FULL OF PROTEIN “Loves the taste and it made his muscles fill out perfectly.”Buddy
Review of Castor and Pollux Organix Butcher and Bushel Canned Dog Food
Rating:
Castor and Pollux Organix Butcher and Bushel Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest rating of 4.5 stars.
The Castor and Pollux Organix Butcher and Bushel product line includes the 5 canned dog foods listed below.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
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Organix Butcher & Bushel Chicken Wing & Thigh Dinner was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient ContentProtein =
Ingredients: Organic chicken, organic chicken broth, organic chicken liver, organic sweet potatoes, organic carrots, organic pea protein, organic blueberries, organic dried egg product, organic coconut flour, organic flaxseed, calcium carbonate, salt, sodium phosphate, organic alfalfa meal, organic guar gum, choline chloride, potassium chloride, sodium alginate, minerals (zinc amino acid complex, iron amino acid complex, copper amino acid complex, manganese amino acid complex, sodium selenite, calcium iodate), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, vitamin A supplement, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid), organic rosemary, organic sage, xanthan gum
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 7.4%
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 8% | 4% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 42% | 21% | 29% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 35% | 42% | 24% |
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.
Chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient is chicken broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common addition component in many canned products.
The third ingredient is chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The fourth ingredient is sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a gluten-free source of complex carbohydrates in dog food. They are naturally rich in dietary fiber and beta carotene.
The next ingredient includes carrots, which are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The sixth item is pea protein, what remains of a pea after removing the starchy part of the vegetable.
Even though it contains over 80% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.
And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.
The seventh ingredient lists blueberries. Blueberries are a good source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.
The eighth ingredient is dried egg product, a dehydrated form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries — from eggs that have failed to hatch.
In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
The ninth ingredient is coconut flour, a powder derived from dried, defatted coconut meat. This cereal grain replacement is high in fiber and low in digestible carbohydrates. In addition, coconut flour also contains about 18% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
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 Castor and Pollux product.
With 3 notable exceptions…
First, flaxseed is one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.
However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
Next, this recipe includes alfalfa meal. Although alfalfa meal is high in plant protein (about 18%) and fiber (25%), this hay-family item is more commonly associated with horse feeds.
And lastly, this 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.
Since this recipe contains a number of organic ingredients, we feel compelled to grant this line a more favorable status as we consider its final rating.
That’s because organic ingredients must comply with notably more stringent government standards — standards which significantly restrict the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, hormones or antibiotics.
Based on its ingredients alone, Castor and Pollux Organix Butcher and Bushel looks like an above-average canned dog food.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 42%, a fat level of 21% and estimated carbohydrates of about 29%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 41% and a mean fat level of 21%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 30% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 51%.
Which means that this Castor and Pollux product line contains…
Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical wet dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the pea protein, flaxseed, alfalfa and coconut flour, this looks like the profile of a canned dog food containing a notable amount of meat.
THIS PRODUCT WAS GREAT FOR MY PUPPY! “Winnie loves Butcher’s dog food and always wolfed it down every dinner.”Winnie the fox red lab
FAQ
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