ORGANIX Winners Get Bonus Bowls

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
ORGANIX and More....

This latest promotion of our dogs' favorite chow has really brought out some newbies, along with our long time readers who are always a pleasure to have paying us a visit. It's been fun watching the chatter on various social media. With new bowls up for grabs along with a 25 lb. bag to each winner, you guys have really shown off your enthusiasm. Thanks and please remember that both Castor and Pollux and yours truly love to see "after" photos!

I have to clear up one important matter. One curious and concerned reader wrote to ask if I was really putting Oliver on a diet--LOL!  Good heavens! Under all that fluff he weighs in at 10 lbs. I think he's good! 

What I do plan to do is check the weights of each of our winners to assure we don't give a Chihuahua-sized bowl to a Great Dane winner, or vice versa. You get the idea. Our winners will receive a specialty bowl--or in some cases a pair of them--properly suited to their dog's size. 

More importantly, however, these lucky pups will get to enjoy the transition to an organic food, made by the manufacturer's own company from quality ingredients without toxins or artificial tagalongs that we find in other foods. Oh happy day!

We'd like to help you make this transition completely so that you'll discover the emerging benefits of this nutritious diet in the coat, behavior and health of your pup. Believe me, it's worth the time and effort to find out what you've been missing. Take the challenge and transition completely to the new food, noting changes in your dog as you go along. Be sure to let us know how it goes.

Drum roll please....our winners are: Bryn N., Jackie dogmoma, J. Diehl, and L. Glickman. I'll be in touch via AllThingsDogBlog@gmail.com. Watch your inbox and your spam file or feel free to write to me. I'll need your dog's weight and your full name and shipping address.

Happy tails,

As my primary advertiser, Castor and Pollux Pet compensates me for the ad you see at the top of my posts column. As their biggest fan, I serve their food to my dogs and recommend it whole heartedly. This giveaway was written entirely by me and contains only my own opinions.

Organic Pet Food Giveaway: Try ORGANIX and Score a Bowl Surprise Too!

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Bowls and Chow for Your Fido!

Don't kid yourself about our All Things Dog Blog giveaways. We aim to please, even when it means bribery. This month's ORGANIX giveaway is getting a leg up with an assortment of bowls for our 4 winners to assure that dinner is served in style.

Our goal? We want to give you a goodly amount of this nutritious kibble so that you'll take your time, make the transition, and allow yourself to watch the changes in your dog that result in a truly healthful meal each day. Will your dog's coat gain shine and softness, will his behavior calm, will he appear more satisfied? Whatever the change, we know your dog will enjoy this food. 

 As of October, 2013 both Merrick and Castor and Pollux have earned the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Level 3 certification for its 195,000 square foot facilities located in Hereford, Texas. Moreover, Merrick's facilities are the world's only known Organic certified manufacturer that makes its own food to achieve this level of certification for both dry and canned food for pets under the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). That's safety to cheer about!

As we draw our winners, the bowls will be assigned to the winners based on size, so each will be a surprise. We're looking forward to seeing a lot of variety in our Fido's entries, including their weigh-in on the scale!

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Time for a Weigh In :)

In order to win, you need only use the Rafflecopter entry form at the bottom of this post. Occasionally, however, we have to admonish this widget for lack of responsiveness. If this happens, just click on the title of the post to snap it back to attention. Then you can enter and have fun.

Entries will remain open through midnight on Thursday, August 21. We'll announce the winners on Friday afternoon, August 22. Just as the widget indicates, each one of our lucky winners will receive a 25 lb. bag (or the equivalent in smaller bags) of ORGANIX organic dog food. Be sure to let us know two things with a comment: your dog's weight and his favorite variety of ORGANIX kibble. 

Good luck to you all. I'll be back on August 22 with a list of winners.

As my primary advertiser, Castor and Pollux Pet compensates me for the ad you see at the top of my posts column. As their biggest fan, I serve their food to my dogs and recommend it whole heartedly. This column was written entirely by me and contains my own opinions only.

Choosing an Organic Pet Food

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Chow Time

Whether your pet food shares the USDA Organic Seal or a certified seal like OCIA, your food choice is largely organic. True, USDA organic does promise a larger percentage of organic ingredients. But this guarantee does not come without a price, and I'm not speaking here about dollars. 

Pet food, unlike human food, has fewer suppliers and manufacturers. Just as with human organic foods, the companies often tend to be small. While I love the mom-and-pop operations, there tends to be one significant drawback to purchasing the USDA Organic foods from the very small makers--reliable availability. For my pets, this is a huge matter.

As you may know, changing your pets' food means digestive shifting. Food changes should be made gradually over a period of a week or more to assure that your pet does not experience digestive upset. Not only will this likely create messes for you, but it isn't much fun for your pet either.

No matter how you look at this decision, locating a brand that will be reliably available is critical to the success of your choice, both for you and for your pets. Ask questions, talk to other customers, and even go so far as to inquire with employees about the products that are most likely to be in stock each time you visit. 

On the heels of that advice comes one additional detail. If you choose to go with USDA  Organic food, for your pets' sake, please stay well stocked. Don't wait till the last minute to visit the store to get an additional supply. And further, do your homework to locate a second (and even a third) store in your area that carries the brand and flavor you have selected. You'll need backups to keep your pets' tummies calm. 

While this topic may seem a bit mundane to you, I encourage you to take it seriously before making a switch. I learned the hard way that no matter which USDA Organic brand

you select, you're likely to run into stock issues at some point. That's the reason I made the

switch to an organic food that is certified by OCIA--Natural Balance. The only downside is that there is a somewhat lower percentage of organic ingredients in the package. I found this compromise was well worth the reliable stock I find at my local pet supply stores--all of them!

Missed some of the earlier posts in this series? Check 'em out here:

• Pet Health and Nutrition: What We’ve Learned
• Dogs Living Green: What Got Us Started
• Reading Pet Food Labels
• Buy Your Pet Food With Confidence
• Pet Food Categories: Their Meanings?

As an NBInsider, I share information, news and educational pieces about Natural Balance, their products and their business. My dedication to feeding my dogs organic food has not changed.

Dogs Going Green: Options...

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© AllThingsDogBlog circa 2009
My Pack Gathers on Earth Day 2009

Every now and then it happens--a reader gets in touch with me privately and shares the budget challenges that sometimes get in the way of bringing the best nutrition to their pet. Their anxiety is often palpable.  I've done my research on where to put your dollars when there are not enough to go around. The answers often still do not allow for organic food for ourselves or our pets. It's a reality that we must sometimes deal with.

You do have options for a healthier diet for your pets. If organic just can't wiggle into your budget, choose the best ingredient list you can find. Skip the artificial flavors and colors, look for a named meat (or poultry) and meat or poultry meal at the top of the ingredient list. Don't settle for corn or other grains as a protein source.

Look for whole grains when they are included--not pieces of the grain. For example, whole grain brown rice includes the most nutrient-rich part of the rice grain; watch for the whole grain intact.

Seek out exceptional sources of fiber and carbohydrates like oatmeal, which is not widely used in pet food because of its cost. And fresh vegetables always score higher in nutrition. 

Finally, look for added EFAs (essential fatty acids) such as Omega 3 and Omega 6 or flaxseed oil. As your pet ages, his coat and skin will need this more and more. Give him a

courtesy Natural Balance

good start!

Need a suggestion? Check out Natural Balance's Original Ultra Dry Dog Formula for an exceptional food at a reasonable price. There are options when you simply cannot do organic.

I'll even give you a little budget bump. Here's a Coupon for $5 off 5 lbs or more through 10/31/13. You can also grab additional savings on your next bag with the coupons you'll receive when you click on the ad at the top of my site. Is it raining dollars?!!

Missed some of our earlier Green Dogs posts? Check them out here:

Pet Health and Nutrition: What We’ve Learned

Dogs Living Green: What Got Us Started

Reading Pet Food Labels

Buy Your Pet Food With Confidence

Pet Food Categories: Their Meanings?

As an NB Insider, I share information about Natural Balance, focusing largely on their organic formula. Today's post shares a good alternative to organic, when you need other options. 
NB Insiders receive paid travel to industry events and pet food for their furry families in exchange for sharing news and information about Natural Balance's products and events.

Scavenger Hounding: Play to Win Organix Pet Food

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© Carrie Boyko
Dinner, Please?

In case you haven't noticed, I'm out to introduce as many of you as possible to a great dog food--our dog food. Today we'll be testing out a Scavenger Hunt idea. Who know's what I'll come up with next time. Ideas? I'd love to hear yours.

What can you win? I'll be giving away six coupons for FREE 5.25 lb. bags of the Organix pet food of your choice. They have a wide variety of options including the new grain-free food, so check out their formulas here. If you're wondering where to find a local supplier, you can find their store locator by clicking the logo at right.


You'll have options for entering this contest below, but the first entry is the mandatory one. Beyond that, it's up to you whether you continue to increase your odds or simply stick with your Scavenger Hunt answer. The last two options, a comment or a photo with caption, are worth 2 entries.


What are you hunting for? Tanner and Oliver love to enjoy my special frozen treats filled with Organix canned food along with dry kibble and a favorite organic vegetable. To get your mandatory entry, you must scour the posts on our healthy choices in eating listed in the links below. Here are the two questions you need to answer for an entry:

1. What organic vegetable do Tanner and Oliver enjoy in a frozen treat made with Organix dog foods?
2. Tell me the date that I posted a complete entry on how to make these delicious treats for your pup?

When you have the answers to both of the entry questions, email them to me at AllThingsDogBlog@gmail.com. I'll reply to these emails daily, so you'll find out quickly whether your answer is correct or not. When you get my "Okay to Proceed" reply, you can check the "I've Done This" box and move on to extra entries if you wish. Once again, extra entries are not required to win. Following are the blog posts I suggest you scavenge for your answers.

Our Pet Food Pantry: A Little History

Your Dog's Food: Why is Organic Healthier?

Our Dogs' Food: The Big Decision

Dog Food D-Day: The Big Reveal

Surprise Dog Toys Awarded to Observant Winners

Organix Dog Food Giveaway: 12 Bags of Healthy Goodness

Busy Bones Go Organic with Organix

Organix Busy Bones a Big Hit

Small Dog Issues: Tear Stains Reduced with Organic Dog Food

Organix Crumb Cookies Get Kudos

Gradual Dog Food Changes for Calm Tummies

This contest will end Thursday, September 8th at midnight EST. Answers to the mandatory questions, however, must be submitted for approval no later than 3 PM EST that day. After I confirm your correct answer, you'll need to check the "I Did This" box before midnight for your entry to be registered. I'll make every effort to get all answers in soon after the 3 PM EST deadline.


Winners will be chosen by Random.org and announced on Friday afternoon, September 9th. Be sure to check back to see if you're one of the lucky ones, as well as to visit our Fido's Freebie Friday event of pet giveaways. You'll be able to check out all sorts of fun contests and freebies.


Want to learn more about Castor and Pollux's Organix and other products? Check out their Facebook page, follow them on Twitter, or visit their website for more answers. Good luck in the drawing.


If you don't win, I encourage you to check out your options for local purchase through the logo above, or online purchases. If the Rafflecopter entry form does not appear here, simply click the title to refresh. Good luck to you all!