The Uncle Albers Dog Food Review: Tested & Evaluated 2024

Are you looking to switch up your dog’s diet? For our Uncle Albers dog food review, we tested this brand, so you don’t have to. Here’s what you need to know about this kibble:

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 Uncle Albers Dog Food Reviewed

Taste 2/5

None of our three testers finished their bowl. They were happy to try a couple bites, but the food didn’t entice them enough to actually eat the full bowl. Overall, this was a flop in the taste department. I’m giving this brand 2 out of 5 in this category.

Ingredients 1/5

It’s worth noting Uncle Albers only has one recipe available, and its ingredient list is unclear at best. The list doesn’t follow the typical structure, and instead has a few independent phrases separated by points. For this analysis, I assumed the ingredients, regardless of presentation, were named in order of importance within the recipe. On the other hand, there are discrepancies between ingredients listed on the official site, on the actual bag, and on retailers’ sites.

For our purposes, I took what was said on the bag. The first ingredient is animal-based: “cooked meat and meat by-products”, coming from beef, lamb, pork, or fish. This broad “ingredient” is followed by “animal fat”, vegetable oil, and “cooked cereals and products derived from wheat, canola and soybeans”. These items make up the bulk of the food, yet after reading the list I get the impression of knowing almost nothing about the recipe’s composition.

Uncle Albers engages in what’s called “ingredient batching”, which lumps together ingredients into categories to cover for changes from batch to batch. For this food, it means that some batches might have beef and chicken by-products, while others will have only fish by-products mixed with pork. The choice depends on what is priced lower at the time of manufacturing. This practice is typical of manufacturers that prioritise saving costs over good quality ingredients. If your dog is sensitive to food changes, this brand is probably not a good choice.

Because of the very general ingredient list and lack of clarity on specific ingredients, I’m taking off 4 stars.

Protein content 2/5

This kibble features a respectable 28% protein content, which is in line with AAFCO recommendations (minimum 18%). The source of that protein, however, is of dubious quality.

As I mentioned above, this recipe uses very general terms: “cooked meat and meat by-products” as well as “cooked fish and fish by-products”. I appreciate there’s at least some mention of the possible meat types (beef, poultry, lamb or pork), but this is not enough. There’s no way of knowing if the next bag will have the same ingredients as the current one, which for my sensitive dogs is a no-no. The quality of the meat itself is also dubious, since there is no mention of using human-grade meat. As I’ve mentioned before, pet-grade meats have had issues in Australia due to the presence of excessive sulphites [1], and the industry is still largely unregulated.

Considering these shortcomings, I’m taking off 3 stars.

Additives 2/5

Again, the use of blanket terms makes me doubt about the quality of the ingredients chosen in this recipe. Beyond the core ingredients (meat and grains), the rest of the ingredient list is just as general:

Beyond these, there is little else in this food. Of course, no veggies to add some micronutrients or any other add-on for extra benefits like turmeric or glucosamine.

Because of the lack of information and very minimal extras, I’m taking off 3 stars from this category.

Variety 1/5

This brand offers no variety: there’s only one recipe to choose from. On the flip side, because of the blanket terms in the ingredient list, there is no way of ensuring consistency from one bag to the next. I’m taking off 4 stars in this category.

Price 3/5

This is probably the only positive I found from this brand. It’s quite affordable and only sold in large 22 kg bags, which increases savings. However, I would argue whatever you save on everyday food will be paid later in vet fees, so, is it worth it?

I’m giving this brand 3 out of 5 in this category.

Do Not Buy If…

I wouldn’t recommend Uncle Albers dog food if you:

Final Verdict

I wouldn’t feed this brand consistently to my dogs. The unclear ingredients, use of blanket terms, lack of guaranteed analysis and overall shadiness signals that this manufacturer has prioritised lower costs over high quality. Of course, the kibble is cheap, but at the cost of long-term health.

I’d much rather feed a home cooked diet supplemented with vitamins and minerals.

References

1. “Are preservatives in pet food products a concern?”. RSPCA Knowledge Base. Retrieved September 22, 2023. https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/are-preservatives-in-pet-food-products-a-concern/