Healthy Organic Food and Treats

[ColColt]

I don't think a lot of us have heard of Karma before(food I mean) made by Natura, the producers of Innova and California Natural. I've read about it lately and decided to pick up some of their treats and Bubba really loves them and they must be 99% organic from the price here at $8/pound. They also make Karma dog food if your wallet can take it.

Karma Organic Dog Food and Healthy Pet Food – A Leader in Pet Food Nutrition – Natura Pet Products

[behinderhereyes]

I truly wish my wallet could take that kind of punch, it seems like a wonderful brand of dog food.

[Michael Romanos]

Anything that includes the name 'organic' is expensive and most times the price is a rip-off. New Zealand has a lot of commercially sold orgainc food. In many cases the non-orgainic produced food is just as good - and considerably cheaper. Let the buyer beware!

[colbycorgi]

we were just given some samples of a new food by merrick that is all natural called before grain...it seems good but every time we give our pups something natural, they get the poops....cammie has an "expeshially" sensitive tummy it seems...but e keep trying as i know it would take time to make a switch anyhow...we feed CA naturals now and they seem to like that....we are going to use the samples as treats and see how that goes...

[Louwants]

I get Lassie's Natural Way from my grocery store. It fits my pocketbook and the ingredients seem good. I switched to it when Duncan seem to be sensative to wheat and corn flour. Which was a blessing with the scare we had last year.

Here's the website in case someone whats to look it up. The price is just a little more than Purina One and below the organic foods that pet stores carry.

Natural Dog Food, Healthy Dog Food for your Pet - Lassie Natural Way

[Cheetah]

"All Natural" isn't the same as "Organic."

That said, The food I feed (Canidae) isn't organic either, but still works great for my dogs, without the extra price.

[Louwants]

My bad.......I meant all natural....thanks for correcting me!

I bought it mainly because there was no wheat or corn flour listed. I had been buying organic until I found this and was just pleased that it didn't bother Duncan.

[MyPemCharlie]

I'm not very impressed with the list of ingredients in Karma. Organic or not, it's very grain heavy. The second ingredient, kamut, is a type of wheat. I'm staying away from corn, wheat, and soy (thought to cause allergies and/or not highly digestible). Using "wet" chicken reduces the meat content, as it is 80% water that dries off during processing. Karma lists 20% protein content in the guaranteed analysis, which is very low compared with most other brands.

I think their are much better foods available than Karma. I don't mind paying a premium price for Charlie's food, but I definitely expect to get a truly premium food for the money.

[LaRogue]

I don't think a lot of us have heard of Karma before(food I mean) made by Natura, the producers of Innova and California Natural.

It's been carried at one of my local independent pet stores since I've been shopping there. I agree with Chris, organic or not, I don't find the ingredients impressive, plus I need chicken and wheat free food and treats, so it is out for me.

Anything that includes the name 'organic' is expensive and most times the price is a rip-off. New Zealand has a lot of commercially sold orgainc food. In many cases the non-orgainic produced food is just as good - and considerably cheaper. Let the buyer beware!

Out of curiosity, does New Zealand allow the inclusion of genetically altered foods, such as corn and other grains, in their human or pet foods? How about growth homones and antibiotics in livestock and fowl? As I'm sure you know, in the United States these are included in our food chain with little to no disclosure and people are turning towards "natural" and "organic" foods in an effort to reduce the nasties they consume every day. I've been under the impression that New Zealand, along with many other countries, have more strict food guidelines, hence the huge US demand for your homone, antibiotic free lamb.

[Michael Romanos]

La Rogue - NZ does not commercially produce any genetically altered food. Careful scutiny is made of imported food which carries modification.

The vast number of dogs do not suffer any ill affects from wheat, corn etc and this food is actually beneficial to dogs. If a dog has an allergy to a certain food or foods, it is highly likely they have other problems as well.

[fogebotom]

Okay, once again pulling out previous job experience dealing with animal feeds and natural vs organics, here's somethings to chew on.

My good friend with the doctorate in animal nutrition is also a huge proponante of organics even going so far as being the director of the state's organic certification board.

Each and every state in the US has the ability to create their own rules for organic certification. Some have multiple entites that certifiy and that creates even more confusion.

Yes organic is more expensive. The reason is that there is no reliable way to mass produce the product. Smaller farms are established because larger mass quantities of animals set up situations for disease issues. Smaller farms also do not have the mass buying power of a larger producer. The basics on organics to start with is that you have to have the livestock or grain production on ground that for a min of 3 years has no pesticides, herbicides or what ever used on them. Each year you have to produce records, be inspected and certified. Processing can only happen in facilities that are certified, same with any transporting farm to table. That's why it's more expensive.

Natural is a word thrown around too liberally. For the most part, many who feel that the certification process is too hard to deal with or unrealistic will label and can label their product as natural. Small Farmer's Journal, recent additon, has a wonderful story about Apple Family Farms, that explains a lot of this. You have to be very careful on that word and investigate as best as you can. Many just like to throw it around because they can and it's the in thing to use.

Organic produce used in any food that is labeled organic must be able to provide proof of organic certification if asked.

Currently we are attempting to go natural with our ducks with the hope in 3-5 years of having an organic flock. Dogs-well, will be as natural as we can but it's hard with them.

So anyone with any more questions--shoot them on over and I will try to answer as best as possible.

[Copper's Mommies]

We have been feeding Copper Merrick foods, both dry and canned, for about a year now. It has a lower grain content (not the first ingredient) than what he was getting (sience diet). I think that it totally makes a diffrence in his engery level and the health of his skin and coat. I have noticed since we switched he is "itchy" less often and his fur is a lot healthier looking.

As far as price goes, I would rather spend a little extra on the food and a lot less at the vet.

BTW: The Merrick canned food smells good (for dog food) and looks a lot like people food. I don't want to feed my pets something that makes me want to vomit when I put it in their bowl.