Bonnodog Dog Food Review
| Available from | Pet Circle |
This is one of those foods which sounds like marketing fluff at first… but actually backs it up where it matters.
Fresh, gently cooked, mostly meat, and very little nonsense. That already puts it miles ahead of most of the stuff you find in the supermarket (I won’t mention any names, because there are too many to mention!)
Bonnodog has a lot of pros. The main con will likely be the cost, but nothing is perfect, right?
Oh, and you’ll need some freezer space.
If you’re feeding kibble and thinking of upgrading your dog’s diet, or even mixing it up a little, I would consider Bonnodog a serious step in the right direction.
What the marketing says
Bonnodog leans hard into the “real food” angle, taking a swipe at kibble and “mystery mush” along the way – which are valid points!
Fair enough – most kibble is heavily processed and padded with cheap carbohydrates. That’s why it’s so cheap compared to better dog food like Bonnodog.
The claim of 98% Australian ingredients and 100% Aussie meat is a nice touch, especially as we love to buy Australian produce. It perhaps doesn’t make the food better nutritionally on its own, but it does support our local businesses.
“Gently cooked to lock in nutrients” is a reasonable claim. Compared to high-temperature extrusion (which is how kibble is made), gentle cooking will preserve more nutrients and make the food more digestible. The quality of nutrients you feed your dog matters a lot over the long term.
“No fillers” and “no badditives” are bold statements. We’ll scrutinise this when we look at the ingredients, but I have to say these claims do actually hold up.
The “formulated by vets and pet nutritionists” line seems really standard these days. It sounds reassuring, but I’ve found can mean very little – plenty of poor foods tick this box too, which comes as no surprise when vets aren’t really trained in canine nutrition, and it’s actually not hard for anyone wishing to cash in to become a certified pet food nutritionist (I did it, and it was surprisingly basic).
The “clean-bowl guarantee” is more about palatability than nutrition. Most dogs will happily eat junk food too, so don’t read too much into that!
Overall, the marketing is punchy, slightly cheeky, and I’m happy to say I didn’t find it misleading.
What the ingredients really say
78% kangaroo meat is the standout.
That’s exactly what you want to see. A clearly named, high-percentage animal protein, and kangaroo is a good Aussie choice – lean, nutrient-dense, and ideal for dogs with common protein sensitivities. There’s two other recipes on offer – “Beef & Fish”, and good ol’ “Chicken”.
The mix of vegetables as the second main ingredient (as a combo) is sensible, and common in gently cooked diet (Lyka is similar, and highly rated). In Bonnodog we find carrots, sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, peas, spinach.
These aren’t there as cheap bulk “fillers” like the wheat or corn you find in kibble. They provide fibre, vitamins, and will help balance the meal with nutrients which will benefit your dog. Yes, sweet potato and peas add some carbohydrates, but not in a way that screams “cost-cutting filler”.
I have to say, Bonnodog can’t be rated as highly as Lyka (which is what I would consider the class leader in gentle cooked frozen), because unlike Lyka, Bonnodog doesn’t include organ meats like heart/liver, or chelated minerals for that matter.
But let’s get back on track with the positive points…
Flaxseed oil and algae oil are nice inclusions. You’re getting omega-3 fatty acids for skin, coat, and inflammation support, and algae oil is a particularly clean source of DHA without the baggage of lower-quality fish oils.
Psyllium husk is clearly there for digestion – useful, especially for dogs with sensitive guts.
Seaweed adds trace minerals like iodine, though as always the benefit depends on quantity.
The only slightly vague part is “vitamins & minerals”. That’s normal in most dog foods sold in Australia, and simply means they’ve relied on supplementation to ensure the formula is balanced, rather than being entirely whole-food or prey-model.
Still, that’s a minor criticism in the grand scheme of things, and nothing to worry about.
What matters more is what you don’t find in Bonnodog, and that’s the following:
No grains.
No rendered meat meals.
No artificial preservatives or colours.
No vague “by-products”.
That’s a nice, clean label, and should matter to you if you want to feed your dog healthy dinners!
Bonnodog comes across as a decent addition to your dog’s diet, and would be a very welcome addition to any kibble.
Where to buy?
Ingredients
The ingredients of Bonnodog Dog Food (Gently Cooked Frozen Kangaroo Recipe):
Kangaroo meat 78%, Vegetables (Carrots, Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Pumpkin, Peas, Spinach), Vitamins & minerals, Flaxseed oil, Seaweed, Psyllium Husk, Algae oil
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