I’m looking at the adult & the puppy, here is the info on both so you don’t have to go look them up!
I am feeding ProPlan Selects Turkey & Barley formula right now, which scored a 104 A+ according to other sites, and if this is better, would like to switch to this! I don’t know how to properly score a food, and I cannot find this one on any of the analysis sites.
Castor & Pollux Natural Ultramix Large Breed Adult Dog Formula
http://www.petco.com/product/104885/Castor-and-Pollux-Natural-Ultramix-Large-Breed-Adult-Dog-Food.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch
Holistic food for the discriminating pet owner. Natural Ultramix offers only the best nutrition for your large breed adult dog. No artificial preservatives, colors or flavors and with natural chicken as the #1 ingredient you know it tastes great. Wholesome fruits and veggies add vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Flaxseed, Glucosamine, Chondroitin and Omega Fatty Acids help keep joints healthy and strong.
Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Oat Groats, Turkey Meal, Chcien Fat Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols (from Vitamin E), Dried Bananas, Dried Apples, Fish Meal, Dried Egg Product, Brewers Yeast, Natural Chicken Flavor, Ground Flaxseed, Cultured Whey, Monocalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Chicken Cartilage, Dried Papayas, Dried Blueberries, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate. L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Zinc Oxide, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, L-Carnitine, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganous Oxide. Thiamine Monoitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin K1 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Cobalt Carbonate, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae), Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilius Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachiatum Fermentaion Extract, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract and Fermentation Solubles
Castor & Pollux Natural Ultramix Puppy Formula
http://www.petco.com/product/100263/Castor-and-Pollux-Natural-Ultramix-Puppy-Formula.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch
Superior Protein Sources
The first year of your puppy’s life he or she needs all the love you can provide along with an optimal balance of nutrients for a healthy start. Natural chicken and turkey head our ingredient list along with four additional highly bioavailable proteins for outstanding digestibility and great taste. Essential proteins promote wellness and support the growth of strong muscles as your puppy grows. Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids provide support for a healthy skin and coat.
Natural Fruits & Veggies
Pure, wholesome fruits and vegetables provide valuable nutrients, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants for your dog. We simply dry the carrots, bananas, papaya, apples and blueberries and then blend with the Ultramix kibble. Don’t be fooled by other diets that feature fruits and veggies in the ingredients list – you can’t even see them in the kibble! And because they’re usually processed under high heat they retain only minimal nutritional value…not so with NATURAL ULTRAMIX!
Rich Sources of Carbohydrates
Potatoes combined with whole grains provide essential vitamins and minerals as well as a balanced source of sustainable energy. Dried beet pulp also provides an important and safe source of dietary fiber to help promote a healthy intestinal tract. Contrary to popular belief, beet pulp does not contain sugar and has not been proven to affect coat color or cause bloat.
Essential Vitamins & Minerals –
Fortified with essential vitamins and minerals (including Calcium and Phosphorous) and balanced to meet the needs of your puppy.
Additional Benefits
Formulated with DHA, a nutrient found in mother’s milk, to help support brain and vision development. Ultramix Puppy Formula utilizes a natural source of DHA for a Firm Foundation.
No By-Products
No Fillers
No Wheat
No Corn
No Growth Hormones
No Artificial Preservatives, Colors or Flavors
Ultramix Puppy Formula is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.
Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Oat Groats, Turkey Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Chicken Fat preserved with Mixed Tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), Dried Beet Pulp, Rice Protein Concentrate, Dried Carrots, Dried Bananas, Dried Apples, Natural Chicken Flavor, Salmon Meal, Ground Flaxseed, Cultured Whey, Dried Potatoes, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Brewers Dried Yeast, Choline Chloride, Dried Egg Product, Dried Blueberries, Dried Papaya, L-Ascorbyl-2-
Eh – it’s not too bad, as far as commercial kibble goes, but the best diet for your pets is a raw diet of muscle and organ meats and bones. It’s best to learn a little before you start, so check out the following sites:
http://rawfeddogs.net/
http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/
If you’re not ready, then I would advise you to feed a grain-free kibble. Grains in particular are a very unnatural food source for a carnivorous animal, and dogs and cats don’t process them, which means they are just filler. Trying to process grains only stresses the digestive system and will make your pet ill in the long run.
Namaste – you NEED to supply your carnivorous pets with real meat. They are not omnivores, they are carnivores – and they REQUIRE real meat to thrive. Cats especially cannot live on a vegetarian diet, and synthetic taurine is no replacement for the real thing derived from prey animals.
Some good brands to consider (and often can be bought for around $1.10-1.50 per pound):
Wellness CORE
EVO
Taste of the Wild
Canidae Grain-Free
Merrick Before Grain
There are others, of course, but these are the first ones to come to mind. I personally feed Taste of the Wild, but when my life becomes a little less hectic and I can spend more time at home, I’m going back to the raw prey model diet. My pup did way better on raw food – pooped far less, didn’t fart, and his poop was nearly odorless.
I hope this helps!
Castor and Pollux is a great brand, I feed my dogs and cats Natural Balance vegetarian formula, since I’m a vegan, and its much less likely to cause allergic reactions. Other great brands are Blue Buffalo, Royal Canin, and Wellness.
Here is a good site that rates and reviews dog foods.
Thanks 4 all this info. Both products seem to be good for your dog so good luck with either food you decide on feeding your fuzzbud.
Look for one that’s high in protein and low in fat.
It’s not too bad, but you might find better choices. Here’s the adult food review from http://dogfoodanalysis.com (they gave it 4 stars out of 6) –
Pros: First two ingredients are named meat products, primarily good quality ingredients
Cons: Some mixed quality grain ingredients, insufficient meat content
The first two ingredients in this food are named meat products. The first of these is meat inclusive of water content (about 80%). Once the water is removed as it must be to create a dry product, this ingredients will weigh around 20% of its wet weight. It is thus unlikely that it is truely the first ingredient, but would be more accurately placed further down the ingredient list. Since it is followed by a meat meal ingredient, however, we retain some confidence in the overall meat content of the food. There are further meat ingredients 6th and 11th on the ingredient list, but this is too far down to make up a substantial portion of the food. We note the presence of a fish ingredient, but find no sign on the manufacturer website of a guarantee that only ethoxyquin-free protein ingredients are used in the food (ethoxyquin is a chemical preservative, commonly added to fish meal ingredients, and which is banned or heavily regulated in human food production due to the belief that it is carcinogenic).
The primary grain in the food is brewers rice. This is not a good quality grain, and is a byproduct. Barley and oat groats are good quality. The food has a range of fruits and vegetables, and a good range of probiotics.
Overall, the product uses primarily good quality ingredients, but does have some mixed quality in the grain content and limited meat content that put a 3* rating under consideration. Users might consider supplementing with additional meat.