# California Natural Grain Free- Anyone? Anyone at all?



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Has anyone used this food yet? In any of the varieties? 
I get a lot of people interested in it, and the ingredients and analysis look exactly like I'd want them to if I was in the market for a limited ingredient, yet grain free, but not sure rich food, but I have yet to meet anyone with first hand experience with it.
I'm looking for any and all feedback, I feel so dumb when my customers are asking about it, and all I have to talk about is the info on the bag. It's not selling well here at all, I was hoping more of our regular Cal nat customers would want to check it out, but they for the most part all tried other grain free foods (mind you, the incredibly rich ones) with poor results, and haven't really given this one a second though.


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

I'd be interested as well. I feed Cal Nat Lamb & Rice currently, after poor results with Nature's Variety Instinct, which is grain-free.


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

i was excited when i first heard about it....but disppointed when i saw it. for me, i seek out grain free foods for the higher meat content and two of the three Cali Nat grain free dont appear to have it. i was hoping for a limited ingredient grain free with high meat content.

unless a dog needs a limited ingredient food, there are much better grainless foods available, imo.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

buddy97 said:


> i was excited when i first heard about it....but disppointed when i saw it. for me, i seek out grain free foods for the higher meat content and two of the three Cali Nat grain free dont appear to have it. i was hoping for a limited ingredient grain free with high meat content.
> 
> unless a dog needs a limited ingredient food, there are much better grainless foods available, imo.


This was my initial reaction, but then I thought about it...
The first ingredient is the only meat, BUT, that's one out of very few. 
Other kibbles may have three meat ingredients, But that's three out of like 50 ingredients, so is it fair to say that it has little meat?

I don't think that what you look for in a grain free food in general is fair to compare with what Cal Nat grain free is marketed for. Most grain free foods are incredibly rich (I personally have not ever had luck with them. Ever.) and California Natural is made to be a simple good, easy on the stomach, so of course it's going to be a bit different. I don't think it looks bad at all, but what I am not really able to explain, is how it's grain free, and still "mild".


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

Which flavor has the highest meat content?


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## Guest (Dec 10, 2010)

Jack Monzon said:


> Which flavor has the highest meat content?


The chicken.


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

CorgiPaws said:


> This was my initial reaction, but then I thought about it...
> The first ingredient is the only meat, BUT, that's one out of very few.
> Other kibbles may have three meat ingredients, But that's three out of like 50 ingredients, so is it fair to say that it has little meat?
> 
> I don't think that what you look for in a grain free food in general is fair to compare with what Cal Nat grain free is marketed for. Most grain free foods are incredibly rich (I personally have not ever had luck with them. Ever.) and California Natural is made to be a simple good, easy on the stomach, so of course it's going to be a bit different. I don't think it looks bad at all, but what I am not really able to explain, is how it's grain free, and still "mild".


when a food comes out to 25% protein, it just cannot have a very high meat content.

on the other point, i dont see the two ideas as mutually exclusive. i think a limited ingredient food can have a high meat content without being hard on the digestive tract.

look at one of the preferred diets for dogs having digestive upset....its usually cooked meat and rice.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

CorgiPaws said:


> This was my initial reaction, but then I thought about it...
> The first ingredient is the only meat, BUT, that's one out of very few.
> Other kibbles may have three meat ingredients, But that's three out of like 50 ingredients, so is it fair to say that it has little meat?


I think buddy97 thinks it doesn't have much meat content, because 2 formulas have 21% protein an 11% fat. I'd agree that the lamb and the venision formulas probably do not contain alot of meat. The chicken formula has 34% protein but only 12% fat. This is the first grainfree I saw with 12% fat.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

A diet containing only meat is about 18-24% protein....
I'm not so much looking for bag analysis, I can read. I'm looking for someone who has actually used the product with feedback. unfortunately, I have yet to find anyone, and i hate carrying a product no one uses. I guess it will be donated and swiped from the shelves.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

CorgiPaws said:


> A diet containing only meat is about 18-24% protein....
> I'm not so much looking for bag analysis, I can read. I'm looking for someone who has actually used the product with feedback. unfortunately, I have yet to find anyone, and i hate carrying a product no one uses. I guess it will be donated and swiped from the shelves.


Even though it is grainfree, they seem exactly like the other formulas, except for the grainfree part. The exception is the grainfree chicken formula. It's got alot more protein and uses chicken fat instead of sunflower oil. My point is, there probably just as good as the other california natural formulas and another option if dogs are allergic to grains. I think there another useful tool to have in the california line up, especially the venison formula. It might actually be a good idea, for allergic dogs to rotate between all the california natural formulas. This way they don't develop grain allergies, in addition to whatever other allergies they have. Sorry I couldn't give any advice from using them, but it's good to see them added to the CN lineup.


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

CorgiPaws said:


> A diet containing only meat is about 18-24% protein....
> I'm not so much looking for bag analysis, I can read. I'm looking for someone who has actually used the product with feedback. unfortunately, I have yet to find anyone, and i hate carrying a product no one uses. I guess it will be donated and swiped from the shelves.


Please "donate" it to me and I'll be happy to give you feedback.


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

CorgiPaws said:


> A diet containing only meat is about 18-24% protein....
> .


including the high water content of meat, since that is a a per weight basis. on a dry matter basis, its much closer to the highest protein % kibbles. a kibble which has the vast majority of water removed that only has 21% protein would have very little meat content.

this is just my perspective from the gsd forum i am on, but most of us associate grain free with higher protein/meat content. seeing a grain free food with such a low protein % is an immediate turn off. 

maybe thats not the issue at all. the cali natural grain free did come out right around the time of the announced P&G acquisition, so that could have affected perceptions as well.


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## Dana (Oct 27, 2009)

I have been using the venison formula since June. My rottie mix has problems with lamb and chicken, and she's got a sensitive stomach. Tried all the other grain free (EVO, Solid Gold, Orijen) and also Honest Kitchen. Just too rough on her stomach. She has done GREAT on this food. I agree about the meat content, so I top it off with some of the EVO canned (venison) or fresh ground raw buffalo meat (bought at Whole Foods). FWIW, I think the ingredients and meat content appear to be better than the Natural Balance LID with venison (meat isn't even the first ingredient on that one)! Hope this helps.......:smile:

Dana


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