The Glow Dog Food Review: Tested & Evaluated 2024
Written By Eloisa Thomas | Canine Coach, Double M.A in Anthropology.
Edited & Fact Checked By Renae Soppe | Double B.A Journalism & Science.
Last Updated: 8th January 2024
Are you looking to switch up your dog’s food? You may have heard excellent things about Glow but aren't quite ready to take the plunge yet. Never fear; we've teamed up with veterinarians and canine nutritionists to form our very own independent panel of experts. In doing so, we researched and tested Glow's dog food range to figure out how wholesome and tasty this brand's food may be.
Our ultimate Glow dog food review has everything you need to know about this Australian dog food brand. We go over the ingredient list and the pros and cons so you can choose what’s best for your pup.
Related: The Best Dog Food Australia
Related: How To Choose The Right Dog Food?
Related: How Is Australia’s Dog Food Industry Regulated?
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
Related: Real Meat vs Meat Meal
Quick Pick - Our Best Rated Dog Food
Our Number 1 Pick -
Petzyo Dog Food
- Ethically sourced Kangaroo, Chicken or Salmon, sweet potato & superfood extras
- Iron-rich & low fat proteins
- Three Omega-3 and -6 rich oils with a well balanced 11% fat content
- Made in Australia
Australia's Glow Dog Food Reviewed
Glow - 4 Star Rating
- Ingredients: (Adult Australian Chicken) Chicken Meal, Lupins, Beans, Sorghum, Tallow, Beet Pulp, Chicory Extract, Chia Seeds, Carrot, DHA Algae, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Vitamin and Mineral Premix, Natural Antioxidants from Rosemary
- Named Protein First: Yes
- Dog Food Type: Dry kibble, frozen raw food, cooked rolls.
- Recipe Range: Puppy, adult and senior dog kibble in chicken flavour. There’s also lamb and mackerel kibble recipes for adults, in addition to a raw and cooked roll range.
- Suitable For: Puppies, adult and senior dogs.
- Cost: $$
- Australian Owned: Yes
Glow Dog Food Review | |
|---|---|
Taste | |
Ingredients | |
Protein content | |
Additives | |
Variety | |
Price | |
Taste 5/5
Most of our expert panel's dogs enjoyed the taste of Glow, we are happy to say! In general, this food fulfils expectations when it comes to taste. While most dogs usually like it, we had some minor issues with the picky eaters amongst our broods. Most times, wet food can be more appealing to picky dogs. Glow does have a range of raw and cooked roll offerings, however, for today's review we focused on the kibble range.
PRO TIP: If your picky dog doesn’t love kibble, try adding a homemade topper. This can be anything from a crushed piece of boiled chicken, half an egg or grated veggies like carrots. It will make kibble more appetizing to your dog! Of course, make sure to choose a topping your dog already likes.
Since Glow performs as expected in this category, we’re giving this brand 5 out of 5 in this category.
Ingredients 3.5/5
Overall, Glow pet food has a pretty nice ingredient list. All ingredients are easily recognisable and the list is pretty short. On the other hand, we also like that this brand claims more than 90% of its ingredients are Australian-sourced. This lowers the overall carbon footprint of the food and helps local producers, which is always a plus.
We will go deeper into the protein content in the next category, but overall, it’s good to see a named protein as the first ingredient. Nevertheless, a significant portion of the food is comprised of legumes, so the overall carb proportion is probably higher than we’d like. This is a common problem for all kibble since it needs a high-carb percentage to be manufactured properly. The fourth ingredient is sorghum, another carbohydrate source. This is in line with most other mid-range dog foods and is clearly better than cereal-based kibble.
Then we find tallow, the main lipid source of all recipes. Coming from animal sources, tallow is a good addition of fats that are essential to keep your dog healthy. Looking at the guaranteed analysis, it’s a good addition to an otherwise very lean recipe, which is nice to see! The rest of the ingredients are understandable and overall, the ingredient list is pretty short for dog food.
Considering the ingredients, our panel of independent experts is giving this brand 3.5 out of 5. We like there is no corn or wheat on the list, but the focus on vegetable protein could mean a high-carb diet that most pets don’t need.
Protein content 3/5
The first ingredient in all recipes is always a named protein, which is good to see. Nevertheless, the second and third ingredients are both legumes: first lupins, followed by beans. If we break this further, their claims of protein being the main ingredient weaken.
If we consider the first and second ingredients on a list are usually in the same proportion, the addition of beans would tip the scales and mean legumes make up a majority of the food. The same thing happens if we consider the first three ingredients as the bulk of the food. While legumes in a dog’s diet aren’t necessarily bad, it means the overall protein content is significantly bumped up by vegetable protein instead of coming from animal sources.
Our independent expert team suggest if you don’t rotate this food with other brands with more animal protein, this might lead to micronutrient deficiency or obesity from a high-carb diet.
Disregarding the higher vegetable protein, Glow dog food packs around 25% total crude protein, so it goes above the minimum 18% recommended by the AAFCO. This is pretty normal for dry kibble and isn’t the best out there, but is good enough if rotated or complemented with meaty toppings.
Both chicken and lamb meal, depending on the recipe, are great sources of animal protein. Dogs benefit greatly from this ingredient and the protein content is easy to absorb for puppies and older dogs. Due to the high vegetable protein content, we’re giving Glow dog food 3 out of 5 in this category. Other than that, the protein sources are pretty good for a kibble.
Additives 4/5
We like that, despite the relatively short ingredient list, there are plenty of extra goodies to round up your dog’s diet. Here are the highlights, per our team of experts:
According to current research [1], an appropriate balance of Omega-6 related to Omega-3 consumption can help both humans and animals live a longer, healthier life. Omega-6 and -3 are essential fatty acids, meaning your dog’s body needs them to function properly. Omega-6 fatty acids are key in inflammatory processes and ensure your dog’s body can take care of itself. Omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and can help keep them healthier and away from chronic conditions.
Unfortunately, it isn’t enough to just eat these two essential fatty acids [2]. Dogs and people need to ingest these two nutrients in specific portions. In fact, too much Omega-6 and too little Omega-3 can lead to health problems for both dogs and cats [3]. According to research, most commercial dog food nowadays tends to have a ratio of about 20 to 1 for Omega-6 to Omega-3 [3]. A proportion of around 4 to 1 for Omega-6 to Omega-3 is considered ideal, and that’s the ratio in Glow dog food!
We like that both the percentages and the ratio are clearly indicated on the packaging.
Other additions to the kibble recipes are carrot, for a small boost in antioxidants, salt, potassium chloride to boost potassium levels on the food, and natural antioxidants from rosemary.
The only ingredient we’re not huge fans of is the “vitamin and mineral premix”. We don’t know which vitamins and minerals, their quantity or their specific type. When pet food companies use this general label on their ingredients, our panelists share it usually means it’s been manufactured overseas and the specific percentages aren't available. We’re not huge fans, but considering the rest of the ingredients, it’s not a big deal.
Overall, we appreciate the clear ingredient list and the transparency. It would be nice to see more antioxidant goodies, but for a kibble, it is fairly good. We’re giving Glow 4 out of 5 in this category.
Variety 4.5/5
We couldn’t have a Glow dog food review without mentioning their complete range. For a relatively new brand, their offering is pretty good taking into account the new raw and cooked roll ranges. As of writing this, Glow offers five kibble recipes: a chicken recipe for adults, a lamb recipe for adults, a mackerel recipe for adults, a chicken puppy recipe and a senior chicken recipe. This is enough for most dogs but might not give you the variety you need to rely on a single brand of kibble. Therefore, if you want to explore wet food options or unusual proteins their raw and cooked roll range may be best for you. Glow offers frozen raw food in the same proteins as their kibble range in addition to kangaroo which might cater better to sensitive dogs. Their cooked roll range features five recipes with venison, kangaroo, chicken, turkey and salmon.
Considering the complete range, it would have been nice to see the novel proteins like kangaroo and venison available in their kibble too, we’re giving this brand 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Price 4/5
Glow dog food is smack in the mid-range category. They offer both small and medium-sized bags, and the brand is only sold through one retailer in Australia. Their prices aren’t especially cheap, but considering most ingredients are sourced from Australia, the higher price tag for a shorter ingredient list is understandable.
Because of this, our team of experts is giving Glow 4 out of 5 stars in this category.
Glow Puppy Food Review
As we’ve mentioned above, Glow dog food only has a single puppy kibble recipe. Their puppy option has more or less the same ingredient list as their adult recipes.
Glow puppy food has chicken meal as the first ingredient, are there are no other kibble options for puppies sensitive to chicken. However, we do appreciate that they do also offer a large breed puppy kibble. The protein is followed by lupins, beans and sorghum. The minimum guaranteed protein is higher than their adult recipes and stands at a respectable 30%.
It’s important to recall the Omega-6 to -3 proportion. Although the packaging states a “higher” proportion of 2 to 8 for Omega-6 to -3, this is really the same 1 to 4 proportion in their adult range. This is plain misleading at best, so we’re not too keen on them because of it.
Do not buy Glow if…
While this is a reasonable mid-range option for many dogs, we think it might not be the right choice if you:
Final Thoughts
So how does our team of independent experts sum up their thoughts concerning Glow? This is a respectable mid-range option, and we appreciate the use of Australian-sourced produce. This means the food has a lower carbon footprint and benefits local businesses.
Of course, our pupper testers tried out the kibble and we have yet to conduct a comprehesive review of their raw or cooked roll range. But we like the clear ingredient list and choice of ingredients. It favours plant protein over meat protein, which can be problematic if you don’t rotate your dog’s food or add toppings. Overall, it’s a good option for most dogs and as an option for rotation, it’s great.
Want to read more dog food brand reviews? Check out the below:
- Ivory Coat Dog Food Review
- Canidae Dog Food Review
- Advance Dog Food Review
- Farmers Market Dog Food Review
- Supercoat Dog Food Review
- Applaws Dog Food Review
- Optimum Dog Food Review
- Royal Canin Dog Food Review
- Nature's Gift Dog Food Review
- Baxters Dog Food Review
- Leaps & Bounds Dog Food Review
- Stay Loyal Dog Food Review
- Pedigree Dog Food Review
- Science Diet Dog Food Review
- Savour Life Dog Food Review
- Scratch Dog Food Review
- Black Hawk Dog Food Review
References
- Simopoulos, A (2002). "The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids". Journal of Biomedical Pharmacotherapy, 2002, Oct, 56(8), pp 365-379. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0753-3322(02)00253-6
- Gunnars, K. February 15, 2023. "How to Optimize Your Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratio". Healthline. Retrieved October 23, 2023. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/optimize-omega-6-omega-3-ratio
- Vaugeois, I. October 15, 2019. "Omega-3 and Omega-6 Ratio in Pet Food". SeaDNA. Retrieved October 23, 2023. https://www.seadna.ca/omega-3-and-omega-6-ratio-in-pet-food/
