| Website | Black Hawk Pet Care |
| Recommended retailer | Pet Circle |
Black Hawk became one of Australia’s most popular “Australian Made & Owned” dog foods when it was first released almost 15 years ago.
Today the brand is owned by Masterpet, a New Zealand company, but Black Hawk dog food is still made in Australia using local ingredients, and still the food of choice for many dogs.
Black Hawk will be a good choice if you’re looking for a decent dog food which is more affordable than other premium brands, and doesn’t come with the guilt factor of feeding some of the unhealthy cheaper brands. The recipes are decent, being a mix of grain and grain-free, and it’s understandable why many Aussies continue to feed Black Hawk to their dogs.
Top tip: If you have a big dog or multiple dogs, Pet Circle sell Black Hawk dog food in a whopping 40kg or 60kg size, so you can pay under $6/kilo – that’s very good!
In this review we’ll look at the various formulas, both grain and grain-free recipes as well as puppy, senior, small breed, large breed, and working dog.
It has to be said the grain-free recipes are the best option for a little bit more money, and the working dog formula happens to be a very good choice for active dogs.
A quick history of Black Hawk Pet Care
Black Hawk Pet Care came from humble beginnings.
Way back in 2007, Sherel (who eventually established the brand), realised the close connection between a dog food and the health and condition of a dog. I remember those days, and back then pet food marketing had really pulled the wool over our eyes and convinced us to feed our dogs terribly unhealthy diets.
Sherel analysed all the dog foods available in Australia and found they were all flawed, but then discovered a brand which ticked all her boxes which was made in Australia and ticked all her boxes. Seeing the change in health and coat from feeding that food, she then decided to turn it into the Australian success story it is today – that’s how Black Hawk Pet Care was born.
In 2024, the Black Hawk range of dog and cat food still meets the vision Sherel had back then, to offer Australians a world class dry food for an affordable and realistic price.
Black Hawk Dog Food Review
What the marketing says
What may matter to you the most is that Black Hawk dog food is 100% Australian Made.
What will matter to your dog is the ingredients – which we’ll cover shortly – but you’ll note the packaging states no artificial colours or preservatives, and the food is hormone and GMO free.
The marketing is relatively no-nonsense which is nice as marketing claims are often deceiving.
A key difference you will find on the packaging is the grain free formulas have more protein and more fat, which in turn means less carbohydrates. If you view your dog as primarily a meat eater, which you should, then that should push you towards the grain-free formulas.
What the ingredients really say
All the Black Hawk dog foods use natural preservatives, namely rosemary. I see that as a good thing, and I’m sure you prefer rosemary in your dog food than some chemical preservative, right?
It’s a small point to start with, but a good insight into the thought which has been put into the formulas as a whole.
Let’s consider the main ingredients…
The Original Chicken & Rice formula is 22% protein, 12% fat, with main ingredients being chicken meal (a dried protein-dense form of chicken), ground rice, oats, and fish meal. The popular Fish & Potato formula is similar.
For the grain-free Kangaroo formula we have 28% protein and 18% fat, and that shows there’s a better emphasis on animal ingredients and in turn much less carbohydrates. The main ingredients are a combination of both kangaroo meal and chicken meal, plus peas and tapioca. The first two ingredients as meat meals assures us our dogs are getting protein which matters, which will really support their wellbeing.
It’s worth mentioning Black Hawk Working Dog briefly, even though I cover it in more depth here. If you have a working dog, or even an active breed like a Border Collie or Kelpie, here’s a top tip – most working dog foods are little more than cheap grains, working on the basis your dog will burn off the “empty carb” calories they really shouldn’t be consuming in the first place. Black Hawk Working Dog is one of the few formulas which does it right, offering your dog a high meat protein and fat diet which is far healthier for them than grain waste.
There’s a lot of positive points to make about the smaller ingredient inclusions as well. Keep in mind salt is around 1% of the formula, so anything below that will also be around 1% or less.
For brevity, here’s how these smaller inclusions benefit your dog:
- Canola Oil – A source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids which support skin and coat.
- Kelp Meal – Aids thyroid function, plus adds vitamins and minerals to support health.
- Chicory Root – Helps digestion and gut health (it’s a source of inulin).
- Salt – Essential in a dog food, usually around 1% of the formula.
- Emu Oil – Good for skin, coat, and healthy joints. Emu oil also has anti-inflammatory properties to further support joints.
- Glucosamine and Chondriotin work together to help prevent your dog develop arthritis or joint issues, or relieve symptoms if they suffer joint problems.
- Carrots, blueberries, dandelion, peppermint, cranberry, and other inclusions all support various aspects of your dog’s health and wellbeing.
The above are found in the more basic Original formulas, and you’ll find more additions in the grain-free, puppy, senior, small and large breed formulas to specifically support the needs of those ages and breeds.
Do you already feed Black Hawk to your dogs? Let me know your experiences in the comments!
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Black Hawk Dog Food Review Summary
Many of the highly rated pet foods on this website come at a price few of us can afford all the time (me included).
That means an affordable dry dog food, such as Black Hawk, is a good option for most people. There are also much worse options out there, and many Australians continue to feed those foods to their dogs.
Black Hawk dog food may offer you an affordable solution for feeding your dog. You can also consider it a ” somewhat affordable “base diet”, and by that I mean you can spice it up with some fresh meats, offal, species appropriate raw meaty bones, and healthy dog-appropriate foods or table scraps.
Black Hawk isn’t the best dog food reviewed on this website, but it’s still better than many, and a good option for many.
Ingredients
Ingredients of Black Hawk Original Adult Chicken & Rice dry dog food:
Chicken Meal, Rice, Oats, Field Peas, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols [source of Vitamin E], Citric Acid, Rosemary Extract), Beet Pulp, Chicken Digest, Fish Meal, Canola Oil, Essential Vitamins & Minerals (see tables), Kelp Meal, Chicory Root, Salt, Brewer’s Yeast, Natural Antioxidants,
Emu Oil, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Tomato Powder, Carrots, Dried Blueberries, Dandelion, Peppermint, Rosemary, Cranberries.
Ingredients of Grain Free Adult Kangaroo dry dog food:
Kangaroo Meal, Chicken Meal, Peas, Tapioca, Chicken Fat (naturally preserved with Rosemary Extract, Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Potato, Sweet Potato, Fish Meal, Chicken Gravy, Sugar Beet Pulp, Essential Vitamins and Minerals, Salmon Oil, Sunflower Oil, Chicory Root, Di-Calcium Phosphate, Alfalfa, Salt, Egg, Apple, Brewers Yeast, Pumpkin Seeds, Natural Antioxidants, Coconut Oil, Yoghurt Powder, Emu Oil, Blueberries, Cranberries, Dandelion Tea, Parsley, Peppermint Tea, Rosemary Extract, Chondroitin, Glucosamine, Carrots, Yucca Schidigera, Spinach, Kelp, Tomato, Beta Carotene.
Guaranteed Analysis
Guaranteed analysis of Black Hawk Original Adult Chicken & Rice dry dog food:
| Protein | 22% (min) |
| Fat | 12% (min) |
| Crude Fibre | 4.5% (max) |
| Carbohydrates | Estimated 47% |
Guaranteed analysis of Grain Free Adult Kangaroo dry dog food:
| Protein | 25% (min) |
| Fat | 18% (min) |
| Crude Fibre | 3% (max) |
| Carbohydrates | Estimated 34% |
* May be estimated. Read how to calculate carbohydrates in a pet food.
Black Hawk dog food recalls
There are no known Black Hawk dog food recalls at the current time.
Previous Black Hawk dog food recalls:
- January 2020 – Various Black Hawk dog food formulas recalled due to mould. Voluntary recall. Affected formulas: Black Hawk Adult Chicken and Rice (3kg, 10kg and 20kg), Black Hawk Adult Lamb and Rice (3kg and 20kg), Black Hawk Adult Large Breed Chicken and Rice (20kg only) and Black Hawk Puppy Large Breed Chicken and Rice (20kg only).
I used to use HEP (Healthy Everyday Pets) until sadly, they closed, so I have transitioned my English Cocker Spaniel over to a 50/50 mix of Black Hawk Working Dog and Black Hawk Kangaroo.
Whilst her breed might not be in the working dog class, she will run all day until she flops and always outlasts the border collie she often plays with. So that’s the logic behind the high protein diet.
Her coat looks good and her overall health is great, I give her 3/4 of a cup of the mix per day (fed at night) which keeps her happy.
I have done a lot of reading around various foods and I can’t fault the Black Hawk dry dog food.
Pet Food Reviews has always been remarkably honest and extremely accurate and helpful in my quest for feeding my dog.
Thanks so much for this resource, so useful!
Would love to hear your thoughts on the new Black Hawk Healthy Benefits range. It looks interesting. Particularly the joint health one.
Everyone hating on this product, I find it’s good in maintaining my almost toothless greyhound’s weight and one of the few dry biscuits she will eat (with some kind of other wet food topper). Use this with 4cyte liquid and works nicely for her joint health. Have tried Hill’s J/D + T/D (back when she had teeth), Eukanuba and she snubs her nose up at it. I’ve just stuck with chicken and rice because she doesn’t like lamb or the fish as much.
The cases of pets experiencing diarrhoea with the food, were the foods introduced gradually over a minimum of a week or were they just changed? Because many dogs will have GI upset from an immediate change of food? Also, some dogs won’t tolerate it as a diet as they are just as individual as we are in food preferences and tolerances. Sometimes you’ve just got to find whatever works for them.
A big thing we see in clinic is the feeding of raw or undercooked chicken or meat in conjunction with their normal dog food which people tend to overlook. Like us, cooking is best because they can get sick from e-coli, salmonella, campylobacter and clostridium sp. Especially when puppies are fed these things, it can lead to long term GI issues
Thanks Nicola,
I find GI upset occurs mostly in dogs who’ve been fed a very limited diet (i.e. one brand all the time) for a long time, so it should be expected they react to anything different. I consider that the root problem, and it would be the same for us if we restrict our diet to one single product all the time!
I found my dogs had large , smelly bowel motions on black hawk grain free . I feed a varied diet of fresh meat , bones , sometimes cooked meat and veges, small amounts fresh blue berries etc
I have owned my 4 year old male Golden Retriever for nearly 2 years. He was rehomed to me by his breeders who incidentally knew the lady who started the company that first made Black Hawk, which was the name of one of her dogs.
Anyway, when I got him I decided I would change his feed from the Royal Canin he was brought up on, to Black Hawk. I wasn’t going to fork out a load of money on expensive pet food made overseas. I noticed while he was still on Royal Canin, that his droppings would at times be loose.
I alternated between BH Lamb and Rice, and Chicken and Rice. His droppings have nearly always been firm. He was doing well but started to develop hot spots. I had kept a record of when I bought each bag and compared that to when he developed his hot spots and discovered that he would get them when he was on the Chicken and Rice and I had read that chicken can be a cause of them. So the only dry feed he’s been on is the Lamb and Rice and he hasn’t had a hot spot since, and that’s for about 10 months. For some reason I didn’t check the actual ingredients of the Lamb and Rice until recently and realised that chicken meal and fat are included.
So I can only assume that he either can’t tolerate the amount of chicken in the Chicken and Rice OR there’s something in it that upsets his skin. He is also regularly fed some raw sardines, whole raw eggs, and lots of carrots and apples to bulk up his feed as he tends to put weight on easily.
Hi Helen, I wish I could give you an answer for that but I can’t! It sounds like a chicken intolerance, but as you’ve said chicken is also in the Lamb & Rice formula – perhaps to a lesser extent, rather than a different source.
Chicken intolerances get really tricky as most dog foods contain chicken of some sort, even if it’s the fat content (can be listed “animal fat”). Some dogs react to cooked chicken but not raw, and vice versa.
Or it might be something else in the Chicken & Rice formula entirely, but no idea what that could be.
New rescue staffy taken off Supercoat and given Black Hawke (grain free) gradually, now is itching like crazy..Any suggestions. please. I thought this was good food….
Hi Jules, this seems to occur on Black Hawk – other comments have suggested the same unfortunately :/
I do not understand how Black Hawk gets a rating more than 1. This is one of the most dangerous dog foods sold in Australia. How do I know this? I was managing a pet store for some time and I get to hear what clients say about this food as well as for many other main stream brands, also I did a good research on the quality of what dog food is sold in Australia. The author of this article is correct, the vast majority of dog food on our market is complete bio waste junk, made to make money for whoever sell it, but will definitely not contribute for your dog’s well being what so ever, in the contrary it will harm it. From all the junk sold here Black Hawk takes the cherry, possibly Supercoat, Hills Science diet and Royal Canin are just as bad. Black Hawk is a hands down the biggest bag of toxic junk you can feed to your dog. My young German Shepherd had an immediate reaction after the very first dose of food I’ve given her, severe vomiting and black diarrhea, also the dog was feeling bad, visibly unhappy, just laying there, breaks your heart. After a trip to the vet( which cost money), immediate change of food and the dog improved.
I strongly suggest to people to read studies about dog food, especially about GRAIN FREE dog food. American canine association did a lot of studies which have a lot to say about all dead dogs, due to eating grain free diet, no other reason.
What do you feed your German shepherd now? As I also have one and plan to swap from Royal Canin but I’m not sure which one.
Hi Dimi,
What did you swap to?
Thanks!
Hope your puppy is going well
Hi Dimi, if you have time it’s worth adding a report about your dog’s reaction to Black Hawk here – https://www.apog.com.au/recall-issue-log/black-hawk/
I think it may be worth noting a few things here. Firstly, Blackhawk used to be made in the the Ivory Coat factory, which is no longer the case. They now have their own facility that they manufacture from. Secondly, when you have the largest market share when it comes to dog food in Australia, you are also going to have the largest amount of complaints. It is just the way it works unfortunately. I use Blackhawk for my three dogs and they are thriving on it. There may be cases where the dog has a disagreement with one of the ingredients but more often than not I have found that doing the transition and/or addition of other foods has contributed to the upset belly. Usually a quality pet specific pre-biotic will help.
And this is why my shepherds only eat human food. Bloody people getting rich at the expense of our pets
I have 2 Labradoodles aged 9 and 4 who have been fed Blackhawk their whole lives. No loose stools or guy problems here and really happy and healthy doods.
I bought a 20kg bag of Black Hawk chicken and rice puppy food in September 2022 for our 6 month old kelpie and transitioned him from Royal Canin puppy food. After about 24 hours he had severe diarrhoea and after a few days there was also blood in his poo. We took him to the vet who said there was anecdotal evidence that Black Hawk food can cause diarrhoea and blood in the poo. We stopped feeding him Black Hawk immediately and the diarrhoea and blood in the poo stopped almost straight away. Back to Royal Canin for us. I raised the issue with Black Hawk who said they hadn’t received any similar complaints. Please let the company know if you experience anything like this as it may prevent other dogs going through the same thing.
Hi Rocky, do you find it surprising Black Hawk claim to not be aware of similar complaints, yet the comments on this review (and other sites) seem to suggest this has been a common issue with Black Hawk products for numerous years!?
My 4 month old german shepard has diarrhoea from black hawk and isint putting on weight all he eats is blackhawk il be changing his diet no more black hawk for my puppy
Slightly longish but may be worth mulling over…
My pets were on a BlackHawk normal diet (lamb,chicken – not grain free) since around 2017 with a mix of raw meat diet (chicken, lamb, beef). But early in 2019 one of my pets (XLarge American Bulldog X Lab mix aged 4 at the time) started developing Scurfy skin, adhoc lesions and boils on his skin, alopecia, skin infections and a regular yeasty corn like smell that was perpetual. The paws were always inflamed and he would quite frequently have recurring ear infections as well. This was never ending and was suspected to be his yeast flare gone worse.
From Jun 2019 to Dec 2020 he was prescribed or underwent
* complex frustrating food tests to identify a food allergy,
* 2-3 times of medicated paw washes per week &
* 1 medicated bath per week,
* A regular (fortnightly at least) application of antibacterial body lotion (resichlor)
* Switched to super expensive hypersensitivity foods (Hills, RoyalCanine) while still being discouraged from eating potential allergic foods
* steroid tablets and steroid ear drops,
* antibiotics & drops (He was roughly on 6 to 7 rounds of antibiotics, 2 weeks at a time, and steroids for a year and a half.)
(Please note that he did have antibiotics and steroids even in 2017 and 2018 for his paw and ear issues which in hindsight are related but I have left it out deliberately since no detailed therapy was undertaken in those years)
* Frequently being recommended for a skin test to develop an allergic shot. I refrained on this one because I still did not believe it was an allergy causing this condition. Dogs lick their paws and pollen does affect them but what I observed did not look like something an allergy shot would fix.
* Amidst all of this he was diagnosed Atopic and possibly allergic to Chicken, beef.
* He was also put on the expensive Cytopoint every 6 to 8 weeks to control his itch from Sep 2019. Which was good but if the shot missed the right window then that would bring his intense itch and flaky skin back and the resultant skin infection would result in antibiotics/steroids.
Around Dec 2020 I put him on the Megaderm supplement which was NOT something the vets suggested. Fortunately I found it online by, I must say, Grace of God on my ongoing quest to understand what was wrong. The assumption being my pet probably wasn’t having sufficient Omega 3 all his life. That month also turned out to be the last of him being on antibiotics or steroids.
Since Dec 2020 he has been in pretty good health. We tried a few different general purpose dry foods for adults from Hills and Royal Canin but not the expensive hypoallergenic ones.This was to move away from the expensive diet. Now in mid Oct 2021 I went back to BlackHawk Lamb/Rice for a try and to my surprise he developed dry flaky skin and terrible itch by the start of Jan 2022 despite the ongoing treatment. In addition poop and farts for both went quite foul which I don’t recollect being the case in the past.
That is when I came across this really old forum that had a few folks mention the impact of Blackhawk on their pets.
https://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/244605-dry-food-specifically-for-itchy-dogs/
I immediately stopped blackhawk and went on to ADVANCE. In around a month the symptoms disappeared.
All of his case history was now kind of making sense to me including the much older yeast issues he seemed to repeatedly have in the paws (swollen) & ear (frequent reddening) in 2017-18. That too mysteriously disappeared in the last year and half as well. And I do not believe he was ever atopic. Whatever damage was done to him was probably fixed by the supplement and not going back to BlackHawk helped. He now has a very very good shine. However, I still give him (and her) Cytopoint every 3-4 months because it does help immensely during allergy seasons and general reduction in itchiness.I am also about to switch foods to another brand as I feel changing it every few months may be required to prevent any adverse allergies from staying on the same foods. I may be wrong here. But I now feed him any meat or treat with no issues.
All in all I present this under this section because this is a case history I have maintained for my pet who started his early life consuming BlackHawk. Who suffered needlessly for 50% of his life. There is no adequate research and data analysis of Dog Food in this country to help understand foods and the range of impacts they produce. Who knows how many pets and owners are out there suffering with no recourse because neither the industry nor the vets understand the impacts of these food brands. Other brands may be having impacts as well. A stronger regulation is needed. Given this is also the longest period of time that he has been without health issues in the 7 years of his life I feel it is the right time to publish this case.
It might be some ingredient that they are allergic to or develop an allergy to over time or just are sensitive to but I don’t think we would suspect it. Vets just target protein allergies or environmental allergies or symptoms. Pretty much everything he was exposed to ended up off limits making it quite hard to feed him or maintain him. Yet the diagnosis required would have been to find out what was happening internally, which never occurred. And had we gone down the expensive way of producing the allergy shot, nothing would have come out of it as BlackHawk was not in consideration as the point of origin. And these incorrect diagnoses make their way to the insurance companies. Who knows how they regurgitate that information into the premiums!
The other pet was younger by a year and 1/3 the size (Lab X unknown). And her exposure to BlackHawk was limited. She would usually not eat the pellets 50-60% of the time. So not very sure if she is resistant to the content or maybe not exposed enough. Anyway I won’t be trying to figure it out.
Hi Derik, this is what frustrates me so much about the veterinary industry. Personally I find most issues such as this caused by a particular brand of pet food, which means simply switching from the brand can show a complete turnaround in the health of the pet.
However, so many (and I’ve spoken to countless pet parents), end up forking out so much money on medications, treatments, and frustrating weeks pouring money down the drain because commercial dog food is almost never considered as a potential problem.
Thank you for taking the time to write the case study, and I hope it proves valuable to others – saving time, money, and offering a happier and healthier life for their pets!
Hi Dimi, I have been researching dog food and getting so confused, I have a chihuahua puppy I’m trying to feed the best I can, could you tell me after all your searching what you came up with as a truely nutritious and safe way to feed our pets? I’m currently feeding vets all natural and raw or cooked meat, snd black hawk dried puppy lamb and rice, but I’m willing to change for the best. Hope you get back to me. Thanks Diane
I bought the lamb and rice puppy formula for my new puppy Oscar (Shetland Sheepdog). When I opened the bag the first thing I noticed was the foul smell. The kibble literally smelt like they had ground up dog poo and put it in a bag. It was awful. I did the slow change over but as soon as my pup had any of this food he had terrible diarrhea and vomiting, it only got worse the more I increased the amount of Blackhawk. He became very tired and not his usual self he obviously felt terrible. I stopped giving this food after only about 4 days. (Which meant I had to do a 100km round trip back into town to get him something better). As soon as I stopped giving him this food it all stopped. He is now on Taste of the Wild and doing great. I put the bag of Blackhawk in the bin. I still can’t get over how much the kibble smelt like dog shit. I will not even consider this brand again.
Hi, I recently purchased a pup that was being fed this product. I was given a puppy pack with this kibble. Before opening up the bag all I could smell leeching from the pup was an intense bad odour so I washed the pup. After afew hours I could still smell the omitted odour from the pup. Cones dinner time an once I opened the bag of food I could smell the exact same odour. I didn’t feed the pup the kibbles, I purchased something different an it took 48 hours for the pup not to have the odour any more. Surely this can’t be good. Just wondering if anyone else found this with their dogs too?
Hi Bec, I think if you read some of the other comments you’ll find similar stories. I’ve found for many years Black Hawk products seem to cause gas and loose stools.
It may be worth letting the breeder know. It’s possible they have a deal with Black Hawk for cheaper food, but they could switch to another brand for future litters. Or you could point them in the direction of this review + comments.
Hi Kirstie, I’m so sorry to hear that but glad he has recovered since. Could you add this information to the APOG log please? https://www.apog.com.au/recall-issue-log/black-hawk/
I was feeding my dogs Black Hawk for a few years and within the final year, one of my dogs was experiencing blood red, mucus-y diarrhoea and always had terrible farts. He then started refusing to eat it at random so I changed to Royal Canin and he’s had no problems ever since. It’s an affordable brand with good ingredients but I feel like something has changed.
My 5 month old was put on the lamb and rice puppy kibble. He had bouts of diarrhoea and upset stomach. It was only when he got diarrhoea again (despite having had vet treatment) after going back on it that I worked out it was the kibble. I have thrown the rest of the biscuits out. I bought black hawk a while ago for my old dog, because it was a great brand when it first started. I will not be buying Black Hawk anymore.
After feeding Blackhawk puppy food (Original Puppy Food for Large Breeds) my Rhodesian Ridgeback developed severe diarrhea and gastro. He’s been to the vet twice and we had to put him on a bland cooked food diet. When we reintroduced Blackhawk dog food to his diet it flared up again. I don’t know what is wrong with the food (which has a smell to it) but I was shocked to come across so many similar reviews and experiences with Blackhawk dog food. I thought I could trust a “premium” dogfood but clearly that’s just packaging.
What’s it going to take to make them take action about the quality of their products?
Hi Jesse, I’ve just approved another comment by Jack who has also had similar issues with Black Hawk this week. Could you add the information to this page please – https://www.apog.com.au/recall-issue-log/black-hawk/
Hi Amanda, it’s worth adding this info to the APOG site if you can – https://www.apog.com.au/recall-issue-log/black-hawk/
do not feed to non desexed bitches. its caused my young girls prolonged heats upto 3-6 months. and vet trips . 100% this dog food
What size bag are you using to give the prices please?
I have used blackhawk lamb and rice puppy for the entire life of my kelpie pups to date (11months currently) and they are super healthy with shiny, soft coats. They never have smelly gas and their poo is perfect. I have never had any digestive upset issues in any of the 3 pups, except when they eat something else they shouldn’t – like the cat food when the door was left open or the occasional raw egg – causes the runs in 1 of my 3 pups so she doesn’t get them anymore.
What works for some, may not work for others but I think you’d need to eliminate ALL other foods from your dogs diet to specifically say it is a certain food causing problems. That includes that little bit of ham or cheese they get slipped while making sandwiches, making sure they cannot access other animal foods, it includes meat and bones etc and time in relation to recent treatments, such as wormers and tick or flea medications.
Hi there, I think you should change the review for this dog food. I got it for my puppy after seeing the good review and it caused digestive issues and only looking into it did I see there are many others with similar problems. Some who’s puppies have had lasting issues and blood etc because of the food. Or maybe a more prominent disclaimer, just to help users of this website. Any idea why it might cause those issues?
Cheers
MJ
True Colours is a new food based on the same ingredients as Blackhawk. It is made by a completely different company. They said the formula is an 80’s breeder formula that was recognised as being the best at the time. If you are interested in Blackhawks recipe for its original food you could try the True Colours version of it instead. I have been giving samples and now bought a bag of it and the dogs are great on it.
After reading these reviews I’ve decided to try true colours. My 11 yr old English staffy hasn’t liked black hawk for a while now, and our border collie pup eats anything. Thank you for your review.
Hi MJ, the issues have been noted. I’ve added a warning at the top of the review to ensure people are aware. There has been a warning on the review of Black Hawk Grain Free but it seems I hadn’t added the same warning to this review – thanks.
Currently taking my nearly two year old kelpie off black hawk lamb and rice adult, he’s had diarrhoea issues and gas issues that he never had with Royal canin puppy, I changed to black hawk simply because it was Australian and cheaper than Royal canin, since changing I’ve noticed him itching, his back teeth have deteriorated in health and his farts are revolting. Seems that when he has a few quiet days he gets the diarrhoea compared to more active days, it also got significantly worse when I increased his food by only half a cup, this was before I realised the food was the issue.. changing to life wise kangaroo and hoping for the best!
Hi Jack, this seems so common with Black Hawk. It’s worth you adding this info here – https://www.apog.com.au/recall-issue-log/black-hawk/
Bought 20kg lamb & rice dry for my 2 rescues and both have had their BM;s affected with our lab x having terrible diarrhea. Will not buy again……….
BH changed their formula for grain free cat food – now it’s just like all the other stuff out there – more expensive for less food and not nearly as tempting for my cat – I’m looking for alternatives now 🙁
The dog formulas changed last year (and might still be changing within the bounds of the ingredient list if the chronic farting stories are any indication). You’ve mentioned the grain free cat formula changed, someone elsewhere here is claiming the canned formula stinks now though the ingredients don’t appear to have changed. If these reports are accurate it’s really sounding like Blackhawk under the new ownership is fast becoming a shadow of its former self.
My gripe is that the pellets are now just tiny little round things (they used to be triangular and crunchy) and smell like cardboard – hopefully they taste better. As cats (and dogs) are attracted to food by smell, and the nice meaty smell has gone from these pellets I am surprised my cat still eats them, but I won’t be buying any more. I also paid more for 2.5kg than I used to pay for 3kg of nicer food! It always happens when they sell out to big groups… pity.
Hi have you tried “Meals For Meows” go onto Meals For Mutts ace book page send them a msg your address & ask for some Meals For Moew samples for your cats.. Go to Aldi’s the pet fridge section & try their “Cachet” premium Steak mince, comes in 5 small sachet tray sizes for cats there’s 2 flavours, my cat likes the Aldi’s cachet mince heaps better then the Supermarket cat mince brands that look the same but arent the same in flavour… I feed 1/2 the Adlis Cachet raw sachet for breakfast then a few hours later I put some dry kibble in a bowl I do the same for dinner I give the other 1/2 of the raw sachet & then a few hours later I give my cat some dry kibble, she looks really good shinney coat since I started her on teh Aldi’s raw Cachet + she gets 1/2 a chicken wing twice a week…
Hi Susan – thanks for the tip! I’ve message the MFM people – so lets see. My cat is ridiculous and won’t eat raw meat!! However, I will try the Aldi mince as I really do think their stuff is good quality. The dog can have it if he won’t eat it! I feed my dog raw – but the cat won’t touch it 🙁 So even a chicken wing get’s the upturned nose treatment ha ha.. Thanks for taking the time to respond to me 🙂
The Black Hawk can or wet food started out as a high quality product, but a while back the quality dropped dramatically. The food used to have a ‘pâté’ type of smell and even occasionally made me salivate as I opened a can. The later food is nothing more than poor quality that smells like offal or rotting meat. It also looks terrible and makes my dog smell (he stinks from eating it). In the end my dog wouldn’t even eat it anymore, so we switched to another brand, and straight away his skin irritations went away, and so did his sloppy bowel movements. Besyt of all, he seems happier and more relaxed (less feral).
Hi yes I bought a can of Black Hawk just to try & it smelt awful like some of the My Dog wet can foods smell off rotting meats… Have a look at “VIP Natures Goodness” grainfree + nutrition they have Kangaroo with Sweet Potato, Homestyle Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes & Chicken & Duck with garden vegetables sold in Coles & Woolworths its nice thick gravy with big chunks of meat I add some boiled Potato cause my boy has IBD & Potato seems to firm his poo’s even Natures Goodness dry kibble is OK for a Super market pet food also look at “4 Legs” Lamb, Coconut & Veggies grain free meat balls in the pet fridge section if you go onto the 4legs site they have a free offer their new Primal Balance Kangaroo Veggies & Apple freeze dried raw treats only at Woolworths….you’ll need to print out the free offer I think or just photo on your mobil & show the check out girl, she probably wont have a clue about it lol..
I switched him over to the Hill’s Science i/d diet and he’s been great ever since. The first thing I noticed when I opened the can was that pâté smell of good quality food. Plus he looks so much healthier, and he loves the stuff. He goes nuts when I open the can. Always trust your nose!
Hill’s Science I/d diet is trash and gave both my dogs diarrhoea. Never again.
Good quality that trash lol, Ziwipeak is good quality, anything made by Hills, Mars or Purina is shyt. This is my opinion on the food based on 6 years of research into dog food as a future nutritionist for dogs. If you ever buy Ziwipeak you’ll want to eat it so bad, every time I open it I want to eat it, because it smells freaking amazing.
Read the ingredients list, like seriously and you’ll see there’s no quality to be had.
Ziwipeak is meat on top of meat on top of even more meat.
You must be kidding, I’ve been an animal nutritionist for over 30 years and you obviously haven’t a clue what you are talking about. You really should read the ingredients before you spout nonsense like Hill’s Science Diet is sub-par to that Ziwipeak trash. What nonsense. Go read your label sweetie.
Doubtful it seems to me like you haven’t even bothered to read it, it’s trash it’s obvious the ingredients are absolute shyt the end. Ziwipeak is not trash it’s over 90% meat which I cannot say the same for Hills who use less then 5% meat in their formulas as chicken is after all 80% water. Their foods are vegetarian, you can see that clear as day.
30 years yeah right liar, you wouldn’t feed Hills with that much experience. F**ktard.
At least my 6 years will yield to a better world for dogs, what has your supposed experience yielded? I can see all the trash is still on the market shelves, if your so experienced get people off the food so they can remove it due to low sales and place it in the trash where it belongs.
I agree with you Edanna, Ziwipeak is a great food for small dogs with stomach problems. As for Hills is just rubbish.
I have never had a problem with Ziwipeak dry dog food. which I have been feeding my two small dogs for years with out any problems.
Any idea roughly when this change occurred with the canned product? I have a stash of blackhawk cans for special needs or emergency use and don’t recall any stinky aroma, now I’m wondering if I have an older version. Hmm
Roughly about 6-9 months ago. It was obviously a different mix and extremely poor quality in appearance. Again, it stunk like a rotting carcass, and was quite obviously not produced from fresh meat.
Don’t know if this matches your experience but I just took a look at mine and they have the older style label complete with a logo claiming “100% Australian owned and made”, where the current style label pictured on the website just says “100% Australian made”. I wonder if the label change marks that point where the contents went south.
Hi There,
I have two German Shepherd puppies and my vet put them on the Vet brand diet food but they have runny poos from that and I was thinking about changing there diets to Black Hawk but it looks like everyone’s pups have been in trouble with it.
Does anyone have any recommendations on what brand of food to buy them?
I am not fussed about the price as I just want to be able to clean up after them without any trouble and without smelling there poo from metres away!
Thank you in advance!
Your best bet is to take a look at the list here of the top rated foods on this site https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/best-dry-dog-food
I think you’ll be pleased with most of the highly rated stuff. But even better, don’t pick just one food, use a few and incorporate some other variations like Ziwipeak and Frontier etc. that don’t suffer from the same drawbacks inherent to a kibble. Variety, variety, variety.
Hi Brit,
first take the vet diet back as they are money back guaranteed, even when you buy online you will get refund…. My boy has IBD & he was the same on vet diets they didnt help him they some vet formula’s have TOO much fiber which vet diet are you feeding? the only vet diet my boy did OK on was “Eukanuba” Intestinal Low Residue, its low in fiber but has corn maize & crappy ingredients… Have a look at “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb its an all life stages formula it is excellent for dogs with EPI, IBS, IBD, this TOTW formula just has 1 single meat protien Lamb Meal, Sweet Potato, Potato, Peas, Egg, Canola Oil, Blueberries, Purified Water & Probiotics something in the TOTW kibble firms dogs poos up, Sweet Potatoes & Potatoes are very good for firming poo just becareful feeding Lentils & Chickpeas as they can cause intestinal Stress, this Black Hawk formula has too many meat proteins & ingredients maybe try at a later stage, you need to start with a kibble that has limited Ingredients 1 single meat protein like the vet diets have, another good brand is “Canidae” Pure formula’s Pure Wild, Pure Sea, of look at “Meals For Mutts” formula’s but their grain free formula’s have Lentils & Chickpeas, your dogs might be OK with Lentils & Chickpeas as they get older maybe slowly introduce a new grain free kibble that has Lentils & Chickpeas, you could try MfM Salmon & Sardine Brown Rice & Vegetables formula, I’ve tried it with my boy poos were OK the TOTW gave him firmer poos same time everyday, you could grab a bag while waiting for a bag of TOTW to come here’s MfM site http://www.mealsformutts.com.au/ or are you near a Costco store?? their Kirkland Signature Domain Salmon & Sweet Potato is the same as TOTW Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon formula..
Try & stick with Kibbles like TOTW that have Sweet Potatoes & Potato, did the vet do a fecal analysis to test for Parasites Bacterial Infections & Giardia? if after trying the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb their poos have not firm up within 7 days I’d take them back to the vet for a Fecal Analysis just get those small containers with yellow lid from vet & get morning poo sample & vet cane have it sent away to see whats wrong
Thank you both so much for your help, I have put them on TOTW and they’ve had happy tummies after a couple of days now, i cannot be any more happier cleaning up now!
Thank you sooooo much!!!!!
I have tried my White Shepherd pup on Black Hawk Lamb and Rice Puppy formula, after it was recommended to me at my local Pet barn store. The results are very severe gastric. I have taken her off it and again tried to add small amounts to her diet but, after things settling down when not on the food, the reintroduction of even very small amounts of the food has started the Gastro again. I for one will not be using Black Hawk again nor will I recommend it to my work colleagues or Family and friends.
Hi, I hope you returned the Black Hawk to Pet Barn, all Pet Barn foods are money back guaranteed……Have a look at “Canidae” Life Stages formula’s Canidae has large breed puppy formula’s sold online thru “Pet Circle” also look at “Meals For Mutts” excellent for dogs with sensitive stomachs http://www.mealsformutts.com.au/
Hi Stephen, this seems to be an ongoing issue with Black Hawk as mentioned in the review. Diarrhoea can be common when switching foods, but it seems more common with Black Hawk.
They were brought out by a Chinese company so nothing new really, I even told my doctor as she’s been feeding it and she was shocked and will be removing it from their diet, she’s been thinking of moving away from kibble as a whole and both me and mum helped her out with some info, her dogs will likely thank her for getting them off a no longer Australian owned food.
After all we can’t truly know if their telling the truth about staying Australian or not. Like how everybody believed Evangers and they lied about their meat being USDA human grade when some of it was actually euthanised horse meat.
This food is average at best. Our whippet farts a lot when he eats it. We thought he may have something wrong but when reading some of these other comments I’m almost certain it is the blackhawk. Not sure which of the 50 million brands I’ll try next.
Hi when a dog keeps farting after eating a food it means he is sensitive to an ingredient, try & work out which ingredient it is, best to do elimination food diet to know what he can eat & what he’s sensitive too….
Have a look at “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb, it’s grain free & just has Lamb as the only protein & has limited ingredients & look a “Canidae” Pure Wild or one of the other Canidae Pure formula’s just read the fat% & protein % as some of Canidae’s Formula’s are over 30% in Protein & some dogs can’t handle high protein, stay around 25% for protein & 15% for fat & 4% for fiber & feed a limited ingredient kibble…
50 million in Australia? Nah overseas heck yeah haha, dog food advisors lists around 400 different brands by now it’s crazy.
It all depends on the individual as with us, people can eat macca’s I can’t I puke lol, people can eat any type of carbs I’m stuck eating healthy carbs and it’s starting to get really bloody boring! the cravings are coming back and yeah that’s not good.
Anyways same with dogs, they are so close to us with nutrition lately and problems with their digestive systems are on the rise and what not.
With the old bag of fish and potato I had nothing but positive results including eye stains be gone! since the takeover I’m not going to buy their foods anymore as the ingredients have clearly changed and I’m anti synthetic vitamin k making it into literally every new food on the market.
Maybe Ivory Coat? Angel she’s a very sick dog but no one really knows why, she can eat Ivory Coat without stomach problems though so that’s a big plus in my book.
She can also eat Ziwipeak and Artemis no problems.
Blackhawk may have caused an issue here and there.
Taste of the Wild was also good and she does well on Applaws.
Plenty of choice these days just depends on what you can afford I guess, but a lot of the dearer foods actually ask you to feed quiet a fair bit less except K9 Natural the amounts on that food vs Frontier are crazy different, which means it may not be as digestible as they’d like you to believe.
Also funnily enough some brands aren’t as dear as they seem, I did a math equation for a friend and found that her Optimum costs 0.42c on special per 100g while blackhawks 20kg bag was only 0.46c per 100g on special and you get like 7kg more I think, my memory is seriously bad with this equation I don’t remember very much of it but the 0.42c is clear as day go figure. I just know that it was only a few cents difference and the bag was much bigger so it was worth the extra dollars.
Her dog also farts everyday and a lot so I wanted to get her dog off the food but last time I talked to her it seems she still hasn’t made the switch.
Hi I’m pretty sure Black Hawk isn’t re-doing their Chicken & Rice original formula, they have taken it down off the Black Hawk site & replaced with a Large Breed Chicken & Rice formula but it’s higher in fat-14%min & the original Chicken & Rice Black Hawk formula has 12%-fat , so if your dog does really well on the original Chicken & Rice formula you better stock up or start looking for another dry kibble for your dog, Black Hawk Chicken & Rice will slowly be sold out as the new bags are introduce…I’ve emailed Black Hawk a few times & asked what’s happening but Black Hawk has not responded…
There’s “Holistic Select” Chicken & Rice, the fat is higher at 15%min, or Duck & Rice fat is 13%min both formula’s have similar ingredients to the B/H Chicken & Rice formula or “Canidae” Life Stages Platinum is similar to Black Hawks Chicken & rice formula as well, the “Canidae” Platinum is lower in fat-10%max & the protein is around the same as B/H at 23% protein or look at the Canidae Pure Meadow Senior if you have a Senior dog the fat is 10.8% max & it’s grain free & has everything a senior dog needs, high in Omega 3 & has Glucosamine & chondroitin…
I notice Blackhawk now has a working dog pellet. Any feedback as to it quality would be appreciated
Hi, I looked at the ingredient list to the working dog kibble, it looked pretty good better then the real cheap formula’s farmers feed their working dogs that are full of corn & low in meat protein BUT why has Black Hawk written Lamb meat meal & Beef meat meal?? also Pea Protein is 4th ingredient to boost the protein % up, the Kcals are 409 Kcals per cup,
I looked at the BH Pasture grazed lamb G/F formula & it says lamb meal & chicken meal, I’d say the Lamb meat Meal & Beef meat meal in the working dog is a by-product meats?
Thanks for that i was wondering why they had the MEAT meal and I do agree sadly many farmers do not feed their dogs very good quality pellets for an extra $50 a month. If any dog deserves a better quality food its the working dogs of Australia. Ill will stay with my Ivory Coat & Stay Loyal. Also this forum is not very user friendly.
Still better then Bonnie working dog either way or some of the other cheaper ones.
Now that you’ve mentioned it I did wonder why they wrote it like that and that maybe there’s a reason for it and that maybe it’s not very high quality.
They are after all owned by Purina now, Nestle no matter which one is still Purina at heart and I think we will be seeing less then stellar ingredients making their way into the new formulas, maybe even Chinese ingredients cleverly hidden in plain sight, they have after all done it before.
Hi, make sure you read the Ingredient list on the kibble bag, the original Black Hawk formula’s do not have Black Hawks new ingredients that are listed on the Black Hawk site yet, I went to Pet Barn today & looked at the Chicken & Rice original kibble formula & it still has Rye & the Emu Oil is still 8th ingredient the new chicken & rice formula has no rye & the Emu oil is at the end of the ingredient list & has Beet Pulp on BH site’s ingredient list, maybe when the packaging gets changed the new ingredients will come?? I sent a BH an email asking when will the original kibble formula’s be getting these new ingredients, I sent email but it said please try again later, my email wasn’t sent….I want to know when will we see these better ingredients in the original formulas??
Thank goodness they removed the rye the minute I saw that I was so happy because quite frankly dogs don’t need rye and it was likely that ingredient that was causing the farts.
I think they might be changing all the formulas to use the new vitamin pack over the old one which includes menadione not cool.
And I guess putting the emu oil lower and the joint supplements for fish and potato lower we may start hearing about certain changes taking place in people’s dogs.
I guess I’m good for now but eventually I won’t have the Blackhawk or choice for the old one and Rusty will stop getting his emu oil the only thing other then Artemis’s coconut oil that helps clear his eyes of those pesky and ugly tear stains.
I had hoped they wouldn’t change it and that I’d be able to rotate onto it in the future, guess not, but I’ll see.
I wonder what the price hike will be like when we get to it, so far everyone’s holding off for as long as possible.
Hi but the Rye is still in the Chicken & Rice formula that’s still packed in the old Black Hawk bags. BH hasn’t emailed me back..
Their changing over very slowly it seems, there’s still a few outstanding formulas that need makeovers.
I can see the need for new bags as change is always good in the way but I don’t really see what the need for such drastic ingredient changes was, like the new grain free.
I guess like any company that gets bought out really.
Love it. Changed my dogs to it 4 years ago and stools have been excellent. I do sled dog racing so need a good quality and this has shown to be fantastic. I dont think i will ever change
I guess it all depends on the dog breed/genetics, i have a rescue GSD but he was 32kg and been given supercoat(dry) for morning and pedigree(wet) for evening. Gave him the same food for a month cz I’ve been told he likes that but his poop was too much and still skinny. Changed his diet to optimum and raw meat/chicken(sometimes cooked) gaining 10kg! Then advanced and now blackhawk. He never had a problem with any of the brands and he is healthy as.
Home cooked meals are way healthier for u and your pets! so make more and share it with them
Sounds like you traded up each time 👍
Hm, still for a premium brand the first ingredient is lamb “meal” which is not the same as lamb “meat”. . .
Assuming that we believe the “lamb” part and have no issues with the quality of said lamb, meal is just a description of its physical state, much like diced/dried/minced/prilled etc. Typically, meal is just very finely ground product that has been exposed to heat in order to drive off much of the water content. Aside from being more industry-friendly in this form since handling is easier and spoilage is less of a concern, in the pet food context where you want the meat/protein content to heavily outweigh any
crapfiller material, it’s preferable if your protein source doesn’t consist of mostly water which is later cooked off.I brought this while buying the new Ziwipeak, last time I used Blackhawk was with a trial pack, I hope all goes well, I really truly like the fish formula.
I feed my Irish setter and cattle dog black hawk and they are thriving on it, my setters coat looks amazing. My daughter has a dogue de bordeoux and she decided to try her on it but she suffered from diarreah badly, tried grain free, the same so I’m wondering if it’s the emu oil
Did she change the food over gradually? Have to make sure you change it over slowly as Blackhawk has quiet a variety of ingredients and even the most iron stomachs would do well to transition.
Sorry to rain on the parade so to speak, but the foul smelling farts produced by my hounds since they started on the premium Black Hawk drive us from the room, even while introduced gradually and with their usual small extra portions of fresh food included. This has convinced me to throw the remaining one third out. Their droppings have become rather soft and messy too. The product appeared suddenly in our local pet shop and there have been similar complaints on the Internet.
BH is adding Beet Pulp to their new original formulas when they come out, the Beet Pulp will probably stop the sloppy poos but who wants an artificial stool hardener, vet diets use the Beet Pulp to harden poos.. ..
My 7 month old Border Collie developed severe gastric.
By process of elimination it was the Blackhawk Holistic Salmon.
Will put her back on Puppy Formula.
Hi, “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb & TOTW Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon have less ingredients & is excellent for dogs who need a bit lower protein & fat in a kibble, Protein-25% Fat-15% then when your dog is doing real well rotate & try the TOTW High Prairie Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison formula it has more protein & fat & see how your dog goes, Some dogs don’t do real well when protein is over 30%.. or your dog might of been sensitive to an ingredient in the grain free BH formula….Canidae Pure or Canidae Life Stages is also a good kibble for dogs that need limited ingredients…
Yeah no reviewer that I’ve ever read bases the reviews on opinions, it’s always ingredients based and/or protein to fat ratios and stuff like that, because opinions are biased and sometimes not even true.
I get gassy from loads of foods, had a terrible time after drinking fruit juice yesterday made from citrus peel lol, couldn’t stand up straight had to stay hunched over, same for dogs, because this isn’t the grain free not that it’s better anymore anyways but rye might be the cause of the gas, as I’ve had issues with rye myself.
I may have to eat my hat – it might be the Weetbix I tried them on about the same time.
Yeah could very well have been that, I haven’t had it in ages several years to be more exact, so I don’t remember the ingredients but I doubt their good for dogs.
I took them off the weetbix and it was definitely that. I won’t eat the humble Blackhawk though.
You sure? I’ve heard dog food tastes amazing haha
How some people can eat it and the canned variety is beyond me, it has no real taste and the ones like Purina for cats have no fish flavour in sight, yes I’ve tried it, why did I try it? No idea maybe I was missing minerals or something but never again and certainly not from Purina.
Never tried canned though, I’d imagine it would be much the same, maybe the more expensive ones would taste better no idea, they do smell a whole world better though.
Pal used to taste OK- like those preserved meats set in jelly that you used to get in the deli. It gave some dogs the runs and had very little fibre though, and don’t think it is around any more.
I think Pal was changed to pedigree and it’s a wonder they tasted good at all, the ingredients in those cheap foods is disgusting.
Sorry to rain on the parade so to speak, but the foul smelling farts produced by my hounds since they started on the premium Black Hawk drive us from the room, even while introduced gradually and with their usual small extra portions of fresh food included. This has convinced me to throw the remaining one third out. Their droppings have become rather soft and messy too. The product appeared suddenly in our local pet shop and there have been similar complaints on the Internet.
I was so relieved to read other peoples’ comments. Two weeks ago I gave my two poodles a small amount of the Black Hawk Daily Dog Lamb Cuisine mixed with their regular dry food. They both had terrible diarrhoea for several days afterwards (stools still not as they were). The dog who was never an habitual paw licker licked his paws constantly for days and was drinking and drinking and drinking. He has also now decided not to eat any more of his dry food at all, which I now assume is because this one experience made him feel so sick in the stomach. He still loves his chicken necks but refuses any dry food and this has been causing me a lot of stress, particularly as he is a cancer survivor. Through these reviews I think I have found the source of the problem!!!
I have just introduced Black Hawk Lamb & Rice formula to 5 of my adult dogs two weeks ago and have found that it has caused unremitting severe diarrhoea in 3 of my 5 dogs who are eating it, which still hasn’t resolved in any of them after two weeks of being on the Black Hawk. It even gave one of my dogs bloody, mucus-y stools. So obviously I’m not continuing with the Black Hawk and will cease it today. I had always heard of a lot of dogs suffering terrible reactions to the Black Hawk fish & potato formula, but I thought I would be safe with the lamb and rice formula. Clearly not. I wonder if it is the rye that is so upsetting to their systems?
Hi Kimber, there’s been a number of similar reports (see the other comments). They’ve brought out a new range of grain free formulas which seem very different, so time will tell if these issues persist
I wonder what new stuff awaits the original formulas, as those appear to be changing in the future as well, hopefully they remove the rye a lot of people including me have problems with that ingredient.
You or your dog(s)?
Well no the dogs, but a lot of people write it that way, because it’s not the dogs who come online and write their experiences it’s us, so you would essentially write it as me and other peoples dogs I guess have problems with it.
I put my dog on black hawk about 5 months ago, his paws have progressively become worse and worse with infections in all four paws. I put two and two together last week and thought i would take him off the black hawk and his infections have started to improve! I have been to the vet twice with multiple antibitoics. I hope I have narrowed it down! My dog is usally on a raw based diet and i start black hawk as a recommendation from petbarn staff. It does seem like a good product but i think my dog is just so use to the barf diet and introducing these grains just set it off for him. I wonder if the grain free would be a better option…
My white staffy had constant issues with her feet and ears being itchy and she would get sores from scratching under her armpits. Worked out it was yeast causing the issue and since putting her on grain free and gluten free biscuits and only chicken meat, no red meat, we have fixed the issue. It is expensive being a bigger dog, but much cheaper than vet visits. I also use neem oil based dog wash. I’ve changed from black hawk to meal for mutts, my pet shop says its a better product with similar price tags, i believe meal for mutts is aussie made too. I’d love to be able to cut costs with her food, but apart from going raw and trying to get the balance right with her diet, this is just easier and she loves chicken necks!
It’s also not only about the vet visits but poor dogs can’t stop scratching among other things, can you imagine how awful they must feel day in and day out and how much better it must be when suddenly they don’t itch anymore.
I would feel a lot better if I didn’t have pudendal neuralgia but alas, it seems incurable and I apparantly have to live with it, but dogs with allergies or infections usually do not, it’s up to us to find them a cure!
See my comments above. One of my dogs wouldn’t stop licking his paws and I couldn’t work out the cause of this new behaviour. I never would have associated it with a reaction to the Black Hawk food if I hadn’t read yours and others’ comments. (And that was just one of the “side effects”, more in my other comments.) Thank you so much to everybody who took the time to comment, I am so appreciative!
Happy to have helped 😀
Yes, this could be a reaction to something in the food, especially having been on a barf diet. There are a number of decent grain free foods on the best rated list you could try
My vet said not to put my greyhounds on a barf diet. It was all over the internet a while ago, every time you tried to look up any words related to dog food. Rescue groups seemed to swear by it, especially the ones that wanted greyhound racing banned. Ironically, having met a few of these folks, they were all vegans themselves.
Yeah could of been the rye or something else, because all dry food is return guaranteed these days as long as there’s at least 50% of it left you could try it no problem and than simply give it back if it doesn’t work out, well provided your able to get the results of it before you use too much of it, which for some dogs is easy and others take longer.
You could also give taste of the wild a try, I’m pretty sure pet stock stocks that, their high prairie formula has loads of meat and its grain free.
Thankyou 🙂
Ill probley just donate it
A question however, is it essential a dog be on dry kibble? My dog gets regular bones and “Barf” brand meat patties. I went on black hawk as petbarn staff said he needed something for his teeth like some chewable food as the patties are quiet wet. I am happy to try him on another kibble, but i just cant afford another reaction and rather not worry about it if he does really need it.
Nope not really, the only reason I give some is because Rusty was deficient in some stuff as all he was getting was rice, chicken and some veggies so you know who wouldn’t be deficient with just that.
Don’t know how it has helped some peoples dogs or cats teeth as the kibble pretty much shatters on impact, it’s likely the dental sticks people give that works not the kibble itself.
If you feel your dog is getting all the nutrition he needs from the food he gets than by all means just stick with it and don’t worry about the chance of causing anymore issues.
Remember that at the end of the day kibble has only been around for 60 years, we’re all capable of going without it, but for a lot of people it’s simply too much work or much too expensive.
I used to feed all my dogs this dog food. And I have to say it’s one of the better ones. BUT I have now stopped feeding any dry/commercial food since my youngest dog died. She was only 4 and had just 10% of her liver left when we operated to do a biopsy. TEN PERCENT!!! Think about that. What the hell kind of catastrophic event causes a dog to lose 90% of her liver before she’s 5 years old??? She never recovered from the operation & I was devastated. I have been researching this ever since trying to work out what I did wrong or what I could have done to prevent this tragedy. One of the main suspected culprits is COPPER TOXICITY which is becoming more and more prevalent & killing more and more dogs – especially in particular breeds tho all are at risk. It’s suspected to be linked to either genetics and/or COPPER SULPHATE amongst other things. It was recommended that people stop feeding dogs copper sulphate as it was originally only tested on pigs and then “deemed” ok for dog food based on that. It actually is NOT ok for dogs. They can’t process it. I was disappointed to see it listed as an ingredient here. If I find a dry food with no copper sulphate I might try it but until I do I’m sticking to raw meat, blended raw veggies and brown rice etc. I’ll make their dinners instead
Sounds like a plan!
To be honest that sounds awful, does the dog actually feel anything with that much liver? Or is it at the very least not a painful way to go?
Thanks for the copper warning though, I’ll keep that ingredient in mind.
Love your site! Great food for Black Hawk but didn’t suit my dog. Switched to Black Hawk Lamb & Rice 2 months ago. Though my greyhound loves it, she now urines too often in her sleep. Went to the vet for blood & urine tests, ruled out kidney problems. Now trying medication & switching to another brand. Not sure if it is allergy to grains or an ingredient. Sigh..going to feed her Applaws now as it has been highly recommended on your site. Cross-fingers!
I switch from the Black Hawk Grain Free Chicken to the Lamb & Rice to give my two German Shepherds a bit of variety but they both now have skin issues. I called BH and told them of my concerns and they were very helpful in suggesting to go with the Grain Free or the Fish & Potatoe. They are also going to send me a new bag of Grain Free and some samples. What a great Australian company. Thanks BH.
Interesting to note the many comments that Black Hawk can give puppies diarrhea. We feed our 3-4 month old Ridgeback X, Black Hawk Large Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice & she developed diarrhea & flatulence.
Thanks to the comments/advise on this forum we switched to Applaws Grain Free Chicken & Turkey.
Incredibly, within the same day she had “settled” & virtually back to normal.
Top marks to this forum & Applaws – now stuck with an almost full 20kg bag of Black Hawk.
Re Black Hawk Large Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice, Ridgeback X diarrhea:
I got a very quick response from Black Hawk when I let them know the issue:
“We have a palatability guarantee with our product so all you need to do it take it back to the store you purchased from and they will be able to give you a full refund.”
Great customer service
It gives them all the sustenance, nourishment and energy that they need to keep bounding around and wagging that tail.Thanks for sharing informative knowledge.
Just like to bring it out there that the Black Hawk Lamb and Rice, has given my 8 year old some serious bad plaque. I have had her on other brands and never had this problem before. Even with my 18 month old puppies plaque was detected which is very young according to the Vet. Knowing they haven’t eaten anything else other than this brand it appears to be the culprit.
When we purchased our two large breed puppies, they were being fed black hawk puppy so we kept them on this food and they are now one and a half years old and are both very healthy and have beautiful coats and solid stools. We also feed all sorts of things like fresh meat, chicken necks, lamb hearts, sardines, eggs and fresh bones. I have now purchased the fish and potatoe to change them over to an adult food so I hope it will be as good as the puppy. I also feed our two cats the black hawk grain free dry cat food because one of our cats always had loose stools and now does heaps better on the grain free. I am really pleased with black hawk and so far have not had any problems with the food.
Hi,
We recently switched our pup to Blake Hawke Puppy (from Purina), he since came up with bald patches on his skin that look like ring worm (roundish patches of hair loss on his legs and head). He has been to the vet and we’ve been using the medicated shampoo advised by the vet (vet also said looked like ring worm, but an actual test would take 6 weeks). Mites have been ruled out, but the treatment isn’t working and it is getting worse. I only just thought that the bald patches started soon after changing diets, but I wouldn’t think a food allergy could cause something like this? Have you heard of this before? He is back to the vet in a week, but would consider changing diet before then if it is possible.
Thanks
This drives me crazy !! Dogs NEVER EVER got all this crap in the wild and did really well over feeding is causing that many problems in dogs horses and PEOPLE , ESP. PEOPLE ! Keep diet simple and fresh clean water and all of the problems disappear pet food hawkers and horse food sellers are ripping off people nearly as much as woollies and Coles!
I have been breeding dogs and horses for forty odd years and never go near a vet except for vacs. And chipping and gelding horses
Check out a site called RAW MEATY BONES , older people will remember when dogs hit went white within a day of hitting the ground and there wasn’t much of it!!
Horses need plenty of bulk ie hay not all the concentrate foods. $5 plus a kilo for dog food is crap, come in spinner .!!!
My puppy is also on black hawk and had mites that have now been clear. He is constantly itchy and we have taken him to the specialist to have tests run. It looks like an allergy but we aren’t sure from what. He seemed to think the food was fine but I might change since you have had similar reactions. He has lost a lot of fur from scratching
Hi Jaci, itchiness and scratching can often be diet related based on an allergy. Finding out what can take investigation, but it’s often grain related or a meat such as chicken or lamb. Have a look at Meals for Mutts or Canidae, both can be good in this situation, and opt for a grain free recipe. See how it goes.
Yes, this is certainly something that can be caused by a food allergy. If something in the Black Hawk isn’t agreeing with him then I’d be inclined to stop feeding it immediately until you can figure out what’s wrong.
Hi Pet Food Review,
I have a 20 month Labradoodle who has been on Hills Science Diet since she was 10 weeks old. I changed her to Black Hawk Chicken and Rice in the last fortnight after doing some reading online about the amount of grains in HSD. I know it takes them a while to get used to a change in diet but her stools aren’t as solid as they were on HSD and also she has flatuence where she never had that either on HSD. Any advice or recommendations whether its worth sticking to Black Hawk or should I swap back to Hills.
Thanks Dwayne
Hi Dwayne, you’ll find in the comments that flatulence seems to be common with Black Hawk. I wouldn’t switch back to Hills, but there’s plenty of foods on our best rated list you could try.
Hi-
I have got a 9week old maltese shihtzu and was wondering if the wet food is suitable for puppies as nothing says puppy specific except for the dry food varieties (which she does not seem to eat).
I have tried Eukenuba wet food which she isn’t fussed on and made her poo very soft and smelly.
I am struggling to get her to eat anything with much enthusiasm and next was going to try homecooked food.
Hi there , I’m also always searching for that top dog food. I also tried hills, found to many fillers in it. Then I started home cooking meals, found that was to much fat in the mince I was making meat loaf with Vegs. Now I’m using Royal cannin. I find they love it, smells good, there stools nice an firm , I feed them the dry kibble Royal cannin, an a wet food for dinner Royal cannin.
Hi Noelle, according to the Black Hawk website, the wet food is formulated to AAFCO standards for adult dogs, so not for puppies. It’s also worth noting many wet food cans and pouches are not a balanced diet, and will often say so with wording such as “complimentary” or “supplemental feeding”.
You may find as her teeth develop she’ll turn her nose up at dry food, especially those with a larger kibble size. Also have a look at freeze dried foods like K9 Natural and ZiwiPeak.
We feed our 8 month old Irish Wolfhound pups 500-600 grams Ivory Coat puppy kibble and Black Hawk puppy kibble on alternate mornings, and 500-600 grams Raw 76 puppy health rolls in the evenings. They also get a lamb shank each about once a week. In your opinion, is this a balanced approach? The dogs are lean, with good energy (when not asleep), no itches, rashes or hair loss, no tummy upsets and fairly healthy stools – occasionally runny but mostly firm.
It sounds like a very good diet to me Danni
Switched to Black Hawk chicken and rice for cats as it was recommended by my local pet store. Four days later and she’s had her first day of vomiting and she’s also got constipation problems from it. She’s never been a fresh meat eater (although I’ve only tried her with chicken). Not sure where to go from here but considering biting the wallet bullet and start buying Royal Canin
I have 2 mini schnauzers and they’ve been on Black Hawk’s Fish & Potato for over a year and were doing very well having normal healthy looking stools. Recently, I decided to let them try out the Lamb & Rice (I bought the 20kgs bag because I was price sensitive and also trusted the Black Hawk brand) and transitioned them gradually on it. I also threw in some fruits and vegetables as usual. For the first 2 weeks, everything was fine until one of them started getting frequent diarrhea and vomiting. I got even more concerned when blood appeared in the diarrhea and vomitus. I took him to the vet and had to leave him there overnight on IV drip (to re-hydrate) and for blood test. Results were all clear and the vet could only deduce that it could be something he ate. He came home and was fed a bland diet of boiled chicken and rice and the symptoms went away.
Exactly a week later, the second schnauzer had the same symptoms and was brought to the vet for similar treatment (I reacted more swiftly this time as I recognised the symptoms from earlier event). I couldn’t help but suspect that something in the Black Hawk Lamb & Rice had caused this issue, because when I reintroduced it in small portions into the bland diet for the first dog, he started to get the same symptoms again, looked lethargic and lost his appetite.
I stopped feeding them the Lamb & Rice immediately and got both of them on the bland diet again until symptoms went away. When their condition got better, I bought the Fish & Potato and added it gradually back to their diet. Now, I’m so relieved to say that they’re well. The diarrhea and vomiting have stopped and their stools are now looking healthy again!
The Lamb & Rice may be working for some but my dogs reacted very badly on it. After reading the comments here, I found out that they’d changed the recipe and some dogs were reported to have adverse reactions like diarrhea especially. It could also be a bad batch. Whichever it is, I should have done the research first. Thought I’d share my experience here and hopefully, it’ll help others be aware and make more informed decisions.
Hi May,
We have had the same problem with our dog. Loved Black Hawk and just recently purchased a new 20kg bag – now she had been off her dry food for about a week.
But will gobble down any other food you give her. Which makes me also think the change in the ingredients or formula has changed.
Its a shame because now i have a whole 20kg bag left!
Hi Tash,
I became concerned today as I heard on Facebook forum that Blackhawk are going to start adding corn to their formulas and was immediately concerned.
Instead of having a knee jerk reaction and stop using the product I decided to call the company and much to my relief Michelle at Blackhawk confirmed that they don’t and will NEVER use corn in their food. Sometimes it pays to go to the source and ask the question.
We have an 11 week old spoodle pup. The breeder supplied us with a small bag of well-known American-made product, and while our pup seemed to enjoy it, we were looking for something more affordable. After researching the net for an alternative, we found the Black Hawk Lamb and Rice puppy product to be comparable in ingredients to much more expensive brands, and at around $4.50 per kg, for a 10 kg pack, we gave it a try. On first impression the product looked identical to her previous, with the same extrusion mould used. We gradually blended the new feed to replace the old, and the good news she is going great! Her coat is beautiful, and her stools firm, easy to pick up, and not smelly. I will be sticking with the product, but disappointed to hear they are going to increase their prices this month.
We got a German Shepard pup on Friday just gone, he was very lethargic and sookie.
Wormed him the next day and that night my jaw hit the floor, he was riddled with round worms, took him to the vets Monday morning and we were told he was on the up and all looked good. So my next thought was he has had worms all his life so he has missed out on a lot and now its my job to get him on track and make up for what he has missed.
This morning we went to our local PJ`s warehouse and purchased the puppy Lamb and Rice came home and gave him the recommended amount, he ate it like he was starving so it looks like we have found a food he loves and is doing him the world of good. I will try and get back and report how he is doing.
I’m so glad he’s on the up Cammeron. I had a similar issue with my pup, he was infested with ticks when I brought him home – dozens and dozens of them. It was a sad and trying start, but he’s super healthy and happy now!
Like many of the other comments posted, we believe something in the Black hawk (20kg lamb & rice puppy) food has also caused our Rhodesian Ridgeback to be unwell. We had her on it for about 7 months & she seemed to be doing well, then we also noticed a change in the product – different size and crumbling into tiny bits. For about 6 weeks she had tummy upsets, some vomiting, poor appetite etc which was very unlike her. The vet couldnt find any reason for it. Thanks to other people’s comments, as these prompted us to change her food. Since the change we have had 19 out of 20 days so far of a very happy, hungry dog!
I have a 16 week old Staghound x Deerhound, when i adopted him i was recommend to feed him Royal Canin Veterinary Diet for Large Breeds so he doesn’t grow too quickly, but looking at the reviews it is way too over priced for the quality of food! I was wondering if Black Hawk puppy would be ok for him, I’m really confused at what to feed him atm!
Hi Shanae, here’s some info on puppy foods – https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/puppy-foods/
I need to add Applaws Puppy to that list, which is a decent supermarket option.
I have been feeding my American Bulldog “Black hawk” brand food for several years, now. Every now and then I will change her diet and give her Canidae for a change.
I have never had any issues feeding her this food. Dolly is allergic to beef ironically (it gives her diarrhea) so I like the fact that there are chicken and lamb flavours instead of chicken being her only option.
She has always been happy and healthy on this food, and doesn’t have the constant issues of gas and giant soft poos like she does when on a poorer quality food like Supercoat or Optimum.
Hi, I have a pure breed Border Collie 3mth old which is on meat and veg in the morning and Black Hawk puppy at night but she has constant diarrhoea is this normal ?????
Hi Joanna, this sadly does seem to be a common occurrence with Black Hawk foods. Perhaps try one of the puppy foods on this list – https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/puppy-foods/
I was looking to change my 13 1/2y.o. Vizsla from Ivory Coat to Blackhawke Fish and Potato only because of a recommendation from my vet after slightly higher than normal LFT’s but am reticent to do so after hearing of issues…do u have a list of recommendations for good non grain-free kibble preferably Australian made? Thanks.
Hi Gary there’s also “Meals For Mutts” an Australian made Hypoallergenic Gluten, Sugar, Potato & Dairy FREE kibbles, Their Salmon Sardine & Brown Rice or Lamb & Kangaroo & Brown Rice has lower fat & lower protein, some dogs don’t do to well on high protein & high fat diets especially as they age….Meals For Mutts has their Grain Free kibbles & their Brown Rice & veggie kibbles….
Hi Gary, the list of grain free foods is here –
The true Australian brands are Ivory Coat and Stay Loyal, but with high LFTs you need to be looking at a lower fat diet. Applaws isn’t an Australian company but the food is made here.
Actually I mentioned NON grain free – my vet wants my dog to eat more carbs – but meals for mutts seems a quality australian product if not seeking a high protein diet. I just wish salt content was listed in all these products – a breeder is warning people off Blackhawke catfood due to high salt levels causing kidney failure but I can’t determine by looking at ingredients why levels should be high…
Hi there,
I have mixed breeds of dogs, all of different sizes from 5 kilos to 20 kilos and have been feeding Advanced mixed breed. After reading reviews I am thinking I need to change. Would you suggest Black Hawk Lamb and Rice or Black Hawk Fish and Potato. They get human grade beef mince every night for dinner with a little bit of dry food. They also get dry dog food for breaky.
Hi Kylie, it really depends on what works for you and your dogs. I’ve known Black Hawk to work well for many, yet not work for others (which you can see by the comments on this review).
I have two 16 year old greyhounds who have been on black hawks grain free range their entire life. Never had a health issue ever. Still very active dogs for their age. I’ve recently got a mixed breed pup and his thriving in the puppy no grain food.
I had put my puppy border collie on Black Hawk gradually, he was fine for the first 10kg bag but then I bought the 20kg and he started vomiting daily and didn’t want to eat it anymore. I switched to oyal Canin and the problem disappeared. 2 months later, before throwing the Black Hawk pack out I gave a handful to my dog and he vomited again! Shame, I was quite convinced but the vet said he saw quite a few upset tummies on Black Hawk.
my 2 year old doberman been on black hawk for over a year now i usually mix the chicken and lamb together but the only problem is you need to mix some sardines and some wet food in it to make him eat it hes a stubborn dog when it comes to eating. Apart from that hes got a shinny coat and the vet goes hes in amazing shape looks a million dollars
we feed our big girl St Bernard Black Hawk fish and potato I also cook/or grate up fresh pumpkin and carrots and mix with turmeric and coconut oil.
And add a spoonful of Greek yoghurt
As every time we add another protein source like kangaroo, Lambs heart even cooked barf her ears flair up.
As a young pup she was on the Holistic lamb and rice with no issues till we started giving her dried liver as a treat.
Also found Artemis osopure fish good but became hard to get and pricy
So we recommend black hawk fish and potato seems to work for our girl
We feed Blackhawk dry food at our boarding kennels and also to our show dogs. We have fed most of the so called super premium dry foods. We have fed Blackhawk for over 2 years now and I can honestly say that it is the best affordable dry food on the market. Our show dogs have never looked better or been healthier. In my opinion it is the best of the Australian made foods.
I have found black hawk to be a great food for my two 3 year old Chocolate Labs. I mix sardines in twice a week and their coats are like dark chocolate mirrors. I do add lean mince twice a week also. They have been on Black Hawk for 18 months now and have never been fitter. I highly recommend Black Hawk with sardines and mince added.
As for the cost, if you follow the guidleines the product is extremely cost effective and works out to be much cheaper than other premium foods per serve.
I have a small dog about 20 kilo’s what would be the serving of black hawk. should she be fed morning or evening
Hi Ian, you can follow the feeding guidelines from Black Hawk, and adjust accordingly depending on whether your dog is underweight or overweight. Feeding morning and evening is generally fine.
My boy was on Advance as recommended by our previous vet (no wonder when their whole office was promoting Advance) he was fine with it for a few months but then started to have bad diarrhoea so I looked into the ingredients list more properly & wasn’t satisfied after reading reviews & comparing it to other products. Not to mention the fact that they use unsustainably sourced palm oil in their products which is killing not only the rain forest but all the animals in it 🙁 That’s when I came across BlackHawk & that’s what we’ve been giving him ever since & he’s stomach is & stool seems perfect. We add veggies, sardines, coconut oil, turmeric on a daily basis & food scraps every now and then to his diet & his treats consist of fruits & veggies & he seems happy & healthy. Can’t wait for BlackHawk to start selling the grain free one in 20kg bags then we might swap to that as an even better option.
My blue-blood Bullmastiff has been eating Black Hawk Lamb & Rice since he was weaned (battling limited supply problems all the way through). He is a big, heavy dog. We found he developed a problem with his anal glands at about 14 months so have been adding psyllium to his twice a day meal of Black Hawk Lamb & Rice on Vet’s advice. His stools have hardened up and I think it is working (with no urgent tail chasing and a noticeable more relaxed demeanour). Whether it is a breed problem or food problem (the rye ingredient for example, from a previous client) I am not too sure. I would like a considered response from the company, while meantime I will be changing to the chicken, which is has better reviews.
Perhaps after my question has been answered, the company can explain why it is so difficult to purchase their Adult Chicken product in Darwin, Australia? The two retailers carrying your product are clearly exasperated by the lack of supply!!! So are its customers who only want the best for their much loved pet.
Black Hawk has a bad rep at the dog clubs up here and its easily fixed with an explanation and remedy to my questions. A little interest in the Dog shows would do no harm either. Please advise.
I have been using Black Hawk for about a month for my (believe it or not) fussy Labrador. She really loved is and haven’t noticed any changed is her eating habbits or poo etc.
I would recommend it for other dogs and will continue to use it.
I have also used Advance – which she my dog became uninterested with, and Science diet – which she loved, but was pretty expensive.
The recent changes to Black Hawk seem to have affected it… It smells different and several people in my area are having issues with their dogs on it. One of my dogs has a sensitive stomach so I’m not risking it.
Is there a food of equal or better quality for the same sort of price?
We have found the same thing with the Fish and Potato variety. My previous success with a Dane that has intestinal problems to the big brands is gone. A retailer says he has had many similar complaints and the recipe was changed
The smell is now bond where it used to smell appetising.
Three different friends have all said the same thing. Such a disappointment.
Hi CJ, this is a list of our top rated dog foods. Hopefully something on there will suit:
https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/best-dry-dog-food/
Hi can I ask what you feed your dog if you have one? I have a kelpie 15 weeks old. He was raised on advance from breaker but just a tad too pricy, so we transitioned him to black hawk at 9 weeks old. He just eats one or two mouthfuls here and there and doesn’t seem to enjoy it. Poos are solid once in a while but mainly sloppy. Vet says he has a sensitive gut and he can’t handle much change to diets ie left over sausage a no no. He’s gaining weight and is a healthy 14 kg. he was 5 kg when we got him at 7 weeks. Just the poo gets to me and I. Would love to know with your experience and knowledge what you feed or would feed your dogs. 🙂
Hello there I feed my 6 dogs all different sizes Royal cannin. Dry kibble during the day an a wet food at nite. I find it good for my dogs they seem to love it, there r always firm.
Hi Symone, I wouldn’t want to advocate one brand. There are a number of good foods available.
I try and feed a mixture of good foods. Of late I’ve fed Canidae and Earthborn Holistic.
Black Hawk is nothing more than wonderful marketing, they give it out to breeders, getting there puppies onto it and then they go home on it and they keep feeding it, without ever reading what is in it.
I understand that people like the idea that it is Australian Made; but so is ProPlan, Advance & Nutro. All of which are superior foods, compare it to Nutro which is also natural, Nutro will generally be more expensive, but without even going into ingredients look at the feeding guide, on Nutro you feed between 30-40% less (therefore already taking care of the price difference), why is this? Ingredients, less of Nutro is fillers and doesn’t go straight through to the other end.
On sensitive issues, Nutro Sensitive is fair superior and so is Pro Plan Sensitve Skin and Stomach. Then if your concerned about Grain, Wellness Core or Ideal Balance Grain Free
Hi Paul,
Just to let you know, I have had a few people come into our pet store who’s vets have told them to take their dogs off Advance due to kidney problems. They stated that a high salt contaent was the issue.
I did not believe this at first as it is a super premium food. When you get past the main ingredients such a s meat and rice, about the 5th ingredient is ‘iodised salt’. Before any vitamins etc. The same goes for Nutro, which is made by the same people, but it is slightly further down the list. The rice in Nutro is also imported as it is more ecologically sound. I was shocked to discover this and no longer recommend either.
If you get a hold of Black Hawk brochure, they list a reason for each ingredient they put in it. Having said that, I have only had one lady who’s white poodle got a dark stripe down his back and there fore stopped using it.
I would say that the dogs that had an issue, that it may have had a bad batch, and in that case refer it to the manufacturer as they can not do anything about it if they are unaware and would probably appriciate the feedback.
As for Proplan. It does have ‘sodium Chloride’ quite high in it’s ingredients also. Meat is the first ingredient in both, so not sure why people are saying that it has a low meat content.
Only just started on my dog, who has alergies, and he would have reacted by now if the food was an issue.
Happy to by Black Hawk for now and is it more economical than most of the others and I have found that the feeding rate was considerably low compared to most other superpremium foods.
You can also consider ‘Grain Free Wellness Core range’ if grain is an issue. Not even rice in it.
Wellness core smells shocking I bought a few pouches they stunk I threw them away.
Hi Ang,
It’s worth people realising that “super premium” is a marketing term and may/may not reflect the quality of a food.
Meat might be listed as the main ingredient, but depending on the source of meat and water content it may not contribute a significant amount of protein in the food as a whole. We often find other cheaper sources of protein to artificially inflate protein levels, such as corn and peas.
Yes, too much salt can lead to a number of issues. Most foods give a percentage of salt/sodium content which is more accurate than gauging salt content by its position in the ingredients (although it should never be found high in the list).
I hope this helps. Thanks for your comment.
Paul, care to explain why what youve listed is superior, perhaps give us a breakdown of the ingredients? I had a look at nutro feeding guide and its pretty much the same as black hawk….
I’d like to refer Paul to my other reviews too, as I don’t rate any of those that highly, and I wouldn’t consider Nutro that natural – https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/nutro-natural-choice/
Hi All…have recently added Black Hawh Lamb & Rice holistic puppy formula to my four month old Kelpie puppy’s diet. He has had ongoing diarrhoea since I introduced it. I have been wracking my brains about what coulld be causing the problem. On reading all your blogs I went to the packaging and noted the ingredients are myriad, including emu oil, kelp extract, tomato meal, dandelion, peppermint, rosemary, etc…etc and on it goes.
I was reccommended this food by a pet shop but will put him back exclusively on his Wellness grain-free puppy formula in the hope his gut settles down.
The Black Hawk product is probably excellent for many dogs…it’s just not Banjo’s cup of tea.
I thought he might like a slow introduction of a new food for variety…the poop scoop says otherwise!!
Regards
Robyn
I have a Dane x Mastiff and a Ridgeback x Staffy. Both seems to be pooing a lot! 16 lots in 2 days… Runny stools as well. I read the ingredients on their food packaging & full of fillers. I hadn’t noticed as much because we had lived on a big property. But I need to pick it up daily in our new yard. Changed them to Blackhawk and within a week down to 2 solid stools each per day. Their coats are shinier. I mix fresh meat as well a few days per week, but they love it & I’m happy with it. They are fuller quicker, meaning they now eat less – no fillers, only good nutritional meals. Thanks for the review – it influenced my decision.
Hello,
I have been unable to get our usual dog food and thought black hawk was the best available in the supermarket. It has ingredients that i can understand and it being Australian made/owned its a big plus ! Our 3 year old staffy loves it. She is very picky with her dry food but with black hawk she scoffs it down like i have never seen before. Very happy we found this brand 🙂
Hi, I have a 2 year old English staffordshire with 4 week old puppies, I started her on blackhawk puppy 1 week before she whelped, 2 weeks later she started getting bad diarrhoea, I would get home from work and find 6 or more mounds of poo on the ground. She was drinking stacks of water and eating grass, I took her off the food yesterday and already she is not pooping as much and not constantly drinking water. We brought 2 – 20kg bags of blackhawk one puppy one adult, 4 days ago before making the connection, we have 2 more staffy’s that are displaying the same symptoms, can you tell me why they react like this
Hi Melinda, I think it’s worth querying Black Hawk directly about this to see what they say (their Facebook page is an easy option – https://www.facebook.com/BlackHawkPetCare). There can be a number of causes for these symptoms, from intollerance to a bad batch of food. I’ve heard this a few times recently with Black Hawk (read the other comments), which is why I recommend contacting them directly with this
Hello. I keep hearing may b bad batch? There should never b any bad batches wot does it mean when it’s said bad batch. Not good enough. There shout never b any bad batches. Dogs r like our kids, u never hear baby food saying oh might b Bad Batch, should never b with our pets.
Hi Monica, occasionally pet food manufacturers have issues with ingredient suppliers. It’s not very common but it does happen.
hi there, do you know why canola oil is in the food or how it benefits dogs, i would have thought the fish meal, flaxseed meal and emu oil provided the fatty acids, thanks
We commonly find canola oil in pet foods as a source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are necessary for joint health as well as protection against heart and kidney disease as well as cancer. Emu oil will contribute more to omega-6, also necessary for joint health. Yes, in Black Hawk we find a number of sources of these oils which is a good thing. Flaxseed is a great inclusion for joint health, immune system, and a healthy skin and coat.
Scared to use after a few comments wow pet shop said good 4 dogs with skin problems let u guys know how it goes
Hi,… We have 2 young German shepherds and have been using Blackhawk Lamb & rice for several months with excellent results. The dogs loved it, would eat their food within seconds However, in the last month, we purchased a new 20kg bag, new packaging, and the dogs just dont like it. they will leave the bowls full of food for most of the day, only eating a few bits now and then.
Their stools are now very runny, no longer solid.
Have you changed the food recently?
Hi Dean, I don’t believe Black Hawk have changed the formula, and I haven’t heard anyone else having this problem with the food.
It’s worth reporting to Black Hawk direct.
Petcircle.com.au says Brewer’s dried yeast is in the lamb and chicken formulas for Black Hawk, but I checked Black Hawk website and it’s not on there?
Hi Natalie, Black Hawk changed their formulas a few months ago (and their website too).
I had the same issue – mine loved it then went off it so had to change feed. Chatting with a local dog trainer, he said they changed recipe about the time mine went off it. Shame as it was a great feed and I’ve struggled to find a balance between quality & cost since then.
HI, this is the response i got from blackhawk when i asked why rye was included, thought id let you know-
Rye is used in small quantities to deliver certain nutrients but is also high in fibre and easier to digest than wheat.
How is black hawk better than cheaper dog foods out there and why so expensive
Hi Claudia, cheaper dog foods contain poor quality ingredients and waste products (fillers) that provide little nutritional value, or lead to poor health and illness. That’s why they’re cheap, because the ingredients are cheap.
Hi, do you think you could do a review on their fish and potato food? I think it is a better product (no rye). I just got a new dog and she loves it 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Michelle, the Fish & Potato recipe looks good to me. It’s lower in protein which suggests there’s more meat content in the Lamb recipe, so it depends on what suits your dog. Most dogs will be fine with rye, and it’s not overly prominent in the food.
I have been using this product over a four day period mixing under the guideline of quantities as I’m in no hurry and figure a gradual blend wouldn’t hurt, however my 16 month old Bull-mastiff male has experienced vomiting, diarrhea and itchy eyes, ears and most defiantly feet, this has not been a pleasant experience for him nor myself and will most defiantly stick to the company I have known and that works for us.
However I am disappointed as the ingredients look amazing and reviews very high, its just not for us!
Hi Samantha, it sounds like your Bull-mastiff might have an allergy to something in this food, perhaps with the rye? There are other decent food available (Canidae, Artemis Osopure, etc, which have a moderate protein level and decent ingredients), but if he’s 16 and happy on his original food then perhaps that’s the right choice?
Need to switch brands and Black Hawk are currently my potential # 1. You mention the low four star rating due to lack of meat. To rectify this, occassional feeding of raw meaty bones could counter-act this?
Am struggling to read through this maze of dog food info!
Thanks 🙂
Hi Loretta, yes, feeding your dog any fresh meat is a good thing if you can afford it.
fresh meat??? Boneless meat has a CA/P ratio of 1 to 20.
Dogs require a ratio of 1.4 to 1
Result-hip and bone problems
Happens with over 2 million dogs worldwide yearly.
Peter, is your comment specific to those feeding or formulating a raw diet? Lorreta is discussing supplemental feeding of raw meat/bones with a base dry diet.
With a raw diet it’s vital a CA/P ratio is maintained, whereas dry foods are formulated to designated standards.
Love to buy Australian at every opportunity.
Reading the reviews, I’d say, get rid of the rye, add a bit more variety, maybe roo, and I’d switch to Black Hawk straight away.
I was given some promotional Black Hawk dry dog food for my Pomeranian foxy cross, she has food allergies and bites at her feet constantly,last night I gave her your food and she kept us up all night with her scratching and the carpet was covered with hair, could this be an additive in your food do you think, I don,t want to put her through this again..
Cheers.
You might want to book an appointment with a vet and have her allergy tested.
Do her paws smell bad? Could be a yeast infection.
Hi Christine, you’d need to contact Black Hawk for that – we just reviewed their food. It may be that your dog’s allergic to something in the food such as rye (it’s similar to wheat). I’d recommend trying other foods, grain free if you can manage it. Keep in mind it may take a dog a week or two to adjust to a new food, so it’s worth making a gradual transition.
Hi, i have a Neapolitan mastiff x great dane, he us 20months old, ive had him on black hawk lamb and rice for just over two weeks. Problem is he has lost a lot of weight and been unwell….eating lots of grass and last three days off his food altogether, i made him raw mince mixed with veg and rice and he ate it like he was starved. Im not sure but i think the black hawk has made him ill. What else could you recommend for him to thrive and gain weight. He weight 50kg currently
I think you will find he is also being a bit fussy. Some dogs need the food changed over gradually. Try hitting it with a bit of hot water to moisten it (always recommended for big dogs that are prone to bloat) You need to feed a good quality meat with ANY dry biscuit. Your dog also needs calcium so try giving him goats milk, grated cheese and plain yoghurt (not the low fat variety). Cut the rice out and cut the veges down. I have used this biscuit since it came on to the market and my dogs have actually gained weight on it to the put we had to ctr back how much we were feeding. Good Luck 🙂
Your dog is going to be a very big boy. He will need lots more than just dry dog food to supply all his growing needs. May I recommend a chunky, meaty bone for his tooth care, and every day, as well as a dish of dry food, offer him a large piece of chuck steak.
Equivalent meaty options might include raw chicken marylands, or a slab of kangaroo. Whatever you do, try to add some raw meat to his everyday diet, preferably with a bone attached (for dental care) and get him some dried beef ribs foe a treat and a chew.
He will love you for the extra effort!
Regards, Irene
Hi Lisa, it can take a dog a while to adjust to a new food so it might be worth introducing a food gradually. It might not be because he doesn’t like it, more that he’s confused by it. Perhaps try Canidae or Artemis if you can get hold of them, both very good foods.