For grain free dog food we have Addiction, Nature’s Goodness, and Meals for Mutts, all with high customer popularity, formulated to meet the AAFCO standards and made here in Australia. As well as all of this; Black Hawk is a wet food that can be used as a complete meal on its own or added to our dry food to complement your pet’s meal. Nature’s Goodness contains optimal protein levels (28%) to aid lean muscle development and maintenance. Meals for Mutts is Scientifically formulated by food technologists and nutritionists.
What is the Grain Free Dog Food?
For grain-free canine food we have Fixation, Nature’s Decency, and Dinners for Mutts, all with high client ubiquity, formed to satisfy the AAFCO guidelines and made here in Australia. As well as this; Dark Falcon is all a wet food that can be utilized as a total feast all alone or added to our dry food to supplement your pet’s dinner. Nature’s Decency contains ideal protein levels
Addiction Wild Islands
Natures Goodness
Meals for Mutts
Best Dog Food for Puppies
Puppies are full of energy and their constantly burning calories so they need a high-calorie diet to meet their energy needs during their growth. Two great choices are Eukanuba and Royal Canin, both supporting muscle health and puppies’ development and immune systems. Both of these also taste great!
Best Dog Food for Weight Loss
Advance, Royal Canin, and Science Diet all produce a range of reduced-calorie foods specially formulated to help dogs lose weight and then maintain a healthy weight. With all foods, portion control and following the feeding guide along with regular exercise is important in maintaining a healthy weight.
Best Puppy Food
Our Ultimate Guide to the Best Puppy Food
Bringing a new puppy into your family is a big step, but it will fill your lives with joy for many years to come. Naturally, there are plenty of concerns when having a puppy – such as what you need to feed it. Finding the best puppy food can be challenging as there are so many different options to choose from. Firstly, you need to figure out what type of dog food is best for puppies, then what’s best for your breed of dog. Thankfully, we’ve got everything covered for you in this guide, detailing the best puppy food in Australia right now. By the time you’ve reached the end, you’ll know exactly what food to go out and buy for the new addition to your family.
How is Puppy Food Different from Dog Food?
Your first question might be to ask if there’s a difference between puppy food and adult dog food. Well, the answer is a resounding yes, it is very different. Think of it as how baby food is different from the food you eat as an adult. Puppies are young and they have a lot of growing to do, so they have different nutritional demands than adult dogs. Remember a puppy grows rapidly – from baby to adult in 12 months!
Typically, the main difference between the two is that puppy food contains more protein and energy than adult dog food. The levels of other essential nutrients are also different. Protein is an essential nutrient to help puppies grow big and strong. As such, they need more of it to help them develop. If you feed a puppy adult dog food, you run the risk of your puppy being malnourished and not growing properly.
So, if you’re here looking for food for your dog, then you’re not in the right place. Instead, check out our guide to the best dog food where you can find all the information you need.
What to Look for in Puppy Food Specifically
Building on the explanation above, what exactly do you need to look for in puppy food specifically?
Well, this depends on a few factors. For one, the puppies themselves will determine a lot of what you look for. The best food for small puppies will be different from the best giant breed puppy food because they have different nutritional requirements for healthy growth. The following sections will give you a good idea as to what you need to look for when buying puppy food:
Energy/Calories/Kilojoules – Higher levels of energy (or calories) to fuel that rapid growth.
Protein – Higher levels of protein to build muscles and other tissue around the body.
Fats – Fatty acids such as DHA, to support brain and vision development.
Essential Vitamins and minerals – the correct balance for a growing puppy is important – particularly the right levels of calcium and phosphorus for proper bone growth.
Antioxidants – these molecules support the developing immune system and they can be found in many fruits, vegetables, and whole foods. Examples of antioxidants are Vitamin E & C, Beta carotene and selenium).
Nutritional Balance – Complete Puppy Foods
In Australia, we have a self-regulating pet food industry. So it is up to our manufacturers to take responsibility for the food that they produce. It is important to do a bit of research and read the label on the puppy food that you would like to purchase. What you are looking for is a puppy food that is complete and balanced. What does this mean?
Complete = all the essential nutrients that they need.
Balanced = the nutrients are in the right proportions.
In a complete and balanced puppy food all the essential nutrients for your puppy should be present in the correct amounts relative to the energy contained within the food.
What does a complete puppy food look like? Well, it should contain the following ingredients:
- At least 22% protein
- At least 8% fat
- At least 1% calcium
It should also have a statement on it such as Complete and Balanced (nutrition) for puppies or growing puppies.
Checking the label is a good way to ensure that your puppy is getting the right nutritional balance in its food. Another way to feel comfortable that you’re buying the best puppy food is to only buy from brands that follow the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) ingredient standards. This is generally seen as the gold standard across the world, and any puppy food that’s labelled as Complete and Balanced will meet or exceed this standard. Complete and balanced puppy food will have a statement on their label:
Meets the nutritional requirements of puppies established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) or Complete and balanced nutrition for puppies based on AAFCO feeding trials.
Large & Giant Breed Puppy Food Requirements
There is sometimes confusion when it comes to feeding large-breed puppies. What is a large breed puppy? And what is this giant breed?
A Large breed is a dog that will be more than 20-25 kg up to 40 kg as an adult. If you are not sure about your puppy you can check with your vet. Breed-specific puppy foods can help take the guesswork out for you. A Giant Breed is any dog that will weigh more than 40 kg as an adult.
Many puppies start the same size, but you will soon see the difference as they grow. Large and giant breed puppies still need puppy food – but should have a large breed puppy food. These foods provide controlled levels of nutrients (particularly Energy and Calcium) for optimal growth while avoiding skeletal problems. This is so they do not grow too quickly and get too heavy for their developing bones. Controlled growth means that they do not gain too much weight, as this can cause problems later on in life. Large breed dogs will still be growing at 12-18 months of age. This is longer than small-breed puppies, so their diet is slightly different.
Regardless of the size of your puppy, you should always follow the feeding guide on the label or bag. This will prevent overfeeding (and underfeeding).
All Life Stages Food Explained
All life-stage foods have been designed for every life stage that an animal will go through. This includes growth and reproduction, as well as adult maintenance. However, they will only meet the minimal nutritional requirements for puppies and dogs at any stage in their life. So, they can be safe to give to puppies, but only if they are clearly labeled as all life stages and have the Complete and Balanced label as well. As we have mentioned above large breed puppies can develop issues if fed inappropriately, so for these breeds, it is best to look for one that is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established in the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for growth/all life stages including growth of large-size dogs or stick to a large breed puppy food.
The only minor issue is that all life stages diets tend to be high on the calories side of things. As such, if your puppy isn’t very active you should keep an eye on the portion sizes so they don’t gain too much weight.