Absolute Holistic Dog Food Review

WebsiteAbsolute Holistic
Country of originNew Zealand
Available fromPet Circle  
RelatedZIWI Peak (New Zealand), Eureka (Australia)

Most dogs in Australia are fed processed diets formulated of wheat/sorghum/rice/corn, mostly under the banner of “premium”. But when you consider a dog is from the order carnivora this doesn’t sit right. Wouldn’t it be better to feed them a whole prey diet rich in meat?

This paleo air-dried food from Absolute Holistic does just that. Being air-dried means nutrients remain intact, whereas kibble baked at high-temps will lose most of those nutrients (which doesn’t bode well for foods mostly grains or potato).

But how does it compare to other air-dried dog foods? Read on and find out!

Absolute Holistic, reviewed!

The main ingredients in Absolute Holistic Chicken & Hoki are what you may expect – chicken and hoki. That’s a definite plus point when, like me, you know this is the exception rather than the rule.

The protein is 31% and fat percentage is 25%, which is really decent and ensures carbohydrates (sugars) are kept to a bare minimum (there are barely any carbs whatsoever). If you consider most kibbles can be more than 50% carbs from “fillers”, your dog should be far healthier on a more protein and animal fat focused dog food such as this.

But, there is a but… I’ll get to that shortly, so keep reading!

Absolute Holistic Dog Food Review

The third ingredient in Absolute Holistic is chicken liver, which is an excellent ingredient rich in vitamins and minerals, good for the eyes and to tonify the blood, as well as being really good for your dog’s own liver.

Salmon oilGreen Lipped Mussel, and Flaxseed are all wonderful ingredients to support overall health and wellbeing, and should ensure your dog has healthy joints and a glossy coat. We find Parsley included for “fresh breath”, and Kelp to promote a healthy thyroid as well as being great for general health and prevention of allergies and fleas.

There’s some good stuff in Absolute Holistic, and if you feed it to your dog you should definitely see him fit and healthy.

Absolute Holistic Dog Food Review

So is there anything bad about the Absolute Holistic?

Well, yes.

We find the controversial ingredient vegetable glycerin, which isn’t included in other air-dried dog foods from New Zealand and Australia. The ingredient will serve to keep the food moist (which makes it look more appealing to you, and as a sweetener it will encourage your dog to eat it – again, this makes it seem more impressive to you as a consumer).

Personally I would opt for a dog food without it, even if your dog is slightly more reluctant to lap up an unsweetened meal. I’m sure you know sweeteners aren’t the best, especially when you feed them to your dog with every meal.

That said, Absolute Holistic is a decent choice rich in meat proteins and animal fats, with some great inclusions for health and wellbeing.

Related reviews:

You may find Australian air-dried dog food Eureka a good alternative, which works on a subscription model, or well known brand ZIWI Peak which is a big seller worldwide.

Where to buy

Absolute Holistic is fairly easy to find in Australia, with some recommended retailers listed below:

Ingredients

Ingredients of Absolute Holistic Chicken & Hoki air-dried dog food (at the time of writing):

Chicken, Hoki, Chicken Liver, Vegetable Glycerin, Salmon Oil, Dried Chicory, Parsley, Green Lipped Mussel, Flaxseed, Kelp, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamins & Minerals (Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Iron, Zinc, Vitamin E, Copper Sulphate, Selenium, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Manganous Oxide, Vitamin B2, Biotin, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B6, Vitamin D3, Vitamin K, Folic Acid).

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8.2 Total Score
Absolute Holistic Dog Food Review

A decent air-dried "paleo" dog food with a focus on animal ingredients over unnecessary carbohydrates. Recommended.

PROS
  • Meat! Fish! Organs! Green Lipped Mussels!
  • Air Dried to retain nutrients!
CONS
  • Vegetable Glycerin :/

4 Comments
  1. I have been feeding my three little dogs with ZIWIPeak and Holistic Absolute. My dogs are very very fussy. I have to take the food to the park and feed them. Since I am on a carnivore diet, I give Zeus, the little chihuahua raw grass fed mince and he has chicken thighs for dinner. As for Hugo Boss I have to cook the raw mince and he is happy to eat ziwipeak and absolute holistic while walking him and the new addition Hunter, he use to eat whatever I gave him and now he is getting fussy like the other two. I was shocked to read that vegetable glycerin is sugar which is more addictive than cocaine. Thanks for sharing that information. I do buy kangaroo and crocodile, buffalo and dehydrate them as their treats and I eat them too as they are human grade. I am going to try getting Eureka and fingers cross they will eat them. My fur babies wont eat ZIWIPEAK beef, lamb and venison. So I only get them chicken. Thank you all.

  2. The addition of vegetable glycerine (a chemically altered ingredient!) has no place in this reportedly natural, healthy air dried dog/cat food. Such a pity! Not sure if I’ll buy it.

  3. I buy this for my dogs. Damn expensive but they are worth it and so is their health. I use this as a filler food on top of their Raw.

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