Rating: 
Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix canned dog food receives the Advisor’s highest rating of 5 stars.
The Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix product line includes 6 canned dog foods5 claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance and one for growth (Puppy).
- Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix Puppy
- Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix Adult Beef and Vegetable
- Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix Adult Chicken and Vegetable
- Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix Adult Beef, Vegetable and Barley
- Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix Adult Lamb, Vegetable and Brown Rice
- Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix Adult Chicken, Vegetable and Brown Rice
Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix Adult Lamb, Vegetable and Brown Rice Stew was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix Adult Lamb, Vegetable and Brown Rice Stew
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Lamb broth, lamb, chicken, lamb liver, brown rice, potatoes, dried egg white, potato starch, carrots, peas, oat fiber, red peppers, guar gum, natural flavor, cranberries, blueberries, apples, spinach, flaxseed meal, sodium phosphate, dried bananas, sunflower oil, garlic, salt, minerals (iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, cobalt amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, sodium selenite, potassium iodide), calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, vitamins (vitamin E, A, B12, D3 supplements, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, riboflavin supplement), choline chloride, l-carnitine
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5.6%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food lists lamb broth. Broths are nutritionally empty. But because they add moisture to a dog food they are a frequent finding in many canned products.
The second ingredient is lamb. Lamb is considered “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered” lamb and associated with skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.1
The third ingredient is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.2
Lamb and chicken are naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The fourth ingredient is lamb liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal. So long as it’s not over-weighted in a product, lamb liver is a beneficial ingredient.
The fifth ingredient lists brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest.
The sixth item lists potato. Assuming they’re cooked, potatoes can be considered a gluten-free source of digestible carbohydrates.
The seventh item lists dried egg whites. Eggs are highly digestible and an excellent source of usable protein.
The eighth item is potato starch. Potato starch is a gluten-free carbohydrate used more for its thickening properties than its nutritional value.
The ninth item lists carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The tenth ingredient includes peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re rich in natural fiber.
However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that usually must be considered when evaluating the total protein reported in a food.
But not with items this far down the ingredient list.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.
With two notable exceptions…
First, 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.
And lastly, garlic can be a controversial item. Although the majority of experts favor the ingredient for its numerous health benefits, garlic (in rare cases) has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.3
Most of the literature we surveyed offered no conclusive evidence against the use of garlic… especially in small amounts (as it is here).
Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix has many of the quality features we like to see in a good canned dog food.
But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 44%, a fat level of 28% and estimated carbohydrates of about 20%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 47% and a mean fat level of 26%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 19% for the overall product line.
Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs as compared to a typical canned dog food.
With no sign of any notable plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a wet food containing generous amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix is a meat-based canned dog food using an abundance of lamb, poultry or beef as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.
Enthusiastically recommended.
Those looking for a nice kibble made by the same company may wish to visit our review of Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix dry dog food.
A Final Word
This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.
For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food? Or maybe the review itself? Please know we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
04/09/2010 Original review
11/09/2010 Review updated
12/11/2011 Review updated (name changes, new products)
- Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for beef published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, 2008 Edition ↩
- Association of American Feed Control Officials ↩
- Yamato et al, Heinz Body hemolytic anemia with eccentrocytosis from ingestion of Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum) and garlic (Allium sativum) in a dog, Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 41:68-73 (2005) ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.