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When I first wrote this review I said Frontier Pets is one of the best, if not the best, dog foods you can buy in Australia.
Rewriting this review in 2024 has shown that to be the case based on incredible feedback I’ve received from many pet owners who’ve switched to Frontier Pets.
Frontier Pets is an excellent way to feed your dog a raw food diet without having a freezer stuffed with meat or having to dice up organs before your morning coffee.
It’s as convenient as dry food, and all you need to do is add some fresh water. Voila – balanced raw!
As of 2024, Frontier Pets have upgraded to a bigger and better facility in Pinkenba, Brisbane, which is great news for us and raises the bar even higher for Australian pet food.
Convinced already? Head over to the Frontier Pets website, or read on to find out more…
Beefer Girl!
I flew from Perth to Brisbane, hired a car, and drove down to Evans Head to meet Di and the team at Frontier Pets and check out their factory. When I arrived I was greeted by this dog – Beefer Girl.
It turned out to be such a heartwarming story!
Beefer Girl’s owner sadly passed away, leaving her homeless on the outskirts of Evans Head, scavenging for food at a local car mechanics and other small businesses.
That was until Frontier Pets moved in.
Since then, Beefer Girl has been lovingly adopted by the staff at Frontier Pets, and it has to be said she’s now, quite likely, the best fed “stray” in the world!
Needless to say she had a big cuddle from me during my visit!
Frontier Pets review
About Frontier Pets
Back in 2018 Diana from Frontier Pets featured on Shark Tank. Entrepreneur Steve Baxter stated how consumers “buy the lowest cost thing”, how we “don’t care about Australian made” or “care about environmentally friendly, or anything else”.
I doubt Mr Baxter feeds his pets the cheapest possible thing, do you? We know how unhealthy those processed dog foods can be, don’t we?
I also think Australian made is worth caring about. I think it makes a difference when we support small Australian pet food companies (and farmers) who offer us a better solution for our pets.
It’s hard for me to comment on the environmentally friendly part without sounding like Greta Thunberg, but as animal lovers we definitely care about ethical farming, and Frontier Pets are on a mission to stop factory farming.
How good is that?
Why freeze dried dog food is better than kibble
I’ve researched and reviewed many types of dog food over the years and have to say freeze dried is the best of all worlds – it’s the easiest way of feed “raw” with the convenience and ease of “kibble”, yet with almost perfect nutrient retention.
You just need to add fresh, clean water.
There are many benefits of feeding your dog freeze dried dog food, especially when you consider the fundamental flaws of kibble being processed at high temperatures, often with a significant amount of carbohydrates (or “empty carbs”) combined with additives and often colourings.
The following video is a great introduction to Frontier Pets and the benefits of freeze dried dog food:
Dr Katrina Warren is an Australian veterinarian, TV, and Radio presenter, and the video covers her interview with Diana Scott the founder of Frontier Pets.
What the ingredients say about Frontier Pets
Let’s take a deeper look at the Free-range Grass fed Beef formula (which I randomly selected for no particular reason). The other formulas are just as good.
The first ingredient is beef, exactly what we expect to see as the main ingredient. The second ingredient is beef offal and tripe.
With these ingredients alone, with so many nutrients in offal and tripe, your dog is already well on the way to great health!
The guaranteed analysis confirms a significant amount of meat in the food, with a dry matter protein of 43.7% and fat content of 30.2%, with animal fats being a great source of energy and highly digestible for a dog.
With most dog foods being really high in carbohydrates (which turn to sugars and lead to so many health issues), it’s great to see Frontier Pets is so low in carbohydrates.
There’s no trickery with Frontier Pets. It’s formulated for your dog, not rammed with grains which are unnatural for our dogs to eat.
There’s a range of organic fruits and veggies in the food, including carrots, apple, broccoli, spinach, and kelp. All these are beneficial for your dog, either from vitamins and minerals, or as antioxidants to help your dog ward off heart disease and cancers.
Sweet potatoes are included as one of the best carb ingredients in a pet food as well as a source of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibre.
It’s great to see whole eggs as a complete protein source.
Flaxseed is included as an excellent source of omega fats to boost the immune system, aid joint health, and give your dog a healthy, shiny coat.
The only comparative food is K9 Natural which we rate highly, but Frontier Pets looks better on many counts. Neither of these brands are cheap compared to kibble, but you’re paying for a true-to-form canine diet of raw meats with the convenience of being freeze dried.
It really is a fantastic dog food, and I wholeheartedly recommend you at least try it. I’m confident in saying at least some Frontier Pets in your dog’s diet will offer them a happier, healthier life.
Frontier Pets is one of the best dog foods money can buy in Australia.
Where to buy Frontier Pets
As a Pet Food Reviews reader you can get 15% OFF your first order of Frontier Pets using the discount code PETFOODREVIEWS15, or click the button below:
Frontier Pets also offer a trial pack if you want to give it a go, or a huge combo pack for bulk savings.
It’s also worth noting they offer beef tripe strips as an excellent treat, both for nutrition and a great option for training.
Is Frontier Pets suitable for puppies?
Yes! Frontier Pets is for all life stages so suitable for the puppy phase. In fact, there’s even a Frontier Pets puppy starter pack.
Here’s a video with more information:
Frontier Pets on Shark Tank (Season 4 Episode 12)
Diana Scott from Frontier Pets featured on Shark Tank Australia Season 4 Episode 12. Despite not getting any offers from the sharks, Diana made the excellent point “the pet industry is one of the worst in terms of supplying produce that comes from dubious sources”, with Frontier Pets designed to offer consumers a better, safer alternative.
Shark Tank entrepreneur Steve Baxter chose not to make an offer based on the following statement – “Can I tell you a secret about consumers? The buy the lowest cost thing”, and “[consumers] don’t care about Australian made, they don’t care about environmentally friendly, or anything else”.
Shark Glen Richards, director of PetBarn, City Farmers, and founder and CEO of Greencross, offers a different perspective by stating “25% [of Australian dog owners] are putting the dog in their bed”, and “we’re humanising our approach to our pets”. Despite expressing a love for what Frontier Pets are doing, chose not to make an offer due to production scale not being sufficient to cater for 260 PetBarn stores across Australia.
Since the episode of Shark Tank aired in 2018, Frontier Pets has continued to grew independently, now operating with two freeze dryers and a third soon to be installed. The company has additionally contributed over $3mil (at the time of writing) to ethical farming in Australia.
Must watch Frontier Pets videos!
Here are a couple of must-watch Frontier Pets videos. The first is an excellent insight into why most dog foods are so cheap (you get what you pay for, right?). The second shows how Frontier Pets freeze-dried dog food is made in their independent Australian manufacturing facility.
Frontier Pets ingredients
The ingredients of Frontier Pets dog food (Free-Range Grass Fed Beef) as of August 2021 is as follows:
Beef meat from free-range grass fed beef, beef offal and tripe from free-range grass fed beef, organic carrots, organic apples, organic broccoli, organic spinach, organic sweet potato, free-range pasturised whole eggs, organic flaxseed meal, natural almond meal, organic kelp, organic turmeric, trace amounts of supplements vitamin D3; E; zinc, manganese, and iron.
Frontier Pets Typical Analysis
Frontier Pets use a typical analysis which means the percentages may vary either way for a particular batch. This differs from a guaranteed analysis where the percentages are a guaranteed minimum.
The typical analysis of Frontier Pets dog food (Free-Range Grass Fed Beef) as of August 2021 is as follows:
| Protein | 49.6% |
| Fat | 33.5% |
| Crude Fibre | 1.5% |
| Carbohydrates | 9% |
Frontier Pets dog food review by David D’Angelo
Shipping is free on Frontier Pets orders over $100.00.
That said, we’re having some difficulty on the website adding a pre-order of their new freeze dried mussels treats to our subscription due in October.
Had a similar issue in the past and they resolved it quickly over the phone.
Price change on July 1 and absolutely no email about it to any customers that are on a subscription with them.
It’s a sizeable increase too – about $50 extra in a 12-week delivery cycle.
Frontier are claiming that the increase is in response to feedback for them to “offer free shipping” similar to other online retailers, but they’ve cranked the product cost up well beyond what covers it.
Shipping for my order was approximately $30 before (which is already not cheap) for 3x 2.5kg bags. You mean to tell me, that of the $500 my subscription now costs, that $80 of that is shipping?
This would not be so bad if there was at least some sort of notification. As a result, the whole thing seems very underhanded… Disappointing, and I’ll be looking elsewhere now after 2.5 years.
Hi Andrew,
Yes, I just went to order and saw the same thing and now wondering what to do as my girl loves it and it has done her crazy belly wonders but it is a lot of money and I have another dog but sadly can’t feed her this product due to the price as she does not have any health issues she can be on a normal diet and I do supplement the other dog with a vet allergy food so I can stretch out the Frontier.
But also disappointed, you want to do the best for your dogs, but this is just getting out of reach
We completely understand your concerns. It can be tough balancing quality nutrition with budget constraints, especially when you want the best for both your dogs. It’s great that you’re attentive to their dietary needs, and it sounds like you’re already doing a good job supplementing with vet-approved food for your other dog. Frontier can also be used as a topper on other meals, for more ideas Contact our Customer Care team.
$80 shipping does sound excessive if that’s the case. Have you contacted Frontier Pets to see what their thoughts are?
I burst in to tears when I got to the “egg sample” video.
The shark tank pitch video grew my understanding and product knowledge for Frontier Petsts.
Naiomi & Janine’s enthusiasm was appreciated, it was nice to see women supporting women and providing appropriate levels of respect in a what appeared to be a challenging environment.
Naiomi you’re a rockstar, keep being you.
Although I am yet to be a customer of Frontier Pets (but I will be) my girl Brissy has inadvertently been able to sample Frontier Pets when she’s been visiting my aunty and absolutely loves it she rates it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars!
We’ve been feeding our border collie Frontier varieties (and the beef tripe treats) for over two years as part of a rotational feeding regime that includes many of the brands reviewed here: Eureka, Lyka, Petzyo (kibble and barf patties) and Orijen when we can source it.
Of these, it’s his favourite (particularly when we cut a little apple up into the pork version) It also seems easiest on his digestive system- to the point where it’s our go to if he gets a runny bum.
I’ll have to disagree with Angie below. The food doesn’t “turn to dust” and soup. Quite the contrary. And our dog is quite satiated after his meal- and as a border collies, he’s a very active and energetic dog.
While it may not be the cheapest feed, it’s comparable with the premium brands above and easier to store long term and take with us on trips.
We’ve observed the same results with our dog and have tried numerous brands. Frontier Pets has been the only freeze-dried dog food that is completely balanced for my dog. Although it’s a premium brand, I find it quite affordable for its quality. It’s beneficial for picky eaters like my dog and contributes to a healthier coat and skin.
I changed to this a while back and one of my dogs (maltese) got an infection around the bottom of his mouth and one of his eyes. He had it for months and 3 courses of antibiotics later, i finally got rid of it … because i stopped feeding this food.
When there’s some kind of skin irritation on a dog that you just can’t clear up, it’s generally the food they are eating. In this case … Frontier. Keep that in mind if something turns up on your dog.
Hey Ken, that’s a suprise, my dog is the opposite. His eyes use to water and his mouth used to be very dark when I fed kibbles or other dog food. He’s super healthy and skin and coats is perfect. I think it can be challenging for all dogs to find the right food because there’s no one size fits all. For example, some dogs can eat raw food, while others can’t because it upsets their stomach or they have a sensitive tummy. I guess the same goes for kibble or fresh food – if they are allergic, then the food’s not for them.
It’s EXTREMELY overpriced mush which literally crumbles into dust. If you add the amount of water they suggest you are making a soup. The dog is hungry few hours later so I highly question official version of carbs %
You can feed your dog steak cheaper and definitely better. Just a hype. Wonder how they could afford that 3mln? No brainer. Go with freeze dried where you actually see the real meat.
I initially fed my girls Frontier Pork as they preferred it to the chicken but had to call it quits as they do better on a fish-based diet. I did approach Frontier Pets earlier in 2022 and they said in the New Year (2023) they would be looking at possibly launching a lamb and fish variety but nothing came of it unfortunately. I will say the change in the shape of the product did make a difference with my 2 as they tended to like it not dry but not mushy either. Could you perhaps create a section on fish-based diets for dogs?
Hey Diana, it seems like they have a Lamb and Salmon now in stock which is awesome my dog loves them.
My dog loves this food as well as the freeze dried chicken necks. He is 4.5yr ShiTzu x Maltese and a rescue which I have owned for about 7 weeks. He came to me eating Pal dried kibble. I introduced him to Frontier Pets and he loves it. Literally licks his lips while waiting for me to give him his food. His coat has become softer and glossy, energy levels are great and I have never seen a dog be so keen to eat his meal. It is so easy to prepare and to know I am giving him something nutritious is very satisfying. Worth every cent in my opinion for the health of my dog.
My standard poodle has had Frontier puppy beef since 8 weeks with Eureka kangaroo as training treats or the frontier in a camping tube. She is about to turn one. She has thrived and had all her nutritional needs and a healthy athletic body. I am so pleased with her condition and to add ….solid dark poos and no gas! Thanks for your reviews, they make choosing easy.
That’s great to hear!
I’ve learnt so much from this website, absolute godsend! Thank you for all your hard work and research!
Have you heard of urban pet food? https://www.urbanpetfood.com.au/
It’s an Adelaide based company which I recently stumbled upon in my local south Australian pet shop. It sounded promising, but, I must admit I’m rather naive with some aspects still. Would you consider doing a review for this Australian freeze dried brand?
Thank you
Hi Brooke, I can’t say I know much about the company but will look into it. From skirting over their website it looks good – similar to Ziwi and Eureka being air-dried.
Thank you very much for your reply. Your website is truly my holy grail at the moment, keep up the incredible work! I can’t begin to imagine how many hours/days/weeks worth of work goes into your reviews. It’s appreciated
Many thanks Brooke, feedback such as this is always very much appreciated!
So after a journey of nearly 20 different dog food brands we’ve finally come to Frontier. Our (notoriously picky) Aussie Shepherd loves it. Really loves it. Dances around waiting at the food bowl in fact! And so far, it’s one of the few brands that doesn’t upset his tummy. We are pretty impressed but … the price!!! For larger dogs it’s a lot. And, unlike most companies, there is no free shipping over a certain dollar value either. As a result we are doing a 50/50 split with Petzyo dry food and so far, so good. If you have a small pup I’d unreservedly recommend Frontier but there’s definitely a price concern with medium/large breeds. That said, we love seeing our boy dance around for his dinner as it’s just not been the experience with other brands. So if you can afford it definitely give Frontier a go! There are a number of negative reviews on other review websites around the food arriving broken up and crumbled but on our fourth bag this isn’t something we’ve experienced as yet. We just wish we could afford to feed the 100% bowl option!
As great as Frontier is I don’t think many of us can afford to feed it exclusively. I know I can’t with my dog (Border Collie), so I do the same as you with a variety.
I think the negative reviews are more from a false expectation. Freeze dried foods are dry and crumbly by nature, but I think some people don’t expect that, or they believe adding water will reconstitute the food completely.
Try Eureka its great also.
I used Fronteir pets until I discovered Eureka, my 2 go mad for it. I add it to their Raw food.
My dog loves her food; bought this based on reviews and she did not like. Support from company was atrocious and hideously expensive for ‘quality’. Back to our kiwi favourites. Would not recommend or ever buy again
There is some concerning reviews on product reviews of the change in quality of Frontier Pets food. Now being smaller and crumblier. Any insight into this and if it is a concern?
Hey Rob, I can confirm as well that the size is similar to K9Natural size which is seems to be a standard sizes for freeze-dried raw products since it’s better when adding the water to rehydrate. I don’t see crumbs in my 300g-600g bags.
Hi Rob, I don’t think the change in size matters too much, and the crumbliness doesn’t seem too much of an issue as long as the nutrition is there. I think most of these concerns stem from a change or an expectation, but I can’t say I’ve heard anything negative other than that. Other concerns I’ve had recently are how the pieces won’t absorb as much water (also an expectation), and someone the other day stated a concern that it smelled like offal, which is a positive thing in my book!
I have a 15 year old maltese cross – a rescue dog who’d been through trauma. He could not keep down regular dog food and I was getting desperate. I bought some Frontier and this has been a lifesaver. I wet down the food which solves his other problem of not enough fluid. A win-win. Little Jack Sprat is thriving at the moment.
Ah, that’s really good to hear Kaye!
I bought some frontier pets to try, not really impressed. Add water and it turns into a bowl of slop with floaters. I prefer the dogs dont have to drink their food. Wont bother again.
Hey Ceri, I think that’s an option if you’d want to add water or not. It’s just a recommendation to add water or have them aside so they have plenty of water during the day.
My father purchased a bag of this for his elderly dog and offered to give me some to try.
After a precursor look through the ingredients and at who the company was online I accepted the offer.
I have now been feeding both of my dogs on Frontier Pets and couldnt be happier honestly. Its the only pet food I feed with absolute confidence that it’s coming from a trustworthy good source and my two absolutely love it. 10/10 will keep buying as long as I have dogs.
Once water is added is there still enough “roughage” to support oral and dental health?
Hi Ruby, personally I wouldn’t rely on any commercial dog food to clean teeth, although just like us a diet of carbs and sugar can promote bad dental health.
Frontier Pets have an interesting article here, and to directly quote from the section on “Cleaner teeth” about half way down – “The only thing that will clean your dog’s teeth, is a raw meaty bone. We recommend feeding your dog a bone once a week and leaving them to chew on it for no more than two days.”
I also find the Frontier Pets dried chicken necks pretty good for dogs to chew on, which would especially be the case for smaller dogs.
Having fed my somewhat fussy American bulldog on Frontier for the last 6 months with no issues, unfortunately I will have to call it quits.
The newly packaged formula is not the same as the previous product. A new pelletising process has been a disaster. My 5kg pork order came in 2 clear bags rather than the previously 1 opaque bag. Immediately I noticed a large amount of powder in the bottom of the bag. Significantly. more than previously. The real issue came when I added the water and the pellets did not absorb the water as easily as previously. I could leave the bowl 10 minutes and come back to semi soft pellets still floating on water. The previous product would absorb the water in 2 minutes and be nice and hydrated with a nice “gravy”. The dog was not impressed. I persevered, trying hot, warm and cold water but the dog was not super keen as she was before. The last kilo was thrown out as no amount of cajoling or coercion would get the dog to eat the stuff. I was genuinely disappointed as previously the dog would get so excited for it. Such a shame.
Added to the fact that the shipping times are 3+ weeks to WA, with no alternatives which left me wondering if the product would arrive on time, have completed my capitulation. I had contacted Frontier pets previously to see if there were any shipping alternatives other than Auspost and was told no couriers would come because Frontier Pets are too far away. I find this hard to believe. I am sure couriers would come, the shipping may have been exorbitant, but ultimately it would be up to the customer to decide what they are willing to pay.
So I will just use Ziwi Peak exclusively instead, which she loves. Previously she ate Ziwi and Frontier to give her some variation. Plus I have the convenience of walking into the shop and buying a bag whenever I want. Hopefully Ziwi Peak won’t tweak the process!
Hi – am i reading it wrong or does the fat content seem high?
I have a dog that struggles a little with weight not for lack of excercising and eating right i was feeding im a balanced raw diet but hes just not eating and now with the hotter weathher i dont want to risk leaving it out to long when he doesnt touch it – so i have decided to try biscits as muh as i never wanted to! with what my boy eats he should be on the lighter side, have had lots of tests etc done and so far no cause so i just need to be caeful with obviously foods with a high fat content
furthermore my boy and i thank you for this list and thoroughly researched info 🙂
I won’t be buying FP again, my dog didn’t really like it and a bag I bought of the chicken recipe last year had a bad, chemical smell. Obviously I didn’t feed it to my dog. Expensive food to throw away
I’ve recently discovered Bonnie and I, it smells great and my GSD absolutely loves it.
Hi Julie, I’m sorry to hear that – it’s not often I hear anything negative about Frontier Pets.
It’s worth reading the review of Purina Bonnie if you haven’t already, and keep the ingredients in mind.
I am pretty sure Julie means Bonnie & I freeze dried meals, not the Purina one – my dog is a big fan of them too
Without doubt the best dog food I have ever come across.
Natural, healthy, full of wonderful ingredients, and even smells great. My little cavoodle has a very sensitive gastric system, yet she absolutely thrives on it, and she simply inhales within seconds.
I cannot speak highly enough about Frontier Pets. Their customer service is fantastic too.
10/10
*****
Perfect, perfect, perfect food for dogs!
I’m horrified to realise that Advance and Crave are so so so trash. And now I have guilt. My vet never once mentioned those foods are no good. My dog has liver and kidney issues and dental disease.
So I’ve today order Eukanuba and Frontier, to mix and match.
I’m hopeful of a happier dog, and hoping it will relieve some of his kidney/liver issues.
The more you know
Don’t feed Eukanuba! It’s a terrible product! The ingredients on the back are a real eye opener
Ive just ordered my first bag.
I have been feeding my.girl totally raw and then added Ziwipeak and now will be adding Frontier beef to her diet.
The 9.7 rating and all the great reviews made it an easy choice.
I also have a fussy Border Collie who previously had tummy issues. He loves this! Gobbles it all up and no more tummy issues. It’s nice to have the convenience and know he is getting good food.
Hi Amanda, can I ask what tummy issues this has helped with? I have a problem child with food. Thanks
He would often have bouts of diarrhoea.
We have a fussy 9-month-old Border Collie.
We have tried Frontier Pets (all varieties), Ziwi (most dry and all wet varieties) and Orijen (Puppy) – all Super-Premium foods but the Frontier is the pick of the bunch IMO plus it’s made in Australia.
The Frontier Chicken is her favourite followed by the Pork
We signed up to auto deliver to get a 5% discount.
The customer service is great in my personal experience.
Overall, I am just grateful to be able to purchase such a high-quality product for her.
Also had issues with a chicken pack dated 6-Oct-23. Smelt off but I thought that’s how it should smell first time trying it. My dog threw up overnight. They still insist it’s safe to feed. Not taking any chances. They really should’ve done a recall with others having similar issues
He would often have bouts of diarrhoea.
Do you know if that issue has been resolved, otherwise I will steer clear of that one
My girls are both eating the Pork for breakfast I initially tried them on chicken but they seem to do so much better on the pork. They love it Matilda jumps up and down of a morning while waiting for me to put her bowl down of course they like it soft and well soaked.
My one year old 30kg American Bully was not food motivated at all.
As a puppy he was fed a healthy and as organic as possible raw diet. When the vet advised raw diets do not provide all the nutrients he needs I introduced Ziwipeak which he enjoyed!
As he grew his motivation and enthusiasm for both raw and Ziwipeak slowly diminished. I tried other high quality dry foods along with different raw combinations however was not able to get him to eat regularly on his own.
For me, feeding times become a little stressful where he would only eat if I hand fed him and usually after exercise while mingling with the beach locals. At times he would go most of the day without eating and to me looked thin (and I’d worry). Others didn’t notice and advised he’d eat when he was hungry. Unfortunately, I couldn’t wait that long so if he would only eat from my hand then so be it – hand feeding it was!
A friend recently introduced me to Frontier beef. A sample cup and OMG – It was the first time ever he came to the kitchen when I was preparing his food, obviously smelling the flavours. It was the first time ever he ate from his bowl with no enticing. I was elated.
Yes, it is going to cost me $500 p/month to feed him and worth every penny. Not only is he receiving a well balanced, organic, nutritious diet made in Australia, but his motivation to eat has increased and the stress I felt with him not eating is reduced (soon to be non-existent)
Thank you for such a great product Frontier – great information in this review and personally highly recommended dog food!
I am surprised that in your review, you haven’t noted one of the cons of Frontier is cost whereas you have for ZiwiPeak. To feed my 25kg dog on purely Frontier is $15 a day, where’s ZiwiPeak is $10 a day, a significant difference given they are both regarded as very high quality food. While I fully believe in feeding my dog high quality food, I’m not sure that Frontier is 50% better than ZiwiPeak.
It’s not even close to ziwi
Yeah I definitely feel the frontier review is incredibly bias. It reads like an advert.
Totally agree!
The issue per say with Frontier vs Ziwi is one is freeze dried the other air dried, Frontier uses many organic ingredients whereas Ziwi simply uses free range and does not contain organic veggies and fruits, which will add to the cost.
Freeze dried foods are still incredibly expensive, despite the technology being better and buyable by anyone. I’m not sure if one looses more water weight than the other though, as that will factor in additional costs too.
Ziwi also utilises synthetic vitamins and minerals this will make it cheaper than having to utilise those with real foods. We know from Orijen that using real food instead of synthetics the food ends up costing a crazy amount.
Hi Jane, I think the earlier Frontier Pets review did mention cost so that’s been lost in the updated version. Fair point.
It’s interesting to see your comparison in cost. Is that based on the feeding guidelines or from your experience? I find feeding guidelines vary drastically from product to product so not always a reliable metric, but it’s interesting to see the significant cost difference in this case.
My experience is that feeding guidelines are, at best, an estimate. When I mix/match/change food , I base my quantities on energy contained in the food. I know my dog uses 1100kCals per day so I use the energy content on the label as a basis and work out the quantity of food that meets the 1100 kCal requirement.
Even then, you need to be careful. Though energy on the label is quoted as ME (metabolisable energy), I’m not sure it truly represents the way a dog metabolises different food groups. For example, in the ME calculation, 1 gram of protein exerts the same energy as 1 gram of carbohydrate. This does not correlate with my understanding that the canine short intestinal tract does not metabolise carbs as well as protein.
Take an extreme example: a bunch of carrots may exert an ME of 1000kCals. I’m certain that my dog would acquire less usable energy eating these than if she ate a chunk of meat with an ME of 1000kCals.
Having said all that, I still use, as a starting point, the kCal/day calculation to look at cost to feed our dog.
It may not be quite correct now but as I recall, based on 1100kCals, FP worked out to be about $12.00/day, ZP worked out to be about $8.00/day (depending on recipe) and Proudi works out to be around $6.50/day. To run a comparison such as this, you, of course, need to be happy that you are comparing comparable foods.
Update on Frontier Pets Chicken [Batch 29/9/2023]
I have just spoken with Jo and am getting a refund as I’m not going to be buying this food anymore. It was explained that they didn’t recall the food as there was no sign of illness in dogs as a result of this batch issue, I did tell them that both of my dogs were ill, but we don’t know if it was the food or not.
Jo did explain that there’s variation in the food, but this batch smelled strongly. But testing showed there was nothing that would make the dogs ill.
My confidence is gone, but I do appreciate they took the time to speak to me, and refund in full.
Hi Sophie, can I please ask what symptoms your dogs had? Mine has had Diarrhea on and off for a few weeks, so I put him on cooked chicken and it clears up but then when I revert back to the frontier chicken it starts again. Only popped up when starting the latest batch of food, same expiry date as yours. He’s also always had really dry skin but in the last 2 weeks it’s gotten really bad.
Chicken, especially raw chicken can be a major tummy upset trigger for many dogs. Mine can’t eat the Frontier Raw chicken in the pack but is fine eating one dried neck per day as a snack.
Our fusspot 15 month old LOVES Frontier – dry not wet. we just make sure water is freely available.
I’ve just noticed something that doesn’t make sense and I’m hoping that someone reading this (or the webmaster) can assist my understanding. I am aware that protein and fat are important nutrients and the 49.6% protein and 33.5% fat for Frontier Pets beef has attracted my attention.
I got to wondering how that compares with other foods.
Because dog foods are available in all different forms, I felt the best way to compare was on a “per 1000kCal” basis. I chose 1000 because, conveniently, my dog burns about 1000kCals per day so I can then compare on a “per day” basis.
So using information from the FP website I would need 204 grams of freeze dried FP beef pellets to satisfy my dogs energy demand for one day.
204 grams of FP pellets contain:
101.1 gram of protein
68.3 grams of fat
18.3 grams of carbs
Lets compare with another “raw” product, Proudi Beef. Info from the Proudi website indicates that 584 grams of Proudi Beef is required to satisfy our dogs energy burn over one day. That makes sense because, compared with FP, Proudi hasn’t been dried so there is moisture contributing to the weight.
584 grams of Proudi patty contains:
90.6 grams Protein
53.7 grams fat
13.4 grams of carbs
So, per calorie Proudi has less protein, less fat and less carbs than FP.
The issue is, Proudi doesn’t contain fruit and veggies like FP. Its mainly meat, offal and ground bones.
I know that FP contains broccoli and spinach which both pack more protein per cal than meat but they are way down the list, below apples and carrots so I cant see them having much influence on the overall protein level. And what is then contributing to the higher fat?
So how does Proudi have less protein and less fat than FP? The “less carbs” i understand.
What have I missed? Can someone explain?
Hi Neil, it’s a good question and I hope I can answer somewhat. There’s some leniency in how pet food manufacturers list percentages. Both Frontier Pets and Proudi have minimal carbs (barely any in fact), so amount of moisture is a key factor. You’ll find pet foods will either have a “guaranteed analysis” or a “typical analysis”, the first guarantees the percentage is an absolute minimum, whereas the latter can go either way batch by batch (so more variance). Figures can also be wet weight, dry weight, or dry weight accounting for some moisture/ash (typically 10% moisture, 8% ash in a dry food). Some air/freeze/raw brands offer figures which are solely dry weight without accounting for any moisture whatsoever as it makes the protein and fat look higher in comparison. To make matters even more complicated, feeding guidelines will also factor in minimum nutrients as per AAFCO standards to ensure the dog is getting all necessary nutrition per day. So there’s also variance in how many grams are recommended per day.
Thanks so much for taking the time out to respond. I reckon my methodology has taken into account the moisture content because I used the analysis from the FP website, where it states “as freeze dried product”. I have also assumed that the Proudi analysis is for the product “as is”. Whist checking all this, I also noticed a slight slip-up in your FP review… you state that FP beef analysis is “guaranteed” but the FP website shows the same numbers as “typical”. I bet you did that to make sure your readers are paying attention!
Anyway, I think the fact that FP and Proudi’s figures are typical may be causing the disparity mentioned in my previous post so thanks for pointing that out.
As far as I’m aware, the only things that contribute to energy (kCals) is protein, fat, carbs and alcohol. Stuff like ash, minerals and water contribute to the weight but not the calorific value of the product. I think its fair to say that there’s no alcohol in either FP or Proudi so the total calorie count must come from the other three compounds.
Going back to my previous post, I calculated grams of food required to deliver 1000 kCal and then divided these grams into protein, fat and carbs using the typical analysis data from the product’s websites.
It seems to be well accepted that:
Fat contains 9.4 kCals/gram
Protein contains 4.2 kCals/gram
Carbs contain 4.2 kCals /gram
If we apply these numbers to the grams of fat, protein and carbs for each product in my previous post we arrive at:
FP = 1143 kCals (instead of 1000 kCal)
Proudi = 941 kCals (instead of 1000 kCal)
I understand that comparisons like these are fraught with danger, but we can possibly interpret these numbers as showing that the FP fat, protein and carb percentages are nearer the top of the “typical” band whilst the Proudi figures are nearer the bottom of the “typical” band.
This could explain the disparity highlighted in my previous post.
I probably need to get a life……………………….
BTW, we have both Proudi in our freezer and FP in our cupboard and I reckon they are both great products!
It’s a very interesting observation and really highlights how differently these figures can be labelled across products, especially with raw/barf/air/freeze dried dog foods. I think it’s one of the most interesting comments anyone has made on Pet Food Reviews! In terms of dry foods I’m wary of typical rather than guaranteed analysis, but at least with Proudi and Frontier Pets the ingredients show the ingredients to all be appropriate and mostly animal.
I have been buying this food for about 9 months, purchasind 2.8kg bags of the chicken. Normally my two pups love it. When I presented them food from the most recent bag, however a couple of meals into the bag, the dogs wouldn’t touch it.
After speaking to the company I was informed a “problem was coming to light” regarding a batch of the chicken. And as it turns out my bag was from that batch.
Two weeks after consuming this “problem” food, both dogs have had to be at the vet with skin problems and inflammation. We can’t say for sure it’s the food, but we can’t say it’s not…
THEY SHOULD HAVE RECALLED THE FOOD. Since in the main they sell directly to a customer base, they have a record of who is buying what.
I’m very disappointed and very unhappy.
Hi Sophia, when was this? I’m aware they made a precautionary alert with the chicken formula due to an incident with one dog, and the diet was only one possibility of many. I was actually very surprised at how much effort they went through to notify consumers even though the issue with that one dog probably wasn’t anything to do with the food.
On another note though, it’s well worth considering possible causes of the skin problems and inflammation. Not discounting Frontier Pets, and also chicken as a common allergen, but other products they were fed, environmental factors etc?
The food expiry is 29/9/2023.
I have one dog who is very picky and highly allergic to grasses and other environmental factors, so when he got sick I wasn’t surprised and didn’t make a connection to the food. But my other dog, a 10 month labradoodle who is a garbage guts, is very robust and hasn’t shown any signs of sensitivity started manically itching and biting herself, and got a sore on her side – which clearly wasn’t a contact allergy, combined with her rather going without food than eating food from that batch made me want to put two and two together. Since they haven’t been on that food they have both recovered. No other variables have changed.
Hi Sophia,
Are you able to provide any information about which batch this was from? I recently received my order from Frontier Pets and I have an unopened 2.8 Kg bag of the chicken. Did Frontier Pets offer you a refund/replacement and have they been able to provide any more information about what the problem with the food was?
I’m sorry that this happened to you, it makes it so much harder because our pets can tell us what’s wrong.
It is a batch expiring 29/9/2023. sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
Hi Pat (and also Sophia), I’ve just gone through my emails and the Frontier Pets chicken issue was in February when some routine tests showed variable thiamine results, but further testing of dogs showed no issues. Here’s a snippet from the Frontier Pets email which summarised what happened:
“I want to take this opportunity to give you an update about the low Vitamin B in one of our chicken batches.
Firstly, thanks so much for your patience. It has taken ages to get all of our tests back and we appreciate you waiting.
There was a batch of chicken produced in February, that had variable thiamine results.
We then proceeded to undertake some blood testing on dogs that were on our chicken at this time and still feed it. All of the results came back ‘excellent’. There were no issues of low anything, anywhere”
I’m not aware of any other issues since then, and this report from Sophia has been the only issue I’ve been notified of.
The expiry on the batch is 29/9/2023
In all honesty I have to say that Frontier is getting a little full of themselves, in that light their also not dealing with things as they should be dealing with them.
They’ve known about the chicken for awhile now, I said to many people that they should recall it. That would be the right thing to do in this case. Clearly that never happened.
They’ve also posted some non fact checked articles, which I was not happy about at all. I even believe my comment got deleted on one of them.
Because I was sure it was that one with that picture I wrote that freeze dried is not hard to find. Than I had to write it again, it’s actually very easy to find.
They probably hated me writing that as I was talking about others who were not them. Any other freeze dried than them is not allowed. I did not mention names, just that’s it’s easy to find.
They’ve either lost consumers and are money tight or they’ve gained more and are now rolling in dough lol. Either of those 2, can create bad in people over time. I’m definitely seeing a change, so something has definitely happened.
FANTASTIC CUSTOMER SERVICE – just wanted to say how helpful the admin team are at Frontier Pets. I accidentally ordered too much food, and they ran around and cancelled my excess order without any fuss and issued a refund. Very happy with the service.
Tried this with my two dogs. The prep work is a little annoying, but not the end of the world.
One of my dogs is a bit fussy and the other not. The fussy one wouldn’t touch any of the 3 flavors unless The excess water was drained out. The other one was OK with them all but was a bit hesitant.
My cavoodle seems to be doing well on Frontier but I’m finding it too expensive – around $50 per month. I would love to find one that’s a bit cheaper but just as good.
I just did this the pricing on all the freeze dried and 1 air dried food I know about. Prices are based on mainly Habitat Pets, always shop around for the best price.
K9 Natural = 500g $38, 1.8kg $115, 3.6kg $200.
Woof = 280g $35, 1.2kg $100.
Ziwi peak air dried = 454g $38, 1kg $70, 2.5kg $150, 4kg $235.
Our Patch = 500g $27, 1kg $52.
Meat Mates = 400g $26, 1.5kg $85.
Kiwi Kitchens = 425g $40, 900g $70, 1.8kg $110.
Sounds awesome, where is the cheapest place to purchase Frontier Pet Food?
I contacted Frontier and they do have it for sale in a few vets but she told me the extra they add on is more than the postage. I used to purchase small bags but I’ve gone to the larger ones to save on postage. I also now mix it with raw meat to keep the price down and I have two very large dogs. It’s honestly the best dog food I can find. I used to feed a completely raw diet of pretty much the same ingredients so I now keep this in hand for times I run out or and feeling lazy. Mixing the two is the only thing at I can afford it.
Direct from Frontier seems to be the way the vast majority of people are buying it. Last I looked at the website there were a handful of vets and other outlets also carrying it, you might conceivably save a bit on shipping if one of those happens to be nearby but I don’t think there is such a thing as cheap/expensive sources in this case.
Cheers Alan, ordered online direct to Frontier and my bundle has already been delivered! Very impressed..! 🙂