Organic vs. Natural: What's the Difference in Dog Foods?

Rocco reads up on natural pet foods

Recently we had the chance to chat with Derek Panfil from Pet Supplies Plus about the trends he's seeing in pet food sales. 

There's a lot of buzz about "natural" pet foods, so it's no surprise when Derek says that according to Packaged Facts, sales of "natural" pet foods will surpass overall pet food sales within five years. Today, super-premium pet food makes up about 11.2 percent of the $20 billion U.S. pet food market

In his role as SVP of merchandising, Derek see's first-hand what consumers are choosing at Pet Supplies Plus. Here, we discuss some of those things that consumers are looking for in their pet foods. And, Derek helps explain some of the differences between "organic" vs. "natural":

TDWL: Is there a difference between pet foods labeled "organic" vs. "natural"? What is the difference?

Derek:  Yes. Natural pet food has no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.  Organic pet food should be made from plant ingredients grown without pesticides, artificial fertilizers, genetic modification, or irradiation. While human food is governed by regulatory agencies, pet food is not when it comes to “organic” as a designation.  This means that even if a food is called organic, it may or may not have all organic ingredients.

TDWL:  How should you read an organic pet food label? What should you look for?

Derek: Look for food that is certified organic and meets USDA standards for being free of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and artificial preservatives like butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT).

TDWL: How can I pick the right type of organic pet food for my pet?

Derek:  In addition to above (#2), find pet foods that have meat and whole protein meats as the first ingredients.  Also look for foods that do not use animal by-products or gluten.

TDWL:  What is the benefit of "organic" or "natural" pet foods?

Derek:  Organic and natural pet foods tend to use higher quality, more nutrient rich ingredients. As in humans, if our furry friends eat the equivalent of junk food every day, they won’t be healthy. Giving pets natural and organic foods, rich in protein, nutrients, and antioxidants, helps them look better (shiny coats), feel better (more active), and live longer (better immunity).

TDWL:  How do you decide which organic/natural foods to carry at Pet Supplies Plus?

Derek:  We look for pet foods that provide high-quality proteins, fruits, and vegetables.  We also look for products that meet the needs of our neighbors; whether it be limited ingredient diets or grain-free offerings of exotic proteins, our goal is to carry foods that will absolutely perform the best for your pet.  

In addition to the ingredient panel, we like to find foods that are made by pet lovers here in the U.S., and ones that we would feed our own pets.  We want our neighbors to have a range of choices so they can find what works best for their pet’s diet.

TDWL:  Is there anything else pet owners should know about organic or natural pet foods?

Derek: Do your homework!  Look at the label, read the ingredients, understand what your pet may need. If your dog is not that active, don’t get a super high protein food.  If your pet is having allergy problems, look for limited ingredient diets.  Don’t be afraid to try new foods until you find one that really works for your pet.

TDWL: Thank you Derek!

Hill's Ideal Balance: Ingredients and Sourcing for Pet Foods

If you're like a lot of folks these days, pet food recalls are enough to make you crazy.  

How do you know what's safe? What pet food companies can you trust? And you also might find yourself looking for the "Made in the USA" label, just to give yourself some extra assurance.

In the past few weeks I've learned a lot about Hill's Ideal Balance, about the brand's commitment to use high quality ingredients like real meat, fruits and vegetables and about the company's commitment to safety.

Here are a few other things you might want to know about Ideal Balance:

In addition to high-quality ingredients, safety is so important these days. I'm happy to find that Hill’s carefully chooses high-quality ingredients, most of which are sourced from the U.S., with all meat and poultry coming from USDA-inspected facilities.  I  also learned that all of Hill’s dry foods are manufactured in the U.S. in their own facilities.

Ingredients sourced outside of the U.S. are monitored just as strictly as those from the U.S., and Hill’s has zero tolerance for Salmonella. In fact, they conduct more than 60 quality checks on every batch of food, every ingredient can be tracked by batch or ingredient within 24 hours, and more than 1,000 Salmonella tests are conducted every month. 

You can check out more information on the Hill's website and it will even recommend the right food for your dog or cat AND compare Ideal Balance to other natural pet foods.

You can also learn more about the specific ingredients, key benefits and check out the reviews on Ideal Balance dog foods like Natural Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe and Grain Free Natural Chicken & Potato Recipe. 

And, if you have a finicky eater, we can speak from experience that a little of the canned Braised Lamb & Vegetables not only has natural ingredients in perfect balance, but it's perfectly tasty too! 

Disclosure: I have been compensated for completion of this article. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.

Droolworthy Meals from Ideal Balance and a Gourmet Giveaway!

There's good reason Rocco's face is all slobbery and wet!

He just dove into a bowl of Hill's Ideal Balance Braised Lamb and Vegetables Recipe and now he's begging for more!

We like feeding a combination of wet and dry food and now Ideal Balance offers a whole menu's worth of options for both dogs and cats -- including treats -- to ensure pets are getting complementary natural nutrition.

That means that the folks at Hill's have developed an entire meal line-up for dogs and cats that provides natural ingredients in perfect balance -- with no corn, wheat or soy and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

And the treats look mighty tasty too in flavors like Oven-Baked Naturals with Lamb and Apricot and Soft-Baked Naturals with Duck and Pumpkin!

Rocco had a big time digging into his yummy bowl full of Ideal Balance Braised Lamb and Vegetables and now TWENTY lucky To Dog With Love readers will get the chance to win a terrific Hill's Ideal Balance gift basket filled with yummy goodies!

Enter to win a dog or cat gift basket from Hill's Ideal Balance!

A look at some of the items you might win! Dog not included.

Enter via Rafflecopter below. Twenty lucky winners will receive a totally awesome Hill's Ideal Balance dog or cat gift basket that includes the following:

Ideal Balance Dog gift basket:

• Hill's Ideal Balance Grain-Free Natural Chicken & Potato Recipe Adult -- 3.5 lb bag
• Hill's Ideal Balance wet food -- 6 cans
• Hill's Ideal Balance Treats -- 2 bags variety
• Dog bowl
• Blanket

Ideal Balance Cat gift basket:

• Hill's Ideal Balance Grain-Free Natural Chicken & Potato Recipe Adult -- 2 lb bag
• Hill's Ideal Balance wet food variety pack -- 6 cans case
• Hill's Ideal Balance Crunchy Naturals with Real Tuna
• Cat bowl
• Place mat

Entries open to U.S. only.  Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I have been compensated for completion of this article. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.