The 7 Best Dry Dog Foods Australia: Tested 7 Evaluated 2023

Dry dog food can be an excellent choice to provide complete nutrition for your best friend. However, with so many options on the market, how are you meant to choose the best overall dog food for your Australian dogs?

We have done the research, so you don’t have to. In fact, we teamed up with canine nutritionists, veterinarians, and doggy parents to create a stellar super group of dry dog food kibble testers. After months of research alongside our faithful companions, we were able to agree upon this list of the best of the best. Read on to learn which Australian dry dog food is best for your furry friend and which types made our list.

Related: How To Choose The Right Dog Food.
Related: What is AAFCO? The Association of American Feed Control Officials.
Related: What Is the Pet Food Industry Association of Australia (PFIAA)?
Related: AAFCO vs PFIAA: Dog Food Standards Comparison Australia.
Related: Understanding Guaranteed Analysis Levels in Dog Food.

Australia's Best Dry Dog Food Reviewed

Time to move on to our complete review of the best kibble for dogs. Below you will find our expert's top picks in several important categories. It took us several months and hundreds of dry food varieties to dish out, but we're thrilled with how our list turned out!

With it, you can make sure your furry mate gets all the nutrition they need from a complete dry food formula.

When it comes to the best dry dog food made in Australia it was an easy choice, we really have to give it to Petzyo. 

They take quality to the limits, offering kibble that starts with top notch ingredients that have long-term canine health in mind. Unlike other options on this list, they do not have formulas catering to specific dog age groups. This should be fine for you unless you have a puppy, a senior dog, or your vet specifies.

Their Australian made and owned dry dog food formula start with responsible sourcing, using Australia's own ethically sourced Kangaroo, Chicken or Salmon that's loaded with protein and iron. They include superfoods such as turmeric and blueberries, balanced omega 3's and six rich oils that help provide a well balanced 11% fat content.

Related: Petzyo Dog Food Review

In addition to extremely high-quality protein as the top ingredient in all of their recipes, our experts note that Petzyo's formula contains no grains or other cheap fillers. I also love how you won’t find any meat by-products or artificial preservatives, but you can say that about the other options on this list, too.

When it is all said and done, Petzyo's dry dog food is also great value, offering a better price per kilo that the other major dog food brands.

This recipe by Eureka is meant to mimic the diet your dog would have living in the wild. It’s packed with protein and low in carbs, just like a true ancestral diet.

This particular recipe contains ethically-harvested wild boar and free-range chicken, both sustainably sourced in Australia. The difference in diet between these animals and their grain-fed counterparts is quite noticeable, as their meat has less fat but way more nutrients. So rest assured your pooch is eating the best possible protein out there.

Another great thing about Eureka is the fact that they strive to make their production process as sustainable and carbon-neutral as possible. They do this by using solar-powered ovens to slowly air dry dog food without affecting the environment.

And that’s another thing that makes Eureka special: unlike other kibble on this list, their dog food is gently air dried to preserve as many nutrients as possible. Similar to our number one choice, this kibble is ideal for all life stages.

Related: The Eureka Pet Food Review.

I also noticed that the ingredients list is pretty transparent, which any pet parent appreciates. It specifies what parts of the meat are included in the recipe, so you know exactly what your dog is eating. Aside from protein, there are a bunch of superfoods, including blueberries, broccoli and kelp. All of these ingredients are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are a necessity in every dog's diet. 

Our third choice for the best kibble in Australia is the Working Dog recipe by Stockman & Paddock. With 26% protein and real Australian beef as the number one ingredient, our expert panel, which includes vets and nutritionists, highlight that this is a formula fit for active dogs who deserve the very best in nutrition.

One of the areas that make the Stockman and Paddock recipe unique is a focus on whole grains for sustained energy throughout the day. If you prefer a grain-free option for your pooch, they have some of those as well. They also include lots of whole food superfoods to boost the natural nutrition of their kibble and pre-biotics are included to aid digestion.

Related: The Stockman & Paddock Dog Food Review.

Because it doesn’t have cheap fillers, you will probably find that your dog needs less of this kibble than you are used to, making it a better value overall than options like our number one and our number five choices.

This feed from Frontier Pets is a great option for anyone who wants their canine companion to have only the best.

We can start with the main ingredient first: the beef. As the name suggests, the beef used for this feed is grown free-range, allowed to feed on grass naturally and not fed any antibiotics or artificial growth-promotants. Add to this the fact that it is locally sourced from Australia, and you’ve got the best possible combination - both ecologically and in terms of the quality of the food your dog will be eating.

Besides the beef which is present in large quantities, this recipe includes only wholesome ingredients. No fillers and no artificial preservatives, flavours, or colours are added, something our entire panel of experts and, of couse, their dogs adored. And they are simply not needed, as there is no reason why a dog wouldn’t love this mix of beef, free-range eggs, organic fruits and veggies, and selected nutritional boosters like turmeric and almond meal.

We also love the fact that they use the freeze-drying method, which doesn’t require the use of preservatives like with most other options. At the same time, this feed is smaller in volume, more lightweight, and it doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge, making it super easy to store.

In connection to this, I also noticed that the recommended portion sizes of this feed are surprisingly small. This is due to the fact that the food is freeze-dried, which means you’ll need to reconstitute it by adding warm water. This helps offset the higher price, and my dog seemed to love every bite!

Limited ingredient diets are a must for some dogs. For example, dogs with food sensitivities or allergies may be reactive to specific proteins, grains, or other ingredients commonly used in commercial dog feeds.

If your vet has recommended a limited ingredient diet, or if you are doing some experimenting with an elimination trial to try to identify your dog’s food allergy, then you may want to consider a limited ingredient kibble.

Although Canidae is made in Texas, it is available online to Australians. This brand uses high-quality ingredients, has high protein levels, and offers a large selection of limited diets including life stage recipes and novel proteins. (See table above for a full list of their recipe range).

Packed with excellent protein sources and carefully selected whole foods with a simple ingredient label packed with easily recognisable whole foods, there just isn’t any room to hide fillers or mystery meats, quite like our number four choice.

Our experts also wish to point out that the Canidae Pure line of kibble is also grain-free and offers a great choice for pet owners looking to avoid grains in their feed.

Ivory Coat is a relatively new dog food brand that has been developed to meet the needs of an increasingly informed public looking for quality dry dog food. The entire line of Ivory Coat is grain-free and boasts many novel proteins (great for dogs with food allergies) and age and size calibrated diets.

I love how Australian chicken meal, a solid protein source, is the first ingredient. Additional ingredients in this kibble include whole food additions such as blueberries, coconut oil, kale and broccoli. The addition of these superfoods provides excellent nutritional support in terms of micronutrients for my dog. Omega 3 and 6 levels in this formula are also higher than most recipes, offering lots of support for skin and coat, both areas in which my pup can use some extra TLC.

Related: Best Grain Free Dog Food Australia.

Ivory Coat dog food is made up from 32% protein, well above the industry average and is plenty to support strong muscles for even the most active working dogs. While grain-free diets are not required for most dogs, the Ivory Coat line is an excellent choice either way. 

When it comes to the best puppy food in Australia, we have to go again with Ivory Coat. Just to cover the highlights again, Ivory Coat is an Australian dog food line made with top-notch ingredients, careful addition of whole food ingredients, high levels of Omega 3 & 6, and completely grain-free.

One of the most important decisions about food that a pet owner can make for their puppy is to choose a high-quality dog food.

For owners of large and giant breeds, this decision is especially critical. The wrong diet in the first year of growth can have disastrous consequences in terms of muscle and bone development that can create major mobility issues down the road. Luckily, Ivory coat offers a special dry dog food selection calibrated to the needs of large breed pups.

Our panel of experts expect to see the Ivory Coat line of kibble aimed at puppies to continue to expand in terms of selection. This relatively new brand has become incredibly popular in Australia thanks to their attention to premium ingredients, grain-free recipes, and wide use of high quality novel proteins.

What To Look For When Choosing Dry Dog Food

In our review of the top kibble for dogs in Australia, our expert panel considered several important factors. Here are the top considerations you should also keep an eye out for:

Nutrition

It is important to understand that the commercial dog food industry in Australia is a largely unregulated. That is why it is very important to learn how to read labels, look for excellent sources of protein as the number one ingredient, and check for a guaranteed nutritional analysis on any dog food you buy.

Our dry dog food comparison includes taking these important nutritional factors into account.

Taste

The best dry food for dogs can’t just be nutritious. It also has to be tasty so that your canine companion will enjoy their meals. We included only those kibble dog foods that were highly-rated for taste so that you can rest assured that any of the picks on our list will be a hit with your pooch.

If you are set on feeding your dog canned food however, check out our guide on the best wet dog food for the most nutritious options.

Price

Although the best dry dog food in Australia does cost more than the cheapest options on the shelves, we made sure that our choices were worth the price difference. In our review, you will find a good balance between cost and quality. If you're on a tight budget, check out our guide to the best cheap dog foods in Australia.

Ingredient Sourcing

Another important consideration when choosing a quality dry dog food is to look for the ingredient sourcing. Domestically sourced meats, fish, and oysters from Australia or New Zealand are best. 

Too many low-quality dog feeds use meats from other countries, such as China which have been the subject of many dog food recalls and problems with transparent labelling. We take responsible ingredient sourcing seriously when it comes to our top picks, as you will soon see. 

Age & Size Considerations

Before you select kibble from our review below, make sure you look for the right formula to meet your dog’s size and age range. For example, my young toy breed has different nutritional needs than his giant breed puppy counterparts.

Related: How Long Does Dry Dog Food Last?

My Final Verdict

When it comes to getting the best nutrition for your dog, our team of researchers suggest that it may help to first consider their special dietary needs. That is why our review of the best Australian kibble includes picks in a variety of categories.

Our team, along with our delighted doggos, eliminated many options from this list that just didn't quite cut the mustard. We hope this list has helped you find the best option for your dog! 

Interested in more dog food options? Check our below guide:

• Best Raw Dog Food
• Best Senior Dog Food
• Best Low Fat Dog Food