Rating: 
Castor and Pollux Organix dry dog food gets the Advisor’s highest rating of 5 stars.
The Castor and Pollux Organix product line includes four dry dog foods, three claiming to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance and one for growth (Puppy).
- Castor and Pollux Organix Puppy Formula
- Castor and Pollux Organix Adult Grain Free
- Castor and Pollux Organix Adult Canine Formula
- Castor and Pollux Organix Adult Less Active Formula (4 stars)
Castor and Pollux Organix Adult Canine Formula dry dog food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Castor and Pollux Organix Adult Canine Formula
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Organic chicken, chicken meal, organic brown rice, organic peas, organic millet, organic oats, chicken fat (naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), salmon meal, natural chicken flavor, organic quinoa, dried egg product, organic flaxseed, minerals (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), organic carrots, organic apples, organic broccoli, organic pumpkin, organic pears, salt, choline chloride, potassium chloride, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, l-ascorbyl-2 polyphosphate, vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin B12 supplement, biotin, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement), chondroitin sulfate, yeast culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation extract, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, dried Bacillus subtilis, fermentation solubles, rosemary extract
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first item in this dog food lists chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost… reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.
After processing, this item would probably occupy a lower position on the list.
Which brings us to chicken meal… the second and (most likely) the dominant meat ingredient in this dog food.
Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The third item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The fourth ingredient includes peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re rich in natural fiber.
The fifth ingredient is millet… gluten-free grains harvested from certain seed grasses. Millet is hypoallergenic and naturally rich in B-vitamins and fiber… as well as other essential minerals.
The sixth ingredient includes oats. Oats can be considered another quality grain.
The next ingredient includes salmon meal… another high protein meat concentrate.
Unlike most fish meals, this item appears1 to be ethoxyquin-free.
The eighth ingredient lists chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Though it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is a quality ingredient.
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, the manufacturer appears to have applied friendly bacteria to the surface of the kibble after cooking. These special probiotics are used to enhance a dog’s digestive and immune functions.
Lastly, this food contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to amino acids. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are generally found in better dog foods.
Castor and Pollux Organix Dry Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Since Castor and Pollux Organix Dog Food contains an unusually high number of quality organic ingredients, we feel compelled to grant the product favored status when determining its rating.
That’s because organic ingredients are produced under remarkably strict government standards… standards which greatly restrict the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, hormones or antibiotics.
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 29%, a fat level of 16% and estimated carbohydrates of about 48%.
Due to its apparently lighter meat content, we have elected to downgrade the Less Active formula by one star.
Excluding the Less Active recipe, the remaining products feature an average protein content of 31% and a mean fat level of 15%.
Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 46% for the overall product line.
Above-average protein. Average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
With no sign of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing an ample amount of meat.
But when you consider the quality organic nature of the food along with the lack of any protein-enhancing plant ingredients, we feel compelled to award this product our highest rating.
Bottom line?
Castor and Pollux Organix is a plant-based organic dry dog food using an ample amount of chicken meal as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.
Enthusiastically recommended.
Those looking for a wet product from the same company may wish to visit our review of Castor and Pollux Organix canned 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
04/06/2010 Original review
11/06/2010 Review updated
11/02/2011 Added new grain-free product
- Castor and Pollux Customer Service via comment, 6/16/2010 ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.
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