If you’re looking for a decent dog food which is both easy to get hold of and affordable, then Applaws might tick your boxes.
It’s not the most premium dog food, but for the money I find it’s really decent.
You’ll find Applaws at Coles and Woolworths, making it one of the best brands on the shelves, and it’s usually available for a great price from Pet Circle.
Applaws is a British company, but they have a factory here in Australia which is where their dry food is made.
Consumer feedback has been really good, especially from people who’s dog has intolerances to other foods (and grains), and from researching on social media reviews seem positive.
For the sake of the Applaws dog food review we’ll take a look at the Chicken & Turkey dry recipe, but you can mix in the Applaws wet foods as well (or other foods for that matter).
Applaws dog food review
What the marketing says
Applaws make a big deal of Australian meat being the Number 1 ingredient, and also the valid statement it’s better for our dogs to have protein from meat rather than grains.
I consider dog’s more carnivore than omnivore, and I totally agree protein from grains isn’t the best idea.
You’ll see on the bag the Applaws dog foods have “50% meat”. Pretty good considering the affordable price. It’s a good thing the rest of the formula isn’t bulked up with a cheap filler, but we’ll get into that later.
Applaws dog foods are all grain free, with “natural” ingredients, and despite being a UK company are all made in Australia.
What the ingredients really say
We can break up the main ingredients into two halves:
The first “half” is poultry meal from chicken and turkey. The second “half” is a combo of faba beans, chickpeas and potato.
The first half is better for your dog – they’re meat-eaters after all.
The second half isn’t bad either, being a mix of legumes and potato.
It’s better than other brands in the price range which make out they have a lot of meat but the reality is cereals are the real bulk of the food. I don’t see cereals, especially ambiguous cereals and by-products, as beneficial to our dogs.
Meal vs “Real” meat
I’ll cover this quickly – some dog foods have meat meal, others claim real meat on the label. There’s upsides and downsides to both.
Meat meal is a dry pre-cooked form of meat. It’s basically meat protein without the moisture.
Real meat is more in it’s original form, inclusive of water. Water gets cooked off in the kibble making process, which usually means the end result is much less meat and much more other stuff than you’re led to believe.
With Applaws using meat meal (in this case chicken and turkey), it assures us the bulk of the protein in the food comes from meat rather than less-digestible sources.
Many argue one is better than the other, but it really depends on the quality of the meat in the first place.
I can’t find anything bad to say about Applaws. At 24% protein and 14% fat it’s slightly above average. There’s no glaringly bad ingredients.
There are definitely better dog foods, which you can argue are healthier, but you’ll need to pay a little more money too.
Actually, many of the smaller ingredients in Applaws dog foods are worth mentioning in their own right:
We have a combination of oils which will boost nutrition, wellbeing, and help give your dog a glossy coat – sunflower oil, flaxseed oil, and a smaller amount of fish oil.
Glucosamine and chondroitin are added which are beneficial for joint health, either aiding or acting as a preventative for arthritis and related conditions.
Mauri MOS is an unusual inclusion, added for immune support.
There’s natural pre-biotic in there as well, alongside a range of superfoods like alfalfa, spinach, blackberries, kelp, and cranberries. These will be in small amounts, but better there than not!
All in all I find Applaws dog food really good, and definitely one of the better options for the money!
Where to buy
Ingredients
Ingredients of Applaws dry dog food Chicken & Turkey formula:
Poultry Meal* (Chicken and Turkey Meal), Faba Beans, Chickpeas, Potato, Natural Chicken Flavour, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary and Citric Acid), Sunflower Oil (source of Omega 6), Salt, Beet Pulp (natural Prebiotic), Flaxseed Oil (source of Omega 3), Vitamins (A, D3, E, C, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, Choline), Minerals (Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Copper, Iodine, Selenium), Fish Oil (source of Omega 3), Chicory (natural Prebiotic), Mauri MOS, Yucca, Natural Antioxidants (with Tocopherols and Rosemary), Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Alfalfa, Sweet Potato, Apples, Dried Tomato, Spinach, Pumpkin, Blackberries, Dried Kelp, Cranberries. *A natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin
Guaranteed Analysis
The guaranteed analysis of Applaws dry dog food Chicken & Turkey formula:
| Protein | (min) 24% |
| Fat | (min) 10% |
| Crude Fibre | (max) 7% |
| Carbohydrates * | Estimated 42% (Ash listed as 10% max) |
We have been feeding the Applaws dry dog food to our Australian cattle dogs for a few years now after reading one of your reviews recommending it as a cost-effective option, and are very happy with it. We use it as a daily staple usually mixed with a little wet food, a tin of sardines, some steamed veges (pumpkin, sweet potato) or a raw egg. They have always eaten it readily even without anything mixed with it and do well on it.
Hi.
Enjoying your website and finding out a lot about dry dog foods.
Been feeding our dogs Natures Goodness wild game with sweet potato dry food for years, but looking to improve on nutrition without going overboard on cost. (Pensioners)
Torn between Applaws (made in Australia) and Nood (made on Tailand).
Nood is slightly cheaper, but Applaws gets a better score from you.
Wondering which one you would recommend.
Thanks, andkeep upthe excellent reviews
John
Hi John, my recommendation in this case would be why not both? I see variety as a good thing, and it means you can pick and choose whichever is cheaper on on sale at the time.
Thanks for the prompt response.
We will give this a try, however I always believed changing a dogs food was not recommended, unless there were health issues.
Is this not correct?
And should I transition to the new diet gradually?
John
I expect this belief stems back to pet food marketing – they love to lock you in to their brand for the lifespan of your pet.
We have a varied diet, and I see no reason our pets shouldn’t either. All my pets have a varied diet, and I’ve never had any issues. That said, usually when a dog has been fed a single brand of food for a long time they may get some stomach upset when changing brands. For this reason yes I would recommend a gradual change. Like us, our pets develop intolerances when certain foods are excluded from the diet, so it takes a period of adjustment to get them used to those foods again.
Will never give this to my dog again, he’s a 7 year old American bulldog that has been on nature’s own biscuits for almost a year, gave him applaws for the first time and he chuck up the biscuits 3 times in two days and was waling around the house gagging, there is something very wrong with those biscuits!
My staff/heeler cross loves them.
No problem.
Sunflower oil in the ingredients? Thought it wasn’t good?
Hi Ashley, can I ask why you think sunflower isn’t good for dogs?
I enjoy reading these reviews. So thank you Pet Food Reviews for this resource.
I can see that this article is yet to be updated.
My question is which Kibble should I add to my dogs diet, out of Applaws, Nood, or Elevate?
He’s a 5 year German Shepard and currently eats Lyka but misses the texture when only eating their soft meals. So I would only be adding a scoop of dry food to each of the Lyka wet meals 🙂
Hi Tom, yes apologies – I haven’t got around to updating the Applaws review yet. I’ve been really busy of late :/
Given you’re feeding Lyka as well (which is great!), you could always mix it with Nood this week, then Applaws, then Elevate after that! Variety is good, and this method of feeding can also save you money if you take advantage of whatever’s on offer in Coles (or Woolies etc).
I’m just wondering if this is ok to give to my 13week old puppy as I can’t find the Applaws puppy anywhere online or in stores. I know that this is All Life Stages but not sure if I should choose a dog food that is specifically for puppies or if this one will be ok. I also have been deciding between this one and Open Paddock but again that one is also All Life Stages.
Hi Elle, any all life stages food meets the minimum requirements for a puppy, so should be okay to feed. As for Applaws or Open Paddock – why not both? Variety is usually the best policy (as far as I’m concerned at least).
My pup is 18 weeks old. Have been giving Applaws, chicken & turkey for the first time the last 3 days in small quantities mixed with her Optimum. She loves & finishes fast. However,she has been having very soft poo & more frequently. Should I continue transitioning or do I stop?
Thank you. When mixing different brands, do I mix both in one meal or alternate between the two.
I currently give my puppy 3 meals a day. Would I do 2 Applaws and 1 Open Paddock or mix both together over 3 meals?
Thanks
Hi Elle, I’d say whatever works for you. It’s worth adding in other styles of food too, such as wet or fresh.
I’m transitioning my nine month old dog onto Applaws for the first time. It seems more difficult to find the puppy version in supermarkets but given that the more readily available chicken, turkey and cranberry combo is for all life stages, what is the reasoning behind a puppy version? If it’s not suitable for puppies, I’lI try it with my senior dog. I have bought Absolute Holistic and ZiwiPEAK air-dried products as toppers. Is that overkill for a nine month old dog? He has raw meats as part of his diet too. I’m more than happy to rotate between different (reputable) products rather than slavishly stick to one.
Hi Chris, they may be phasing out the Puppy formula in favour of the two all life stages formulas. Usually when a brand has a specific formula for puppies it means their adult formulas aren’t that good, so an all life stages formula is usually better. Personally I’m all for mixing foods, so I adding air-dried and fresh foods is a good idea as far as I’m concerned.
I also bought this food for my 8 year old Dalmatian who has been fed Lifewise and thrived – purchased this as was running low on their usual bickies. My dog woke up vomitting 2-3am every morning he was fed this. Then walked around the house gagging and vomitting throughout the day. Changed him to Nood whilst waiting my life wise delivery and instantly stopped the vomitting and gagging. This food is not right.
Hi Sam, this sounds worrying :/
Could you add this to the APOG website? https://www.apog.com.au/recall-issue-log/applaws/
Thank you. I have forwarded details of your site to my canine-loving network and I have decided to order our dog food online in the future so will use the links you have provided.
After successfully feeding this (along with fresh meats) for years now, a few months ago my 3 dogs started to have inconsistent poos and the odd bouts of diarrhoea and one became seriously itchy to the point of scratching himself raw. A few weeks back my youngest became so lethargic we went to visit friends and he wouldn’t even play with their dog who he loves. After doing some research I found the info here that Applaws had changed their recipe and I immediately took them off it. No bad poos since and my dogs are now back to their happy playful selves. No longer recommended this product and they have lost me as a customer.
I have just had the same thing happen with my 5 year old dog. I fed her the duck with mashed pumpkin, spinach & blackberries dry food twice and it gave her bad watery diarrhoea and itchy skin. My daughter bought the bag of food for her 5 year old dog and it made him vomit. She gave it to me for my dog and she got diarrhoea. Since both dogs haven’t had it they have been okay. It is the first time we both have used this product and it will be the last time. Not good when a product makes your dogs sick!
Hi Kelly, that sounds ominous as definitely appears food related. I haven’t heard any similar reports with Applaws of late but I’ll keep an ear to the ground.
I have just found a piece of metal embedded in one of the pieces of Kibble from a bag of Applaws chicken and Turkey lot number 129802p00. Applaws have been contacted and I’m waiting for a response. Just thought I’d mention it on here so others who feed thier dogs this can check thier dog’s food.
Hi Emily, can you describe the metal in more detail and do you have a photo? Applaws have metal detectors so this shouldn’t really occur.
I went to buy a bag at Woolworths today and noticed that Applaws have changed their ingredients. The chicken & turkey kibble ingredients are now:
”Poultry Meal* (Chicken and Turkey Meal), Faba Beans, Chickpeas, Potato, Natural Chicken Flavour, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary and Citric Acid), Sunflower Oil (source of Omega 6), Salt, Beet Pulp (natural Prebiotic), Flaxseed Oil (source of Omega 3), Vitamins (A, D3, E, C, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, Choline), Minerals (Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Copper, Iodine, Selenium), Fish Oil (source of Omega 3), Chicory (natural Prebiotic), Mauri MOS, Yucca, Natural Antioxidants (with Tocopherols and Rosemary), Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Alfalfa, Sweet Potato, Apples, Dried Tomato, Spinach, Pumpkin, Blackberries, Dried Kelp, Cranberries. *A natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin”
Fans beans at #2. I understand these beans are more common in new kibble recipes but it’s not something your dog can eat in large quantity and certainly not something I’m comfortable feeding my dog especially when the 1st result on Google is this:
https://www.rover.com/blog/can-dog-eat-fava-beans/
Maybe an updated review is in order?
Edit: In addition, the 2nd result on Google is a comprehensive study on the (growing) use of Faba beans in pet food. Worth a read to make your own conclusion but an interesting point I note; “Dehulled FB are a suitable ingredient for dog foods, but concentrations should not exceed 20% to avoid reduction in palatability and stool quality.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7149548/
Given the 2nd ingredient in Applaws kibble is now Faba beans, and the manufacturer doesn’t specify what percentage, we simply don’t know how much of the food is Faba beans. My guess is possibly more than 20% given it’s placing on a highest-lowest ingredient list.
The other major (and arguably as important change) is the subtle change in wording from what used to be a complete and balanced diet on its own, to now: “Natural Declaration
Made with natural ingredients, feed both Applaws complementary and complete pet food for a balanced diet.”
The kibble on its own is NO LONGER a complete pet food for a balanced diet. Applaws now state that in order for their product to be a complete and balanced diet you must pair the kibble with their wet food.
Something to keep in mind.
Thanks to this site I was able to change to a dry food that suited my girl who had a really bad allergic reaction. I was able to see all the dry foods available and their reviews. My girls allergies have now cleared up and I think partly due to the best dry food for her. Thanks again for having this site available for people to be able to choose the best foods for their dogs.
Great to hear, and thanks for the positive feedback!
Not sure yet.. ! Just started my dog on it.. she ate it. But lets see if she gains weight.. keep you posted,
Ps for a dog to look and walk away, doesn’t mean they don’t like it . If your changing their favorite food ti this..You have to give them a day or 3 for them to even try it.. be patient they will eat it if they are hungry enough..
My 18 month old beagle enjoys this. He’s generally not a fussy eater, but he has definitely got a refined sense of smell, and knows as soon as the bag has been opened. I bought it from Coles for $14.40 for 2.7kg – it was on special (30% off).
There has been white mould in some bags of duck and venison ! Also can you confirm that none of your products are made in Thailand?
This is a review site, he does not sell any food, if you want answers about country of origin you have to speak to Applaws directly via their website.
Applaws dry food is manufactured in Australia, the wet foods are produced in Thailand.
They’ll shortly be opening a brand new manufacturing facility in NSW.
Well I know not to buy their wet food if I ever fancy trying it XD, I don’t know I just don’t trust Thailand, pet treats from there also had toxicity issues. Makes you wonder how the food would be any better, I’d rather not chance my pets life on a maybe.
I buy the all life stages for my staghound pup, did a lot of research about why large breed puppy formulas are different ie calcium/phosphorous ratios, fat%, kcal/kg and protein %. I decided this fit the ideal numbers better than many of the advertised large breed puppy foods, its also far more convenient to pick it up while shopping normally.
Rusty couldn’t handle Applaws sadly, Angel could though and she loved it, I find it’s a very good supermarket food. VIP recently changed their formulas and are now not bad also.
Hi, I’ve been reading a lot of these reviews, and now I’m left wondering what brand of food you would recommend for a Labrador puppy – 4 months old. any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Amy,
start looking for large breed puppy formula’s, the Large Breed Puppy formula’s are formulated for large breed/Gaint breed growing bones, they have lower levels of Phosphorous & Calcium & reduce the risk of Othopedic disease, you dont want their bones growing too quick..
There’s Holistic Select” Large Breed Puppy “Canidae” Large Breed Puppy, Canidae’s “Under The Sun” Large Breed Puppy “Hills Ideal Balance” Large Breed Puppy, “Meals For Mutts” Puppy MfM have grain free & a Grain puppy formula’s both formula’s are for Large & Gaint breeds, go on Pet Circle site, Pet Circle give you all the info you need when you look up the pet food your interested in, that’s what I love about “Pet Circle” they have the ingredients, who makes the food etc & are the cheapest, have quick 2 day delivery only need to spend $29 & you get free delivery…..
I like rotating kibbles, once I have 2-3 brands my boy does well on I rotate between them, this way my boy isn’t eating the same food 24/7 so if something is wrong or one kibble isnt balanced properly he’s not eating the same kibble year after year & has less chances of developing health problems, also start adding cooked or raw ingredients with his meals so he gets a variety of healthy foods in his diet & doesnt end up with food sensitivities when he’s older….
Hi Amy, there’s a shortlist of puppy foods here – https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/puppy-foods/
Noticed Applaws rating was recently changed from 4.5 stars to 4 stars. What was the reason please? Thank you.
Hi Aud, it’s because recent foods like Balanced Life and Frontier Pets have raised the bar with dog foods. The ratings now need to be more stringent.
Great site! Maybe I am missing something but would be even better if we could get a list of foods in order of their star rating – saves wading through all the reviews of not so good foods
Hi Dave, the reason is it would put a bias on the foods listed first.
My whippets feces are so much better and they smell nowhere near what they use to. Compared to what I’ve seen come out of other dogs behinds at the park, Beau’s is amazing! Also not noticing the flatulence anymore. He’s only been on this food exclusively for less than a week. He also seems to eat it with a lot more enjoyment than the other stuff he’s had and usually will finish his meal now in one go.
This is good news, it means Beau isn’t sensitive to any of the ingredients in Applaws…
Which Applaws formula are you feeding? there’s the Lamb & Kangaroo & Chicken & Turkey & Duck & Venison formula’s but I have never seen the Duck & Venison formula at my supermarket, he’ll probably also do well on VIP Nature’s Goodness, Wild Game & Sweet Potato grain free formula BUT always read the ingredient lists as the Pet Fod companies like VIP will write Turkey & Duck or Lamb on front of bag but when you read the ingredient list there will be Chicken & other meat proteins as well & since you dont know what Beau is sensitive too it could be chicken he’s sensitive too?? just read the ingredient list to all the foods you have feed him when he wasnt doing good & you’ll see a re occuring ingredient that he might be sensitive too there might be a few ingredients he’s sensitive too, my boy can’t have barley, chickpeas, lentils & corn they all cause BAD wind pain & smelly farts & sloppy poo’s & chicken causes yeasty itchy skin & paws.
The Coles near me only has the Chicken and Turkey one but the Woolworths has the D & V and I think the L & K as well.
I am feeding the Chicken and Turkey for All Breeds and Life Stages.
This might just be the food I get a friend to feed, at first I wanted her on Blackhawk but then the company changed and I don’t feel it’s worth the money anymore for what you get, compared to what you got before. Angel is on this food and a few others, she really likes it and I like it too the ingredients are great for the price.
Hello, has Applaws recently changed the ingredients of the dog food?
I was looking at the Chicken and Turkey ingredients on the pack online and they seem to be different on this review.
Thanks
Hi Em, yes I believe they have.
We have a 2.5y/o Whippet who has been suffering with flatulence and we’ve been feeding him a combo of Cobber (rubbish I know but this is what the previous owners fed him) and Black Hawk (non-grain free types). Now while he has gained weight (he was underweight) and his coat has improved 100% I am sick of the flatulence. We will be giving Applaws a try. I’m not sure why people think it’s not available in the supermarkets, it is here in the northern suburbs of Brisbane, there is heaps of the All Life Stages Chicken and Turkey at Coles for $14.40 (on special) for the 2.7kg bag which is cheaper than even the bigger 15kg bags through online stores.
Hi Matt, bad gas/wind is from food sensitivities/intolerances, look at the ingredients to the Cobber she is eating & something in this food she is sensitive too, could be a few different ingredients, my Patch was doing the same on supermarket grain foods when I first rescued him but once I put him on grain free kibbles that had Sweet Potates & Potato & had no Chicken Patch stopped all his smelly farts, his vet said it would be very uncomfortable farting all teh time after eating as these are toxic gasses rumbling thru his bowel & he probably would be having wind pain…..
Just make sure you slowley introduce the new Applaws kibble with her old kibble over a 10 day period….it normally tell you what to do on Kibble bag or on the Applaws internet site so her so adapts to the new higher protein food & different ingredients she still may fart while introducing new food cause she’ll still be eating some of teh old food but after 3 weeks she should be Ok….. Out of all the Supermarket pet foods Allpaws seems to have the best ingredients..There’s also Purina’s new “Beyond” Lamb & Barley formula thats always on Special ingredients are OK for a Supermarket food she might do Ok on the Beyond as well best to rotate between a few different brands to get her gut use to different ingredients….
I gave a few big sandwich bags full of Blackhawk, Ivory Coat few years back, Applaws and Taste of the Wild to a friend I always do this as I cannot use the bag fast enough because I use it as a treat not an actual food. Anyways her dog is a fart machine she says and on these foods of mine she’s seen a big improvement so the quality in these brands must be good. Blackhawk went from good to pretty bad with the changes it made I will no longer rave about it or recommend it, there’s better choices now.
Here in Melbourne Applaws has mostly gone, but I do see it pop up occasionally in some stores, and there’s still plenty available for cats. Maybe it has slipped into that category where the supermarket has nothing against it, and store managers now have discretion over whether to stock it based on local demand. As far as the farty whippet goes, this seems to be a bit of a theme with Blackhawk nowadays (and god knows what scary stuff goes into Cobber), so I’m going to guess that you’ll be pleased with the results.
I’ve seen great results with this food after switching from Nature’s Gift Nourish Semi-Moist dry food, which in itself was also good. Note worthy are improvements in the energy levels of my dogs. I also have pet mice who enjoy having kibble as part of their diet, and this food is the only one they’ve really liked so far. My mice generally aren’t fans of meat protein, even though it’s good for them, and I thought that was interesting.
This is of much better quality then the other food though, semi moist foods usually require less then stellar ingredients to make the food chewy, with the one exception being Ziwipeak who don’t use any glycerines that are usually made from petroleum.
Few new foods came out in the years that were also air dried but kinda didn’t feel like they were all that safe in the long term as they added glycerine to their foods to make them more chewy.
Based on someone on dog food advisor even vegetable glycerin has its problems, although I don’t really remember why, just that because it was made differently didn’t change the fact it could still be made with dangerous ingredients.
Hi Kelly, Stay Loyal grain free is a great food & no Flaxseed
My dogs love the larger size chicken & lamb , also love the smaller size turkey & salmon
Stay Loyal is a Quality dog kibble, my dogs never leave any, they find every bit when i hide it in toys ,
I have been using this product for awhile now after finding it here. I have three very happy and healthy golden retrievers. Applaws in the day and big dog raw food for dinner (don’t mix kibble with raw food) is all they get now and they are going great. Improvements in joint health, digestion and overall health have been marked. Woolworth’s and Coles sell Applaws now. Awesome, thanks for the review petfoodreviews!
Great to hear Adam! Thanks for the feedback.
Hi Kelly, it’s very difficult to gauge. Flaxseed is always in small quantities in pet foods so it’s uncertain whether feeding those foods will lead to fertility issues. It’s possible, but there isn’t enough research. It’s the same with garlic (also listed on that website). Many people believe dogs should never be fed garlic, but I’ve seen research showing a dog would need to eat many cloves in order to suffer ill effects. Many ingredients can be problematic if fed in very high doses.
Thanks so much for your response.
I just wish the dry food companies would give us an indication of how much flaxseed is included in their products, garlic, etc, too….
If minimal, then I didn’t really think it would be of a huge concern either, but it would be handy if the manufacturers would give us an indication of how much percentage is in each bag, along with the list of ingredients…!
Is it low salt and suitable for a dog with heart problems?
Hi email Applaws & ask for the salt % they don’t put this info on bag of kibble…
I have been sourcing 2.7kg bags of Its all Good at both Coles & Woolies but now, for whatever reason, neither are stocking it anymore & the same with my local Pet Stock! grrrr….finally find a decent dog food but now have had to go online to get it & buy in bulk which is turning out to be more expensive! Go figure….
It’s likely more expensive because as Susan once said, no one buys it in store unless it’s on special, online they buy it more often and so it’s not on special no more.
Last time I was in the dog food isle I don’t think I saw any bags left at all, whenever I checked in the last few years they were always fully stocked on it, no one was buying it, which for Coles is a waste of space, they’d rather put something that sells in that place.
My Woolworths & Coles have it up at Newcastle Coles, Coles only have the Red & white formula & Woolworths has the Blue & White & Red & White formula, I looked at ingredients & fat% protein & fber % cause its always on special, it might not be selling at your supermarket so its been taken off the shelves, that can happen..
Applaws isn’t that great look at the fiber it’s 7% fiber & last year it had red & blue plastic thru the kibbles, It’s best to rotate between different brands & different proteins, this way if there is something lacking say vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids etc or something bad in a kibble your dog isn’t on it for too long & isn’t eating the same batch to cause any bad health problems cause your always rotating with other brand kibbles.. Plus your dogs would love a change of kibble, like a Salmon kibble, I know my boy does..
Interesting Susan, my 12yo KelpieX has been doing well on IAG for a while now & the price is reasonable. I add celery & other steamed veg, fish oil, ginger, an egg now & then which all seems to help keep her happy & help with a bit of arthritis, so I am a bit loath to change brands at this point. You dont find any issues with your dogs having digestion issues when switching foods? Also I wasnt aware of the issues with the plastic, that’s Not All Good!
Hello anyone still listening,
We have a new puppy who is 11 weeks old. Our vet has recommended Vet Royal Canin brand as his main feeding option but after looking here it only has 3 star rating and is not considered a premium food.
Can someone point me in the right direction as to a good 4 or 5 star kibble for my Rottweiler. This wont be his main diet source it will be mainly mixed in with veggies and fresh meat as well.
Thank you!
Hi John, there are many worse foods than Royal Canin, although it’s expensive considering the ingredients.
There’s some info on decent puppy foods here – https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/puppy-foods/
Doing some research looks like the best option would be for us Ivory Coat or Applaws but leaning towards Ivory Coat. 5 star rating and highly recommended. Thank you!
Why not alternate between the two John? There’s no reason a dog should be fed the same food exclusively
Went to the pet shop expecting to buy one of those two brands ended up leaving with Black Hawk Puppy Forumla. The guy told me its probably the best premium kibble they have in store and they come in 20kg and cheaper than Royal Canin! What a bonus!
I don’t want to change his eating habits too much. He gets a good mix of fresh meat, eggs, wheat bix, yoghurt, baby bark natural, kibble, veggies – he seems to be going okay but i think a good kibble is pretty important because it will give him the things he isn’t getting from the fresh stuff. I just don’t want to over complicate his diet.
Hi instead of shopping at a pet shop that probably doesn’t have much of a range of quality grain free kibbles, why not shop online “My Pet Warehouse” does the11th bag FREE & there’s also “Pet Circle” who are the cheapest BUT the crappiest in delivery when its the busy seasons, like now, took 1 week for my delivery from Sydney to Newcastle last week but when I contacted Pet Circle they found my parcel & it was delivered the next day, so maybe it’s the delivery service that Pet Circle use that’s the problem, My Pet Warehouse use Australia Post…
Have a look at “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb, it’s an all life stages grain free kibble “Ivory Coat” “Meals For Mutts” is gluten free excellent for dogs with skin & stomach problems, “Canidae” Life Stages, All Life Stages kibble, has 4 high quality meats Chicken, Turkey Lamb & Fish as the 1st, 2nd & third ingredients the fish is further done the ingredient list, “Holistic Select” Adult/Puppy Salmon Anchovy & Sardines grain free, there’s a few better quality kibbles then Black Hawk..
It’s really good your feeding the raw mix & fresh whole foods, also add 3-4 raw almonds as a treat & they chew the Almond 1 at a time & add a few small sardines to his diet, buy the Tin Sardines in spring water from Adlis only 59c a tin & they are good quality sardines Adlis..also have the Natural Almonds…..
Follow “Rodney Habib” on his Face Book page, he has really good info on easy to make balanced raw diets, preventing cancer in dogs, if you feed a kibble look for low carb% kibbles, not all grain free kibbles are low in carbs some are higher in carbs then a kibble with brown rice, Rodney makes good videos. For the carb % just add the Protein % + the Fat% + Fiber%+ the ash % if there’s no ash% on kibble bag just add 8% then add score up then take score away from 100 & you have the carb % ..
Wow. This is a lot of information to digest. I really appreciate your time in writing out all this information. I have so many questions.
What about a budget friendly option?
Generally how long will these bags last?
A 20kg Black Hawk kibble compared to Canidae 10kg bag surely the Black Hawk would last longer? Or because of the quality difference must you use more black hawk kibble?
In the last 3 weeks he has had 3 different kibble changes, was on Pro Plan (the breeder had him on this), was then on Royal Canin (the vet recommended we put him on this), now he is on Black Hawk. Changing the kibble often affect him in anyway?
Sorry about all these questions, i don’t mind going that little bit extra if it means a healthy looking dog.
I was not expecting such a prompt reply! I know how expensive Royal Canin is my Golden Retriever was on it for a year because he was under weight (again recommended by the VET to put on weight).
Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. I just don’t want my dog to be eating bad kibble.
Decided to check the stock in Coles, 1 dog and 1 cat formula only and full shelf, no ones buying it.
I also bumped into an interesting natural kangaroo stick treat, with milk thistle added, however my mum is not a fan of kangaroo meat after she read that people and dogs got sick on it and blind.
No ones buying the farmers market stuff either to be honest.
Hi the Farmers Market was on special at Coles last week the Beef Formula was all sold out at the Newcastle Coles but the chicken did not move…I think people like cheap & when they see $29 for a bag kibble they run, look at Applaws it’s a healthier kibble then Purina Supercoat & Pedigree & it has to be on special all the time & it moves but when its not on special it doesn’t move…When things don’t sell in Coles they say good bye & take it off the shelves..
Yeah the only place for selling expensive kibble is online, waste of space and money for Coles and Woolworths when no one is interested, still too many people thinking that cheap kibble is on par with expensive kibble.
Not really sure why as I’m sure they’ve seen that health foods are clearly more expensive than junk foods, blissful ignorance I guess.
Of course USA has kibble and canned on par with the pricing for junk kibble and yet so many still need to be told, too much misinformation going on around, filling people’s heads with nonsense and they believe every word of it.
Was worried that Applaws had a problem having seen it disappear from Woolworths, Coles and PetStock.
I used to feed my dog Supercoat and she started experiencing a severe rash around her mouth and end of her snout. The vet couldn’t tell me why and never even suggested her food.
Switched to Applaws and the rash disappeared within a week. No sign of it returning.
So I’m very glad it is still available. Will be switching my business to My Pet Warehouse.
Hi when you look on the “My Pet Warehouse” site have a look for another kibble & start rotating between a few premium kibbles so if one kibble does disappear & isn’t sold anymore you have another kibble to fall back on…..Have a look at “Ivory Coat” they have brought out a few new formulas with coconut oil, there’s “Taste Of The Wild”, “Canidae” “Earthborn” “Meals For Mutts” there’s a few really good kibbles to try as well as the Applaws, your dog will enjoy a change & a different protein… also it’s good to rotate between kibbles so if there’s something wrong with a brand of kibble your dog isn’t on it too long & wont get sick..
Looks like PetStock have stopped stocking them. Both my local PetStock and the website says its out of stock 🙁 Good to know my pet warehouse still sells them.
Woolworths still has 2 dog Applaws formulas, no cat formulas…good old Woolworths still has heaps of foods Coles no longer keeps…
I just bought this food the other day from a supermarket and they said it discontinued selling there 🙁 ..well my two little dogs absolutely loved it and will note the previous comment below about less ear issues as one of mine has ear issues regularly..Hoping I can still purchase this somewhere when I run out?
My pet warehouse still has it, pet circle doesn’t have it, I like ordering from my pet warehouse it’s easy fast and gets delivered no problem.
Hi Anne, most online retailers sell it and hopefully will continue to do so. It’s still available in supermarkets but seems to be dwindling.
Paris my golden lab is 11 years old and loves her food. In the past she has had huge amount of ear infections…so had to watch her diet carefully.
I saw Applaws on the shelf and quickly read the ingredients. I bought a bag she loves the flavours and no more hot ears. Love the fact it contains Glucosamine and
Chondroitin for older dogs and joints.
Well done Paris loves this product. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/99771f77e287231212d5e2fa3f4140b6afc9bc04dec81fa6464178855b3775bc.jpg
Hi Foina, maybe start looking for another kibble as Applaws is disappearing off the shelves at the supermarkets, all the cat formula are gone… Have a look at “Canidae’ Pure formulas they are grain free & have limited ingredients… your dog must have been sensitive to a certain ingredient in his old food or a few ingredients in his old food, look the kibble up & read all the ingredients & don’t get another kibble with those ingredients, whatever he was eating would have caused the ear infections, once you remove the ingredient your dog is sensitive too the ear infection will go away….
Pet Stock has just gotten “Canidae” in, its 20% off for 2 weeks.. I always rotate between a few different brand of kibbles so if something is wrong with a certain kibble my boy isn’t on it long enough to get sick or react to a certain ingredient & if the kibble just vanishes & they stop making it, I have a few kibbles I know my boy does well on, there’s also “Holistic Select” Senior that’s a good kibble sold online, Pet Circle has the best price at the moment….
You are very keen to see the demise of small family owned independant retailers. Any particular reason Susan?
Hi John, I don’t believe that’s Susan’s intention. She’s merely offering her thoughts.
Hi I’m not demising a small family run business, all cause I said Applaws is disappearing off the shelves, all the cat formula’s have gone?? this is the truth probably cause last year Applaws had red & blue plastic thru the cat & dog kibbles, I was buying the Applaws cat formula’s, Applaws did not recall any of these affected kibbles, instead Applaws put their kibbles on special at the supermarkets till all those batches were all sold out, why weren’t they recalled & taken off the selves?? Even now I look at the dog Applaws it’s often on special so l read the ingredient list again but the fiber is way to high at 7% fiber plus when I have gotten dog sample of the Applaws I have soaked a few kibbles in warm water to see how long they take to soften all the way thru & the kibbles do not go soft for a couple of hours, I like a kibble that softens within 40mins, Canidae & Taste Of The Wild kibbles go soft within 20mins when soaked in warm water, Meals For Mutts & Ivory Coat are the same as Applaws the kibbles do not go soft after soaking in warm water for 2 hours, I want a kibble that is easy to digest not sit in my dogs stomach & he starts his whinging & whinging then spews up in digested kibble 4 hours later..,
To be honest I didn’t understand his reply one bit, I read and re read your comment several times and I just didn’t get where he got his reply from at all.
I was meant to write this earlier I think I forgot lol
No kibble has a therapeutic dose of glucosamine or chondroitin based on someone on dog food advisor, it will help, but the therapeutic dosage for large dogs is 1500mg and around 200mg for tiny dogs, most foods have anywhere from 250 to 500mg, if your dog has joint issues a good idea is to add toppers with green lipped mussel and to feed foods with omega oils, especially fish meals.
Hi Fiona, that’s great to hear!
I’d be interested to know what previous foods caused the worst reactions. I like to track these things as it helps others
I recently bought Applaws Small breed dog food forour Pom/Maltese 9 year old. After a short time of using she is continually scratching her fur and
pulling some fur out in clumps. Was wondering whether there is too much protein in this produCT for her and if this maybe the problem.
Would appreciate your advice.
Hi Marsha, this sounds like an allergy to me. She might be having a problem with one of the ingredients.
I bought Applaws Adult Small and Medium Breed Grain Free Dry Dog Food 2kg today from coles on special. I spend a little while in Cole whilst on my phone googling for reviews. It’s the first time i’ve come across this brand thought i’d give it ago.
My Pepper is a Pomeranian x Maltese weighing at 2.7 kgs at 1.5 years old. He is not the best eater. He has always been a grazer. He has never eaten all the kibble i give him all at once and today HE DID!!!! Hopefully its not just about the taste and that it is good for him nutritionally. WIll see how he goes on this.
I want to thank you for this site as I have now started feeding Olive my 8 month old Irish Wolf Hound Applaws dry food. I have tried several brands but Applaws has stopped the diarrhea and passing of wind.
Interesting to note the many comments that Black Hawk & some other brands 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.
I got a very quick response from Black Hawk when I contacted them:
“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.
I have two Moodles , we feed them Applaws they love it , thanks for making such a good product at a fair price , I just make it part of my house keeping budget each week
Dear Pet Food Review Australia
Keep your work as I really appreciate the reviews here!
I was really able to educate myself a lot on dog food as I always thought Pedigree or Purina were the thing hehe I occasionally give my girl Pedigree Puppy canned food as topping for dry food as she loves it though, I just see it as myself having some maccas or hungry jacks occasionally.
I gave my Japanese Akita Blackhawk for puppies since 10 weeks old based on the review here as well as Applaws can food as topping (tuna and salmon, which sadly they discontinued).
I always wanted to try Applaws dry food and I bought one bag and my dog really loves it! So I went and bought another 4 haha
Your opinions and reviews are very helpful for me as it makes decision making easier. Keep the good work as you have lots of supporters!
Thanks for the feedback Allan 🙂
I started my Jack Russell on this as I want him to eat good quality food but on a students budget! He seems to really enjoy this and makes his coat very shiny and smooth. I noticed for 2 weeks I switched back to cheaper foods his coat was dry. Thanks for writing this review it helped me pick something I can buy in the supermarket that is still good for him. However when I went away on holiday people over fed him and he gained 2kg. Just wondering your thoughts on the light version of the food or if I should just feed him less of this food. Thanks again.
Hi Leilani, thanks for the feedback 🙂
You could feed a light food temporarily but then return to a regular diet when his weight’s started to return to normal.
Well you seem to only have positive comments on expensive foods.
To my knowledge you are so far up your own ass and do not understand that people cannot afford brands like ‘applaws its all good’ like you could. But you are better then us so lets not forget that.
Not that you give a fuck with what I say as this is your website, taking a step back and realising that people want to visit this page with genuine reviews based on facts and not your opinion.
Mr Hunt. No-one is being forced to read any advice or opinions. I am truly sorry that I came across your comment. I did not find it helpful in any way. I am a fairly older citizen on a pension but I still want the best for my pets and am prepared to listen, learn and experiment. Sometimes it does mean making adjustments to the budget.
Just had to join to say this ….. OMG what a peasant, on sooo many levels!! Your ignorance knows no bounds, and I feel so damn sorry for any dog unfortunate enough to call you, “owner”. Get off your sorry ass and so some study & research you rude, obnoxious buffoon – what I see all over this site is not PFR’s owner’s opinion, but well known fact!
If you can’t afford to feed a dog well – YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO OWN ONE!!!
Of course there’s always the issue that price doesn’t necessarily equate quality, like for example Royal or Hills or any other big brands who think they can fork out all of our money for a bag of corn.
Still got to do a little bit of research to find out which foods are good and which ones are overpriced junk foods.
I’ve seen a lot of comments saying that Royal is the top of the line food because of its price, when in reality it’s bottom of the barrel or even bottom of the deepest ocean and a lot of those commenters refuse to change their baked in opinions and instead think of you as jealous of the food lol, like seriously jealous of what? I buy food that’s $30 for 500g I can tell you I am not jealous one bit.
I however believe that everyone well meaning, who doesn’t treat a dog like trash or simple furniture should be allowed to own a pet, they have saved countless people on death row in their minds and I think that’s a good thing, they also tend to bring out the good in us.
I think the best is, they realise the food isn’t so great they come here we help them choose a better food and they live happily ever after with their pups or kitties.
Also take into account places like rescues or pounds where dogs have no choice over what their fed, they take whatever food their given and I generally wish some of the 5 star companies donated more food to them, but I can’t change that and in reality this scenario is very similar to what I said above.
A lot of scenarios eventually lead to the can’t afford, shouldn’t own, but I think happiness from them is more important than what you can or can’t feed them, as I’ve noticed people these days are nowhere near as nice to be around as your pup, likely because he has no dilemmas and he doesn’t care about yours and so he’s neutral and that’s a nice place to be.
Absolutely spot on. Many of us prefer to do without an occasional treat if it means our ‘best friends’ have the best available nutrition.
I’m so pleased to have found this site today and have learned a great deal.
Dog food advisor has also helped me a great deal in my dog food journey which continues every other day or week now used to be almost every day for 5 years :p
It’s an American dog food website but it has a lot of people constantly talking about different things, you might learn something new.
I was referring to the OP’s overwhelming ignorance, nay, stupidity, insofar as the content of their post is concerned, particularly the venom & vile language, their underwhelming ability to grasp simple fact (as per Tim Dunham’s post & mathematical equations).
I’m a predominantly raw feeder for most of my pack & will transition my new giant breed pup (working Maremma) to raw the day she turns 2yo, when I will be 100% confident that her protein, carbs, calcium, fat, calories etc etc levels have been perfectly set in concrete via dry feed, thereby resulting in her growth rate being strictly controlled so as to prevent skeletal issues from any one or more component of her diet being too high thereby causing too rapid growth in “puppy-hood”.
If my new girl was just a run of the mill, NON-GIANT pet or show dog (as in a non-working dog) there’s no way I’d be feeding her dry feed of any kind because, to my mind none of it makes the grade except, of course, for Ziwipeak which is a whole different feed again. However, as you would well know, the giant breeds have vastly different needs to other dogs in the first 2yrs, not the least of which is relatively low protein among other things, hence Black Hawk Grain Free Chicken is about as good as it gets in non-imported dry, and I’ll also be giving Applaws a run thanks to this site.
Re your “Royal” & “Science” comments, I despair for those people who feed it, and tell them so at every opportunity! I even refuse to attend Veterinary Surgeries who stock the rubbish because, to me, it’s indicative of their total lack of knowledge & absolute blatant disregard for their duty of care. Ditto Vets who send annual vax reminders striking fear into the hearts of owners merely to line their own greedy pockets – those who stock raw, Ziwi & suggest Titres over vax’ing get all my business, including livestock.
Re your “afford to feed a dog” slant on things, anyone can afford to feed a dog brilliantly – 80/10/10 butcher’s pet mince for $1 per kilo with real live enzymes, vitamins & minerals in their natural form would see the vast majority of dogs living much longer, happier, healthier, well-muscled lives, devoid of grain & unnatural substances allergies & issues, not to mention little, if any, dental issues or gum diseases (and Greenies sure as hell are NOT the answer to the latter, even with their latest improved formula which has still brought about the demise of some dogs).
Wow the speed at which I read that surprised even me lol.
Took me almost an hour to write though, so much editing and re writing and now it’s 2am and I am even worse off tired than I was when I started to write this, should of just waited till tomorrow to reply but ah well no choice now.
I tend to like to reply anyways even if it wasn’t never meant for me as this has now turned into quiet the hobby for me, to reply and post my own opinions all over here apparently haha and less so on dog food advisor.
As to your afford based on my reply, it’s a matter of putting it into perspective for people, not everyone will do the maths or even know how to do it and think automatically that if its raw it must be expensive when in reality it’s not.
Had several issues over the years with teens and sometimes older men and women working at bakers delight trying to sell us a loaf and a roll for $36, did they even bother to think why a loaf and a roll was $36 before asking us to pay that much eesh, shows how much people don’t pay attention to maths anymore they get their phones to do it for them.
A few years back reading Amazon reviews I bumped into quiet a concerning post. A person who based on his comment and the maths that followed by other people was unwilling to pay something like 25 cents a day for his dogs food, he wrote on to say something about needing a high paying job to be able to afford the food, when in reality the food was the cheapest you’d ever find, whose quality was still better than the truly cheaper ones than even that.
The vet response I agree with also, we had a vet give our 1 1/2 year old pup a steroid shot in the bum for her supposed allergic or some other reaction she had that made it look like she had blood under her skin, anyways she stopped playing, she was sleeping all day, she started eating like a horse and when I called them up, they instantly blamed me for it and said it wasn’t the shot and I was like bs and I got super angry at her and told her it happened right after the shot and that it was clearly the shot that did it, I ordered a blood test the following week but Anja got better so my mum called it off, but seriously take the damn responsibility it will work out better for you than lying and not taking it.
He also had the gall to tell me that her screams of pain are behaviour related puhlease, maybe some dogs have that problem, but not her as she screams even when we’re not around.
Their cheaper but that’s about it and they stock vet subscription foods, that in reality are the same ingredients as their normal foods, the diabetic dry is awful you have to lower the carbs not increase them and how does urinary dry food work when it’s all about the water?
Hate Purina, Royal, Hills and Mars, I’m not sure if any of those belong to each other lol all I know is I hate them with a passion and I’d love to burn their factories to the ground.
The foods I love because of the successes I’ve had with them are Ziwipeak love the way that food smells when it’s fresh, it’s been relatively dry lately, K9 natural is an amazing food it brought Rusty to life as he was just a standard run of the mill chihuahua before that, now he has spunk and a personality it’s really quiet the awesome change. Ivory Coat smells divine at least the fish one does, it’s also very fresh and oily not dry which is likely why Anja loves it so much, she hated Artemis which smelled like regular dog food and was dry but the coconut oil in the food helped Rusty mentally and coat wise and Sunday Pets treats, their food was full of thick black hairs eww, their treats are awesome though.
I also don’t mind taste of the wild, but dislike Earthborn after Rusty’s recent vet visit due to a reaction to one or more of the ingredients.
With Ivory Coat I was going to get the new formula but since tapioca is not a good food item for dogs I won’t get it and instead will get Artemis again in the future to continue to give Rusty coconut oil, as he cant have it raw, I’ve tried about 5 times now nudda.
Maybe Blackhawk fish and potato in the future also as I don’t find it that bad.
No fish4dogs because tapioca.
Cats died on Applaws so no thank you.
And I think that’s all of the ones I’ve tried or wanted to try at some point or another.
Rusty’s main diet is simply a home cooked meal, my mum swears by this because he’s eaten it all his life and never got sick, I however decided to add some toppers to it as maybe it doesn’t need to be complete and balanced but he did need some extra nutrients and oils for his leg which is healed it’s virtually non existant, his eyes were matte and now their shiny and his coat was dull and now it’s thick soft and super shiny, so he was clearly getting deficiencies and that’s not something you should ignore. I also actually don’t believe the whole complete and balanced anyways because as long as your getting what you need every month or every week you’ll live and so will your dog, if it was really as bad as they make us believe than why do most of us not eat balanced foods and yet we’re still alive and well?
Hello Mike or Joshua, it seems that you have a problem with the reviewer or are unable to do simple maths. I have been looking at the daily cost of feeding a 25kg dog on different dry foods based on prices from a large pet shop and have found that the price of Applaws is not that high when taking into account the amount needed and the nutritional values.
In fact, Applaws rates 7th out of 15 at $1.87 per day which is quite reasonable when the range is from $1.29 per day for a food with a 1 star rating to $3.13 per day for a food with a 2 star rating. A cost of under $2 per day is very reasonable and, if you cannot afford that cost, it is my belief that you should not have a dog for a pet, so climb down of your soapbox and look at the facts, as well as cleaning up your comments for a public website
Hi “Mike Hunt”, or should I refer to you as “Joshua” which is your real name? Are your opinions representative of yourself or the Government Defense Department which you sent this from?
The information (or opinion) I put forward is free for those who wish to benefit from it, and those who don’t are entitled to their own opinion. I’m sorry it’s not agreeable to you that superior quality products come with a higher price tag.
Will you swear at your vet when you can’t afford medical bills after feeding your dog wheat by-products for a number of years?
Thank you Pet Food Reviews. This is my first visit and I find it very helpful and interesting unlike “Mr. Hunt’s” input to which I responded – in a ladylike manner.
Hi Pet food reviews,
Loads of people leaving comments on Applaws Australian FB page, in regards to finding shredded blue plastic through the cat and dog biscuits. I find this really concerning!!
Hi Carly,
I believe they had an incident with a faulty part in manufacturing which has now been resolved, but a number of bags were affected. Definitely worth checking.
I bought this product thinking it was a better choice for my blue cattle dog. She is two years old and very healthy. After giving my dog your dry food for two nights she woke around one in the morning both nights highly adgitated panting and very hypo. On the second NIGHT again waking at one IN THE MORNING she was so hypo she was throwing herself around the house even managing to break a safety window in the process. And no it was NOT A FIT. I stopped feeding her the dry food and she is now back to normal sleeping and no more hypo.
YOUR PRODUCT WAS THE REASON FOR MY DOG GOING NUTS AND HYPO IT IS DANGERIOUS AND SHOULD NOT BE SOLD
What do you mean by “hypo” ? What was low? Her breathing? Her energy level?
Or did you mean hyper? (the opposite of hypo).
She means Hypo-active not herself.
My dog went hypo & had PAIN when he ate “Nutro Natural Choice” Fish & Rice, it gave him bad wind pains, (the Beet Pulp) the same thing may have happened with this blue cattle dog, the Applaws also has “Beet Pulp” Vet prescription diets use Beet Pulp it firms up poos & can cause bad wind pain the first 2 weeks, she probably had bad crapping in the bowel & didn’t know what to do with herself…..Applaws is very high in fiber at 7%….That’s way you must slowly introduce any new dry kibbles to your pets introduce over 7-10 days.
No, hypo means “below”, hyper means “above”. If you mean he was very active and excitable you mean “hyper”. These are medical terms that have real meanings so it’s very confusing if you insist on using the wrong term.
Haven’t you got a life?? to go around dog sites correcting people’s English..
If you don’t want people to reply to your comments on a dog site, don’t comment on a dog site. I was looking for a dog food recommendation. The fact that you’d rather remain ignorant than learn what an actual word means so you can accurately describe a problem with your dog is on you.
It was never MY dog problem, “Scroll Up”…. READ it was “Beatrice Little” post her dog had the problem, READ the original post, instead of teaching people how to spell, Beatrice spelt Hypo that way & I responded with the same spelling….your the ignorant one… Just remember what you give in life you get back, being nasty wont get you anywhere…Have a nice day.
Best to just leave it Susan, these types of people aren’t worth anyone’s time or health.
What we do here is helping lots of people that’s all that matters.
*you’re
Hi Beatrice, have you contacted Applaws regarding this?
I have a query about the addition of salt to this food, what is your opinion on the addition of salt? It seems to be added before any of the vegetables in this food.
Hi Cindy, many foods have small amounts of salt added. Even foods without salt on the label may contain salt through other ingredients. It’s worth noting the inclusion of fruits and veggies in most pet foods (those that include them) are trace amounts, so having salt above the veggies doesn’t mean there’s an excessive amount of salt.
I swapped from science diet puppy to Applaws all ages for my 8 month old lab.
She loves it and she has a lovely shiny coat and is full of energy.
I am very happy as I couldnt afford to keep her on premium food and I think this is a great alternative.Made in Australia and I am very pleased no feathers.
Thanks for your reply, Coles and Woolies don’t seem to sell it so will look out for it at a pet shop. Thanks again!
coles sells it 🙂 mine does anyway
I have a 6 month old GSP and a 6 year old GSP. I bought my first bag of Applaws yesterday (chicken and turkey), it says its for all ages including puppies. They didn’t have any Applaws puppy food in Woolies so I bought it. Is it really ok for puppies as well as mature dogs? I’ve started introducing it to the 6 month olds dinner but I was surprised when I found out that Applaws do sell puppy dry food. Now I’m not sure if the Applaws Chicken and Turkey is really ok for puppies.
Hi Louise, a food needs to meet minimum nutrition requirements for a pup, so an all life stages food is fine to feed. That said, the puppy formula will be more geared to the needs of a growing pup.
What about Applaws wet dog food? Are they any good? Does not seem to have any mention. can I feed it to my 10 months old cavoodle? She is a fussy eater and would not eat on kibbles alone… 🙁 help!
Hi Katrina, we only review dry foods, but yes the wet is good too and would be great for your Cavoodle.
Hi, I’ve just ordered my first bag of Senior Chicken for dogs – Light. My two dogs, Maltese and Foxy, are grossly overweight from various pet foods so I thought I’d try Applaws Light and put them on a strict diet.
Could you tell me, once they lose the weight, should I continue to keep them on the Light dry dog food or should I change them over to the normal Applaws Dry food at that point? Thank you.
Hi Del, when they’re a better weight definitely switch to regular Applaws.
I have just grabbed a bag rom my local Coles as I am unable to get Canidae this week and my Sheltie really loves this! She is quite fussy with her dry foods ( but liked Canidea SEA FORMULA) but she seems to really love the Applaws – thanks for the review- I wouldn’t have know to even try it otherwise!
My puppy is half staffy and poodle she’s been sick and vomitting (feed her the purina puppy food ) she also had runny stools, always scratching and constantly farts stinks the room. I made up some rice, puréed pumkin and she seems much better. I don’t want to feed her that brand of food again it’s not good I’m
Sure of it caused her to be sick. Applaws sounds excellent. Just wondering if anyone had any other suggestions what I could feed her give her a variety of food that’s healthy. Do you make homemade food if so suggestions would help. Thanks I live in Australia!
I have made my own dog food for years now… I make a simple Chicken casserole – chicken breast, in season vegies and a small amount of brown rice into a pot, cover with water and simmer until rice is cooked and thickens… Another simple one is 500gms mince (human grade), grated vegies, pumpkin, carrot, zucchini (whatever is in season), parsley and 2 eggs. Mix together well – hands are best – and place into a loaf tin. Cook in the oven at 200 for 1 hour – allow to cool and cut into cubes. Both can be frozen and feed my Italian Greyhounds for a week..
Hi Bec, I hear this often with Purina foods. Applaws is a definite improvement and pretty good value for money. I’m an advocate for mixing foods to offer variety and a more balanced diet, and any supplemental home-cooked meats and veggies is a bonus. Here’s a list of our best-rated foods – https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/best-dog-food-australia/
We started using this after our x bred staffy was experiencing massive issues on a cheaper supermarket brand. He now has a shiny soft coat, firm stools, NO FARTING (don’t laugh he could clear the room he was that bad)and amazing weight improvement on less food and no more scratching. I’m sold as he is much happier in himself too. Highly recommend it!
Appreciate having so much information on dry dog food. I fed our beautiful curly coat on Applaws plus fresh meat and she lived till 14yo. We now have a Brittany for my son and I have had trouble sourcing from Coles so contacted them to find out why it isn’t on the shelves anymore. At time of posting I am waiting for reply call otherwise will follow up next week.
I believe Coles still sell it. Woolworths do too, and I know you can get it from My Pet Warehouse online as I bought a bag last week.
I noticed that you havent added the glucosamine and chondroiten in your ingredients. On the packet it states it half way down the ingredients.
Hi Lynne, the ingredients are as per the Applaws (Australia) website – http://applawspetfood.com.au/product/dry-dog-small-medium-breed-adult-chicken/
It’s worth being aware of “marketing”. There’s an excellent article here about glucosamine in dry food here – http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/glucosamine-does-your-joint-support-kibble-stand-up/
This recipe of Applaws has 400 mg/kg, which would mean an average dog would need to eat 2.5kg of the food to reach a recommended 1000mg/day.
The conclusion being, if your dog requires glucosamine then it’s worth considering a supplement. A dry food may list glucosamine on the label, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it contains more glucosamine than other brands.
Thankyou so much for opening my eyes up to that. The website is diferent to the packet. On the packet it has it halfway down the list of ingredients so I assumed it was added as well as naturaly occuring. My 5yrold lifesaving dog has hip dysplasia and is athritic so I will start supplements asap. I cant thank you enough.
My assistance dog would have digestion issues for years trying all different products until I found applaws and bonus is the added glucasomine
This was a good review thanks. We have a Staffy and are faced with some challenges around his skin condition. Often he would break out with massive lumps which then forms a very painful and ugly sore. Our pet groomer suggested changing his diet to Applaws. Since changing his diet his skin condition improved considerably.
The issue we now face is that Coles no longer seem to stock the bigger bags?? Would you know why?
We changed to VIP dog food now which also says ‘grain free’ but his skin has gone back to its bad condition.
Apart from Coles where would we be able to purchase the larger APPLAWS bags from? We live in Brisbane North
Many thanks
Annene
Hi Annene, Staffy’s are prone to allergies so it will be one of the ingredients in his old food and the VIP which causes it.
My Pet Warehouse sell the big 15kg bags with free shipping – click here.
Hi I have bought this product because my dog development an allergy, she started off ok on this food but she has started getting hot spots which really make her itchy, can you suggested anything else.
Hi Narie, have a look at the best-rated list. There should be something suitable on there – https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/best-dry-dog-food/
Thank you so much for this review. We had stopped using this when we read somewhere it was made oversees and could possibly be radiated. Now that I have read this we can start back on them as our little one was doing so much better on them.
We have been now using Ivory Coat which has been good too.
Thanks again
Hi there, I’m wondering if maybe you have a suggestion for us? We have recently had to change our show dogs (Shetland Sheepdogs) food over to a low 8-10% fat content (at the most) under vets advise. This greatly reduces the foods available to us. Do you have any advise on a food that is majority Chicken & falls in the 8-10% fat content? We are currently feeding Optimum & I am really disappointed with how it has rated. Would love your advise. 😀
Hi Allison, if turkey’s an option then have a look at Ivory Coat Reduced Fat. There’s a few other light/lite recipes from different brands, such as Nutro Natural Choice Lite, and the usual Hills, Advance, Royal Canin, Optimum, and so forth (larger companies who can cater for more specific diets). Ivory Coat is a good option from a reputable Aussie company. There are other factors worth considering – feeding a decent food will mean your dogs can get adequate nutrition from eating less food. Adjusting meal times can also help, such as more frequent yet smaller meals, and increasing exercise if possible.
Can’t wait to read Applaws puppy review from you. Also have Applaws senior too 🙂
Applaws dog food now has Applaws for puppy only available in Pet Stock. Not sure when Coles will stock them. Hope that helps. I’ve got my girl on it and she loves it.
P.S Thanks for the reviews.
Thanks Chelley, I’ll write a review shortly (when I have the ingredients and analysis). It’s also available at My Pet Warehouse.
Hi! Thanks for the awesome review. I think I may have finally found a decent dog food that’s readily available to me.
I was just wondering is it okay to give the adult food to my puppy (three months old)? Would it be okay to add other things to the kibble to make it more suitable? As far as I know, Coles doesn’t sell the puppy variety and I’m near no stores that do.
Thanks in advance!
– Lisa
Hi Lisa, it’s important to ensure your puppy’s diet provides all essential nutrients. These differ from adult dogs. There’s more information here.
Have you considered buying food online and getting it delivered? Most online retailers offer free delivery if you spend over a certain amount.
Thankyou for posting such great reviews. I am feeding my 2 goldies raw for paws food which is fresh all natural dog food made in Brisbane but is costing me 6.50 a day.
What is your all time favourite grain free dry food that cost less than the raw4paws.
Cheers
Jenny
Hi Jenny, I try not to be an advocate for specific foods and some dogs take to foods where others don’t. It’s a case of finding what’s right for you and your dog.
All the grain free foods listed here are pretty good, and mostly range from $7/kg to $10/kg if you opt for larger bags.
Thanks for the review.
This appears to be the only brand in the Best Dry Dog Food list that is available at a supermarket chain.
I give it to my dogs if I run out of 5-star food while waiting on the next delivery.
The Omega-3 level seems low but I make up for it with fish oil capsules.
I generally buy a 5.5kg bag when its discounted by 20%, reducing the price to under $24, or $4.36 per kg.
Hi Alan,
Petstock are now selling a 15kg bag that is not available in Supermarkets. This should work out cheaper still.
Cheers!
Stefan
From MPM makers of Applaws it’s All Good’
Firstly congratulations on your excellent web site. We believe that it is truly fantastic that you are helping to bring clarity to pet owners on what is in the food they feed.
We can confirm ‘Applaws it all Good’ is not made in Thailand it is proudly made in Australia with Australian ingredients. On the front of the bag, on the back and on the side of each bag we proudly carry the ‘Australian Made’ logo. For more information about ‘Australian Made’ please see the link below. Applaws is available in many leading retailers and independent pet stores across Australia. We can provide an accurate carb level of 34.6%, slightly lower than your approximation.
An important difference in our food is that our Australian natural barn raised – cage free – chicken and turkey meat meal is guaranteed ‘Feather Free’. As you may know chicken feathers are used by many major pet food companies as a cheap way of adding protein to their food (please google chicken feather meal in pet food). We refuse to use it.
Keep up the good work with the quality of information pet owners deserve.
http://www.australianmade.com.au/why-buy-australian-made/about-the-logo/
Kind regards,
Mark Frampton – Applaws
Hi there, is applaws a complete meal? As I don’t want to feed any wet food.
Hi Tracey, yes, the dry food is a complete balanced diet. The wet foods from Applaws are for supplemental feeding. That said, there are inherent benefits of feeding wet food along with a base dry diet.
I have just bought the pouches from Coles after researching the product, but now see it is labelled; Made in Thailand?
Hi Mark – Loads of complaints of the cat and dog biscuits recently containing blue plastic. I find this very concerning. Would you please shed some light?