Looking For A Superior, High Quality Dry Food

[Aziah]

Feeding raw is only as painful as you make it, given it's really the only food that you can be certain of what's in it (given you prepare it yourself) there's no dry in the same league.

Anyhoo JMT

[oakway]

Evo has a grain free range and might tick all your boxes. The only downside is it is only available through the Pets Paradise chain.

I know, what a shame! It sounds like a fantastic product, but I find the whole idea of Pets Paradise so depressing! Perhaps, if more people complained to Innova Evo about Pets Paradise, they might consider changing to a different distributor?

Look I am not sure of the name but I think it Pets Direct ????? well what ever the name they sell Evo.

The shop I use is at RiverLink in Ipswich. By the way last time I was inside the Riverlink complex PP appears to have closed down. The entire front of the building was screened off.

[Sagittarian]

Evo and the other Natura products will be more widely available here in the future. The company was bought out by Proctor & Gamble and I imagine it is only time until we see some filtering through.

Pet Goods Direct have been bought out by Petbarn (at least in Victoria) and are going through redevelopment now. PGD was/is owned by Paradise Holdings, same as Pets Paradise.

Sags

Evo has a grain free range and might tick all your boxes. The only downside is it is only available through the Pets Paradise chain.

I know, what a shame! It sounds like a fantastic product, but I find the whole idea of Pets Paradise so depressing! Perhaps, if more people complained to Innova Evo about Pets Paradise, they might consider changing to a different distributor?

Look I am not sure of the name but I think it Pets Direct ????? well what ever the name they sell Evo.

The shop I use is at RiverLink in Ipswich. By the way last time I was inside the Riverlink complex PP appears to have closed down. The entire front of the building was screened off.

[Guest lavendergirl]

Evo has a grain free range and might tick all your boxes. The only downside is it is only available through the Pets Paradise chain.

I know, what a shame! It sounds like a fantastic product, but I find the whole idea of Pets Paradise so depressing! Perhaps, if more people complained to Innova Evo about Pets Paradise, they might consider changing to a different distributor?

Look I am not sure of the name but I think it Pets Direct ????? well what ever the name they sell Evo.

The shop I use is at RiverLink in Ipswich. By the way last time I was inside the Riverlink complex PP appears to have closed down. The entire front of the building was screened off.

I bought Innova (who makes Evo) through a store called Petgoods Direct. Though they did not sell any live animals I believe they are affiliated to the same PP company.

[Nevafollo]

Id keep up the raw if you can, my pug goes so well on raw, and I feel bad because she gets next to nothing food wise but her condition at them moment is fantastic my brother was feeding her when I was away and then again when I was sick and he disagreed with how much I was feeding her so snuck her some extra and BAM big fat pug!!!

I do the pointers on 90% raw the rest dry or dog roll, I call it their junk food because really I can't find a dry I'd feed 100% of they all seem crap in one way or other!

Edited August 26, 2011 by Nevafollo

[Tumbleweed]

I think the best product is Petcurean Go Natural Grain Free Endurance. I have contacted them, but it isn't available here in Australia because of our "regulations"

I don't think I'm alone in feeling frustrated by the lack of superior dog food products here in Australia...and I think it's wrong that our dogs get the 'short end of the stick'. No pun intended

I think the 'regulations' you are referring to are quarantine regs set by AQIS. They seem to pose a significant barrier to importing pet foods into Aus as there are significant hoops to jump through regarding how the dog food is made, sources of ingredients etc. You can see more at: http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/import/biological/checklist/animal-feed

On the upside, these regs also help keep Australia pest/disease free! I emailed 3 top American brands recently and was told that Taste of the Wild food is currently going through the process to import their food to Australia, which is great to hear. No idea on time frames though. The other 3 brands I emailed (Addiction, Wysong and Timberwolf) said they do not currently supply to Australia and did not mention any plans to change that.

Hope that helps. Good luck on your search - I feed Advance but after lots of research lately I am going to change to Canidae, Earthborn or Artemis when I finish my current bag.

[littlesquashyguys]

I think the best product is Petcurean Go Natural Grain Free Endurance. I have contacted them, but it isn't available here in Australia because of our "regulations"

I don't think I'm alone in feeling frustrated by the lack of superior dog food products here in Australia...and I think it's wrong that our dogs get the 'short end of the stick'. No pun intended

I think the 'regulations' you are referring to are quarantine regs set by AQIS. They seem to pose a significant barrier to importing pet foods into Aus as there are significant hoops to jump through regarding how the dog food is made, sources of ingredients etc. You can see more at: http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/import/biological/checklist/animal-feed

On the upside, these regs also help keep Australia pest/disease free! I emailed 3 top American brands recently and was told that Taste of the Wild food is currently going through the process to import their food to Australia, which is great to hear. No idea on time frames though. The other 3 brands I emailed (Addiction, Wysong and Timberwolf) said they do not currently supply to Australia and did not mention any plans to change that.

Hope that helps. Good luck on your search - I feed Advance but after lots of research lately I am going to change to Canidae, Earthborn or Artemis when I finish my current bag.

That's great news about Taste of the Wild!

And I will definitely check out the AQIS website...thank you.

Yeah, I'm leaning towards Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages...at least until a better product becomes available.

I'm yet to check out Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural - the name sounds strangely hippie-ish and foetal at the same time LOL.

I forgot to add: I'm a bit wary of products with "Holistic" in the title. It seems to be used so loosely these days.

Edited August 26, 2011 by littlesquashyguys

[littlesquashyguys]

Evo and the other Natura products will be more widely available here in the future. The company was bought out by Proctor & Gamble and I imagine it is only time until we see some filtering through.

Pet Goods Direct have been bought out by Petbarn (at least in Victoria) and are going through redevelopment now. PGD was/is owned by Paradise Holdings, same as Pets Paradise.

Sags

Evo has a grain free range and might tick all your boxes. The only downside is it is only available through the Pets Paradise chain.

I know, what a shame! It sounds like a fantastic product, but I find the whole idea of Pets Paradise so depressing! Perhaps, if more people complained to Innova Evo about Pets Paradise, they might consider changing to a different distributor?

Look I am not sure of the name but I think it Pets Direct ????? well what ever the name they sell Evo.

The shop I use is at RiverLink in Ipswich. By the way last time I was inside the Riverlink complex PP appears to have closed down. The entire front of the building was screened off.

Mmm, interesting to know...I will definitely keep an eye out for Innova. I think it sounds like an excellent product.

[littlesquashyguys]

I have to leave this thread for a while...

I've got friends coming to stay and I'm supposed to be making Chicken Satay for tea.

And Grover is getting shirty 'cause it's 30 mins past his dinner time.

[WreckitWhippet]

Evo has a grain free range and might tick all your boxes. The only downside is it is only available through the Pets Paradise chain.

I'd sooner feed my dogs Chum than shop at PP.

Pity because Evo looks like a good product.

Rumour has it, that the exclusive with PP will soon be at an end and if I remember correctly Nestle has purchased the company . I could be wrong but last I heard, we might see Evo within th next 12-18 months.

[littlesquashyguys]

My friends are coming tomorrow (which is a relief because my house is a disgusting mess)...

I just found out that Natura Pet foods, who own Innova and Evo, have a class action lawsuit against them, for advertising their dog food as human grade. Here's the link:

www.petproductssettlement.com

By the way, Natura Pet Foods was bought by Proctor and Gamble, not Nestle.

Also, I should have included "human grade" in my list at the start of this thread. When Eagle Pack Holistic Select first appeared in Australia, it was advertised as organic, human grade, owned by a family business who bred Huskies, and sourced their produce from Amish farmers. It was those bloody Amish farmers who reeled me in!

Edited August 26, 2011 by littlesquashyguys

[Boxer05]

Great news about Taste of the Wild. I emailed then several

months ago and never got a response. I'd love to try this food, everyone in the US raves about it.

[Guest Panzer Attack!]

Hi OP - just so you know, not all dogs do well on grain free and I personally don't consider things like rice and oats filler - many dogs do very, very well on them. Grain free can be too rich for dogs and give them the runs etc.

I've personally fed Earthborn to my dogs and it is a wonderful product, one I'd highly recommend. At the moment (I have two dogs and a step-child lol) one is eating Pro Pac (he's on a diet but is rapidly reaching goal weight), one is eating a mix of Canidae and RC (because he likes them both and he's a PITA) and one eats Artemis. They are all healthy little munchkins (one is too skinny cos he's a fussy turd and some days won't even eat steamed chicken breast, but he's getting much better), bright eyed, beautiful coats, full of energy. There ARE good quality foods in Australia already, don't take dog food analysis as gospel. There is a lot of great information on there but I think some of the scoring is a bit harsh and they only 6-star grain free food which is a bit poor IMO as not all dogs can handle it.

Just my opinion, of course!

E x

[Guest Panzer Attack!]

PS: Woo, Taste of the Wild! Another one to put on the list... I can't wait til P&C release Innova and Evo, just hope they don't tamper with the recipe too much.

PPS: Eagle Pack (and Nutro) used to be much, much better foods but once again, tampering with the recipe. EPH Fish was the ONLY food my poor heart girl (RIP) could stomach and I don't know what I would have done if they'd changed it before I bought the last bag... really annoyed me as it happened without warning and it took me over a year to find a food she could eat and not vomit ... not to mention the supply issues!!

PPPS: AQIS is stringent with what they'll let into the country which is why a lot of the American foods haven't made their way over. Royal Canin, for example, recently deleted some of their lines in Australia (eg Sterilized Cat & Cavalier formulas) due to AQIS narrowing their criteria and I think the products had egg powder in them? Doesn't make it easy! Hopefully more Aussie companies will follow Black Hawk's example and start putting out quality food (my boy loved it but unfortunately reacts to the brewers yeast so he can't eat it...) but I won't hold my breath.

[littlesquashyguys]

After much research (my brain is hurting from scouring the internet!), I have decided to buy Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages.

It isn't ideally what I'd like in a dog food (my first choice is Go Natural Grain Free Endurance or Wellness Core)...but, I've come to the conclusion that it's a superior, high quality product and I'm very happy with my decision.

Thanks, everyone for your input...it's very much appreciated : )

Edited August 26, 2011 by littlesquashyguys

[Guest english.ivy]

After much research (my brain is hurting from scouring the internet!), I have decided to buy Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages.

It isn't ideally what I'd like in a dog food (my first choice is Go Natural Grain Free Endurance or Wellness Core)...but, I've come to the conclusion that it's a superior, high quality product and I'm very happy with my decision.

Thanks, everyone for your input...it's very much appreciated : )

If that is the salmon one, it smells really good

[Danois]

Great to see you've gone for Canidae. I rotate between the Grain Free All Stages and the GF Salmon and my boy has done fantastic on the food. His coat was dull and washed out and on this food I'm told often how healthy and shiny he looks.

IMO you cannot get many foods more superior than Canidae and I don't think the quality of the Aus made food is as high. I like the look of ZiwiPeak but its not cost effective for me to do so given I get through the 13.6kg bag of Canidae in 3-4 weeks (1 dog).

I have found I am feeding considerably less Canidae than I was feeding EP.

[Sagittarian]

Just for the record, I didn't say the below... a mix up with quotes I imagine. What I did say was that Natura is now owned by Proctor & Gamble.

Compared to just a few years ago, Australia now enjoys a really good selection of dry food options. There is no doubt that the range will continue to grow, as long as the manufacturers of some of the "intuitive" brands can meet the AQIS regulations.

Sags

I think the best product is Petcurean Go Natural Grain Free Endurance. I have contacted them, but it isn't available here in Australia because of our "regulations"

I don't think I'm alone in feeling frustrated by the lack of superior dog food products here in Australia...and I think it's wrong that our dogs get the 'short end of the stick'. No pun intended

I think the 'regulations' you are referring to are quarantine regs set by AQIS. They seem to pose a significant barrier to importing pet foods into Aus as there are significant hoops to jump through regarding how the dog food is made, sources of ingredients etc. You can see more at: http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/import/biological/checklist/animal-feed

On the upside, these regs also help keep Australia pest/disease free! I emailed 3 top American brands recently and was told that Taste of the Wild food is currently going through the process to import their food to Australia, which is great to hear. No idea on time frames though. The other 3 brands I emailed (Addiction, Wysong and Timberwolf) said they do not currently supply to Australia and did not mention any plans to change that.

Hope that helps. Good luck on your search - I feed Advance but after lots of research lately I am going to change to Canidae, Earthborn or Artemis when I finish my current bag.

[Roar Kingdom]

Ziwi Peak and K9 Natural are both by far the best natural foods available in Australia, both trusted NZ brands with quality ingredients and not irradiated on entry into Oz. K9 Natural is excellent - freeze-dried, shelf stable, and very easy to prepare. It's available in larger pack sizes for bigger dogs. Ziwi Peak is 'semi-moist' as it is dried at such low temperatures, preserving much of the nutritional value of the primary ingredients, which are all quality ingredients appropriate for a carnivore. Next best IMO, if you want a dry food (less recommended even if the primary ingredients are good as it is necessarily more processed ie high temperatures and pressures, destroying or altering much of the nutritional content) would be Artemis or Canidae grain-free .

What difficulties have you encountered feeding a raw diet? It really is quite simple if you do it right.

[littlesquashyguys]

Ziwi Peak and K9 Natural are both by far the best natural foods available in Australia, both trusted NZ brands with quality ingredients and not irradiated on entry into Oz. K9 Natural is excellent - freeze-dried, shelf stable, and very easy to prepare. It's available in larger pack sizes for bigger dogs. Ziwi Peak is 'semi-moist' as it is dried at such low temperatures, preserving much of the nutritional value of the primary ingredients, which are all quality ingredients appropriate for a carnivore. Next best IMO, if you want a dry food (less recommended even if the primary ingredients are good as it is necessarily more processed ie high temperatures and pressures, destroying or altering much of the nutritional content) would be Artemis or Canidae grain-free .

What difficulties have you encountered feeding a raw diet? It really is quite simple if you do it right.

Thanks for offering to help : )

I've come to the conclusion that I'm not one of those people who subscribe (abscribe? What's the word?) to the theory behind a raw food diet, or believe that my dog SHOULD and MUST be fed raw...and I'm finding it quite freeing, actually!

(I'm not at all implying that you're one of them) Some raw food supporters are so preachy and fanatical. They're like reformed ex-smokers or Born Again Christians. It's a real turn-off.

Edited August 27, 2011 by littlesquashyguys