Hypro Premium Dog Food

The Hypro Premium Dog Food Review: Tested & Evaluated 2024

Written By Eloisa Thomas | Canine Coach, Double M.A in Anthropology.
Edited & Fact Checked By Renae Soppe | B.A Journalism & Science. 
Last Updated: 5th January 2024

Are you looking to change up your dogs kibble option? Hypro Premium might be on your list. To help you decide if it’s the right choice for your dog, here’s our ultimate Hypro premium dog food review.

We teamed up with veterinarians, canine nutritionists and dog parents to form a panel of independent experts. We then researched every variety that Hypro Premium offers, testing them out with our canine companions to discover which they like best and which has the nutritional makeup to make all pet parents happy. Our experts have done an in-depth analysis of the taste, ingredients, and extras. Here’s what you should know!

  • Hypro Premium offers a small selection of grain-free kibble
  • This is the off-brand offer of the same manufacturer responsible for Meals for Mutts
  • All ingredients are Australian sourced

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

Table Of Contents
Australia's Hypro Premium Dog Food Review
Taste 5/5
Ingredients 3/5
Protein content 3/5
Additives 3/5
Variety 3/5
Price 4/5
Do Not Buy If…
The Final Verdict
References

Quick Pick - Our Best Rated Dog Food

Petzyo 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
Check Current Price

Australia's Hypro Premium Dog Food Review

Hypro Premium - 3.5 Star Rating

  • Ingredients: Chicken and duck kibble: Meat meals (chicken & duck), Faba beans, Chickpeas, Vegetables (including potato, carrot, spinach), Tallow (beef &/or poultry), Chicken gravy, Oils (sunflower, flaxseed, fish & emu), Beet pulp, Salt, Essential vitamins & minerals (including calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, iodine, selenium, Vitamins A, D3, E, K, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, folic acid, B12), Chicory extract, Choline chloride, Egg, Yucca schidigera extract, Natural antioxidants (including rosemary), Fruits (apple, blueberry, cranberry, tomato), Alfalfa, Kelp.
  • Named Protein First: Yes
  • Dog Food Type: Dry food and a small treat selection
  • Recipe Range: Chicken & duck, ocean fish, kangaroo & lamb, turkey & lamb, kangaroo & turkey.
  • Suitable For: Adult and puppies, active adults.
  • Cost: $$
  • Australian Owned: Yes. Production facilities are also in Australia.

Hypro Premium kibble is the no-name offering from the manufacturer of Meals for Mutts. Because of it, you might find some similarities between the two products, at a slightly more affordable price.

If you’re curious, here’s what you should know about this dog food:


Taste

Ingredients

Protein content

Additives

Variety

Price

Taste 5/5

During our testing phase, our independent team of experts noticed that most of their dogs seem to appreciate the taste of this food. Hypro Premium includes tallow from beef and poultry, as well as “chicken gravy”, so the kibble likely has a meaty taste. Several picky dogs also really liked the flavour and texture of the kibble. We appreciate that these taste-focused extras all come from natural sources instead of using artificial flavourings. All in all, we would recommend this brand if you’re having a hard time with your picky dog.

We also appreciate that the puppy recipe has a smaller kibble size even if it’s meant for all dog breeds. While a large pup might chomp down on the food too fast, a small puppy will learn to enjoy their food when kibble is manageable.

Because of the thoughtful kibble size for puppies and the addition of natural flavours, we’re giving this brand 5 out of 5 in the taste department.

Ingredients 3/5

This brand has a short and sweet ingredient list that is clean. All kibble recipes from Hypro Premium have the same ingredients, and only the meat sources change from one recipe to the next. The typical analysis is also consistent between recipes, so switching flavours shouldn’t influence your dog’s nutritional intake.

The typical analysis of this kibble looks good enough. They offer a minimum of 26% crude protein and a minimum of 15% crude fat. This is slightly better than the minimum percentages recommended by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). The AAFCO prescribes that adult dog need a minimum of 18% crude protein and 13% crude fat [1], so going slightly above that is a good touch.

Another very positive point is the inclusion of carbohydrates in their typical analysis! This is largely unheard of in the pet food industry, even though researchers consider that simple carbs should be eaten in moderation instead of being the base of the food [2]. On the other hand, low-quality dog food tends to be higher in cheap fillers, and thus higher in carbs. Hypro Premium states their kibble features 30% carbs [3] which is a respectable amount for a kibble.

Now, you might have realised that we’ve mentioned only the “typical analysis” instead of a guaranteed analysis as most pet foods have. This brand does not include a guaranteed analysis on their labels or their site. Instead, Hypro Premium only shows a typical analysis, which makes us unsure about recipe reliability from bag to bag.

Some companies avoid stating guaranteed analysis because having one implies constant re-testing of the product: if consumers have the product tested and it doesn’t match the guaranteed analysis, brands can be in legal trouble. A “typical” analysis doesn’t have this issue. Because of this, it makes us question the recipes used, particularly if you’re feeding sensitive dogs like mine. On the other hand, for a pet food to be AAFCO-compliant it needs to feature a guaranteed analysis [4], so this means Hypro Premium doesn’t follow all AAFCO guidelines.

Finally, we have some issues with the broad generalisations in Hypro Premium’s ingredient list. For example, instead of listing chicken and duck as different items, they have lumped them together as “meat meals (chicken & duck)”. This signals that the company is trying to make themselves look better: if ingredients were split, they probably wouldn’t be first on the list. Although common, we don’t agree with this tactic: it’s deceiving for the consumer and tends to hide a less-than-ideal composition.

The bulk of this food is made up of “meat meals” (chicken and duck), faba beans, chickpeas, and “vegetables” (including potato, carrot, spinach). It is impossible to know how much of the meat is chicken or duck, and which exactly are the vegetables used. It is evident beans are probably the main ingredient and are split equally with the meat.

The rest of the list includes some nice ingredients that we’ll cover in more detail down below. However, our team of independent experts agreed to take off 2 stars from this category. We don’t appreciate the lack of transparency by avoiding itemising the ingredient list. The use of a typical analysis instead of a guaranteed analysis is also concerning, particularly if you’re like me and feeding a sensitive dog.

Protein content 3/5

All Hypro Premium recipes have meat as the first ingredient. However, they group ingredients so it’s unclear if the recipes are based around meat. When companies group together ingredients, it’s likely they want to make the recipe sound better than it is. In this case, it might be a strategy to cover up a very small percentage of duck, or a higher amount of beans in comparison with the meat ingredients. Either way, we would have preferred itemised ingredients.

From a percentage point of view, this brand’s recipes have a minimum of 26% crude protein, which is a respectable amount when compared to other kibbles. Another good point is the quality of the meat added to the food. These recipes used rendered, meal-type named ingredients. So, for example, the chicken recipe includes chicken meal and duck meal. These ingredients offer high-quality protein that is a great addition to your dog’s diet. Hypro Premium also includes tallow in their recipes, a healthy source of extra animal protein, collagen, and micronutrients like iron.

None of the recipes are single-protein options since all of them mix at least two animal sources. If your dog is sensitive or you’re trying an elimination diet, this isn’t the right option for you.

Finally, although the protein content and ingredients are nice, we’re taking off two stars from this category. The ingredients being lumped together in the ingredient list is most likely accounting for the higher protein percentage.

Additives 3/5

Although Hypro Premium has a relatively short ingredient list, they have a few nice extras to round up your dog’s diet:

  • Lipids. AKA fat. This brand has a general “oil” entry on the ingredient list. Luckily, they do mention that the oils are sunflower, flaxseed, fish and emu. It would have been nice to know the exact percentage of these oils, but other than that they offer healthy fats and a good amount of essential fatty acids to keep your dog in top shape.
  • Minerals & vitamins. These are also lumped together in the ingredient list, but they mention the ones included in the mix. The minerals included aren’t chelated, so they don’t have improved absorption.
  • Fibre: Beet pulp, chicory extract and choline chloride all add healthy fibre to your dog’s diet. According to our panel of experts, this feeds the gut microbiome and promotes good bacteria in your dog’s intestinal tract. These three ingredients are usual in kibble, but they’re good to see either way.
  • Fruits: One of the last ingredients is “fruits”, but its placement suggests the actual amount included is minimal. It would have been nicer to see it included higher up the list, and including exactly what types of fruit at included. 
  • Kelp. Kelp is considered a “superfood” since it’s high in proteins and amino acids. The percentage included is likely minimal, but it’s nice to see.

All in all, the extras in this food are nice enough and on-par with most mid-range food out there. We’re taking off 2 stars because of the ingredient lumping which is probably a marketing strategy to make the food look better.

Variety 3/5

This brand only offers kibble, so if you’re looking for other food styles you’ll have to go elsewhere. Other than that, there are some options to change up the protein in your dog’s food. Some recipes are poultry-free, so even if none of them are single-protein, you might be able to find options for dogs that don’t like or can’t eat poultry.

However, all recipes are for all breeds. This means the kibble size might be too large for smaller pups. There’s also the issue with feeding large-breed puppies, that have specific calorie requirements and can’t be overfed. Hypro Premium doesn’t offer large-breed puppy food so you’d have to be careful and moderate their portions with their all-breed puppy kibble.

Although there is reasonable variety, we’re taking off 2 stars because of the one-size-fits-all kibble size and the lack of large breed puppy food.

Price 4/5

This is a mid-range food with appropriate prices. We appreciate the different sizes available, particularly for those that have several dogs and don’t necessarily want to go to the store every couple of days.

We were also able to find some discounts when buying online, particularly if you’re interested in auto-delivery. The manufacturer’s other brand, Meals for Mutts, is slightly more expensive than Hypro Premium, so it might be a good option if you already like Meals for Mutts but need to tighten the purse strings a little. 

We’re giving this brand 4 out of 5 in this category. The price is good enough considering the ingredient quality and the recipes available.

Do Not Buy If…

Although this brand has nice ingredients, our panel of independent experts suggest you might look elsewhere if you:

  • Want a grain-free food that isn’t high on legumes: There has been some controversy about the link between legumes and a higher incidence of heart disease in dogs [5]. Nevertheless, vets still consider legumes safe when eaten in moderation. If you’d rather your dog eat fewer legumes, these recipes aren’t for you.
  • Are looking for raw food: This is traditional kibble, meaning it’s been cooked twice before being packaged. Far away from raw or air-dried food!
  • Have a picky, small dog: In our experience, small dogs tend to prefer smaller kibble. This brand only offers small kibble in their puppy option, so you might have a hard time convincing your picky eater to try the adult version.

The Final Verdict

Hypro Premium has nice ingredients and a clean list. Everyone on our team of independent experts agreed that we would have liked to see itemised ingredients instead of broad categories, but this isn’t uncommon in the pet food industry.

For a kibble, the composition is nice even if it’s relatively high on legumes. If you’ve tried Meals for Mutts and liked it, this is a decent option to try!

Want to read more dog food brand reviews? Check out the below:

References

  1. "Calorie Content". Association of American Feed Control Officials. Retrieved December 5th, 2023. https://www.aafco.org/resources/startups/calorie-content/
  2. "Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats". 2006. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10668/nutrient-requirements-of-dogs-and-cats
  3. "Grain-Free Chicken and Duck kibble". Hypro Premium. Retrieved December 5, 2023. https://www.hypropremium.com.au/product/chicken-duck/
  4. "How to Understand a Dog or Cat Food Label." Association of American Feed Control Officials. Retrieved December 5, 2023. https://www.aafco.org/consumers/understanding-pet-food/reading-labels/
  5. "FDA Investigation into Potential Link between Certain Diets and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy". December 23, 2022. U.S Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved December 5, 2023. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy
Author Image

Eloisa Thomas

Eloisa Thomas is Gentle Dog Trainers Canine Coach & Anthropologist.

With a double master's degree in Anthropology and awarded a Chancellor's International Scholarship to pursue a PhD in History at the University of Warwick (UK), she's well equipped to write well written and factual canine information that will actually help people understand their dogs better.

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