Castor & Pollux Organix Dry Grain-Free DOG FOOD Review

With a score of 5/10, Castor & Pollux Organix Dry Grain-Free dog food Is considered a moderate risk dog food. There are 3 recipes that average 26% protein and 39% carbohydrates as calculated. 

This line loses ingredient quality points for its high carbohydrate content. This is a grain-free line yet it includes high starch ingredients like sweet potatoes, potatoes, peas and tapioca that boost the carb content. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrate but starch is required for extrusion in dry foods like these. Excessive carbohydrates are an indicator of low quality foods as they are used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.

This line also loses significant ingredient quality points for added vitamins and minerals. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources and their inclusion is usually due to poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes. 

Recipes use sunflower oil, which is a highly processed and highly inflammatory oil. It’s an inexpensive alternative to higher quality animal fats and oils.

The ingredient safety score is lower because, like all kibbles, Organix Dry Grain-Free is ultra-processed. The individual ingredients in dry dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Ultra processed foods are often supplemented as we see here. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species. 

Also on the safety side it’s noteworthy that all dog foods in Castor & Pollux’ Organix line are made with organic ingredients. Organic ingredients are non-GMO and avoid the risk of pesticide/herbicide residues in conventionally grown crops. However, Organix Dry Grain-Free loses points for added natural flavor. This ingredient is often animal digest or MSG, which are both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.

There’s also a concern about ingredient splitting in these foods. This is the practice of splitting ingredients into sub-categories (like peas, pea protein and pea flour) to make them appear lower in the ingredient list. It’s often done to disguise the amount of lower quality ingredients in the food.

It’s also worth noting that the line contains sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s usually added in very small amounts. However some research suggests that sodium selenite may be associated with potential toxicity, so selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral. 

The label does not provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.