Rating: 
California Natural Dry Dog Food gets the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
Currently, the California Natural brand includes eight kibbles… five designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages and three for adult maintenance.1
- California Natural Lamb Meal and Rice Adult Large Bites
- California Natural Lamb Meal and Rice Adult Small Bites
- California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice Adult
- California Natural Low Fat Rice and Lamb Meal Adult
- California Natural Low Fat Rice and Chicken Meal Adult
- California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato Adult
- California Natural Lamb Meal and Rice Puppy
- California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice Puppy
California Natural Dog Food Lamb Meal and Rice Puppy was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
California Natural Lamb Meal and Rice Puppy
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Lamb meal, brown rice, sunflower oil, rice, natural flavors, potassium chloride, vitamins/minerals, taurine, rosemary extract
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 2.2%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food lists lamb meal. Lamb meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than even fresh lamb.
The second item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The third ingredient is sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is high in linoleic acid… an essential omega-6 fat needed by every dog to sustain life.
But the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in a food is nutritionally critical… and can vary significantly (depending on the quality of the source ingredient itself).
There are several different types of sunflower oil… some better than others. Without knowing more, it is impossible to judge the quality of this ingredient.
The fourth ingredient mentions rice. Since the word “rice” doesn’t tell us much, this is another item that may be difficult to rate.
We note2 this dog food contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.
California Natural Dog Food… the Bottom Line
Our initial impression of this California Natural Dog Food ingredients list? In a nutshell… short. But sweet.
In any case, we still need to refer to the nutrient percentages to estimate the product’s likely meat content.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 29%, a fat level of 18% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 45%.
Featuring a brand average of 25%, protein percentages range from a high of 29% for the two puppy recipes to a low of 23% for the rest.
Moderate protein. Moderate fat. And average carbohydrates for the group (when compared to a typical dry dog food).
This is the profile of a food containing only a fair amount of meat. Yet the lack of any Red Flag items or plant-based protein boosters compels us to nudge this product into the next higher category.
Bottom line?
California Natural Dog Food is primarily a grain-based kibble using a modest amount of assorted meat meals as its main sources of animal protein… marginally earning the brand four stars.
Highly recommended.
Those looking for a fine wet food from the same brand may want to check-out our review of California Natural Canned Dog Food.
We Welcome Your Comments
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult your veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food brand… or maybe the review itself?
Please feel free to share your comments below.
11/07/2009 Original review
04/15/2010 Review updated
- American Association of Feed Control Officials Nutrient Profiles per California Natural, 4/15/2010 ↩
- California Natural, 4/15/2010 ↩
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
would you say it is safe to feed the puppy formula to adult dogs to take advantage of the higher protein content? the ingredients are almost identical between the adult and puppy formulas.
Hi Melanie… for a healthy dog, I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t feed one of the puppy formulas to your adult dog. With the exception of the two “lite” recipes and the herring flavor (approved for adult maintenance only), all the other California Natural kibbles meet nutrient profiles “for all life stages”.
Actually, your higher meat content idea makes a lot of sense to me. Bravo, Melanie!
Hey Mike,
Would you rate the California Natural Low Fat ones at 4 stars too? I’ve been looking for a high rating low fat or low carb one
Hi Echo… that’s a tough one. You see, with its below average protein level, California Natural just barely qualified for 4 stars anyway. But I’d still give the Low Fat products four stars because of good ingredient quality… not because of meat quantity (a bit low).
Actually, you never mentioned why you’re looking for a low fat dog food. Unless your pet is prone to pancreatitis, low fat almost always means low protein, too.
You may want to read my article, “Low Fat Dog Food… Good or Bad for Your Pet“.
If you’re after weight loss, just select a great dog food and simply feed less… and then weigh less. And be sure to stick with a MEASURED amount with each meal.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for replying. Yes, the reason is for weight loss. My pug is 26 pounds (about 6 pounds over weight). I’ve had him on different weight loss and mangement foods. He gets fed 1/2 cup twice a day of dry. Since these servings are already so low, I wanted to put him on something you would rate at 4 stars for chubby dogs (seems like the highest ratings I’ve found was 3 stars)
Hi Echo… I think the very best way to help a dog to lose weight is to use a high quality (regular, non weight control) dog food… and simply feed less of it. To reduce fats and calories, many companies produce reduced-calorie weight loss products which (mistakenly, I believe) cut back severely on meat… and replace that meat with carbs.
I think (from a nutritional quality standpoint) is a huge mistake. They lower calories by lowering the product’s nutrient quality… so one can feed the same “volume” of food.
We recommend feeding quality… but less of it. You’ll not only save calories… you’ll save money, too… and all without sacrificing nutrition. Hope this helps.
Just found out Natura (maker of Innova, Evo, California Natural , etc) sold out to Procter and Gamble earlier this month
Hi Echo… Many share your concerns about Proctor and Gamble’s purchase of Natura Pet. P & G would be making a huge mistake to tamper with the reputation and philosophy of such a great dog food company.
Let’s hope the parent company (P & G) respects Natura’s long-time, established brand. We’ll all be watching this situation as it unfolds. In the meantime, I wouldn’t panic or jump ship yet. I believe Natura should be given the opportunity to prove itself… for our dog’s sakes. Of course, time will tell.
Mike – I love this website and can’t believe you have done all this for us dog owners!
So my question / advice needed is as follows:
I have a 93lbs. male, 3 year old English Choc. Lab and just recently rescued a 45 lbs. petite female, 9mo. old Lab mix who had a bad break that mostly all better.
My male has horrible allergies (egg (highly), lamb, rice soy, corn, a bunch of grasses etc.) and has been on Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish Dry and most of his life. I recently switched him to California Natural Fish Dry because I thought it was better. I give both dogs kongs with frozen wet food (Cal. Natural Fish) as a treat when I leave in the am so they get 1/4-1/3 can of wet a day.
My female is on Before Grain Chicken mostly because her foster mom wanted to make sure she stays nice and slim because of her break and she felt grain free was better all around.
Soooo here’s what I need help with – I’d prefer one food for both dogs and want to stick with the Dry food with a kong full of frozen wet for treats.
I see Before Grain gets 5 stars, but I’m worried about Chicken for my allergy male even though it didn’t show up on his allergy tests, but eggs did. I like the California Natural but after reading a lot on your site not sure if it’s a bit too low in protein and it has 4 stars vs. 5.
I’m open to other brands as well and have thought about Wellness Core Dry, Orijin, etc. but am a bit confused as to what to do.
I want the best food for both dogs with the right balance of protein, fat, carbs etc. and would love your thoughts on picking the hopefully perfect one (or maybe the top 3 choices).
Oh and also use small treats for training (Nat. Balance Sweet Potato & Fish).
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
Kellie
Hi Kellie… trying to pick the “perfect” food for our babies is a lesson in frustration and futility. That’s because (of course) the perfect food doesn’t exist.
What’s more, I definitely wouldn’t be too concerned whether a dog food rates 4 or 5 stars… for we are surely not “accurate” enough in our judgment skills to place each food in its “perfect” rating category.
That said, all three Before Grain dry products contain chicken meal. Allergies are almost always “learned” by the immune system… which implies your dog has had a previous exposure to a particular ingredient.
You may want to try something new (like salmon, etc.). Another suggestion… go to the top navigation bar on our website and click the “Tag Cloud”. Select the tag called “hypoallergenic”. These brand reviews contain some foods manufacturers (not us) claim to be hypoallergenic.
But beware… each review focuses on a “brand” and not on each individual product. So, when we say a brand is “3 stars” or “hypoallergenic”, we never intend to say each product in that brand is 3 stars or hypoallergenic. You’ll still have to do some detective work.
All in all, as much as I wish I could single out a brand for you… the job is technically impossible. And picking that special one will drive you crazy. There are simply too many foods (each with too many ingredients) to predictably solve this allergy riddle. Pick any 4 or 5 star (even 3 star) food you like, check it for your dog’s known allergies and go with it.
Your dogs are lucky you care.
Thanks Mike – So is it okay to give my female who doesn’t have allergy a limited ingredient diet?
Again thanks so much!
Kellie
Hi Kellie… No, not if she’s allergic to anything on that list. The whole point of a limited ingredient diet is to help you isolate the offending culprit. This is a lot easier to do with a short list than a long one. Good luck… and in a situation like this, be sure to buy the smallest package you can find.
Hi Mike, I was wondering if you could review the new grain-free versions of California Natural kibble (chicken, lamb, and venison varieties)? I bought a small bag of the grain free chicken, primarily because I noticed on the label that CN excluded potatoe as a binder (lamb and venison included potatoe). I would really appreciate your thoughts on this product. Thanks!
Hi Akita Mom… thanks for the tip. We’ll begin our research right away. Look for a review in the near future. So, be sure to check back again soon.
Hi Mike. Let me start by saying…wow…your website is so informative. I truly appreciate the work you’ve done.
I thought I would share my experience with this brand.
We feed the Sweet Potato and Herring formula to our dogs. We have great danes and feeding them a low protein diet is important to us. We also had some skin issues with previous foods but this one really seems to work well for us. No more doggy acne!
We also have dachshunds and I do get concerned that this food is too low in protein for them. We’ve tried switching but the logistics of feeding different foods was challenging and we really couldn’t find anything that the doxies loved as much as the CN. It must be that stinky fish smell
. Fortunately their recent blood work indicates that they are very healthy pups so we’re sticking with this formula for now.
Hi Mike! I have a 3lb 8 oz five month old chihuahua. She has a strange stomache and does not eat a lot. We recently received a free coupon for any Natura brand food. Right now she is on Merrick Whole Earth Puppy Formula but she is having some trouble with the size of the kibbles.
Anyway my question is, what food would you recommend for my baby Lulu? I figured it couldn’t hurt to try a new brand since she is not a huge fan of the Merrick. Our choices are California Natural, Evo, Innova or Healthwise. What do you think?
Hi Stephanie… I wish I could give you a specific recommendation, but I fear it would be misleading to others for me to endorse a specific food just for Lulu. Since small breeds like yours are still considered puppies up to about 6 months, why not find a 4 or 5-star puppy food (or one designed for “all life stages”). Hope this helps.