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Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,018,915 times
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Hi.
I'm looking for a new GRAIN-FREE food for Artie. He seems to enjoy lamb a lot and California Natural (Innova) makes kibble that has lamb as the protein source.
I looked on dogfoodanalysis.com but the grain-free foods by California Natural are not listed -- I guess they're new? Their other foods range from a 3-star rating (not good enough) to a 5-star rating (fine), but the grain-free kibbles are unknown.
Does anyone feed their dog GRAIN-FREE kibble by California Natural, be it the lamb or the chicken?
I give my little dog Natural Balance venison or the salmon, grain free. I give her the canned and also fresh foods.
Grain free is very good and I hope others can tell you how their dogs did on it. It didn't agree with my dog years ago when I tried it, but many like the food. Every dog is so different.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,018,915 times
Reputation: 28903
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trudysmom
I give my little dog Natural Balance venison or the salmon, grain free. I give her the canned and also fresh foods.
Grain free is very good and I hope others can tell you how their dogs did on it. It didn't agree with my dog years ago when I tried it, but many like the food. Every dog is so different.
Artie's on grain-free now: Taste of the Wild, Wellness Core, Stella & Chewy's. I was just interested in changing, and wondered about California Natural. He's tried Natural Balance before -- which is different from California Natural -- and he didn't care for it. He's a finicky monster.
D, call the company and they will mail you samples so you can at least see if he likes it before buying. Or, I'll send you samples since I have access to every quality food out there! He might not even take a kibble, so it's worth a try first!
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,018,915 times
Reputation: 28903
Quote:
Originally Posted by MAK802
D, call the company and they will mail you samples so you can at least see if he likes it before buying. Or, I'll send you samples since I have access to every quality food out there! He might not even take a kibble, so it's worth a try first!
Good point! My local store, who was supposed to do a price check for me, haven't called me yet. I'll contact the supplier for samples. I usually do that; not sure why I didn't think of it this time.
I always used to buy California Natural foods, they were very good. I mentioned that brand to a local pet store recently, and the owner advised me against California Natural. He said it used to be one of his top choices, but recently they were bought out by Proctor & Gamble. He thinks the product will go downhill now.
I always used to buy California Natural foods, they were very good. I mentioned that brand to a local pet store recently, and the owner advised me against California Natural. He said it used to be one of his top choices, but recently they were bought out by Proctor & Gamble. He thinks the product will go downhill now.
I've actually talked to our local Natura rep and read the letters pet store owners were sent by the company regarding the change. They are assuring people that the ingredients will remain the same in their entire line and P&G just wants to get in on the "gourmet" pet food line. Evo, Innova, and CA Naturals have a huge, huge following. They make a killing, especially with Evo, since it's one of the most expensive foods on the market. I find it hard to believe that P&G would be stupid enough to lose all these consumers. Until they prove otherwise, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
And I'd love to see which foods your pet store carries. Diamond has had recalls, so that takes care of Taste of the Wild, Chicken Soup line, and many others. Natural Balance has had many recalls, including one last month. What's left? Unless the only food your pet store sells are Orijen, Acana and raw, the owner does not have a valid argument. Natura's foods are still the quality they were before the buy out. Can't say the same about the others!
I've actually talked to our local Natura rep and read the letters pet store owners were sent by the company regarding the change. They are assuring people that the ingredients will remain the same in their entire line and P&G just wants to get in on the "gourmet" pet food line. Evo, Innova, and CA Naturals have a huge, huge following. They make a killing, especially with Evo, since it's one of the most expensive foods on the market. I find it hard to believe that P&G would be stupid enough to lose all these consumers. Until they prove otherwise, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
And I'd love to see which foods your pet store carries. Diamond has had recalls, so that takes care of Taste of the Wild, Chicken Soup line, and many others. Natural Balance has had many recalls, including one last month. What's left? Unless the only food your pet store sells are Orijen, Acana and raw, the owner does not have a valid argument. Natura's foods are still the quality they were before the buy out. Can't say the same about the others!
I certainly hope you are right, because I will probably be going back to California Natural with that hope. I am cautiously optimistic.
As to what foods the pet store carries, you are correct about the limited dog foods the pet store carries, he sells very few brands. He especially pushes raw, and some brands that I'd never heard of, and can't remember. He's quite vocal about his opinions, and seems to practice what he preaches. He's just a small pet shop owner. I do remember he highly recommended a brand called "Honest Kitchen", which I have been meaning to look into. Some kind of food that is partially prepared that one adds water to, I believe.
Editing to say I did just research Honest Kitchen. Apparently it's been revealed in the last month or so that some of their foods contain celery from China. So now there are concerns with Honest Kitchen not being so honest.
Last edited by andthentherewere3; 07-29-2010 at 05:17 AM..
Honest Kitchen is a company in San Diego, I met the owners of the company several times. They've gotten so popular, that they had to move to a real factory in the Midwest. Their food is made to be mixed with other things, not just fed as the only source of nutrition. It comes as a powder, so you rehydrate it and it turns to essentially mush. It's essentially dehydrated food. Not enough to stimulate the dog's teeth! Most of their formulas are meant to be added to a raw diet, but I've put it on top of kibble as well. If you call them, they will send you sample packets, which are pretty substantial. There are so many varieties, I'd try them out first. Out of trying 5 different ones, my dog only liked one. It's an expensive food, so I would definitely try before buying!
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,018,915 times
Reputation: 28903
OK, so I was able to order the grain-free lamb variety of California Natural through my local pet store. I'll be picking it up on Tuesday.
What I didn't notice before placing the order was that the protein percentage is quite a bit lower than in this food (21%) than in the two other foods that I mix together (one is 32%, the other 34%).
Does anyone see this lowering of protein (by more than 10%!) as a problem for Artie?
He's going to be 7 years old in October so maybe it's a good thing that I'm lowering his protein?
I'm not sure. Thoughts?
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