Recent Comments
- Annie on Petzyo Dog Food Review: “Interesting!! Thanks for your reply. Ultimately my dog likes it and he’s healthy, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯” Jul 24, 17:31
- on What’s the best dog food (in Australia)?: “Hi Amanda, did you ever receive a response to your enquiry? I am curious myself. From what I’ve read there were mostly reports of all Purina products.” Jul 23, 14:02
- on What’s the best dog food (in Australia)?: “Hi Sarah, yes little bits of beef heart make a great treat, or kidney, or on occasion a little bit of liver. If you’re looking to feed a little bit of raw with the kibble then have a look at Proudi or Big Dog. Most pet stores will sell one or the other and they come as small patties (BARF) which you can freeze, then feed for two or three meals per week.” Jul 16, 01:02
- on Petzyo Dog Food Review: “Hi Annie, Meat meals have a bad rap, but there are pros and cons. Neither “chicken” or “chicken meal” offers any guarantee on quality, so in that sense we need to rely more on what a pet food company tells us about where the meat is sourced. When you boil it down to meat or meat meal it’s more about processing. Meat meal is basically a form of cooking “meat” and separating the protein and fat. That leaves a protein-dense powder which is easy to include in a pet food formula, and the fat content is often the other part. Cooking effectively twice could be considered a downside, or being protein-dense could be considered a positive. When it comes to “meat” which isn’t in meal form, quite often marketed as “real meat” on Australian pet foods, this is inclusive of moisture. That means, even if the meat is the first ingredient, once cooked into a kibble may not be as significant as we think. Usually real meat is combined with a stack of non-animal ingredients, which means the end result is very little “real meat” at all.” Jul 16, 00:37
- on Instinctive Bite Dog Food Review: “Hi Jenny, I’ve updated the review. For the price, as a more budget-friendly option than similar brands, I find it fairly decent.” Jul 16, 00:31
- on Leaps & Bounds Dog Food Review: “Unlike many I actually took the time to read the research on garlic toxicity for dogs. It was years ago now, but I believe the study showed 70+ cloves could cause toxicity. I expect we wouldn’t feel great either eating so much garlic. Over the years I’ve heard from one dog owner who’s vet alerted her to an issue with garlic in a homemade diet, with some semblance of blood tests to suggest garlic was in fact the cause, but that’s been about it. Many dog foods contain garlic, almost always in a very small and beneficial moderation. In Leaps & Bounds you’ll note garlic is listed as one of the most minor ingredients, and you’ll note salt (approx 1% is much more significant). If I were you, I’d be much more concerned about cereals such as wheat, and cereal bran, in this diet for a dog with a significant carnivore-bias. That’s the second ingredient, and far more significant than the tiny trace of garlic.” Jul 16, 00:29
- on 4CYTE for Dogs (4CYTE Canine) Review: “Hi Gilly, sorry it’s taken me a long time to reply. Did the scratching stop when you stopped giving her the 4CYTE? Antinol may be a good alternative…” Jul 16, 00:19
- on Goat Horns for Dogs: “Hi Carole, as a natural product I expect they would eventually. I usually throw them away if they start to crack or splinter, or if edges get a bit sharp, but I can’t say I’ve had one long enough to start smelling (not that my dog would mind).” Jul 16, 00:17
- on Choosing the right Senior Dog food: “Yep, ingredients change all the time, usually for the worse unfortunately.” Jul 16, 00:14
- on What’s the best dog food (in Australia)?: “Hi Nikki, dogs instinctively eat raw meat/organ/bones and nature is almost always correct. Nature’s a good guide. The slurs on raw feeding likely stem from pet food companies, but also veterinarians with genuine concerns – usually around the risks of feeding inappropriate sized bones or cooked bones which splinter or cause blockages. As for bacteria… well that’s more a risk to us, which is why we wash our chopping boards, wash our hands, and never eat raw chicken, pork etc. A dogs gut is much more resilient to bacteria, and it’s unlikely a healthy dog will get sick from raw meat. Brands such as Lyka give you as the consumer piece of mind as the meat and veg are all slightly cooked. It also takes away the need to chop up yucky organs. One thing I will add though, is raw (including raw meaty bones) will help your dog keep their teeth clean from plaque and tartar. Most commercial pet foods, BARF, or pre-made raw don’t really do much in this respect. Tough dried meat chews can be a good alternative.” Jul 16, 00:11
- on Meals for Mutts Dog Food Review: “Hi Chris, yes you can expect “seasonal vegetables” to be peas or similar legumes. Have you considered more prey-based diets like Eureka, Ziwi, Frontier Pets etc? Or even homemade or homemade raw? You could still keep a kibble as part of the diet, and use other methods to reduce overall fibre.” Jul 16, 00:03
- on Best Affordable Dog Food in Australia: “Hi Amanda, Diamond Naturals is next on my list – long overdue a review. It’s made by the same company who make Taste of the Wild, and although isn’t as premium still offers good production standards with lots of proof of that worldwide.” Jul 15, 23:57
- on Eureka Dog Food Review: “Wow, that’s quite a pet food journey! I’m glad you got there in the end and found something he likes!” Jul 15, 23:55
- on Hypro Premium Dog Food Review: “Same. Food smells and looks amazing but poos are mushy and my dogs have gone through 20kg in almost 2 weeks. Our first time buying I’m not sure if we will repurchase.” Jul 15, 19:28
- on Zignature Dog Food Review: “My toy cavoodle has been on this food for a few months now. After every 1.8 kilos I rotate the protein and her poops have been super healthy!I also add toppers like veggies amongst other things as well.” Jul 14, 08:10
- on Eureka Dog Food Review: “My Toller is the fussiest dog when it comes to food. He would rather go on a hunger strike then eat something he doesn’t want. We tried Ziwi Peak, Lyka, Raw, Hills, Royal, Big Dog, Single Protein and Frontier. We had him have numerous tests at the vet, tried to give him the same thing every single day to see if we could break him. Nope! Talking to alot of toller owners it seems to be a quirk of the breed. We tried him on the starter pack (3x800g) of each flavour, he doesn’t mind the 2 other flavours but he LOVEs the Wild Boar and Chicken. We give now give him this, cooked chicken, meaty bones and kefir yogurt and his coat has never been better. It has been a LONG journey but I finally feel we got there. Thankyou Eureka (Wild Boar and Chicken!)” Jul 11, 09:23
- on What’s the best dog food (in Australia)?: “Hi Connie, here’s a review of Black Hawk for dogs, and here for cats. I recently updated the Black Hawk dog food review so that will give you the most current information.” Jul 10, 17:38
- on Fresh Pet Food Co Pet Mince: “Hi Karen, cooking it may help rather than wasting it, but dogs are very instinctive so I would wonder what the reason is they won’t eat it raw…” Jul 10, 17:36
- on What’s the best cat food (in Australia)?: “Hi Amanda, it’s a very good question which is very hard to answer as nearly all pet foods have added vitamins and minerals rather than meet those requirements with “main ingredients”. The one which sprung to mind was Healthy Active Pets, but although they only offer freeze dried dog food at the moment there are resources on their website for cats and also make at home recipes. To offer recommendations, have you considered going full raw? Then you’re in full control and it can often work out cheaper. Commercial options you may settle for would be Frontier Pets or Raw Meow, and I’m not sure if you would find a kibble which met your needs!?” Jul 10, 17:32
- on Open Farm Cat Food Review: “Hi I found in Open Farms FAQS it said 80 to 90% animal protein but I have emailed them for clarification and also asked why so many lectins in cat food. of course they could weigh wet meat and dry pulses etc so it is tricky as you say. My cats are raw fed but it is so hard when we have housesitters and one cat refuses different foods according to his mood. He has got quite sick before from food refusal so we find we have to pander to him with pork roo chicken lamb beef venison and rabbit all free range. We also try top range canned and it is usually refused. As a kitten we put him on the breeders food initially and he never refused it as it was kibble. He wont eat frontier cat or ziwi dehydrated either. I am lucky to be able to afford grass fed free range but even that is a struggle with him. My other cat and my dog eat whatever I give them and again luckily I can give high quality food like lyka frontier eureka and raw. Many people have no choice but to feed kibble. Also raw isn’t the be all and end all for teeth. My cat chews giant chunks of meat rabbit pieces chicken wing tips and he has already had one extraction and due for another at a cost of $1000 with clean, blood work antibiotics and fluids and anaesthetic . My other cats teeth are perfect so there is a genetic component to cats teeth. Ziwi has chickpeas also unless you can get provenance which I cant seem to find now that they have been bought out. I notice they have a new food that is a mix of kibble and air dried. Doesn’t seem that great either. Thanks for the reviews and although I agree BALANCED raw is best I think we have to be pragmatic about peoples budgets and also not everyone wants a cat that drags meat all over the house including onto our dining table.You might also want to review meal completers as just raw meat is not good. I use Wombaroo Carnivite and the scientist Gordon will gives the breakdowns of the food values with different cuts of meat if you email him as I did a few years ago. There is also predamax and others on the market like raw meow. If Raw Meow was free range chicken I would use it. She makes a fabulous gut helper called Avas Blend.” Jul 10, 17:28