Prime100 have a loyal following from social media groups such as Balanced Canine Sydney who have been a strong advocate for the brand, and numerous Australian veterinary clinics endorse Prime100 over big name brands Hill’s and Royal Canin.
As a dog food roll I consider Prime100 to sit between dry food (kibble) and more true-to-form raw, dried raw, and BARF dog foods.
The hypoallergenic SPD (Single Protein Diet) Prime100 Kangaroo & Pumpkin and Salmon & Tapioca rolls are very popular for those with dogs suffering dietary sensitivities. In cases such as this simply removing a wheat/cereal based kibble from the diet should show results, but if your dog is sensitive to a specific meat protein then Prime100 may offer welcome relief.
Being an Australian company, Prime100 wins hearts on that basis alone. After all, we like to support Australian businesses, don’t we?
As a company Prime100 Pty Ltd has grown rapidly in recent years. In 2021 they were acquired by Quadrant, a significant player in Australian private equity. In 2015 Quadrant acquired Australia’s biggest pet food manufacturer The Real Petfood Co for $410 million, selling it 2 years later to Chinese agribusiness New Hope Group Co for a whopping $1 billion. Can we expect the same for Prime100 during 2024 or beyond?
Needless to say Australian pet food makes big money, but that’s not why you’re here – you want to know if Prime100 rolls are good for your dog.
Let’s take a look…
Related: Prime100 SPD Air Review, Prime100 SPD ZeroG Review
Prime100 dog food review
What the marketing says
If we look at the packaging for the Prime100 Kangaroo roll we find it swamped in marketing claims – “The Final Word in Pet Nutrition”, “Functional Protein Diets”, “Palatability Guarantee 100% Taste” and other stuff to lure you in.
The packaging looks smart – nothing wrong with that – which gives you the impression the brand is reputable and scientific.
What will matter more to you is Prime100 Kangaroo (and other rolls in the range) are hypoallergenic, possibly a good choice for an elimination diet, and should benefit your dog if they suffer GI health issues, IBD, dermatitis, or weight issues.
As the Kangaroo roll is low fat, it’s also labelled “Pancreatitis”. When your dog’s kidney’s are inflamed a low fat diet should reduce stress on the organ and help your dog recover or prevent a relapse.
Before we delve into the ingredients of the Prime100 dog food rolls, it’s worth pointing out the food is steam cooked. The packaging says “for freshness”, but it’s also a better way of preserving nutrients than you’ll get with kibble (known as extrusion). For those worried about harmful bacteria and pathogens in raw, steam cooked should alleviate some of your worries.
Note: Prime100 Kangaroo & Pumpkin discussed above is for Adult & Senior Dogs. That means it won’t contain the required nutrition for the puppy phase. If you have a puppy, simply opt for the Prime100 Puppy rolls instead.
What the ingredients really say
We’ll take a look at Prime100 SPD™ Kangaroo & Pumpkin dog food roll for for the simple reason it’s the most popular choice. The other formulas are relatively similar, which means you can use the information in this review to compare with the other roll ingredients.
Most pet food companies list meat first as that’s what appeals most to us dog owners (our dog’s love meat, right?). Truth is most pet foods aren’t as meaty as you may think, but I’m happy to say the Prime100 rolls are, in majority, meat-based.
Let’s consider the first four ingredients: Australian kangaroo, tapioca, bamboo fibre, and pumpkin.
Often with pet foods there’s a lot of ambiguity as to how much of each is in the formula, and a good question is how much kangaroo to tapioca, how much bamboo fibre, and so forth?
Not many pet food companies will answer these questions, but thankfully Prime 100 have provided me with the following:
| Fresh Roll 1 | Fresh Roll 2 | Fresh Roll 3 | Fresh Roll 4 | Fresh Roll 5 | Fresh Roll 6 | Fresh Roll 7 | |
| Meat | 79% | 68% | 71% | 67% | 74% | 66% | 64% |
| Tapioca | 17% | 17% | 24% | 22% | 19% | 19% | 27% |
| Bamboo Fibre | 2% | 2% | 0% | 3% | 2.7% | 1.8% | 1.6% |
If you like solving puzzles I’m sure you can tally the above to each roll formula, but the main positive we can take from this is all rolls are meat-based, and meat is what your dog will benefit from the most.
Many ask me about the benefits of bamboo fibre. I see the inclusion of fibre beneficial for dogs in a small amount to help regulate the bowel and support gastrointestinal health. I know some raw feeders will disagree, but evidence suggests dogs do benefit from some fibre in the diet.
Here’s what Prime100 has to say about bamboo fibre:
An insoluble and non-fermentable fibre that passes through the digestive tract unchanged and is not fermented by the microbes in the hind gut and is not therefore an energy or nutrient source.
Prime100 Functional Ingredient Glossary (March, 2024)
As for tapioca I’ll paraphrase slightly, and you can read more on the Prime100 functional ingredient glossary if you like. I found the key point to be:
Tapioca is an alternative to low-quality grains or common allergenic ingredients
Prime100 Functional Ingredient Glossary (March, 2024)
As the second ingredient in most Prime100 rolls, around a 5th of most formulas, I would question how beneficial tapioca is for a dog, but I consider it a better alternative to grains such as wheat and sorghum.
I see a lot of benefit to feeding the Prime100 rolls. Being a meat-based roll would make them a better option than most kibbles, and easier for your dog to digest. If you have a dog suffering dietary sensitivities, then Prime100 could be a very good option and help your dog get back to normality.
There are dog foods in Australia which are almost entirely animal-based, such as Frontier Pets, Eureka, ZIWI Peak, K9 Natural, Proudi and Big Dog BARF. Price wise it doesn’t seem like Prime100 is any cheaper, and in some cases more expensive, but with all these foods you’re giving your dog a much better diet than most.
If your vet has recommended Prime 100 over a big-name “veterinary” brand like Hill’s or Royal Canin – particularly the dry foods – then I’d be inclined to accept their recommendation.
Is Prime Pantry the same as Prime100?
You may wonder how the Prime Pantry rolls found in the supermarkets differ from the more expensive Prime100 rolls.
Prime Pantry as the more budget-friendly offering from Prime100 don’t come across as well in terms of ingredients, but still decent.
To quote Prime100:
Prime Pantry is lower in price as it is not a single protein diet and has not been formulated to support health indications in the way our SPD Fresh Rolls have been. The rolls’ quality and ingredients are excellent and provide dogs with a complete and balanced diet.
Personal correspondence with Prime100
The Prime Pantry rolls are typically lower in protein and fat than the Prime100 counterparts, which you can expect to be the result of more non-meat ingredients in favour of meat ingredients.
If you’re on a budget, or aren’t catering for a specific health condition or dietary sensitivity, then understandably Prime Pantry rolls may be more appealing. However, based on the formulas it would seem the Prime100 rolls are the better quality product of the two.
Where to buy Prime100 dog food rolls
Prime100 dog food rolls can be found in a number of Australian pet stores such as Petbarn and PETstock.
Ingredients of Prime100 (SPD Rolls)
Ingredients of Prime100 SPD™ Kangaroo & Pumpkin dog food roll:
Australian Kangaroo, tapioca, bamboo fibre, pumpkin, functional oils (algae, flaxseed, sunflower), vitamins & minerals, salt, chicory root extract, Algimun®, psyllium husk, taurine, celery seed powder, natural digestive enzymes.
Guaranteed analysis of Prime100 (SPD Rolls)
Guaranteed analysis of Prime100 SPD™ Kangaroo & Pumpkin dog food roll on a wet matter basis:
| Protein | (min) 10% |
| Fat | (min) 2.3% |
| Crude Fibre | (max) 3% |
| Moisture | (max) 65% |
| Calcium/Phosphorous ratio | 1.4:1 |
My girl has these rolls as a main meals every day my girl staffy Ruby she is always very happy and playful since they changed packeging/ingredients these rolls are not the same i open a new roll gave it to her 20 min later explosive yellow diarrhea vomit gagging lethargy watery eyes and sore belly i knew it was the food i made her comfortable and she slept most of that day next day same…she didnt want to eat nothing she just vomited and constant diarrhea rush to the vet cause of illness Prime 100 SPD Kangoroo and Pumpking…cooked her blant food and thought stupid me maybe she got allergic to kangoroo been eating it for 4 years so i brought the Prime 100 SPD Salmon and Tapioca same shit happen!!! these rolls a nasty and full of bamboo fiber thats a very bad for dogs the salmon had bones sticking out of the roll imagine on a dogs stomach..I WILL NEVER PURCHASE FROM THEM AGAIN…THEY ARE DISHONEST WITH THEIR PRODUCTS!
Both my dogs got sick on the kangaroo and pumpkin roll and my boy got sick on the salmon roll. I now no longer give them Prime. Unfortunately, my boy has since developed sensitivies – I can’t say it’s due to Prime but who knows. I now feed them on Petzyo and lots of home cooked veggies. I’m slowly trying to re-introduce some home cooked fish after a big setback. I would never use Prime again.
I used to really like some of these rolls, but I’m disappointed that the formula of my fave has been changed to less meat and more filler garbage. I also noticed a substantial price increase to these rolls a year or so ago at most pet food stores, which is odd considering they removed meat and replaced with bamboo filler.
Pretty sure dog’s wouldn’t eat ‘bamboo fibre’ by choice if it was presented to them lol.
The icing on the cake for me is the lack of company transparency and rudeness.
Unfortunately, most people won’t even know there was ingredient changes and will continue to feed this blindly when there are nutritionally better and cheaper options around.
Thank you for this thorough review on Prime100 dog food. It’s immensely helpful to have such detailed insights into the nutritional value and ingredients of this brand, especially for dog owners keen on providing balanced diets to their furry companions. The pros and cons section is a straightforward guide for anyone considering this dog food brand. It’s also enlightening to read about the potential allergens and the importance of a single protein source for dogs with sensitivities. This review definitely aids in making an informed decision for the best interest of our pets. Keep up the fantastic work!
In regards to Vet recommendations most of the vets in my neck of the woods sell prime 100. I have fed my dog Prime 100 for near on 6 years. He is 10 years old, he is healthy, excellent skin and coat, good teeth and has not changed his weight in all that time. He is a Labrador retriever, a breed known for big appetites. I have feed him the same portions everyday but a little under the recommended amount for his size and weight. Better to slightly and I mean slightly under than overfeed. Anyways all I am getting to is the food is really good for him. My vet has always said that he is in excellent condition for his age.. and he is. Food is not the only reason but it does play an important part for a dogs health. Make no mistake I watch and gauge my dogs health like a hawk and if I ever had any inkling that the food I feed him is in any way a detriment to his health I would change it immediately and consult my vet. I go by results – long term.
I’m in a situation where I live in central QLD , not far from Emerald , I get my SPD salmon rolls from my vet , my little mini dachshund has severe IBD /colitis issues, and the only protein she can tolerate is fish , she seems to do well on the prime salmon n tapioca diet without causing any major gut turmoil, she can’t eat raw at all , she can’t eat any other protein either , I’m yet to find a similar one protein fish type of wet food that’s been cooked for her that I can buy in Emerald as pet shops only sell brands that don’t produce them and only my vet orders the prime rolls in .. any advice on what I could try on a dog that has very very very limited options must be fish variety only .
Hi Natalie, given your situation and the fact Prime 100 Salmon & Tapioca is working I would suggest continuing with it. Another possibility is to start adding some fresh or homemade ingredients which work, as this should add some variety. Probiotics may be a good option as well, which can either be off-the-shelf, kefir, natural yoghurt etc.
I have just been to my local pet store to purchase my normal prime 100 roll, and after reading the feeding guidelines, I noticed that half of them have an increase of 100 g/ 10 kg of body weight. Then I looked at the ingredients and it seems that bamboo fibre is the new superfood as it is listed third on the wild boar ingredients list. Meaning there has been a change in formulation and the pet stores are currently doing a change over.
With the knowledge I have learnt from your website and having at least a 30% increase in feeding guides indicates that there is less nutrition per serve?
Would really love to hear your thoughts and feedback on this.
Hi Lani, there are two reasons why ingredients can be used in a dog food – (1) for the benefit of your dog, and (2) to keep production costs down and profit up.
When it comes to what I consider “main ingredients” in rolls such as this, there can be two (1 meat, 1 non-meat), or more than two. The Balanced Life rolls have two, whereas the Prime 100 rolls usually have 3 or more, such as Salmon + Tapioca + Bamboo. This can mean 1/3rd salmon to 2/3 non-animal. That’s quite a difference.
Here’s a quote from the Pet Keen website on feeding bamboo shoots to a dog – “Bamboo shoots should be served in small amounts, as too much can lead to digestive upset and other health problems in dogs.”
That should leave you with another concern, as most people feed the same food to their dogs for all meals, every single day.
Thank you for a quick reply. Considering the wild bore & pumpkin was the first 2 ingredients in the old formulation and now lists as “Australian Pork including wild bore, tapioca, bamboo fibre then pumpkin”. What % of pork to bore?
This always made up 1/3 of my dogs diet with Ziwi Peak air dried & raw taking up 2/3 but I have to say I am not impressed with formulation changes with no signage, no reps going out to the pet stores to educate staff about this change, why the change, what makes it better? I will be finding a raw/loaf alternative. Prime have lost another customer due to their lack of. Awareness and putting profits over animal welfare.
You can expect mostly pork with that one.
Usually formula changes benefit profit margins, rarely anything else. It’s common for an established brand with a loyal reputation to make such changes, and most people won’t notice. ZiwiPeak is almost all meat, so that gives a good comparison to a roll with one part meat to two parts non-meat as the first (most significant) ingredients.
I’m disappointed by your Prime 100 SPD roll review.
So you rated them down due to the company behaviour?
I’ve been feeding my dog who has IBD these rolls for over 4 years. She is sensitive to chicken, beef, lamb, kangaroo and other proteins, so it’s hard to find another company producing rolls without these ingredients.
She is a picture of health on the SPD rolls and my vet endorses the food.
Anytime I’ve had a problem with a roll – once the Pea Roll was too crumbly and once a salmon roll had dark patches in it- the company has couriered me multiple rolls to replace them.
I find them a great company to deal with and would prefer to buy Australian than New Zealand products.
Hi Sally, I find their rolls to be marketed as meat when the main three ingredients in most rolls to be meat/tapioca/bamboo fibre. You can compare this formulation to say the Balanced Life rolls which are meat/rice or meat/pumpkin in respect to the hypoallergenic kangaroo roll which you may also find suitable, and I believe cheaper.
I’m sorry you don’t see company behaviour as an important factor. Personally I see honesty and transparency in high regard for any pet food company, especially if you wish to put the health of your pet in their hands.
It’s not just company behaviour either, it’s issues with plastic and other issues with the products spanning multiple years.
None of the above accounts for the rudeness they have displayed towards the Pet Food Reviews team.
I find it very hard to recommend Prime100 products based on many factors, and because I believe there are better options.
I find Prime 100 Rolls perfect for my dog. I have tried many dog foods including raw, cooked, kibble, air dried all of which come with their pros and cons. However the Prime Rolls meet all the needs of my dog in a convenient way. I agree also with the reason you seem to have marked down this product. I read a lot of the reviews on different brands but cannot agree with your review for Prime Rolls.
I have been feeding Prime100 chicken and brown rice and chicken and veg mostly in conjunction with a different brand dry food as well as other raw ingredients for a few years. I did have an issue with black plastic in a roll and reported to to them straight away. They credited me the one roll. I’m not a fan of them spruking the AAFCO standard for their food as it really means nothing just a very basic minimal standard.
My dog has been fed this product for 6 years. Guess what he is in wonderful condition … according to my vet who has been looking after him for a long time. I tell you what MY review is based on.Is he healthy – yes – is his coat good – yes – does he suffer from skin allergies – no – is his weight stable – yes – is he a happy dog – YES. he is 10 years old and looks like a dog that is much younger.
I do not normally take the time to get involved in this type of communication but I have no problem saying that your review is not a good one at all.
Hi KC, that’s good to hear and there are certainly much worse dog foods on the market. 7.5 is actually quite a good rating, and it would be higher if my communications with Prime had given me more confidence in the ethics and truthfulness of the company. Unfortunately on a number of occasions I haven’t found this to be the case.
Could you please do more reviews of dog rolls? I am a pet-dog trainer and we use Prime100 for training as dogs are more engaged with wet food treats than dry, and it’s better to feed a complete dog food rather than something like devon. I would love to know if there is something better than the Prime rolls.
Thankyou for such a honest review of Prime 100. Honestly is very important and being straight forward is a better policy than trying to cover things up. I find my dogs love this product including a fussy Poodle mix. We all make mistakes in life and all lies get found out in the end as my aunty used to say. Thankyou for what you do .
Hi which prime roll is fussy poodle mix please? I have a fussy poodle and have tried lots of different foods, he prefers raw human grade mince but I want him to have a balanced diet
Hi Joanna, there’s a review of the Prime100 rolls here. I’ll likely add more reviews of rolls in the future, but one that springs to mind while writing this is the Balanced Life rolls.
Very disappointed to hear about the lack of transparency. My dog loves SPD, and I’ve been recommended it time and again by very knowledgeable vet nutritionists as an alternative to raw food, or to use in conjunction with.
I was never overly confident with PRIME labelling, but dismissed my doubts because of the endorsement. I believe the endorsement is genuine as the nutritionists work tirelessly to educate ppl how to home prepare balanced raw food and this is by far their main focus. The only spruiking they really do is advertise their own services and own-brand developed supplements.
For the same $, or even less, I could have been feeding K9 freeze dried etc.
I so, so appreciate what you do here. I know it’s a first world problem re: what to feed your dog, but they’re like family. It’s honestly so much easier to figure out how to healthily feed my human children.
Hi Jennifer, in many ways Prime100 is better than what vet’s or nutritionists would previously recommend. Simply because the rolls offered more meat in a form more beneficial than dry biscuits, and at the time there was definitely a gap in the market for such products.
I’m shocked reading this, I’ve been feeding my dog these rolls for years as well as Canidae grain free Salmon.
Any recommendations for the best wet meat food for a borador? Lab x collie who is 10?
By the way thank you for all you do. I have sent your site to so many people!
Hi Mellissa, when it comes to raw dog foods these are my best recommendations, although their are some state-specific raw meat suppliers which are also good – https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/best-raw-dog-food-australia/
Can you please do a review of proudi dog food? And maybe an article for Big Dog vs ProudI. Cant find any reviews on the internet. Also if you could look at petzyo thatd be great. Its similar to lyka.
Hi Rob, Proudi is on my TODO list. It’s similar in many respects to Big Dog. There’s a review of Petzyo but I need to update it.