What’s the very best pet food (in Australia)?
2024 marks a complete decade of Pet Meals Critiques, which is fairly spectacular if I say so myself.
Throughout that point I’ve labored with business specialists, producers, retailers, veterinarians, nutritionists, college professors, Channel 9, and ABC 7.30.
Due to this excellent neighborhood which you’re a giant a part of, pet meals in Australia is significantly better at present than it was once I began this web site. Now we have higher manufacturers, higher choices, and more healthy pets.
2018 noticed a Senate inquiry into the protection of pet meals in Australia which actually highlighted the issues of our unregulated pet meals business. Despite the fact that in 2024 we nonetheless have many horrible excuses for canine and cat meals, we even have many pet meals corporations who do higher. The proof of that is within the well being of all our cats and canines.
For 2024 I’m altering this web page up a bit. First I’ll advocate what I think about the very best of the very best canine meals in Australia – those that are critically good to your canine, no expense spared.
Then I’ll cowl what I think about the very best dry canine meals primarily based on each system and in addition from correlating all of the suggestions I’ve obtained from Aussie canine house owners similar to your self.
I like to recommend you think about feeding your canine a range, so even in the event you can’t afford the very best of the very best canine meals, you’ll be able to nonetheless feed them as a part of your canine’s eating regimen, or as a “topper” on prime of their common bowl of kibble.
That is very a lot a neighborhood, so please touch upon opinions, give suggestions (constructive and unfavorable), and share the opinions along with your social media communities.
Don’t neglect to affix the mailing record for updates.
The Better of the Greatest Canine Meals in Australia (2024)
Whether or not you just like the time period “Extremely Premium”, “Boutique”, or wish to assist unbiased Australian pet meals corporations who give you the absolute best eating regimen to your canine, I extremely advocate all of the beneath canine meals.
All these canine meals include impeccable suggestions from different canine house owners, and will drastically enhance the well being of your canine.
In no specific order, these are what I think about the very best of the very best canine meals in Australia in 2024:
Eureka
Most pet house owners have heard of ZIWI Peak, one of the vital notable air-dried uncooked canine meals offered in Australia. As a flagship New Zealand model it’s actually good, however right here in Australia we’ve got one other model equally pretty much as good (if not higher) – Eureka.
Our canines are extra carnivorous than the pet meals business wish to admit. Most kibbles are excessive in carbs (and fillers) which your canine doesn’t actually need, whereas they thrive extra off a eating regimen largely of uncooked meat, organs, and bones. That’s precisely what Eureka is.
Eureka is actually a uncooked eating regimen mixed with actually useful superfoods, however with the comfort of being air-dried. You may feed it as simply as kibble, but it surely’s way more digestible, and much more healthy to your canine.
Learn the complete Eureka assessment right here (you’ll additionally discover a hyperlink which provides you cash off your first buy).
Frontier Pets
Frontier Pets has turn into one of the vital cherished Australian pet meals, and continues to be probably the greatest canine meals cash can purchase.
Particular supply: 15% off Frontier Pets with this hyperlink (or coupon code PETFOODREVIEWS15)
Diana and her group in Evans Head are absolute pioneers and have set precedent in creating a fully great pet food (and cat meals).
Frontier Pets is a freeze-dried pet food. If you happen to don’t know what that’s, it’s the easiest way to make sure a pet food retains the utmost vitamin potential which permitting it to maintain for ages. Like Eureka above, Frontier Pets is dried uncooked, which is what your canine will actually profit from.
You simply add water and let the freeze-dried items soak some time earlier than feeding your canine. Straightforward!
Learn the complete Frontier Pets assessment right here.
Lyka
Lyka is one other Australian pet meals success story. The rationale – as a result of they’re an organization with ethics, and their pet meals is fantastically wholesome to your canine!
Lyka is like Whats up Contemporary, however to your canine. It’s full of uncooked meats, organs, bones, and veggies, very barely cooked, and delivered to your door wherever you might be in Australia (except you reside within the sticks).
The quantity of constructive suggestions I’ve for Lyka, Frontier Pets, and Eureka is ridiculous, however goes to indicate how good these canine meals are.
Learn the complete Lyka assessment right here (with a cash off hyperlink as nicely!)
It’s not simply good suggestions, it’s lifechanging suggestions. Far too many canines actually endure on poor high quality canine meals, struggling all method of well being situations, and the above three meals can provide your canine an entire turnaround again to well being.
The Greatest Dry Canine Meals in Australia (2024)
Most canine house owners feed kibble. I do too, for the straightforward motive I couldn’t afford to feed the above tremendous premium manufacturers on a regular basis – I’ve a mortgage, and I have to eat myself.
A great method I take is selection, one thing I think about crucial in our canine’s eating regimen, and naturally our personal.
Under are what I think about the very best dry canine meals in Australian in 2024 primarily based on formulation (are they meat primarily based, excessive protein, high quality components and so forth), and in addition primarily based on producer popularity and suggestions from Aussie canine house owners like us.
I like to recommend Pet Circle in terms of stocking up on pet food. I discover their costs are virtually at all times essentially the most aggressive, and through the years they’ve been superb at stocking the pet meals I like to recommend on this web site.
So right here you go, in no specific order, a number of the finest dry canine meals in Australian in 2024:
Greatest Premium – Orijen
In order for you the cream of the crop to your royal pooch then Orijen must be the very best in dry pet food.
Enjoyable reality – Orijen boasts upwards of 85% animal components.
Need some perspective?
On common, dry canine meals typically include 20 to 30% animal components (mixed with a stack of different stuff which isn’t very best to your canine).
So sure, Orijen could appear very costly (nicely okay, it is vitally costly), but it surely’s additionally significantly better, a lot more healthy, and way more acceptable to your meat-eating predator pooch.
One other caveat is Orijen may be exhausting to pay money for in Australia, with die exhausting followers snapping up baggage each time it’s in inventory.
That mentioned, in the event you can seize some, and even when it’s solely 30% or so of your canine’s eating regimen, then it’s price it.
For a break down of components and evaluation learn the complete Orijen pet food assessment.
Greatest Australian – Petzyo
The Petzyo dry pet food doesn’t have the identical astounding animal content material of Orijen above, but it surely doesn’t have the loopy price ticket both.
For a lot of this might be a way more real looking alternative.
I discover Petzyo nice worth for cash, a fantastic firm to take care of, they usually’re additionally Australian made and owned, produced from native produce.
The latest addition of uncooked pet food (BARF) reveals they’re shifting in the appropriate route for the well being of our canines, so it’s price trying out the patties in addition to the dry meals.
Petzyo work on a subscription service. You may subscribe by way of their web site and have the meals delivered to your door on no matter schedule fits you.
If subscription isn’t your factor, you could favor the following choose beneath – Style of the Wild.
If you happen to’re involved in making an attempt Petzyo then as a reader of Pet Meals Critiques you’ll be able to seize 10% off your first order (or use the coupon code PETREVIEW at checkout).
For extra data on each the Petzyo dry canine meals and uncooked BARF patties learn the complete Petzyo assessment.
Greatest All-Rounder – Style of the Wild
If Orijen would require an extension on the house mortgage, or the subscription model of Petzyo isn’t your factor, then I really feel Style of the Wild is an effective alternative in the event you’re searching for a very respected pet food which gained’t break the financial institution.
Style of the Wild pet meals are made within the US and offered worldwide, with a wonderful popularity worldwide. I think about the model higher than most different massive world manufacturers made by Mars, Nestle, Colgate-Palmolive et al. Do you know most pet meals offered within the supermarkets, pet shops, or endorsed by vets are literally made by these three conglomerate giants?
Optimum, Advance, Royal Canin, My Canine, Purina, Hill’s Science Eating regimen, and plenty of extra – all made by Mars, Nestle, or Colgate-Palmolive.
Style of the Wild alternatively is made by Diamond Pet Meals, a smaller producer, and I discover the formulation higher and extra species-appropriate than many of the above.
In terms of hypoallergenic diets, for when your canine appears to react to different dry canine meals, then additionally check out Style of the Wild PREY which is a restricted ingredient dry pet food of nice high quality.
For extra data, learn the complete Style of the Wild pet food assessment.
Greatest Funds – Hypro Premium
A brand new entry to the very best pet food record for 2024, Hypro Premium is a very good reasonably priced alternative. It’s not the most cost effective dry pet food, however I couldn’t discover something cheaper than this which I might feed my very own canine.
The 20kg baggage are very nicely priced contemplating the components, and I’ve discovered Hypro as a producer very respected. They manufactured Meals for Mutts till early 2023 (earlier than MFM switched producer and bumped into unlucky issues), and you’ll find the system of Hypro Premium very related.
Learn the complete Hypro Premium pet food assessment.
If the above dry canine meals are nonetheless an excessive amount of to your funds then don’t fear, because the information to extra reasonably priced canine meals in Australia might assist.
The Greatest BARF Canine Meals in Australia (2024)
BARF has been a sensation worldwide as a means of feeding our canines uncooked with the comfort of little meaty patties.
BARF stands for Biologically Acceptable Uncooked Feeding and was invented by a real blue Australian veterinarian Dr Ian Billinghurst, writer of Give Your Canine a Bone.
As nice as BARF is to your canine, I see it as having one flaw. It’s a flaw of most pet food normally, together with dry pet food, air/freeze-dried pet food, rolls, and particularly moist mushy pet food – it does little or no for dental well being.
I think about uncooked meaty bones the very best in stopping poor dental well being, plaque, tartar, and periodontal illness in canines, or in the event you’re not eager on feeding your canine uncooked bones then select a first rate chewable dried meat deal with instead.
I additionally extremely advocate the ebook Work Wonders : Feed Your Canine Uncooked Meaty Bones by Australian vet Dr Tom Lonsdale – in the event you learn one ebook about canine vitamin, for the sake of your canine’s well being, then let that ebook be it.
Again on observe, listed here are what I think about the very best BARF canine meals in Australia, in 2024, in no specific order:
Massive Canine BARF
Massive Canine BARF has been round virtually quarter of a century – how loopy is that! As one of many authentic BARF patties in Australia it continues to be a superb possibility.
The opposite authentic BARF patty was Dr B’s BARF (initially made by Dr Ian Billinghurst himself, however later offered to Aussie pet meals manufacturing large The Actual Petfood Co). The distinction between the 2 is Massive Canine makes use of human grade components, which is much better than pet grade when it comes to high quality.
You can find Massive Canine in most pet meals retail shops. If you happen to can’t discover it, you’ll seemingly discover the following possibility as an alternative – Proudi.
Proudi
Like Massive Canine BARF, the Proudi BARF patties additionally use human grade components. That’s a fantastic factor.
The small completely different between Massive Canine and Proudi is Massive Canine have a small quantity of veggies included, whereas Proudi is full carnivore – meat, organs, bones.
Personally I think about each of manufacturers of BARF superb, so will go away it as much as you to resolve. BARF patties are nicely price contemplating as a part of your canine’s eating regimen, similar to alongside a dry pet food, and you could possibly at all times rotate between Massive Canine and Proudi.
Featured canine meals
If you happen to haven’t discovered your excellent pet food as but, then listed here are some extra nice choices:
Click on right here for all pet food opinions.
A few of these manufacturers can be found direct from the producer. You need to discover a lot of them in good pet shops on unbiased pet retailers. I do know Pet Circle are very proactive in stocking first rate canine meals, as are – each aggressive on value.
Are canine meals actually that completely different?
The distinction in high quality between some canine meals and others in Australia is astounding. Some canine meals inform you precisely what they’re produced from, normally as a result of they’re produced from components that are good to your canine.
However…
*Most* canine meals offered in Australia do their finest to not inform you the reality.
I’ve a replica of the Australian requirements for Manufacturing and advertising of pet meals (AS 5812:20127) which is obtainable right here, however you’ll must pay $118.76 AUD for the privilege. How’s that for transparency?
The requirements, in the event you do learn them, provides you with the impression they have been written by the pet meals business, for the pet meals business.
On in different phrases, not for the advantage of you or me as the patron.
Seasoned Australian vet Dr Tom Lonsdale, writer of Uncooked Meaty Bones and Work Wonders, refers to it as “the junk pet meals business”, having witnessed first hand the hurt prompted to our canines from business pet meals, for many years.
Dr Lonsdale, not like most vets, data information on what canine meals have been fed to the sick canines and cats who undergo his veterinary follow every day. He attributes most situations, similar to itchy pores and skin, rotting enamel and gums, and different severe diseases to business pet meals.
For sure, he has a substantial amount of credibility on the topic, and people two books are eye-opening.
I’ve discovered the advertising of many manufacturers of pet food so skewed it’s superb it’s authorized. I discover extremely questionable manufacturers profit from 5 star scores on varied web sites, just because the proprietor thinks it’s good as a result of their canine eats it.
Lots of these folks will readily say it’s the very best pet food in Australia to any social media group who’ll hear or ask for suggestions!
How typically do folks advocate Supercoat as the very best pet food, ever? Lot’s of cereal by-products, wheat, corn, sorghum, or barley in that meals for basically meat-eating canines.
Simply saying.
Your canine will eat a Massive Mac – they’ll most likely find it irresistible – however is that good to your canine? Ought to Massive Macs be rated 5 stars as a pet food?
Alternatively, would you fee broccoli 1 star as a result of your child refuses to eat it?
Nope.
Hopefully my expertise with pet food over a few years, mixed with gathering a lot data and suggestions from different canine house owners, will provide help to make a greater resolution when selecting a pet food in Australia.
Lastly, earlier than I get to some fascinating misconceptions about pet food, I need you to participate in serving to different canine lovers be taught.
We’re on this collectively.
What pet food do you feed? What experiences have you ever had? What have you ever realized from others?
Each assessment has a feedback part, and it’s completely free to make use of!
Misconceptions about pet food which can change your thoughts ceaselessly!
If you happen to’ve acquired this far, thanks – it’s clear you actually need to know what’s finest to your canine!
Right here’s not one, however two misconceptions about pet food on the earth at present! In actual fact, they’ve been misconceptions for a long time.
When trying to find the very best meals to your canine, at all times preserve these misconceptions in thoughts. They’ll information you in the direction of the appropriate resolution.
#1 false impression about pet food
You’ll be forgiven if this surprises you. We fall sufferer to intelligent advertising, and pet meals entrepreneurs are up there with magicians – they know easy methods to trick us.
Most business canine meals are grain-based, not meat-based.
Stroll down the pet food aisle in any grocery store the world over, and spend time each packet of pet food. What footage are on the entrance? What claims do they make?
Ask your self – what number of say “Wealthy in Wheat!”, “Grain is the first ingredient!”, “Filled with rice your canine will love!”, or “Made with actual corn!”.
Any of them?
Now flip these baggage round and skim the components. Most business canine meals are produced from grains!
Don’t be fooled by grain-free slogans both. They normally swap grains for potatoes, tapioca, or different starchy high-carbohydrate components. They’ll nonetheless promote it as meaty.
While you learn my opinions you’ll discover that’s not the one trickery they use to make a pet food seem like the very best pet food within the aisle.
Even claims like “meat first ingredient” doesn’t imply there’s a lot of it within the product, so don’t be fooled by that one both.
#2 false impression about pet food
If you happen to’ve learn the primary false impression about pet food, then this second false impression may not come as a shock.
However sit down, and take a deep breath.
Most business pet food is, fairly seemingly, unhealthy.
This may occasionally sound like a loopy factor to say, and I hope you don’t assume I’m loopy for saying it.
Individuals have mentioned to me, many instances, “If it wasn’t wholesome, they wouldn’t promote it”.
Personally I believe that’s loopy, particularly given the quantity of junk meals you should buy.
In 2021, a leaked doc from Nestlé claimed the majority of it’s portfolio is unhealthy.
The doc, meant for inside use solely, was a presentation acknowledging greater than 60% of merchandise didn’t meet ‘recognised definition of well being’ – cited from an FT article right here.
Do you know Purina is a model of Nestlé? They’re one of many greatest sellers of pet meals in Australia!
Nestlé manufacturers in Australia embrace Supercoat, Purina One, Felix, Fancy Feast, Professional Plan, Friskies, Fortunate Canine, Bonnie, Professional Plan Veterinary Diets, Dentalife!
In actual fact, in line with Statista, Nestlé made an unimaginable US $15,422,000,000 with their Purina vary of pet meals in 2021.
That’s round 30% of all pet meals offered worldwide.
Nestlé aren’t the largest pet meals producer both. The most important participant, making a whopping US $18,085,000,000 in 2021, was Mars.
What number of canine meals have you ever seen with “Mars” in massive letters on the packaging, such as you get with the Mars bar?
None?
Fascinating, isn’t it?
But most of the canine meals within the grocery store aisles are manufacturers by Nestlé or Mars.
Go to your native vets and take a look at the canine meals they advocate. Learn the components. Do you assume they’re significantly better?
Most of these manufacturers are additionally Mars, or Colgate-Palmolive.
While you learn my opinions for a lot of of those manufacturers, and others, you’ll be able to resolve for your self in the event you’re feeding the very best pet food.
Oh, and earlier than you flip to an Australian model as an alternative of a kind of massive American manufacturers, simply consider Australia’s laws for pet meals are worse, with even much less ensures of honesty, high quality, and even security.
Why selecting the best pet food is significant for the well being of your canine
You’ve most likely acquired the gist of it already, however what we feed our canines is significant for his or her well being.
Let me offer you some examples…
I’ve spoken to a whole lot of canine house owners through the years who didn’t realise their canine’s itchy pores and skin or rashes have been associated to eating regimen. It’s truly quite common, however probably not thought of.
More often than not these canines will likely be taken to the vet and prescribed some type of remedy or costly “prescription eating regimen” – normally Hills Science Eating regimen, Hills Prescription Eating regimen, or Royal Canin.
These prescription diets work as a result of they don’t include widespread allergens – particularly wheat or cereals. If you happen to don’t consider me, evaluate the components between a dermocare system and one other system of the identical model.
These drugs merely cowl up the problems with out addressing the actual downside.
In most of these circumstances any grain free pet food would do the trick, and these are sometimes cheaper.
There are a lot of diet-related diseases our canines endure, and it’s not often thought of low-cost canine meals are the wrongdoer.
Most cancers, arthritis, diabetes, kidney illness, coronary heart illness, IBS, allergy symptoms, dermatitis, ear infections, urinary crystals, pancreatitis…
All of those may be attributed to eating regimen, which is why selecting an honest pet food is significant for the long run well being of our canines.
There’s some nice details about these diseases on the Frontier Pets web site right here, which is nicely price preserving in thoughts.
How the record of finest pet food in Australia is chosen
All of the pet food opinions are written firstly as an outline of the components and evaluation, however there are a lot of different elements taken under consideration. Many manufacturers of Australian canine meals truly come from the identical producer. There are many Australian manufacturers of pet food, but solely a handful of producers.
I monitor tendencies with every producer, so in the event you discover your canine has a response to a pet food, or you may have any points, then be sure to say so within the feedback.
Australian Pet House owners Group (APOG) have a difficulty log for many manufacturers of canine and cat meals offered in Australia, and it’s nicely price researching any pet meals you feed on their web site.
With some main Australian producers I’ve gathered many experiences of illness or diarrhoea. For different pet meals producers, hardly any in any respect.
The canine meals on the “Greatest Canine Meals in Australia” record will change over time, both as formulation change, or suggestions and different elements change.
Canine meals I’ve rated extremely prior to now have at instances been purchased up or switched producers and proven drastic adjustments in high quality – very unhappy contemplating the patron loyalty which has been constructed up.
If you happen to’ve had a constructive or unfavorable expertise on a pet food in Australia then let me know, add a remark, or by way of the Fb web page.
Various your canine’s eating regimen is one thing I see as a great factor, so preserve that in thoughts as nicely.
Your canine doesn’t should be fed a single model of dry pet food any greater than we’d eat a single model of breakfast cereal for each meal day after day.
In actual fact, my information on easy methods to feed a canine (or cat) might supply some steerage!
What concerning the worst pet food manufacturers?
Among the worst pet food manufacturers in Australia are literally essentially the most well-known. What adverts have you ever seen lately on TV that includes a cute canine apparently “loving” some model of pet food?
The rationale for that is the massive gamers in pet food make the a number of the worst meals. It’s why they make a lot revenue – promoting an inexpensive system with impeccable advertising is a enterprise technique which works.
These corporations have large budgets for advertising their merchandise, and never only for adverts both – by influencing breeder communities, canine reveals, College sponsorships and endorsements.
If you happen to’re feeding a kind of best-selling pet food manufacturers, then learn the assessment on this web site, or on the very least take a look at the components – what does it actually say concerning the product?
Don’t persist with dry pet food
There’s such a perception a canine ought to eat the identical meals from the day he’s weened till the day he dies.
Why?
Think about if we have been instructed to eat a business dry biscuit for the remainder of our lives?
At all times consider dry pet food is a processed product. Sure, it’s designed to satisfy the insanely advanced dietary wants of our canines as one full bundle, however that doesn’t imply it’s excellent.
Rotate, add selection, and blend in some moist, BARF, or contemporary components. These opinions are largely dry canine meals, however if you’d like the very best moist pet food in Australia then most of the prime rated dry meals have a corresponding moist meals.
There isn’t a finest grocery store dry pet food web page on this web site, however there’s a listing of extra reasonably priced canine meals which is a steadiness of value and high quality.
Vitamin evaluation of the very best canine meals
All of the meals on the very best pet food in Australia record should meet my stringent standards.
In a nutshell, listed here are a couple of:
- Should have adequate protein and fats.
- Should have adequate meat components.
- Should not include any nasty or ambiguous components.
- Should keep away from allergenic or problematic components.
- Should have a lengthy standing popularity and good shopper suggestions.
- Should conform to AAFCO requirements to supply an entire & balanced eating regimen (solely relevant to dry/moist canine meals, not relevant to uncooked canine meals/patties).
I care what you assume!
It’s taken me a substantial amount of time, and large quantities of analysis to place these opinions collectively. I’ve spent a substantial amount of time discovering analysis research, selecting by way of them, and doing my finest to make sure they’re not biased, not influenced, and supply useful information.
Pet Meals Critiques takes up extra of my life than I care to confess, however the final objective is for us to have happier, more healthy pets, who’ve the very best probability of dwelling a protracted life.
I can’t try this alone. I encourage you to be concerned, so as to add feedback, talk about, get in contact, and share the information you’ve realized with buddies, household, and social media teams.
In case your canine’s allergy symptoms clear up, they turn into extra buoyant, extra lively, or present a brand new lease of life primarily based on the knowledge on these opinions, then let me know!
And let others know!
The “Greatest pet food in Australia” record is dependent upon your ongoing suggestions.
The hyperlinks on the opinions to pet meals retailers are additionally affiliate hyperlinks, so any time you click on and purchase a pet food a small share will assist preserve Pet Meals Critiques up, operating, and updated – thanks!
“What’s the Greatest Canine Meals in Australia?”, up to date 2024.