#OrganicPet Food Survey Says...

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

This infographic is sponsored by Castor and Pollux, the makers of ORGANIX. I have not been compensated to participate in this project.

What is Organic Pet Food?

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© AllThingsDogBlog.com 
What Exactly Does USDA Organic Mean to You?

Most of you know that I've been feeding my dogs ORGANIX organic dog food for, well, years. I've lost count. Today I'm participating in an #OrganicPet survey to collect some data on what your perception of organic is. This is going to be fun, since understanding what you believe about organic is very important to understanding what I can do to continue to educate you and myself about this important topic. You can help by giving me just a few minutes to take the organic pet food survey.

Just in case you're passing up this chance to offer your

insight, I timed my own taking of this 6-question survey. It took me a whopping 21 seconds. Can you spare 21 seconds to help us create more accurate information to use in our sharing. Thanks!


Along with a group of us in this mini research project, we'll be tabulating the data and creating an infographic to share our findings. Are you curious? I can't wait to see it. I've read so much about this original method of food production and farming that I often forget what I thought about it before I started on this journey. Watch for the infographic to come as we approach Halloween. No spooky info, I promise. Just your answers. Join us!

Happy tails,

This survey, infographic and the follow up post that will share some of my insights on shopping for your pets' food, is sponsored by Castor and Pollux, the makers of ORGANIX. I have not been compensated to participate in this project, but Castor and Pollux is my site's primary advertiser, so I'm eager to learn what our readers know about organic pet food. More soon!

Fido's Freebie Friday Napped Till Today :)

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

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Oliver and Tanner have been in a Butcher and Bushel induced food coma, having done a lot of food reviews this past couple of weeks, in preparation for the #OrganicPet Twitter Party. The boys sure do enjoy their job! I have not heard a single complaint about overtime hours or dog labor laws! 

Now let's get to today's Fido's Freebie Friday. Bloggers are invited to list below their currently open giveaways, freebies, and prizes for pets and pet lovers so that readers may visit and explore items to win. You can help to get more awareness by sharing the badge you see in the top of my post. Feel free to put it in your sidebar, if you wish, but don't feel obligated.

Fido's Freebie Friday opens each Thursday afternoon for linkups at 4:00 PM ET, and renews each week at the same time with a new listing.  Link up anytime during the week--24/7. We make it easy to be seen here by keeping our rules simple:

•You have up to 45 characters to describe your prize and include an expiration date.

•Fido's Freebie Friday Blog Hop is open to posts with prizes for pet products or services, including pet-related or pet-themed items for owners. Use your specific post url to link up.You'll find assistance at our HELP PAGE, where there is other useful information for bloggers doing giveaways and reviews. Your hosts are All Things Dog Blog, 
DogTipper and To Dog With Love. Happy shopping!

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. All Things Dog Blog, DogTipper, and To Dog With Love take no responsibility for the legality of the rules governing the listings on other sites and giveaways that are posted here. We simply provide this forum as a gathering place for pet product giveaways to be offered. Please consult All Things Dog Blog's Giveaway and Contest Rules for more detail. Fulfillment of each giveaway is done by the blog conducting the giveaway, not by the hosts of this giveaway hop; please contact the giveaway host with any questions regarding a giveaway or giveaway prize.

Fido's Freebie Friday Loves #OrganicPet

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

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We're tap, tap, tapping away at our keyboards, busily planning the #OrganicPet Twitter Party, sponsored by Castor and Pollux's ORGANIX, that is coming your way on Sunday, May 4 from 8 to 9 PM ET. If you have not already RSVP'd, please do so at the link and be sure you've entered the pre-party giveaways as well, using the widget at the bottom of the post. We've got three prize packages, each worth $70, for these lucky winners.

There is so much to share at this party that we're all three running in circles to get ready, and our dogs are busy following right along! I had some fun today compiling a few of the pics for the party into this collage:

Every winner will score an amazing 4 bags of the new Jerky Chip cookies, along with cans of their newest USDA Organic Butcher and Bushel meals, Grain Free Organix kibble and a fab new pumpkin or sweet potato supplement. Get ready to give your dog a smorgasbord of healthy noms!

Follow @AllThingsDog

Now let's get to today's Fido's Freebie Friday. Bloggers are invited to list below their currently open giveaways, freebies, and prizes for pets and pet lovers so that readers may visit and explore items to win. You can help to get more awareness by sharing the badge you see in the top of my post. Feel free to put it in your sidebar, if you wish, but don't feel obligated.

Fido's Freebie Friday opens each Thursday afternoon for linkups at 4:00 PM ET, and renews each week at the same time with a new listing.  Link up anytime during the week--24/7. We make it easy to be seen here by keeping our rules simple:

•You have up to 45 characters to describe your prize and include an expiration date.

•Fido's Freebie Friday Blog Hop is open to posts with prizes for pet products or services, including pet-related or pet-themed items for owners. Use your specific post url to link up.You'll find assistance at our HELP PAGE, where there is other useful information for bloggers doing giveaways and reviews. Your hosts are All Things Dog Blog, 
DogTipper and To Dog With Love. Happy shopping!

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. All Things Dog Blog, DogTipper, and To Dog With Love take no responsibility for the legality of the rules governing the listings on other sites and giveaways that are posted here. We simply provide this forum as a gathering place for pet product giveaways to be offered. Please consult All Things Dog Blog's Giveaway and Contest Rules for more detail. Fulfillment of each giveaway is done by the blog conducting the giveaway, not by the hosts of this giveaway hop; please contact the giveaway host with any questions regarding a giveaway or giveaway prize.

Understanding Organic Pet Food

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

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courtesy USDA.org

During our upcoming #OrganicPet Twitter Party, hosted by Event Barkers team members All Things Dog Blog, ToDogWithLove.com and DogTipper.com, my primary job will be to sort out the facts from the fiction when it comes to the true meaning of organic on a food label. There are many misconceptions about what defines organic, and an equally large number of questions on many of your minds. 

I'll be on hand to share the facts about the National Organic Program, and I'll be accompanied by the social media team from Castor and Pollux. This trio will be answering your questions about their products, so make out your lists. This will be an excellent opportunity for you to get all your questions answered.

A good place to start is with the USDA Organic seal, shown above. When you see this seal on a product, whether in color or black and white, it is generally placed on the front label and is your singular confirmation that the contents of the package are at least 95% organic. You'll find this label on many of Castor and Pollux's products in the ORGANIX brand, most notably their canned meals. At #OrganicPet, we'll be discussing the newest line of these meals, Butcher and Bushel, that are produced using a newer technology which allows them to be pressure cooked inside the can. Watch for exciting news on this note as we move forward. We'll also have bunches of info on this during the party; really cool stuff that your dog is sure to salivate over.

courtesy Tilth.org

Other seals indicating a minimum of 70% certified organic content include those such as Oregon Tilth, a third party government contractor that certifies organic farming practices, products, ingredients and processing facilities. These agency seals will generally be located on the back of the product. Oregon Tilth is one of many such agencies, and happens to be the company that certifies the bagged kibble for ORGANIX. Are you asking yourself why pet parents would purchase a 70% organic product when 95% is available in canned product? That's an excellent question and one that I'd like to answer by sharing our story:

Some years ago when I began seeking an organic food for our pets, I found out the hard way what our Castor and Pollux social media team can probably tell you: It's tough to locate a reliable source for certain organic ingredients, making that 95% USDA organic product even more challenging to achieve. 
After scouring the larger pet supermarkets, I quickly learned that USDA Organic was not avaialable--at that time--via these retailers.

Next I hit the smaller natural food markets and what I call the "mom and pop" pet retailers--smaller, single store operations. I found quite a few USDA Organic pet foods that met my initial criteria, but quickly learned that continuity would become a huge problem.

Each time I returned to purchase another bag, the last brand I had served was either discontinued or out of stock indefinitely, leaving me with yet another decision to make--which new product to try THIS TIME.  This frustrating and time-consuming problem ended up to be my solution. As I chatted with the owner of one "mom and pop", she explained that the small organic pet food companies were all struggling with supply issues and that I might have better luck if I switched to an organic product made by a slightly larger company that included the 70% organic promise on their label. She introduced me to Castor and Pollux.

I sighed and began comparing labels. Who knew? I had completely overlooked the fact that these products, such as Castor and Pollux's ORGANIX, contained organic chicken, organic vegetables, organic fruits, and higher quality organic grains. "So where is the 30% that cannot be called organic?", I asked the store owner. It was right there on the label--the supplements, many that are wholefood ingredients added to provide vitamins and minerals. 

My last question for this shop keeper was the most obvious: "Which product is reliably in-stock?" Her reply was, "You're looking at it right now." I handed her the bag of ORGANIX and told her we'd be back again in a few weeks to see if, in fact, we were able to purchase the same product again. I'm sure you can guess the happy ending to this story.

The ORGANIX brand is built on a foundation of sourcing organic produce that are healthy and nutritious additions to their products. Tanner and Oliver have spent all of their lives on this organic diet, enjoying good health, shiny coats, and plentiful energy. We look forward to sharing more of the facts about organic foods at #OrganicPet.

 Have you marked your calendar? Join us on May 4, 8 PM-9 PM ET. Don't forget to RSVP here using the Giveaway Tools widget, and join in our pre-party giveaways, if you'd like to take a chance at winning now.

Here's to your #OrganicPet,

SOURCES:  Facts about the National Organic Program shared both here and during the #OrganicPet Twitter Party come from the official government website for the program: www.ams.usda.gov
All Things Dog Blog works with ORGANIX to educate the public on the benefits of feeding a healthy diet. While we generally share facts based on research, opinions shared are my own. My dogs are fed the ORGANIX kibble along with treats and special-occasion surprises such as Butcher and Bushel.

Dogs Living Green: Learn What Got Us Started

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
First Alert Xena 

Back in 2007 our Retriever mix, Xena, got some bad news--Liver cancer; inoperable--an uncertain prognosis. Shortly before, it had been my turn. I was the lucky one. The good news is that the condition of our health put me in the driver's seat. It was time to research the causes and learn more about how to protect the rest of my family. 

I did a lot of reading--more than I care to remember. What I learned probably won't shock you. We're poisoning our Earth. That beautiful green lawn that our Xena enjoyed lounging in daily was probably her undoing. Fertilizers, weed killers, anti-fungal treatments, pest control, and more were all there.

Throughout Xena's life she had suffered from hotspots, always on her hips. As I began to understand the likely causes of her cancer, it was easy to see what was causing the hotspots as well. No sooner did we locate and integrate organic lawncare did we also see an immediate change in Xena's skin issues. Gone; vanished. She never had another hotspot or wore another cone for her final 3 years.

Three years? You must be wondering how she lived 3 years after a poor prognosis and inoperable cancer. Her doctors explained that by removing toxins from her environment and her food, we reduced the strain on her liver. With less filtration work to do, her body was able to sustain a slowing of the tumor's growth. Until the day she passed, Xena was a happy, seemingly healthy dog. In the end, it hit her fast and was over quickly. I couldn't have asked for more.

Removing toxins from Xena's food was a matter of moving to organic chow. There were options, and I'll explain my decision process in an upcoming post. For now, suffice it to say that the cleansing of her diet had the same effect on her liver. 

Our program didn't stop there. We moved to organic cleaning products for our home, meaning no more chemicals used to clean floors that Xena spent hours napping on. Her dishes were washed with pure, vegetable-based soap without all the nasties. Long story

short, Xena's body was no longer under attack and the combination of these changes clearly bought her another 3 years of life. 

Join me for more in this series as I share the details, explain how simple many of our strategies are to employ, and help you find ways to make changes in your own lifestyle that will add years to your life and your pets' lives as well. Next up we'll talk first about reading pet food labels. Join me in two weeks for that educational article.

As an NB Insider, I share information and news about Natural Balance. This series will offer some of our reasoning for choosing their organic formula. While I am compensated with sponsored travel and pet food in exchange for sharing my thoughts, the opinions and information is 100% completely my own.