Australian Dog Foods (was Re: Switching foods and weight lost)

[caring canine]

not trying to hijack Rubiegem's post, there is a lot on information regarding brands not available in Australia. Just wanted opinions on the food I feed my dogs

http://www.purina.com.au/supercoat/DogProductRange_Adult_Large.aspx

[Spectrum]

Decided to split this off into its own topic. Since there are others here from Australia I figured it'd be nice if it was easy to find

I'm going to check out that link you posted and see what's there.

[Spectrum]

Ingredients
Meat and meat by-products (from chicken and/or beef), wholegrain cereals (wheat and/or sorghum), cereal bran and/or other cereals, beet pulp, iodised salt, vitamins (A, D, E, K, B1, B6, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, choline, biotin, B12) and trace minerals (iron, zinc, copper, manganese), mixed natural tocopherols (vitamin E), rosemary plant extract, lutein, whole linseeds, garlic and kelp.

They seems kind of vague on their ingredients...are all Australian ingredient lists like that? Cereals can be any grain, right? In that case "other cereals" can be anything, from corn to barley. I wonder what kind of quality "meat and meat by-products" is...if this is like meat meal, or whole ingredients, or what.

I know there was a thread on the other forum I'm on about what sorts of foods are available in Australia. I'm going to dig it up and see if there's some good info there for you. I know Orijen (what I consider one of the best, if not THE best, kibble) used to be available in Australia but had to be irradiated, and that caused problems, and now it's no longer available there.

Generally, Purina brands are considered 2-star foods at best. Many are 1 star foods. If the first ingredient is a meat meal, this might be a 2-star food.

[caring canine]

Much better idea tarting a new topic Spectrum 

Purina here is supposed to be one of the better foods on a budget though you've raised some interesting points.
The info was just from the website, I will have a look at the actual packaging to see if there is any extra details

[Spectrum]

It looks like the best foods you can get in Australia are Ziwipeak, Addiction and possibly Canidae (can't confirm that Canidae is available). Granted you may not be able to get them *everywhere* in Australia and I have no idea how much they are compared to other foods. Addiction and Ziwipeak are made in New Zealand.

Addiction: http://www.addictionfoods.com/newzealand/index.php?rememberSel=true

Ziwipeak: http://www.ziwipeak.com/nzl/home.shtml

Canidae: http://www.canidae.com/dogs/grain-free-als/dry-morePURE2.html



Other than Canidae, the only food I can find on the rating website is one Addiction formula -

Addiction Wild Kangaroo and Apples (3* food): http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1838&cat=all


The Ziwi peak looks really good though:

INGREDIENTS: Lamb - Meat (min. 65%), Liver, Tripe, Heart and Kidney (min. 19.5%), Chicory Inulin, Green-lipped Mussel (min. 4%), Fish Oil, Lecithin, Kelp, Vitamins and Minerals, Parsley, Naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols, Additives: Vit. D3 592 IU/kg, Vit. E 7.4mg/kg, Copper (copper proteinate) 9.8mg/kg. Calories 1854 KJ/100g.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS:

Protein (min.)   33%   Ash (max.)   8%
Fat (min.)   27%   Fibre (max.)   1.5%
Moisture (max.)   15%   Calcium   2%
Phosphorus P   1.1%

Pretty much all meat and organs, plus some supplements. I'd say that's probably the best food available there, but I bet it's probably very expensive - possibly similar in price to the "Freeze dried raw' food here, which would cost me probably $15/day to feed my dogs. Of course that's just speculation on my part, I can't say for sure.

 

[Spectrum]

It looks like Addiction has some formulas that are grain-free, which would place them in the 5-6 star category most likely.

Also remember that if you switch to a better food, you'll probably have to feed much less, which usually makes it cheaper in the long run.

[springingpups]

I know that, in the US at least, Ziwipeak is INSANELY expensive (about $10/lb, and a 11lb bag which costs over $100 doesn't even feed a 70lb dog for a month).

[Spectrum]

I know that, in the US at least, Ziwipeak is INSANELY expensive (about $10/lb, and a 11lb bag which costs over $100 doesn't even feed a 70lb dog for a month).

That is pretty close to the freeze-dried raw I was talking about, unfortunately. It's probably out of the question then unless you're insanely rich lol.

I'd say that's probably the best food available there, but I bet it's probably very expensive - possibly similar in price to the "Freeze dried raw' food here, which would cost me probably $15/day to feed my dogs. Of course that's just speculation on my part, I can't say for sure.

[caring canine]

wow, you guys are quick!

There is one stockist of Canidae in Australia but they do ship all over the country. However the shipping is almost as expensive as the food.

If my math is correct (and I did my conversion from kg to pd correctly) a 30lb bag of Canidae just as an example would be approx. $54.40 plus another $40 shipping
eg used http://www.bowhouse.com.au/p/1154540/canidae-grain-free-all-life-stages-dog-food---4-meat-formula-136-kg-pack.html

The Ziwipeak I can get from a local supplier but I used the same supplier as above for comparision, the price would be a little over $63 for an 11lb bag

[Spectrum]

Are there some other foods you know that you can get locally? If you list their names/manufacturers I might be able to do a little more research. Other than that I have no idea what options you have down there lol.

Oh, and for comparison, what is the Purina costing you now?

[caring canine]

Oops. Please disregard my previous prices as I converted from kilograms to pounds okay but neglected to allow the same for the $ amount.
(Never leave me in charge of the banking  )

Hold on to your chairs!

Canidae: 30lb = $263.89

Ziwipeak: 11lb = $307.89

And the Purina, that I use; 40lb = $109.89

I'll work out a list of readily available foods here, both high and low end

[Spectrum]

 

 

Okay, for prices like that...I'm glad I don't live in Australia!

Currently, $1 AUD is $1.0137 USD. So that means the prices aren't that far off of USD prices at all. Yikes!

And I don't use Orijen because it's $60 - $80 for a 30 pound bag, while the Taste of the Wild is $40 for a 30 pound bag. 

You can get grocery-brand dog for like $10 for a 50 pound bag.

[kaika_dragon]

Just curious, but how much does the Addiction cost?  I don't think anyone has said yet.

[caring canine]

It is interesting that following Spectrum's link to the New Zealand Addiction site, the products are made in Australia, yet if you go to the Canadian site, the products are made in New Zealand 

Sorry Kaika, I am yet to find a distributor in Australia far less any indication of price. 

[labs4ever]

Wow those are expensive, it is good you told us to hang on to oru chairs!  This is interesting.   I like  reading about other countries dog food.   When I was in Canada   we fed a food that got delivered to us by the company, can't remember the name, but it was high quality food.    A lot of  what I call US foods available in Canada too.   Someday we are all going to come and visit you in Austrailia!   The first one of all of us who wins the lotto gets to pay for all the airline tickets!