Addiction Dog Food Review
Addiction is a New Zealand brand of dog food, and I feel the packaging and ingredients somewhat target a Taste of the Wild look and feel – which is one of the best recommended dry dog foods on this website.
You’ll find one grain-free dry dog food recipe (Viva La Venison), two varieties of air-dried (Venison & Cranberry, and Outback Kangaroo), and lastly a vegetarian option for those who sadly haven’t realised their dog is primarily a carnivorous predator.
To give a brief overview, the dry dog food recipe looks similar to Taste of the Wild, just with more carbohydrates, less protein, and less fat – so not as good, but seemingly a similar price tag.
As much as I love air-dried foods, the Addiction offerings look to favour carbohydrates rather than whole prey as favoured by leading Aussie brand Eureka and long-standing New Zealand brand Ziwi Peak.
As for the vegetarian offering…. ah, well lets take a more in-depth look at all varieties on offer:
Addiction dry dog food
Dry food is the most popular option for feeding dogs. That comes as no surprise given it’s convenient and affordable, and we tend to see dry processed nuggets as the normal way to feed our pet carnivores.
I can’t ignore the practicalities, but tend to see a food such as this as a “base diet” or go to diet which you can add variety too – such as wet, BARF, air-dried, freeze-dried, raw, homemade, or appropriate table scraps. Variety should be seen as a good thing, and an opportunity for you to add valuable nutrition to your dog’s diet.
The protein and fat percentage of the Addiction dry food is moderate at best, with an estimated 46% carbs. Despite the ingredients being similar to Taste of the Wild, it’s worth noting 24% protein in Addiction compared to 32% protein in Taste of the Wild is quite a difference, as well as 12% fat compared to 18% fat – these figures make Addiction more carb heavy, which would lead me back to Taste of the Wild as the better option.
That said, the ingredients are decent.
Venison and Venison Meal as the first two ingredients make this a better formula than many dry dog foods in Australia which favour dodgy cereal grains of questionable nutritional value. Your dog is carnivorous, and this is what they’ll benefit from the most.
We then have peas and tapioca, possibly in the same proportions as the meat given the estimated 46% carbs. Peas isn’t the worst ingredient for dogs, although I see tapioca as more “redundant filler” rather than worrying fillers I see in other dog foods.
Coconut oil should benefit your dog’s skin and coat as a source of MCTs, as will flaxseed which is quite common in dry dog foods these days.
The use of more natural preservatives like rosemary, tea, and spearmint extract is a nice touch.
Addiction Viva La Venison isn’t a bad dog food by any means. Fairly decent if I’m honest, if it’s used as a base diet.
Where to buy?
Various retailers.
Ingredients
Ingredients of Addiction dry dog food (Viva La Venison):
Venison, Venison Meal, Green Peas, Tapioca, Coconut Oil, Pea Protein, Flaxseed, Brewers Dried Yeast, Natural Flavor, Yellow Peas, Acetic Acid, Sea Salt, Potassium Chloride, Magnesium Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Dried Cranberries, Dried Apples, Dried Spinach, Blueberries, Dried Kelp, Taurine, DL-Methionine, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B3), Copper Amino Acid Complex, d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Sodium Selenite, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Cobalt Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Mixed Tocopherols for added freshness, Rosemary Extract, Tea Extract, Spearmint Extract.
Guaranteed analysis
Guaranteed analysis of Addiction dry dog food (Viva La Venison):
| Crude Protein | (min) 24% |
| Fat | (min) 12% |
| Crude Fibre | (max) 4% |
| Carbohydrates * | Estimated 46% |
* May be estimated. Read how to calculate carbohydrates in a pet food.
Addiction air-dried dog food
I’m a big fan of air-dried as a way of feeding our dogs.
Not only is it convenient feeding a dried food, but it’s a gentler process to extruding kibble, and should offer better nutrition as a whole.
The Addiction air-dried recipes fall short to leading brands like Eureka and Ziwi Peak on the simple fact carbohydrates like oats, potato, and tapioca are used in favour of a more whole-prey set of ingredients.
You could say the Addiction air-dried range may prey on the glowing reputation of other air-dried dog foods, just with a cheaper and less species-appropriate formula.
Compared to most kibbles it could still be a better option, but it’s worth assessing the cost of Addiction compared to Eureka and Ziwi Peak, with the latter being much more “carnivore”.
If we look at the main ingredients of Addiction Homestyle Venison & Cranberry Dinner air-dried, we find venison, oats, potatoes. and carrots, and with an estimated carbohydrate percentage of around 46% we can assume the oats, potatoes, and likely the carrots are significant.
That means venison – the best ingredient for your meat-loving dog – isn’t as significant as the meat content in other premium air-dried dog foods.
Using oats, potatoes, and carrots is a good way to keep production costs down, but the question is are they passing on those savings to you?
If you find the air-dried Addiction range more within your budget than Eureka or Ziwi Peak then it could be a good option for you as part of a varied diet, but it’s worth considering if Eureka or Ziwi Peak are the better option for the nutritional needs of you dog.
Where to buy?
Various retailers.
Ingredients
Ingredients of Addiction air-dried dog food (Homestyle Venison & Cranberry Dinner):
Venison, Oats, Potatoes, Carrots, Coconut Oil, Papayas, Cranberries, Blueberries, Mango, Apples, Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Peppermint, Spinach, Flaxseed, Brewers Dried Yeast, Natural Flavor, Tapioca, Dicalcium Phosphate, Sea Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Niacin (Vitamin B3), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Sulfate, Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols for added freshness, Tea Extract, Rosemary Extract, Spearmint Extract.
Guaranteed analysis
Guaranteed analysis of Addiction dry dog food (Viva La Venison):
| Crude Protein | (min) 22% |
| Fat | (min) 12% |
| Crude Fibre | (max) 7% |
| Carbohydrates * | Estimated 46% (using an estimated ash content of 8%) |
* May be estimated. Read how to calculate carbohydrates in a pet food.
Addiction Zen vegetarian dog food
As a nutritionist of pet carnivores – and from witnessing numerous vegetarian-fed dogs and cats over the years – please note I’m not a fan of such a diet.
However, let’s evaluate Addiction Zen Vegetarian compared to other vegetarian dog foods in Australia.
It has to be said the formula has been considered more than other brands, with a good mix of vegetarian ingredients.
The main grain choice is oats, which is one of the better and more digestible grains for a dog. It’s lower GI than cheaper inclusions like wheat (which should be avoided). Rice as the third ingredient and other significant carbohydrate is also one of the more digestible grains, even if it’s debatable whether dogs need grains at all (cats don’t).
The main ingredients look to be a mix of oats, soybean meal, rice, and peas, and it’s good to see a variety rather than filling the bag with the cheapest grain on offer and duping vegetarian feeders into buying it (and trusting it) based on a “vegetarian” badge.
Coconut oil is a beneficial addition as a source of medium-chain fatty acids (MCTs) which will give your dog a glossy coat and make them appear healthy – in a vegetarian dog food we need beneficial additions such as this to help offer a dog deprived of animal foods some hope of health and wellbeing.
It’s nice to see kelp as well, and more natural preservatives like rosemary, tea, and spearmint extract.
However, when we look at the guaranteed analysis we see the protein content (from soy and peas) is fairly low for a dry dog food at 22%. Fat is also low at 9%. This is a shame as dogs depend on protein for health, energy, muscle retention, and more – it’s a vital building block – and fat is their most effective source of energy.
The reality of low protein and fat is high carbohydrate (I estimate over 50%), and I wouldn’t say that’s good news for the long-term health of your dog.
Keep note fibre is also high for a dry dog food, sitting at 7.5%.
When it comes to vegetarian dog foods in Australia it’s definitely not the worst, but you may want to combine Addiction Zen Vegetarian with some homemade or fresh food as well.
Where to buy?
Various retailers.
Ingredients
Ingredients of Addiction dry dog food (Zen Vegetarian):
Oats, Soybean Meal, Rice, Peas, Coconut Oil, Dried Kelp, Dicalcium Phosphate, Flaxseed, Natural Flavor, Brewers Dried Yeast, Sea Salt, Potassium Chloride, Natural Buffered Vinegar, Choline Chloride, Taurine, DL-Methionine, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B3), Copper Amino Acid Complex, d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Sodium Selenite, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Cobalt Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Mixed Tocopherols for added freshness, Rosemary Extract, Tea Extract, Spearmint Extract
Guaranteed analysis
Guaranteed analysis of Addiction dry dog food (Zen Vegetarian):
| Crude Protein | (min) 22% |
| Fat | (min) 9% |
| Crude Fibre | (max) 7.5% |
| Carbohydrates * | Estimated 51% |
* May be estimated. Read how to calculate carbohydrates in a pet food.
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