Rating: 
Castor and Pollux Organix Grain-Free canned dog food receives the Advisor’s above-average rating of 4 stars.
The Castor and Pollux Organix Grain-Free product line includes four canned dog foods, each claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.
The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.
- Castor and Pollux Organix Grain-Free Chicken & Potato
- Castor and Pollux Organix Grain-Free Turkey & Vegetable
- Castor and Pollux Organix Grain-Free Chicken & Vegetable
- Castor and Pollux Organix Grain-Free Turkey, Carrot & Potato
Castor and Pollux Organix Grain-Free Chicken and Vegetable was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Castor and Pollux Organix Grain-Free Adult Chicken and Vegetable
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Organic chicken, water sufficient for processing, organic turkey, organic chicken liver, organic pea flour, organic carrots, organic potatoes, organic apples, organic guar gum, organic flaxseed meal, salt, tricalcium phosphate, 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), organic garlic, potassium chloride, vitamins (vitamin E, A, B12, D3 supplements, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, riboflavin supplement)
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.5%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 8% | 6% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 34% | 27% | 31% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 26% | 51% | 23% |
The first ingredient in this dog food includes chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.1
The second ingredient is water, which adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.
The third ingredient is turkey, “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.2
Chicken and turkey are naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The fourth ingredient includes chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal. So long as it’s not over-weighted in a dog food, chicken liver is a beneficial component.
The fifth ingredient lists pea flour, a powder made from roasted yellow peas. Pea flour makes a slightly healthier substitute for wheat and can support more stable blood sugar levels.
The next three nutrient-rich plant ingredients include…
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Apples
The ninth ingredient is guar gum, a gelling or thickening agent found in many wet pet foods. Refined from dehusked guar beans, guar gum can add a notable amount of dietary fiber to any product.
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 food also 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
However, the limited professional literature we surveyed provided no definitive warnings regarding the use of garlic, especially in small amounts (as it is here).
Castor and Pollux Organix Grain-Free Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Castor and Pollux Organix Grain Free looks to be an above-average 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 34%, a fat level of 27% and estimated carbohydrates of about 31%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 34% and a mean fat level of 27%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 31% for the overall product line.
Below-average protein. Above-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical canned dog food.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a wet product containing a moderate amount of meat.
Since this Castor and Pollux Organix product line contains a notable number of quality organic ingredients, we feel compelled to accord this line favored status as we consider its final rating.
That’s because organic ingredients are produced under controlled government standards — standards which greatly restrict the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, hormones or antibiotics.
Bottom line?
Castor and Pollux Organix Grain-Free is a grain-free canned dog food using a moderate amount of named poultry as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.
Highly recommended.
Special Alert
Rice ingredients can sometimes contain arsenic. Until the US FDA establishes safe upper levels for arsenic content, pet owners may wish to limit the total amount of rice fed in a dog's daily diet.
A Final Word
The descriptions and analyses expressed in this and every article on this website represent the views and opinions of the author.
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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 analyze each product, please 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 qualified veterinary professional for help.
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Notes and Updates
12/13/2011 Original review
12/13/2011 Last Update
- Association of American Feed Control Officials ↩
- Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for chicken published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Official Publication, 2008 Edition ↩
- 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) ↩
