California Natural

2 boxers. One with allergies, the other with sensitive stomach. My female with severe allegies has never looked so good as she looks now. The other little man boxer has finally put on more weight less loose stools. Believe in food rotation. They've been on Fromm, Pinnacle and this in last year. Also others as young puppies but figured out fast what worked. Getting ready to rotate again, have to say I'm scared. The lamb for one with allergies, the chicken for the one with sensitive stomach. I also supplement the CN with veggies and other proteins. Like Evanger's canned foods, 100% Rabbit for allergy dog and 100% Buffalo for sensitive stomach dog. Bake sweet pot here at home, just throw in microwave or oven...they're cheap at grocery store, chop up broc or whatever we have fresh or in freezer for greens. It has cut down on amount of dog food I have to purchase. Another trick. Feed them the CN puppy formula, limited ingredients. It has more fat and protein. My 17 month old... Read more

This food is awful. I have 2 male Bearded collies, 1 is 3 1/2 and the other is 12. Both have been on the Lamb & rice for quite some time, thought I was giving a good food. In January my young dog developed vomiting and even after taking him to my vet 3 times, he started vomiting blood. Had to take him to a specialist, he found 3 ulcers and an inflamed small intestine. His heart rate was also very low, 48, it should be between 60 and 100 I believe for dogs their size. His rate is now back to normall He is now on Flaygl and pepcid and I have no idea how long he will have to be on it. Then at the end of February my old boy also started to vomit bile every morning. Took him to my vet , had a complete blood workup done as well as a urinalisis only to find that he had oxalte crystels in his urine. Took him off the food immediately and have been cooking for both, had his urine tested again this week after cooking for him for 3 weeks and low and behold, there are no more crystels. I will neve... Read more

It was my understanding their dog food had a low ph for dogs who have had sturvite stones. I found out they don't put a ph # on their food which tells me it is more acidic than I want for my dog. What a hoax! I won't be using their food and am warning others who may be thinking the same. 3 stars

This dog food made my dog very sick. Explosive diarrhea and vomiting. I don't know how this product is staying on the market, we paid 58 dollars for a bag of food, 35 dollars on Nature's Miracle, 8 dollars on paper towels and 4 dollars for rubber gloves. Not to mention the chicken, rice, papaya, and acidopholis he had to take to right his system. Poor guy! I would never recommend this food to anyone. Our dog doesn't have a sensitive stomach. I would normally think that this was just a batch that needs to be recalled but the many other reviews prove that this company has a problem. Don't risk it. We're considering moving to a raw, natural diet after this.

My English Bulldog eats California Natural Grain-Free Lamb Meal, and he loves this food. He has not had any adverse reaction to this Food. Those Reviewers who state California Natural Dog food is "terrible" is really doing this food an injustice, because chances are it is NOT the food, but it is YOUR DOG that's the problem, and their reaction to the food. The food is not "BAD FOOD". So to share that this food is "Terrible" is really shameful! I highly recommend California Natural dog foods.

I have a 2 1/2 year old lab mix who is allergic to just about everything. I had tried numerous types of food all resulting in an allergic reaction. After she last food allergy (resulting in nearly $400 of veterinary care) I switched her to California Natural. She for the past year has had no problems when on this food. The only down side is that it is more expensive than other foods. And having two other dogs it's difficult to afford quality food for all of them. However it's worth the money-when money was tight I attempted to change to a slightly less expensive yet similar brand she do as well as when on California Natural. I'm also glad that they have a wide range of protein choices available, rather than the typical sources; chicken, beef & lamb.

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010, Procter and Gamble (Manufacturers of Iams and Eukanuba) announced that they have reached an agreement to purchase Natura Pet Products, manufacturer of Innova, EVO, California Natural, Karma, and Healthwise. Because P&G cares about profit and not about pet health, and because P&G has a proven track record of high marketing values of low quality foods, I can no longer give Natura brands, including California Natural, a good rating. California Natural USED to be a solid, four-star food, known for being a limited ingredient diet. It's unfortunate that Natura felt the need to sell out to a corporation with such a poor record in the pet food industry.

I recently bought a bag of california natural healthbars lamb and rice for my dog and was DISCUSTED when I snapped one in half and found it was FULL of hair. I kept taking more and more out of the bag and snapping them in half and they were all full if hair. Thick black whisker like hair, thin white hair, even orange hair (I've certainly never seen an orange lamb). I called my local pet store about the discusting product, they were nice enough to refund me my $12.00 for the hairy cookies and pulled all the products from their shelf. I emailed a complaint letter to the company and as well placed a phone call. I never heard back from my email and the lady I spoke with on the phone basically told me it was ok that the cookies were full of hair. I will never buy any of their products ever again.

We started our 2 dachshunds on CN (California Natural Chicken Meal & Rice Adult Dry Dog Food) on Friday and they are both very sick. One was admitted to the hospital yesterday diagnosed with hemorrhagic colitis - very bloody diarrhea which led to severe dehydration. She was started on fluids immediately and given a heavy dose of antibiotics. She was put on a 12 hour water and food fast and started a rice and cooked chicken regimen this AM. Our other dog has had diarrhea also (but not as severe since no bleeding) and vet has recommended same course of bland diet. Vet told us to throw out the food. I don't know what this company is putting in their food but it's wrong and needs to be stopped before more animals suffer. I am an attorney and plan on writing a letter to this company, as well as, reporting the incident to the necessary authorities. If any of you on this site are interested in including your name on this correspondence, please feel free to send me a message.

I am a dog breeder and spare no expense in feeding my puppies and adults high quality food. After meticulously combing the WDJ and being pleased that they manufacture their own food I chose to go with a Natura food which includes Innova, Evo & California Natural. I liked the fact that CN offered a lamb and rice puppy food and went with that. All of my puppies in the litter have had horrible digestive upset like I have never experienced before! First pudding poop which I thought could be related to weaning but progressed to diarrhea with tinges of blood. All of the puppies were given fecals which came out completely clean. In the end a vet finally decided it had to be the food. Round one: So 8 hrs of fasting with water per the vet, four days of rice cooked with chicken - pepto bismal etc... and the puppies stools returned to normal. Slowly I reintroduced the CN and within days back to the same diarrhea!!! After a vet concluded it must be the food, I repeated round one but now have r... Read more

My Shepherd mix had some food allergies and easily upsets his stomach, I rotate this with Innova, and Healthwise because he also needs some form of carbs in his diet or he drops weight. the grains and starches found in this are less likely to have adverse reactions then other grains, and is the first food i recommend to people that have a dog or cat that needs a minimal ingredient diet. I only feed the lamb and rice of this specific brand of food, since chicken, and fish are more likely to cause allergies to the product. The limited ingredients often also have the adverse affect if a dog does not do well on too much chicken and fish. lamb, buffalo, and turkey are the best meats to give your pooch, and i suggest rotating and combining foods to keep your dog interested and well rounded. but not too well rounded ;)

Turns out IAMs is full of synthetic crap... which bothers me because we'd been feeding it to our dog, Blue, for years. The change in Blue's health and appetite, since switching from IAMs to California Natural has been nothing short of dramatic. Accept no substitutes. We now know from many sources that Cal Natural is the best out there.

I have been a loyal fan of California natural's food over the past years. Until I had major problems with the Herring and Sweet Potato dry food I had my newly owned Dog (Sept 2009) on. Like similar reviews I found, he had massive digestive problems the whole time I had him on this food. It wasn't until half-way through the bag before everything got worse before it got better, and I just could NOT feed this to him anymore no matter how much he liked it. I was happy when I finally found a dog food that would work with his allergies (cocker spaniel), and he liked, but it was doing some wicked things to his digestive system. I had just switched him to Wellness Simple Solutions Salmon and Rice formula a week ago and it was like magic. All the issues were cleared up in about a day, THANK GOD! He was competing with my boyfriends gas and winning (he could have cleared Times Square), not to mention having bloody and loose stools - not good! So far so good on the wellness, he seems to like it, i... Read more

Review of California Natural Lamb & Rice Large Bites. Our 3 year old adopted springer/poodle mix, Charlie, started having diarrhea soon after we brought him home. We didn't know if this was an issue before we owned him. His previous owner fed him "whatever was on sale". I slowly switched him to Wellness brand food which I have had great success with other dogs in the past. This seemed too rich for him, so I slowly switched to Wellness Simple. Still too rich. We also tried weeks of medicine through the vet which helped a little but not much. Plus, we did some testing for worms and other possible stomach "bugs". Through all this trial and error, Charlie seemed fine except for the diarrhea. I'm not sure if he really even noticed a problem! We finally switched him to Hill's prescription i/d food which worked at once. I was happy with the result but am, personally, not a fan of Hill's brand food and wanted to feed Charlie something more natural and "real", for lack of a bette... Read more

I loved this food for God knows how long, maybe 5 years. But now, like the other reviewer, my dog started having the same problems: loose stools, urinary accidents, and even vomitting. They have dropped their quality dramatically. I think the economical crisis got them, too. I am changing my; dog's food ASAP. PS:I know it is the food, because have been to the vet numerous times in the past two months and she had every test done, the geriatric profile, urine sample, stool sample, you name it!!!!!

I use California Natural Lamb & Rice for my 9 year old shepherd Terrier mix. She has a very sensitive stomach and after years of trying numerous different brands this one finally made a difference. It's all natural and only has three ingredients: lamb meal, rice, and sunflower oil so how could you go wrong. On other foods my dog used to have soft stools and vomit frequently but that rarely happens anymore. When it does, I give her California Natural canned food (any variety) and that seems to help even better than the dry. However, I stick with the dry because it's cheaper and better for her teeth. I have a lot of faith in this food and highly recommend it for any dog.

If I could give this zero stars I would. As the reviewer below stated, her dog became ill in early December, so did my mom's (who was really mine when I lived with them)! Coincidental timing? Hmm... My dog began having soft stools, then diarrhea. One month later, not relating this irregularity to her food (why? b/c you pay gurus for it and supposed to be one of the best), but possibly to the different treats she was receiving from my baby, she began to faint. Her collar became tight, her nails were dry and chipping, her fur was dull, she was bloated like a fat tick on a dog, her ankles weren't as skinny, she was lethargic, acting old, sleeping more! The list goes on and on... She fainted twice within two days. Brought her to the vet, they said she was definitely dehydrated and they did an EKG. I'm a dietitian and began thinking about the processes. My guess? Her potassium had dropped below normal levels and caused malfunctions with the electrical impulses of her heart that ... Read more

Dogs love it, ingredients are great, not as pricey as some of the other high end foods. I switch between this to Innova large bites , and add a little Evo canned food once a day. Havent had a problem with any of it.

I've mistakenly reviewed another dog food as this dog food. Please disregard.

I love this food I feed my cats their canned food. They love it. As for the kibble its great for those with sensitivities and allergies.

1 star (put your rating here! 1-5 stars) I bought a new bag of California Natural Small Bites Lamb Meal and Rice and fed it to my pug. My dog started to have bad diarrhea. I stopped feeding CN to him for a while, and the diarrhea cleared up. I could not believe it was the dog food that was doing this, so I again fed him CN. Diarrhea again. There is something very unhealthy in this food. Avoid it. Al Celmer Fort Lauderdale, Florida

i wish i could give this zero stars. i thought i was putting my dog on something better. i just want the best for him. i started switching him from iams (gradually for two weeks), which he was doing well with. But when i had him completely on california natural his health deteriorated. he was tired, no longer lively. He had horrible gas and diahhrea. I felt so bad for having put him through it. I am very upset with california natural . what a rip off...and my poor dog. i switched him over to healthwise lamb. i know it's the same company but i think the simple ingredients are better. no extra things that hike up the cost and make him sick. DO NOT FEED THIS TO YOUR DOG

Started my new yellow lab puppy on Innova puppy food. Profuse diarrhea, and vomiting. Severe dehydration. Puppy would not go near this food. Had to switch back to previous food and feed chicken and rice for 3 days. Barley may be the ingredient that is difficult to digest. I was very disappointed with this food. Notice - This communication may contain confidential and privileged information that is for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any viewing, copying or distribution of, or reliance on this message by unintended recipients is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message and deleting it from your computer.

I have a Wheaten Terrier who had been on several types of dog food before I came upon CA Natural. Those previous types included Nutro, Eucanuba, Iams (Vet prescrip) and Candidae. She would have bleeding fungus between her toes, bleeding sores on her stomach and chronic infections in her ears and under her tail. She was like a walking pharmacy and we thought that we would eventually own stock in her vet's office with all of the treatments and medications. Poor thing. I was told that this breed is prone to skin-related disorders and to be prepared that she would continually be prescribed serious meds like steroids to keep her "healthy." After all, when a vet tells you something, you believe it, right? When that horrible scare happened with the plastic in dog food, it prompted me to do research and that's when I came upon good reviews for CA Natural Dog Food. I gave it a try, as even the vet-prescribed dog food was on the alert list. Within a very short time, her sores under her tail and... Read more

I purchased several cans of chicken and lamb with rice (two different kinds, same brand). Last night my dog had a terrible bout with direrreah. He's not allowed outside loose so I can't think of anything else it could be from although I'm not 100% certain either. How can you be?? But just to be on the safe side, I will not buy it again and see what happens.

I have 2 Pugs. I got my first Pug as a 12 week old puppy and fed her Eukanuba for the first 5 years of her life because the breeder told me it was a great food. Wrong. When the contaminated dog food fiasco happened, I researched Eukanuba, discovered it to be a horrible food and switched her to Blue Buffalo, which gave her immediate and constant "pudding poops". Next up was Canidae until they went behind everybody's back and started cheapening their ingredients. By this time, I had added another Pug to my family, a little 3 year old rescue. When the reports started surfacing on the internet about how the new Canidae was making so many dogs deathly sick, I started my little girl on California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice. I had to go with CN Lamb Meal and Rice for the boy because he has many allergies. Both dogs are doing great on CN. Lots of energy, nice firm stools, no gastric problems of any kind. I am especially impressed with how my little guy's coat has improved. He was almost bal... Read more

I thought I had found something great for my terrier mix puppy that scratches and chews a lot. She did show improvement with that. But, when I switched her completely over to the lamb and rice California Natural she came down with severe diarrhea even with some blood in it. I'm still trying to get her completely well again. I will take a close look at the food itself as suggested since I haven't returned it yet, but definitely will be taking it back for a refund. I think this food is dangerous to pets from my experience and what I read here.

I found clear plastic fibers sticking out of the kibble. Thank God I only gave it to my dog once. This is going back to the store. Now I need to find another food for my BIchon puppy.

My cat started eating CN chicken and rice when she developed a vaccine reaction or and began swelling and coughing daily. I am not sure if this food is so good, i noticed these hard whitish chunk in the food that look like bones along with the black chucks! even saw what seemed like white fuzz in the food on close inspection! This is very strange! I also put some food down on white computer paper and came back the next day it the paper looked soaked with grease! If you don't believe me try it! Examine your pets food in bright lights and look for these things. I noticed it when I washed my cats food bowl out and was quite shocked. These hard bone like beige chucks can't be good for cats teeth, I noticed she has a discolored tooth since shes been eating this food. I'm scared because I don't know what else to give her with now that shes sick.

I got a smooth coated Collie from Collie rescue. He was ematiated and his coat was coarse, brittle, spotty. I started CN. His coat grew in beautiful. I bought a large $45 bag once and he refused to touch it. I had to switch to another brand for a while. I recently started CN back up. I noticed the kibble was lighter in color also ( I feed the Lamb and rice). He loves it but within 2-3 weeks he has lost just about all his hair again. His skin is not red yet, but he is starting to lick his feet. I can not believe how the hair has fallen out in chunks. He's not bald yet but heading there. His coat is dull, and I noticed he is eating grass a lot. I really liked this food and now my trust level is wavering a bit.

BEWARE!!! We had feeding our dog CN Adult Lamb & Rice for a few years with no problems. We got another new dog and continued. CN then changed the formula... The kibble color was lighter and one of our dogs began puking on a regular basis. The other dog began having seizures. We took them off of the CN Lamb & Rice and have not had an incident for 6 months. Why they changed the formula is a mystery.

As a follow up, i'm convinced that it is the dog food that i causing these problems. I'm not here to bash CN but I'm trying to figure out what to do next as this is unacceptable especially since i'm paying 45 dollars a bag.

I've loved the CN Lamb and rice for our allergic cockapoo. She has been on it since we got her 2 1/2 years ago due to allergic reactions on the first food we put her on. Within the last 2-3 months she has been licking her paws like crazy. Vet said to try Benedryl, then we put her on Choratrimitron, still no luck. All of this seems to coincide with the new labeling. I've taken her off all treats and we aren't using anything new in the house (floor cleaners etc). She seems to really go at them right after eating, so I'm thinking something changed. I'm going to switch her food over to see if we get any different results.

I feed California natural to all 7 dogs. I got urine tested this week on 3 of my dogs since I started working at a vet and ALL HAVE HIGH PH AND CRYSTALS!!! Now I have to give them meds and switch to a urinary diet. None were showing signs of discomfort and did the urinalysis because I got a 50% discount. Thank god I caught this early before they developed into stones. I thought my dogs were doing great on this too!!! Always get your pest urine checked once a year. If I had not it could have wound up costing me major $ for surgery. I am very dissapointed as California Natural was the best thing for allergies and they seemed to be doing good. Now I have to get the other 4 dogs urine tested and I am sure they have it too!

I put my 11 month old bully baby on this food earlier this week.  He was experiencing loose stools and terrible gas from the Evo I had him on, but they firmed up in two days on the California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato. I'm seeing small improvements in his coat already so hopefully this high omega 3 food will help with his dermatitis.  I do feed him a mixture of shredded boiled chicken and brown rice twice a week just to keep his diet well balanced, I also give him 1 tablespoon of plain whole milk yogurt at each feeding to aid in digestion.  Yogurt in small doses is good for bulldogs, not sure about other breeds.

I have a 3-4 year old shitzu mix that I started feeding CN's Salmon and Sweet Potatoe wet food mix too. Within 8 hours my dog had horrible runs, it is now over 36 hours later and she still can barely take in food, and I need to walk her every 20 minutes in order to somewhat preserve my house. I will never again go near this food and now I am seriously considering switching her to human food.

I've noticed a difference as well. I switched from Iams to CN hoping for a difference and it was great. However like the poster before (southern Maryland) i noticed a color change in the product and my little guys stomach is upset more often than not now. I'm not sure what happened but I did call into CN and they said they didn't switch their formula or antything like that. Something is wrong here and i'm getting tired of the commercial dog food industry.

Have had good results with CN Chicken and Rice for my dog who has allergies and other sensitivities. Opened a new bag last night, added my usual warm water to her food, and in a few minutes I noticed her food did not smell right. I did feed her, thinking maybe it was just me, and this morning she has been very nauseated. She has enjoyed CN but now I will look for something else, as CN may be inconsistent in its quality control, have also noticed color differences in the past. This particular bag has an exp. date of Aug. 12, 2009. Has anyone else had problems recently? Southern Maryland

The California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato stabilized both my labs - 5yr and 18month after a run in with the Wellness "new bag but same ingredients and formula" fiasco. They had been on Wellness for year(s) - since the aflatoxin scare - then a new group bought the company and I suspect their protein source for Chick and Rice changed - as did both my girls' stools and not for the better! The Herring and SPot mix has been great for both - coats are coming in very dense and their ears are cleaner and eyes seem to be brighter - I can even use the kibble for training as they LOVE the scent and know we are working right away!

I thought that I did careful research before starting my pup on CN chicken.  What a disappointment!!  After 3 weeks of carefully adapting him to CN he has developed severe diarrhea and now won't even touch the food.  He has had no other food, no treats or snacks.  My vet is now treating him for enteritis.  My poor pup!

This food digests well. It is easy for my dog to chew and nutritional. He loves the taste, and is great for large and small dogs. I have six dogs, and all do well on this food. I highly recomend California Naturals. It digests very well.

My own dogs are on the Herring and Sweet Potato formula (although, I do change brands after every two bags, so my results may not be the same as others who are always feeding this food).  Every time they get back on to California Natural, their coats and their eyes are fabulous and shiny.  I have noticed that the stoole on CN is larger and more wet (absorbs more water) than when they are on other foods- because of this, the stoole smells worse.  I honestly don't know if a slightly more wet stoole is better or worse for the dog.  My dogs are notorious for not drinking enough water and their stooles are, in my opinion, usually too dry.  But, overall health is fabulous and the food is afordable and easy to switch on to- we usuaully use it to get foster dogs off of Science Diet without having to take a week to slowly switch it over- we just abruptly switch food.

I have used CN Lamb and Rice for years, since my 15 yo Yorkie has a sensitive stomach and this was the first food that never seemed to bother her. I will say that in August 2008 I have gotten 2 different bags of Lamb and Rice small bite that one of my four dogs will not eat, and my 15 yo Yorkie has gotten repeated stomach upsets. I am not sure if this is a quality control issue or possibly spoiled food (is the distributor letting it get too hot in storage etc) but the kibble appears darker than normal with more of an odor than previous. I hope very much that this is a temporary problem I have seen. Otherwise, I have always thought this was one of the best foods on the market.

As I have mentioned two posts down, the dog developed sympotoms (low energy, sleeping a lot, increased water consumption) and got higher BUN 3 weeks into mixing CN w/ dry Innova. I have been feeding dry Innova mixed w/ little bit of human food (lean meat and veggies) for the past 2-3 weeks. Symptoms are gone and BUN is down to 27 (upper normal limit) from 30. I already made an appointment w/ a dog nutritionist (a faculty member at a large University) and I am gonna start home cooking. I had enough of the dog food industry!