The Supercoat 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: 10th January 2024
"Is Supercoat good for dogs?"
If you’re wondering whether or not you should add this brand to your regular rotation, we’ve got your back. We teamed up with an independent panel of experts that included veterinarians, canine nutritionists, and dog parents to test out Supercoat's most popular selections.
In today’s Supercoat dog food review, our experts analysed everything you should know about this brand, so you don’t have to! Keep reading to figure out if this is a good fit 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 Supercoat Dog Food Review
Supercoat - 2.5 Star Rating
- Ingredients: Meat and Meat meals (chicken, beef, lamb and/or pork), Vegetables and Vegetable proteins and/or canola meal, Tapioca starch, Animal fats, Beet pulp; Vitamins, Minerals and Amino acids, Natural flavours.
- Named Protein First: No.
- Dog Food Type: Grain Inclusive & Grain Free.
- Recipe Range: Beef or Ocean Fish or Chicken or Kangaroo + More.
- Suitable For: Super Coat's recipe range can be suitable for puppy, adult and senior dogs depending on the recipe.
- Cost: $
- Australian Owned: Yes.
Taste & digestion | |
Ingredients | |
Protein content | |
Additives | |
Variety | |
Price | |
Taste & Digestion 3/5
In general, our panel of experts noticed that most dogs like the taste of this kibble and were willing to eat it at mealtimes.
However, several owners reported sensitive dogs with runny stools and stomach upset after adding Supercoat to their daily feed. While this appears to be a relatively uncommon occurrence in comparison to the wide popularity of the brand, it’s important to introduce new foods slowly to your dog in order to avoid an upset stomach.
Because of the diarrhoea and upset stomach claims and given more sensitive tummies might not do well with this brand, our independent team of researchers decided to take off 2 stars.
Ingredients 2/5
Supercoat doesn’t have the best ingredient list out there, although it isn’t the worse by far. Our main qualm is the amount of grain, specifically corn and wheat, in pretty much all recipes. For example, the first ingredient in their sensitive recipe is wholegrain cereals, an undisclosed mix of sorghum, oats, rice and corn, and the use of cereal by-products without specifying which cereals.
PRO TIP: Always look at the first 5 ingredients in your dog’s food. Those are the ones that make the majority of the food and should be healthy.
Other Supercoat recipes are based around animal proteins, but in most recipes only 1 out of the first 5 ingredients is protein-based. In fact, although their small-breed beef recipe starts with meat as the first ingredient, it’s followed by wheat, cereal by-products, barley, corn and sorghum. That doesn’t look like something an omnivore like your dog should be eating!
Related: Real Meat vs Meat Meal in Dog Food.
While some amount of highly-digestible grains like rice can be healthy for your dog, gluten-heavy cereals usually aren’t. In fact, our independent panel of experts note that some breeds like Irish Setters and Border Terriers are genetically prone to gluten intolerances [1] shown through gastrointestinal distress, skin issues and even neurological signs [2].
Related: How Long Does It Take a Dog To Digest Food?
The remainder of the ingredient list is pretty clean, although they don’t mention which preservatives are used. Because of the high amount of cereal and cereal by-products, and the non-disclosure of preservatives, we’re taking off 3 stars.
Protein Sources 2/5
Like other options from Purina dog food brands, Supercoat has a good amount of protein in line with official recommendations. The AAFCO guidelines recommends at least 18% of crude protein per 100 g, Supercoat packs 25% or more protein in all their adult recipes.
PRO TIP: Supercoat has enough protein content to keep your dog nourished
However, it isn’t clear whether or not that protein percentage comes mainly from animal protein or is heavily supplemented with vegetable sources. For example, most of their recipes list vegetable proteins within the first 5 ingredients, and their grain-free line also lists canola meal.
Canola meal is ground canola seed, used to feed animals because of its high protein content. While it packs heaps of amino acids that your pup needs, our experts note that it’s probably also responsible for a good chunk of the protein content in Supercoat’s recipe.
[Canola meal] has a relatively low dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) balance. This makes it unpleasant for dogs. Moreover, it has a high protein concentration. Dog food companies exploit this and combine it with other ingredients to increase the proportion of protein." – Dr. Tiffany Morefield, DVM, Veterinarian [3]
On the other hand, we don’t like that protein-specific recipes include several non-disclosed animal proteins. In fact, while the front of the package claims a certain main protein (i.e. chicken), the ingredient list mentions only meat and meat by-products. For example, the kangaroo adult kibble indicates "meat and meat by-products (chicken, beef, kangaroo, lamb and/or pork)" while unsuspecting owners might only read the flavour indicated on the front.
In general, the protein sources aren’t too bad, but our panel of independent experts agreed to deduct 3 stars because the flavours aren’t reflected in the composition of every recipe. In turn, this won’t suit dogs with sensitivities or those that need specific proteins.
Additives 3/5
In terms of additives, Supercoat’s recipes are very basic. Although many dog food brands are now including extra goodies like fruits, vegetables and superfoods like berries or chia seeds. However, we were sad to note that Supercoat doesn’t. None of their recipes available in Australia have other extras beyond beet pulp, vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
On the flip side, the recipes mention natural flavours, without specifying what’s in them. In general, we don’t like when dog food brands don’t spell out every ingredient added to their recipes.
This kibble, like other brands doesn’t specifically mention which preservatives it uses on the food. This is a problem since sulphite, a common pet food preservative, can be dangerous in large quantities [4].
Because of the lack of nutritious extra foods, and the blanket terms for flavouring, our panel is giving Supercoat 3 out of 5 in this category.
Variety 2.5/5
Supercoat offers several options tailored to your dog’s needs and preferences. They have a traditional line with grains, a premium line also with grains, and a grain-free line. Keep in mind their grain-free line is limited to two different recipes for adult dogs.
We appreciate that they have some recipes to help with weight loss, senior dogs, extra active dogs and those with sensitive stomachs, the latter of which is helpful for my pupper. While Supercoat doesn’t have specific recipes for large breed adult dogs, they do have options with small kibble for toy and mini breeds.
However, protein options are limited, especially if you’re looking for grain-free kibble. Traditional Supercoat dog food with grains is available in chicken, fish, lamb, beef and kangaroo flavours. In contrast, there’s only chicken and beef in the grain-free line. Our team of independent experts point out that none of their recipes use a single animal protein, and all of them can have several other animal protein sources in undisclosed quantities.
Supercoat doesn’t offer any wet food options, and their puppy selection is very limited. Because of it, we’re giving this brand 2.5 out of 5 in this category.
Price 4/5
This is a reasonably-priced dog food that fits most people’s budgets. However, many owners complain the prices have recently gone up, while special discounts are scarce and bags are smaller. If you want to save a bit more, we recommend choosing larger bags and looking online for discounts that might not be available at your local store.
We’re taking off 1 star because of the smaller-sized bags and price hike, although this isn’t the most expensive brand in the market.
Purina Supercoat Puppy Food Review
Of course, our Purina Supercoat review wouldn’t be complete without a thorough look at their puppy options. For starters, their selection is very limited and not what we would call the best puppy food option.
Supercoat only offers 2 different puppy recipes, one for large-breed pups, and another for all puppies.
In both large and regular puppy food, the only flavour available is chicken. However, keep in mind their puppy options also list a generic "meat and meat by-products". The list specifies that this could mean chicken, but also beef, lamb or pork, as well as fish and fish by-products.
If your puppy has certain sensitivities, or you’d rather offer a limited-ingredient diet, our independent experts believe that is probably not the brand for you.
They also don’t offer smaller kibble options for toy and mini breed pups. This is especially important because their teeth are still relatively new and small pups have a harder time chewing on large kibble. In order to make sure your little one is properly nourished, their kibble needs to be of a manageable size. If you have an extra-small dog like a Chihuahua or a Yorkshire Terrier, it might be worth it to explore other options.
When it comes to extra goodies, Supercoat puppy kibble doesn’t have nutritious additives on top of their vitamin and mineral mix. There are also no wet food options if you’d like to give your little one an occasional treat.
All in all, while this isn’t an awful food to give a growing pup, our independent team of experts summarise that there are other options with more flavour variety and better extras at a similar price point.
Don’t Buy If…
While Supercoat can be a great option for many dogs, you might want to try another brand if you:
Purina Supercoat Review: The Verdict
If it’s everything you have, go ahead. However, our team of independent experts want to remind you that there are better options at this price point. Other dog food brands stick to one or two animal proteins per recipe or avoid wheat even on their original recipes. On top of this, many other options at this price will also offer extra nutritional boosts like superfoods, fruits and veggies already mixed in.
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
- Black Hawk Dog Food Review
- Farmers Market 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
References
- Biagi, F., Maimaris, S., Vecchiato, C. G., Costetti, M., & Biagi, G. 2020. "Gluten-sensitive enteropathy of the Irish Setter and similarities with human celiac disease." Minerva gastroenterologica e dietologica, 66(2), 151–156. Retrieved May 1, 2023. https://doi.org/10.23736/S1121-421X.19.02648-5. Available https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31820885/
- "Are Dogs Gluten Sensitive?" Shotts Vet Ltd. Retrieved May 1, 2023. Available https://www.shottsvet.com/single-post/2017/06/05/Are-dogs-gluten-sensitive
- Morefield, T. January 27, 2021. "What is Canola Meal in Dog Food?" Dog Needs Best. https://www.dogneedsbest.com/what-is-canola-meal-in-dog-food/
- "Are preservatives in pet food products a concern?" RSPCA Knowledge Base. Retrieved May 1, 2023. https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/are-preservatives-in-pet-food-products-a-concern/
