet. Typically for IBD we want to look for recipes that are novel protein, lower in fat, and higher in fiber - however some dogs will do well on just a novel protein recipes alone.
Hi, I gave my dog Molly some homemade food, chicken, brown rice, peas, sweetpotato and she had an allergic reaction scratching her one ear, her paws, etc. The vet seemed to think her allergy was most likely from the chicken. Can you please help me develop a recipe. Thanks Carolyn M.
Hi! If you want to email me you can at thecaninehealthnut@gmail.com and I can set you up a day/time for a consultation to discuss what a food elimination trial looks like, and recipe options. You can also check out my free ebook in the meanwhile - it has several recipes that may be options. :)
I made my recipe for my 10 lb dog for a weeks worth of food. The supplement ratio for the full recipe said 6 3/4 teaspoons. However, I just recieved my product today so I don't know how much to add to her daily meal of 3/4 to 1 cup per day. I have the other portions frozen and I take out a package per day. What would you suggest I add per cup? I bought the balance canine plus (or the one which can be heated 1 time)
First double-check that the recipe calls for 6 3/4 tsp of the BalanceIT plus, not the BalanceIT regular. Since the amount of the two supplements in a recipe is different. Next, I'd need you to look at your batch size, and how you are portioning for the week. Typically I create a meal plan for one week. Then portion into seven containers. If this is how you do it - you simply divide the 6 3/4 by 7, and that will give you the daily amount to add. This is a bit less than 1 tsp per day (0.96 tsp), likely the software would round the amount up to 1 tsp per day for measuring purposes. For your next batch - You can mix BalanceIT plus into your weekly batch before you portion it out for the week. If you plan to reheat it, just add it after allowing the batch to cool to room temperature in your fridge. The BalanceIT plus can only be heated one time, not repeatedly.
The BalanceIt supplement seems to have alot of synthetics. Quite a few of them are listed as a "Level 3" intolerant according to my dog's 5Strands hair testing results. :( Your opinion?
Hair testing for intolerances and allergies is not particularly accurate? But if you are concerned I'd purchase the single packs to start. I'd also discuss a modified transition with your vet where you would transition to the recipe without the supplement to start for the initial two weeks and monitor stools/clinical signs. If stools/clinical signs improve, then over the next week add in the supplement. If you notice the clinical signs come back with the addition of the supplement you might need to discuss other supplementation options - either with human supplement alternatives OR using more variety of ingredients within the recipe.
I just received this today and the challenge to understand , read and just make a serving for my 5 lb morkie a day is insane. I don't understand and you should just make a average amount for category of sized dogs to add daily and be done with this ... I might be returning since it's just a mess of amounts to add
I'm not sure I understand what you're asking? Do you mean to give general proportions of ingredients for balanceIT to create a recipe? That's a bit hard as the proportions of ingredients will change depending on the overall composition you are looking for within the diet. Typically protein ingredients will make up 25-75% of the recipe by weight (depending on composition?) I do find that recipe creation for small dogs can be difficult if you're looking at it on a daily basis. Instead, I'd recommend changing to creating recipes for a week or two weeks. If not you're going to need 5g of this meat, 1g of that meat, 30g of the third meat in a minimally supplemented recipe.
My balance it website looks different from yours and won't let me adjust the ingredient amounts like yours. And i can't get recipes to pass. It won't tell me what's wrong, so I don't know what to edit. I've been trying this for hours and only got one recipe to pass, and it's not ideal. There are also so many nutrients that are like 600 to over 1,000% daily value. Why do i want to add so much of the balance it supplement if all the nutritional values are way over the daily value when i do? I'm so frustrated!😭
I actually have a new tutorial since they recently had an update. Most of the things are the same, but many of the buttons have moved from the original version. New Tutorial: ruclips.net/video/ZjWjU_pKlGo/видео.htmlsi=Nr30WN4REY2wYDaa
As for the second part of your frustration - I totally understand - if can be very frustrating to use the software when you don't know what to add to fill in nutritional gaps. Hopefully, the tutorial and my other videos/blog posts can be useful. This Blog Post on Common Deficiencies may be useful: As for the %s - BalanceIT is an all-in-one - so it's limited by the nutrient you are lowest in, along with the proportions within the supplement of calcium to phosphorus. So if you make a very low-carb recipe, you'd need to add a lot of the BalanceIT to balance the calcium to phosphorus, even though you might not actually need that much of anything but calcium (if that makes sense). Typically in those situations, I'll actually specifically add just a calcium supplement so I can adjust the ratio without adding more of everything.
I just started BalanceIT and kind of figured out most of it, but these videos are definitely helpful in understanding exactly what I am looking at. Also, didn’t know about the human supplement toggle. Great video! Will definitely recommend.
I'm so glad you found these videos helpful! I know when I started with BalanceIT it was a lot to learn, and there really weren't many resources! So I'm really happy to be able to provide that for other people. :)
Thank you so much! I am a dietitian, so nerding out about actual grams of nutrients and making adjustments to get the most nutrients using food is fun. This is very helpful!
I love the nutrient breakdowns from BalanceIT! I highly recommend clients bring those into vet visits - they can be helpful to have on file, and vets like seeing that you are feeding a balanced diet. :)
@@nikkipetnutrition Good idea! I was going to run it by them as well to see if they had any tips as we are just starting a homemade dog food diet.
On the recipe printout, the ingredients weights are for cooked ingredients right? I feel like I remember reading that but now I’m second guessing myself.
@@maryeagnew Yes! All the ingredients are in cooked weights. This means you will need to start with a bit more raw-weight for meats, and a bit less dry-weight of carbs like oats. I typically cook 30% more than the recipe gives for meats, 40% more for fish. Then about half the volume listed for the dry grain. Then you will measure everything after cooking.
@@nikkipetnutrition Thank you!
I just started using BalanceIT for my dog. She really hates kibble and is very picky. Your videos have explained the BalanceIT program waaay better than anything I have found on their site. Thank you for doing this. As I said, my dog doesn't like kibble so we really don't have recipe to "match". I really am just using the AutoBalancer to pick food she likes but I really have no idea what I'm doing. I figure if it "passes", I'm good ;)
I'm glad you found something to help your pup eat more consistently. I think BalanceIT provides such a great tool for picky dog owners because of it's flexibility - you can give chicken one week, then pork the next to keep them excited about their food. Good luck on your journey!
Love these two videos. Did you ever do the third video on Transitions?
thank you so much for this information
My mom said that pet dogs should eat kibble bc the hard food helps keep their teeth cleaner. If you’re feeding this kind of softer food, do you just need to brush their teeth more often? Is once a day enough? Or can you supplement some bones in?
We do have some research that suggests that plaque buildup happens slower on dry food in comparison to a moisture-rich diet. But dry food doesn't really clean teeth unless it's specially designed to do so? Typically if you are brushing your dog's teeth my recommendations are as follows regardless of what diet you feed: brush twice daily for any dog under 20 lbs, daily for 20-50 lbs, and every other day for >50 lbs.
I’m working with a nutritionist who has recommended the balance it supplement. She refused to touch her food with even the smallest pinch in it previously. How do you increase palatability with a very very sensitive, picky dog with IBD? Her only good stools are when she’s on a simple rice, carrot, chicken recipe with balance it but lacks so much nutritionally.
That can be extremely frustrating. Honestly, it depends a bit on the recipe and your dog's case - so I'd probably touch-base with the nutritionist you worked with. But typically we can either go with a "savory" or "sweet" flavor. Something like organ meat puree (ground chicken hearts with water to make a paste), or something sweet like honey to mask the taste. Because yeah - it doesn't taste great.
Another option is to see if you can reformulate the recipe using more organ meats and reduce the supplementation.
Is there BalanceIt but for people meals?
Would love a tutorial on the different categories (higher protein/fat vs mid-range vs higher carb) Balance it gives. It's a nightmare for me. After I adjust from 35# dog to my 6# dog it usually won't pass. Only the high fat diet passes and then it causes my dog to gain weight. Plus I don't think a high fat diet it healthy. Might as well be feeding processed food. Any help would be appreciated.
It's most likely the ingredients you are choosing that is causing only the high fat recipe to show up as an option. Which proteins and fats are you choosing for your recipe? But I could definitely do a more in-depth video on how ingredient choice affects composition of diets.
@@nikkipetnutrition the last batch was ground turkey and ground chicken. I think both were 85/15. Besides that I chose broccoli, oats, and vegetable oil. I'm never sure, is the grams/volume called for in the recipe pre or post cooked? And should i drain the fat before combining with the other ingredients or leave it in? I would normally drain the fat if cooking for myself but I've learned dogs have different dietary needs. :)
Thanks so much for responding and for your videos! I swear by Balance It but it's, like you said, sometimes too flexible with so many options to choose from. I appreciate the help!
Great video! I went to BalanceIt at the recommendation of my vet. He knows nothing about nutrition I guess. Made my first recipe - according to BalanceIt - the recipe passed..... with having to add the supplement of course. Problem for me is.... my senior dog has possible IBD issues with bloating. Vet believes the issues are from the Purina HA prescription food. So he recommended home-cooked diet using a novel protein. I have researched and researched types of food for IBD and bloating.... but still feel a nutritional person would be of more help.
BalanceIT can be very hard to use for particular diseases and conditions without some guidance. The good thing is you can get access to premade recipes for different diseases and conditions through balanceIT. Look at the drop-down menu for "homemade food" then click "Ez recipe generator for vet patients". One of these options is "Food Allergy/IBD". This will give you access to hundreds of novel protein recipes. Then you simply choose the recipe, and apply for a prescription approval with your vet. Typically for IBD we want to look for recipes that are novel protein, lower in fat, and higher in fiber - however some dogs will do well on just a novel protein recipes alone.
@@nikkipetnutrition THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! You are awesome! You have been sooooo much help!
@@nikkipetnutrition I have also been looking at your website. What a HUGE wealth of helpful resources! I see you do nutrition consults?
@@deanofdisplacement I'm glad I could help! And - Yep - I do nutritional consultations as well. :)
Hi, I gave my dog Molly some homemade food, chicken, brown rice, peas, sweetpotato and she had an allergic reaction scratching her one ear, her paws, etc. The vet seemed to think her allergy was most likely from the chicken. Can you please help me develop a recipe. Thanks Carolyn M.
Hi! If you want to email me you can at thecaninehealthnut@gmail.com and I can set you up a day/time for a consultation to discuss what a food elimination trial looks like, and recipe options.
You can also check out my free ebook in the meanwhile - it has several recipes that may be options. :)
I made my recipe for my 10 lb dog for a weeks worth of food. The supplement ratio for the full recipe said 6 3/4 teaspoons. However, I just recieved my product today so I don't know how much to add to her daily meal of 3/4 to 1 cup per day. I have the other portions frozen and I take out a package per day. What would you suggest I add per cup? I bought the balance canine plus (or the one which can be heated 1 time)
First double-check that the recipe calls for 6 3/4 tsp of the BalanceIT plus, not the BalanceIT regular. Since the amount of the two supplements in a recipe is different.
Next, I'd need you to look at your batch size, and how you are portioning for the week. Typically I create a meal plan for one week. Then portion into seven containers. If this is how you do it - you simply divide the 6 3/4 by 7, and that will give you the daily amount to add. This is a bit less than 1 tsp per day (0.96 tsp), likely the software would round the amount up to 1 tsp per day for measuring purposes.
For your next batch - You can mix BalanceIT plus into your weekly batch before you portion it out for the week. If you plan to reheat it, just add it after allowing the batch to cool to room temperature in your fridge. The BalanceIT plus can only be heated one time, not repeatedly.
The BalanceIt supplement seems to have alot of synthetics. Quite a few of them are listed as a "Level 3" intolerant according to my dog's 5Strands hair testing results. :( Your opinion?
Hair testing for intolerances and allergies is not particularly accurate? But if you are concerned I'd purchase the single packs to start. I'd also discuss a modified transition with your vet where you would transition to the recipe without the supplement to start for the initial two weeks and monitor stools/clinical signs. If stools/clinical signs improve, then over the next week add in the supplement. If you notice the clinical signs come back with the addition of the supplement you might need to discuss other supplementation options - either with human supplement alternatives OR using more variety of ingredients within the recipe.
I just received this today and the challenge to understand , read and just make a serving for my 5 lb morkie a day is insane. I don't understand and you should just make a average amount for category of sized dogs to add daily and be done with this ... I might be returning since it's just a mess of amounts to add
I'm not sure I understand what you're asking? Do you mean to give general proportions of ingredients for balanceIT to create a recipe? That's a bit hard as the proportions of ingredients will change depending on the overall composition you are looking for within the diet. Typically protein ingredients will make up 25-75% of the recipe by weight (depending on composition?)
I do find that recipe creation for small dogs can be difficult if you're looking at it on a daily basis. Instead, I'd recommend changing to creating recipes for a week or two weeks. If not you're going to need 5g of this meat, 1g of that meat, 30g of the third meat in a minimally supplemented recipe.
My balance it website looks different from yours and won't let me adjust the ingredient amounts like yours. And i can't get recipes to pass. It won't tell me what's wrong, so I don't know what to edit. I've been trying this for hours and only got one recipe to pass, and it's not ideal. There are also so many nutrients that are like 600 to over 1,000% daily value. Why do i want to add so much of the balance it supplement if all the nutritional values are way over the daily value when i do? I'm so frustrated!😭
I actually have a new tutorial since they recently had an update. Most of the things are the same, but many of the buttons have moved from the original version.
New Tutorial: ruclips.net/video/ZjWjU_pKlGo/видео.htmlsi=Nr30WN4REY2wYDaa
As for the second part of your frustration - I totally understand - if can be very frustrating to use the software when you don't know what to add to fill in nutritional gaps. Hopefully, the tutorial and my other videos/blog posts can be useful.
This Blog Post on Common Deficiencies may be useful:
As for the %s - BalanceIT is an all-in-one - so it's limited by the nutrient you are lowest in, along with the proportions within the supplement of calcium to phosphorus. So if you make a very low-carb recipe, you'd need to add a lot of the BalanceIT to balance the calcium to phosphorus, even though you might not actually need that much of anything but calcium (if that makes sense). Typically in those situations, I'll actually specifically add just a calcium supplement so I can adjust the ratio without adding more of everything.