The Stay Loyal Dog Food Review: Tested & Evaluated 2024

Are you looking to change up your dog’s diet?

Today’s Stay Loyal dog food review will take a close look at this popular brand. We teamed up with veterinarians and canine nutritionists to discover everything to know about Stay Loyal. Our team of independent experts researched and tested this dog food with our own beloved pooches and after several months and dozens of varieties later, we formed some very definite and informed opinions we'd like to share with you ahead.

This high-end dog food is highly-respected by many loyal customers, and we’ve covered everything you need to know about it. Now you can make the best choice for you and 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

Australia's Stay Loyal Dog Food Review

Taste 5/5

Because of the high meat content, everyone on our team of independent experts noted that their dogs thoroughly enjoyed Stay Loyal kibble. This isn’t a surprise given the higher fat content also increases palatability. In general, dogs of all life stages love the taste and have an easy time digesting this dry food.

In fact, many owners claim their extra-fussy eaters enjoy this brand and clean up their bowls on every meal. Even though Stay Loyal doesn’t offer extra-small kibble options for smaller pups, the kibble size isn’t as large as other brands and most dogs can easily chew on the biscuits. This food also has a soft smell and tends to result in healthier stools.

Given both dogs and their owners enjoy the taste and smell of this kibble, we’re giving it 5 out of 5 stars.

Ingredients 5/5

Stay Loyal dog food ingredients are particularly high-quality, and the main reason behind their large following.

This brand makes it a point to only use Australian-sourced ingredients to make their dog food. In turn, this lowers the carbon footprint of the food, supports local businesses and keeps produce as fresh as possible.

When looking at the ingredient list, it’s encouraging to see the bulk of the food is based on animal protein. Taking a look at their classic chicken, lamb and fish recipe, the first three ingredients are meats: chicken meal, lamb meal and chicken fat. It’s especially encouraging to see there aren’t blanket terms in the ingredient list, meaning recipes stay consistent bag after bag.

Following the animal-based ingredients we have tapioca, peas and beans. Given the bulk of the food is animal protein, it’s good to see carbs used in moderation. This is a healthier balance for dogs and makes the food easier to digest.

After the starches, there’s sugar beet pulp (for fibre), fish meal and marine fish oil. If we had to choose, it would be better to know what kind of fish there was on the food. However, since this brand also has a salmon, turkey and pork recipe, it isn’t a huge deal.

Overall, our panel of experts really like the composition and we’re giving it 5 out of 5.

Protein Content 5/5

This is where Stay Loyal shines. They pride themselves on using only high-quality animal protein sourced from Australian businesses. Their choices are evident in the crude protein percentage in their recipes, which all have a minimum 32% crude protein and 18% fat. The relatively high fat content means the protein percentage actually comes from meat and not from protein-rich veggies like peas.

In all their recipes, this protein comes from three sources in the form of "meals". According to the AAFCO, meat meal is:

As such, when a pet brand states poultry meal or pork meal in their ingredient, it means this is a concentrated form of actual meat, bones and some internal organs. In general, meal-type animal protein is a high-quality ingredient, especially if it’s from a single species. Stay Loyal mentions chicken meal, lamb meal, salmon meal and others in their recipes, so you can be sure there won’t be protein from other sources.

Our team of independent experts note that while this isn’t a limited-ingredient kibble, it mentions all protein sources on the front of the bag. This is a welcome change from the industry-wide tendency to not mention key ingredients.

Because of the high-quality protein sources, we’re giving this brand 5 out of 5 in this category.

Additives 5/5

When it comes to additives, this brand has a few gems worth mentioning. For example, there’s fish oil added, which provides essential Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids to help with skin and coat health. There are also some fruits and veggies mixed in, including apples, blueberries, broccoli, spinach and kale. These vegetables round up the food’s nutritional profile, adding key micronutrients to keep your dog strong and healthy.

Then, Stay Loyal’s recipes also have turmeric. This is a root commonly used in Asian cuisine. In dogs, turmeric has shown to have a strong antioxidant effect. In fact, several studies [2] demonstrate turmeric and curcumin could help treat conditions like psoriasis, dermatitis and rashes in humans and other mammals, including dogs. As researcher Erin Scott mentions:

On the other hand, turmeric can also be used to treat and prevent cancer, cardiovascular disease, immunological disorders and other health issues. In general, this is a great addition to dog food and not many brands add it to their recipes.

Finally, we can also find methionine, vitamins, minerals, taurine and natural antioxidants. I'm glad to see this brand mentions they only use natural preservatives in the form of vitamin E and rosemary extract instead of dangerous additives like sulphites [4].

Since we like the high-quality add-ons in these recipes, we’re giving Stay Loyal 5 out of 5 stars in this category.

Variety 4/5

This is still a medium-sized enterprise, and as such, their dog food range isn’t very large. Stay Loyal has four different products to choose from and one of those is a treat designed for joint health.

They have two dry food options meant for all life stages, and a recipe for large and giant-breed puppies. The main difference between those is the calcium content: the large puppy recipe is lower in calcium to slow down your pup’s growth. In turn, this ensures their bones have a better chance of getting strong and dense, in order to support their adult weight later in life. 

In spite of the nice quality of the food, there are no canned or wet food options. While most dog owners prefer kibble because it’s easier to store and portion, some pups, like mine, prefer wet food. If that’s the case, this isn’t the brand for you. In my case, I simply use Stay Loyal dry kibble and supplement with rotating wet foods as an enticing topper.

Because of the lack of non-kibble options, we’re taking off 1 star.

Price 3/5

This brand is on the expensive side. However, it’s important to consider you’ll serve smaller portions and you can save some money with the subscription.

Since this kibble is so high in protein, you’ll be feeding less volume than what you’re accustomed to with other dry dog foods. In general, cheaper dog food brands have filler grains that expand the kibble, but they also make it harder for your dog to feel full. However, since this brand is more nutritionally dense, Stay Loyal recommends smaller portions. This means the food will stretch further.

On the other hand, you can also save some cash by signing up for the subscription. According to their site, you can save around $12 per delivery. Since you can adjust the frequency and quantities according to your dog’s needs, no food will go to waste.

Bonus category: Customer Support 5/5

While we don’t rate other pet food brands based on their customer support, Stay Loyal has a unique approach to treating dogs and their owners. Since this is still a relatively small company, the owners keep in contact with buyers and most clients tend to be on a subscription service called loyal fans.

As a "loyal fan", owners get a monthly email with information, tips and news on the food. For example, in the past the company has used this newsletter to let clients know about them switching manufacturing partners, and some improvements made after the change.

The company also offers a phone number where owners can get personalised advice and choose the best food for their dog, solve common questions and change their subscription.

I also appreciate that, while they offer a high-quality product all around, their website mentions which dogs will do better on other foods. This is the case if your pup has pancreatitis, since they won’t do well on Stay Loyal recipes because of their high fat content.

Since Petzyo and Stay Loyal are the only two pet food companies we’ve ever reviewed that offer this level of customer service, we had to give them a 5 star rating for this.

Don’t Buy If…

While we consider Stay Loyal a great option for many dogs, our team of independent experts say it might not be the brand for you if you:

Is Stay Loyal Dog Food Good? The Verdict

Overall, our panel of experts recommends this food for most dogs. While this may seem a bit repetitive when comparing several Stay Loyal food reviews, the quality is great and we love that they source their ingredients from Australian businesses.

Most dogs will do great on this meat-based, high-fat food because it has no fillers and is rich in nutrients. If you have the budget, we recommend you try this one.

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
• Supercoat Dog Food Review
• Black Hawk Dog Food Review
• Farmers Market Dog Food Review
• Optimum Dog Food Review
• Applaws Dog Food Review
• Nature's Gift Dog Food Review
• Royal Canin Dog Food Review
• Baxters Dog Food Review
• Leaps & Bounds Dog Food Review
• Science Diet Dog Food Review
• Savour Life Dog Food Review
• Scratch Dog Food Review

References

1. "What’s in the Ingredients List?". Associations of American Feed Control Officials. Retrieved November 15, 2023. https://www.aafco.org/consumers/understanding-pet-food/whats-in-the-ingredients-list/
2. Gupta, S.C., Kismali, G. and Aggarwal, B.B. (2013). "Curcumin, a component of turmeric: From farm to pharmacy". BioFactors, 39: 2-13. https://doi.org/10.1002/biof.1079. Available https://iubmb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/biof.1079?c
3. "Pet Talk: Turmeric may have medical use for dogs". August 27, 2020. Texas A&M College of Pharmacy. Bluebonnet News. Retrieved November 15, 2023. https://bluebonnetnews.com/2020/08/27/pet-talk-turmeric-may-have-medical-use-for-dogs/
4. "Are Preservatives in Pet Food Products a Concern?". RSPCA Knowledge Base. Retrieved November 15, 2023. https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/are-preservatives-in-pet-food-products-a-concern/