Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to our FAQ Page

About Natures Select

We are proud to produce all of our Nature’s Select dry kibble foods in our Texas-based manufacturing facility. All Nature’s Select products are MADE IN THE USA and have USA sourced ingredients with the exception of our lamb and green mussels which are sourced from New Zealand. All of our formulas exceed AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) standards.

"USA Made" refers to our product being made here in the United States. "USA Safe" refers to the USA approval of processing for our New Zealand Lamb recipe which has lamb that is sourced from New Zealand. All Nature's Select Recipes are made in the great state of Texas! 

Our internal Nutrition Team works diligently with third-party nutritionists to formulate the diets, design new products, handle product registrations and ensure compliance with regulations. 

Nature’s Select was started by Paul and Diana Cavanaugh in Orange County, CA in 1994. They began with a simple idea… to deliver all-natural pet food to your door, using the freshest and finest ingredients at prices that fit your budget. What started as a small, family-owned business has grown to evolve over time to reach more pet lovers across the country and allow us to help as many pets as possible through quality pet food and personalized service! In 2010 John and Leslie Rainey started the Natures Select of the Arklatex distributorship. They have been serving East Texas, NW Louisiana, SW Arkansas and Oklahoma for 10 years. In 2019 they acquired the Dallas Metro area and all points east to the Texas Louisiana border.  

General Questions

Read the label! High quality ingredients are essential for a healthy food. The first ingredient should always be a meat or fish protein. Whole meats, whole grains, and natural preservatives are key components of the healthiest pet food. Pay attention to the protein ratio. A pet food with 20-30% protein is ideal. The bag should also be dated for freshness. Every bag of Nature's Select pet food has a "best buy" date stamped onto the back of the bag. It is recommended that the bag is used before that date; however, the food is perfectly safe to feed to your pets after that date, it just loses some potency after that date. It's important to remember that a "best buy" date is not the same as an "expiration date".

All Nature's Select formulas are free from corn, wheat, soy, gluten, and any other processed grain by-products. We have NEVER been challenged on nutrition! At Nature's Select, we have kept our formulas current with the latest nutritional advancements to maintain a high level of nutrition. All Nature's Select formulas are formulated to meet or exceed the nutritional levels established by AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles. 

When switching your pet to Nature’s Select food or from one Nature’s Select formula to another, we always recommend a gradual transition. Normal bacteria in the intestine help your pet digest food. A sudden change in diet can result in changes to the number and type of bacteria and their ability to digest food, which can lead to intestinal upset. Therefore, a gradual transition helps your pet’s digestive system adjust to a new food without causing loose stool or an upset tummy.

We recommend a transition over a period of 7-10 days. Start with a mixture of 25% new food and 75% old food for 2-3 days. Then switch to a 50/50 blend for another 2-3 days. If the transition is going well, move to 75% new food and 25% old food for another 2-3 days until you are 100% on the new food.

If at any time your dog starts to vomit, has loose stool, or appears constipated, slow the rate at which you are switching food.  

Store your pet food in a cool, dry place. Any dry kibble pet food product is guaranteed fresh for up to a year or 12 months if properly stored away from heat and moisture. We recommend leaving your food in its original bag and put it in a sealed container for best results. 

We have always been direct to consumer since we started our business in 2010 . You will not find our products in big box retailers, grocery stores, or big pet store chains. Why? Because our pet food is not made with harsh chemical preservatives, additives, or fillers, and in turn is not meant to sit on a shelf for months and months or in a warehouse for long periods of time. Our goal is to get our pet food from our manufacturer in Texas - where it is made fresh bi-monthly - to your door and in your pet's food bowl as fresh as possible! We have partnered with local, small mom & pop pet stores, pet groomers, doggie daycares, and pet hotels. You can find a complete list of where our pet food is sold by visiting our Shop Local Page 

As you probably know, the business environment over the past year has gone in a negative direction to say the least. We just wanted to take a moment to share with you recent changes in the industry, and how it will affect us all.

  • Fuel costs are rising on a monthly basis and continue to be an ongoing issue.
  • Corn prices are up. While we DO NOT use corn as an ingredient in our products, the price of corn usually sets the trend and dictates the pricing on other grain ingredients.
  • There is a chicken shortage in the USA. Prices are up accordingly.
  • With continuing unemployment benefits, many businesses are having trouble hiring employees back to keep up with production demand, and in turn are having to raise wage costs to try and get workers back in house. This has begun to affect normal turnaround times in all industries, for multiple suppliers, all across America.
  • The bottom line is that the American dollar now buys less. Hyperinflation is happening nationwide and industrywide.

Over the last few years, we have had several price increases that have come upon us that we have worked hard not to pass on entirely to our customers. Unfortunately, we are caught in the crosshairs once again, and we cannot escape them this time around. We want everyone to know that we feel the pain as a small business, and that we are working to ease the burden of this adjustment to our customers. We do our best to keep price increases to only once a year, but unfortunately due to this significant change we have no choice but to pass along the increases sooner than planned. There will be a price increase on Nature’s Select Dry Food products effective Summer 2021. 

Natures Select Subscriptions

Nature's Select Subscriptions is designed to offer the convenience of pet food being delivered to your door on a recurring basis. You never need to worry about running out of pet food (or treats) ever again!

With that said, we have always offered an "auto-ship" program for our long-time loyal customers, but never had the ability to offer an incentive until 2020! We are happy to announce that EVERY Nature's Select Subscription item allows you to save 5% on every purchase. Save money, gain convenience, and have the ability to adjust your delivery schedule at any time. Learn more about our Subscriptions here. 

Yes! That's the beauty of Nature's Select Subscriptions. You can skip an upcoming order in advance, or cancel a subscription at any given time with no long-term contracts or hidden fees. Plus, we send you friendly reminders of upcoming Subscription charges/shipments so that way you have plenty of time to make changes or pause a subscription if you don't need more pet food, if you're heading out of town, etc.

Make changes to your Nature's Select Subscriptions at anytime by logging into your customer account portal. Don't have an account, yet? Create one here!

If you need further help, feel free to contact our team directly by sending an email to nsarklatex@gmail.com or give us a call directly to speak with a live pet care advisor: (903) 380-9262 

Absolutely! Effortlessly manage what you receive, when it arrives, and the way you pay. Login to your Nature's Select Customer Account at any time to increase or decrease your deliveries. "Pause" your subscription orders for any reason, whether you are going on vacation, your pet has started eating less, or because you just want to take a break from subscriptions...life happens so we totally understand! Flexible delivery dates makes it doggone easy! 

If you are a Nature's Select Subscription Member, you are agreeing to recurring orders being shipped on a recurring basis and your card being charged accordingly. It is your responsibility to edit, skip, or cancel your subscription BEFORE an order ships out if you do not want or need Nature’s Select subscription items. Otherwise, you will be responsible for any associated restocking or shipping fees associated with returning the subscription order, and refunds will be handled on a case by case basis.

Of course, if it's a situation where your pet passes away by the time your order ships, we completely understand the delicate situation and will work with you to issue a refund and return accordingly.

If you need direct assistance, please call us (903) 380-9262 so we can speak with you directly. 

Our Ingredients

The quality of our ingredients is extremely important to us. We source our ingredients from valued and trusted suppliers who are dedicated to providing the very highest-quality ingredients available on the market today. The majority of our ingredients are locally sourced in the state of Texas. We are one of only a few pet food manufacturers that uses the amino acid complex minerals from Zinpro Corporation, which has the research to prove its minerals are better absorbed and provide a well-documented response when being fed. Many of the big-name brands still use predominantly inorganic forms of trace minerals or less bioavailable forms of organic trace minerals. 

We are GMO-free except in the formulas that contain rice. The following products are GMO-free: Select Multi Protein Recipe (Beef, Chicken, Pork), Select Cold Water Recipe (Menhaden Fish), and our Grain Free Products (Farm Fresh Recipe, Coastline Catch Recipe, Range Hearty Recipe); all other Nature's Select Products are not GMO-free. However, we do have a complex diversity of ingredients in our products and in such ratios, that the GMO aspect is really very small. As for Nature's Select, we have been and will be prudent in using the finest and safest ingredients from the best sources we have available.

All of our formulas are either grain free or made from gluten free grains. 

Although it is a quality ingredient, chicken is about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight. Ingredients on a pet food label are listed in descending order by weight. When you see chicken as the first ingredient in pet food, this is before it’s cooked. Once cooked, the percentage of chicken in the formula is much lower due to the loss of moisture. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken. Chicken meal does not contain by-products such as beaks, feathers, or feet.

Our meals are considered a meat concentrate that contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken, lamb, beef, or salmon. They do NOT include bone or internal organs. 

You can find our feeding instructions in two places. Our feeding instructions are located on the back of every bag of kibble as well as on our website where feeding guidelines for each of our formulas are listed. A feeding guideline is found on the back of all of our dog food bags. An example is shown below for reference.

Dog Weight & Active Dog Recommended Serving:

10lbs+ = 1/2 - 1 1/2 Cups
25lbs+ = 1 1/2 - 2 1/4 Cups
50lbs+ = 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 Cups
100lbs+ = 3 1/4 - 4 1/2 Cups
125lbs+ = 5 - 7 Cups


Let's keep in mind that this is the suggested feeding amount for an active adult dog. The serving size may increase or decrease a bit depending on your dog's physical activity and age. If you are looking to promote weight loss, go with the lesser recommended amount according to weight. If you are looking to increase weight, go with the greater recommended amount. 

Safety and Quality

Food safety is our priority. Our ingredients are tested both internally and externally to ensure they meet our high standards of quality. We also extensively test our finished products to ensure the health and safety of the pets eating our products.

We are proud to say that our Texas-based pet food manufacturer has earned the SQF Code for Manufacturing 8.0, the SQF Quality Code 8.0, and the FSC 36 Safe Feed/Safe Food in 2018. In addition, all our recipes are formulated to meet AAFCO regulations. We constantly analyze both raw materials and finished diets to validate AAFCO standards. 

Yes. Our VP of Regulatory Affairs and Quality for Nature’s Select Pet Food is one of the leading food safety experts in the United States. He, along with everyone in our company, works hard to ensure the safety of our products every day. 

Since our product is made fresh bi-monthly, we ensure a fresh bag upon every delivery. Our pet food has a shelf life of up to 1 year when kept in an air tight container or bag not exposed to direct moisture or heat.

Our food never sits on our shelves for long. We get our shipments in every month. We use only natural preservatives which is why our shelf life is about 11-12 months based on delivery. Store bought food usually lasts up to 2 years because it contains chemical preservatives. We do not have any chemical preservatives in our Nature's Select Pet Food. 

Our Texas-based Manufacturer has earned the SQF Code for Manufacturing 8.0, the SQF Quality Code 8.0, and the FSC 36 Safe Feed/Safe Food in 2018. In addition, all our recipes are formulated to meet AAFCO regulations. We constantly analyze both raw materials and finished diets to validate AAFCO standards. 

Shipping

We deliver in our company vehicles in our local delivery area which includes Longview, Tyler, Henderson, Carthage, Mt Pleasant, Marshall. For customers outside of these areas we ship with regional shipping partners. Some areas will incur a flat rate charge for their order.

We Offer FREE HOME Delivery in our Local Market area. Other areas in Texas in our assigned territory will be shipped FREE of Charge Via third party shipping partner. (Lone Star Overnight, UPS, FedX) In order to qualify for FREE shipping or delivery, there is a minimum order requirement of $40.00. Orders under the minimum with incur a $7.00 charge. 

Due to increasing shipping costs, addresses outside of Texas will have a shipping charge added to their cart at checkout based on weight.  

If you have questions please contact us at nsarklatex@gmail.com or 903-380-9262

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