| Country of origin | Australia |
| Available from |
If you’re looking for a really good, reliable Australian dog food then you’re in the right place. LifeWise has, as far as I’m concerned, really proven itself as an excellent dog food. The feedback I’ve had about this brand is excellent, and the ingredients (which I’ll cover in this review) are really good too.
So let’s take a look at LifeWise dog food!
About LifeWise
If you haven’t heard about LifeWise before, then you may’ve heard of Meals for Mutts?
Long story short, Meals for Mutts used to be made by a small Australian manufacturer before making a switch to a larger manufacturer a few years ago. Meals for Mutts had established a very good reputation for good reason, and although still a reputable brand I would personally still opt for a dog food produced by that smaller Australian manufacturer.
The man behind that smaller manufacturer is Bill Wiadrowski, who is somewhat of a pet food boffin. He’s also the man behind LifeWise dog food, as well as the man who originally formulated Meals for Mutts to great success.
I’ve had some very lengthy conversations with Bill in the past, as have many other pet owners. He has always put so much effort in, and his knowledge and understanding of the health of our dogs is excellent.
It’s for reasons such as this I have confidence in saying LifeWise is a great choice for your dog – Aussie company, excellent customer service and relations, and excellent consumer feedback from people who have fed LifeWise to their dogs!
So let’s take a good look at the ingredients of LifeWise dog food and see what we can learn from the ingredients.
LifeWise review
Let’s take a look at the Chicken with Turkey Grain Free formula…
The first ingredients, as you would expect from the name, are chicken and turkey. We also find the poultry is barn raised, rather than factory farmed – great stuff.
Many dog food brands have meat in the title, such as “Succulent Chicken”, but when you look closely at the ingredients you’ll find there isn’t much meat at all, even with expensive “premium” and prescription foods. Actually a well known dog food raved about by breeders and even vets was almost entirely corn, and I had a great deal of backlash saying so until it caused a number of dog deaths and was discontinued.
Not the case with LifeWise! Lots of meat, with a very respectable 30% protein and 20% fat in LifeWise Chicken with Turkey. The third ingredient is chicken fat, and it’s really nice to see this come before any non-meat ingredients.
We know already this food has been formulated with the health of your dog in mind.
The remaining ingredients really serve to balance out the formula with a range of nutrition, vitamins, and minerals.
There’s a range of vegetables and legumes, selected for their individual health benefits. Peas, chickpeas, lentils, and sweet lupins offer a range of natural vitamins and minerals, protein, carbohydrates, and fibre.
It’s nice to see a mix compared to many grain free foods which seem to be meat/peas/potato. We also find carrots, spinach, parsley, and kelp, to really balance out the nutrients in the food.
As a dry food it’s hard to fault. It feels very well considered and balanced, and for those who’ve found success on Meals for Mutts this is definitely worth considering.
If you’ve read this far then I highly recommend it! Give it a go!
Where to buy
Ingredients
Ingredients of LifeWise dog food (Chicken with Turkey for dogs):
Chicken, turkey, chicken fat, sweet potato, lentils, field peas, chickpeas, sweet lupins, tapioca, carrots, spinach, parsley, kelp, garlic, yeast extract, vitamins A, C, D3, E, K, B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, pantothenate, folacin, biotin and natural organic acids, plus added minerals calcium, phosphorus, sodium, copper, zinc, iron, manganese and iodine. Also contains natural flavours, Yucca schidigera extract and is preserved with natural vitamin E and rosemary oil.
Guaranteed analysis
Guaranteed analysis of LifeWise dog food (Chicken with Turkey for dogs):
| Protein | (min) 30% |
| Fat | (min) 20% |
| Crude Fibre | (max) 4.5% |
| Carbohydrates * | (estimated) 32% |
* May be estimated. Read how to calculate carbohydrates in a pet food
Thanks for a great website, I learn a lot by browsing on here. I’ve been using Lifewise Ocean fish for a while as part of a varied diet. My male dog has now become itchy after eating it. He has allergies to a number of foods, and this was a safe bet originally. Very disappointed I now have to find another food I can afford. I’m trying to go fully raw, but meat is expensive and offal is hard to come by where I live.
My dog is the same! This has also made her start scratching a lot.
My two pancreatic sufferings schnauzers were moved to biotic low fat a few months ago. It’s been great. No issues or flare ups and they actually line the taste of it. The more $$$ prescription based foods are a struggle in getting them to eat. Its is a GREAT product
Non of MfM single protein worked for my dogs itchy. So I’m going to try lifewise. Their website said dog should only eat their kibbles (sounds like Mars or Nestle?) and less than 5% of treats. My dog always eats meaty bones and has very good teeth. One meaty bone exceeds way more than 5% of food. How can I stop itchy with meaty bones?
Hi YG, if your dog is itchy from a specific type of food then your best way forward is figuring out the cause, but that might be tricky if the MFM single protein diets didn’t work – most of the time I find hypoallergenic diets really do help. LifeWise may be a good choice, so let me know if it works for you.
Dogs survived millions of years before kibble was invented, so that answers that question, but the concerns are when dog owners don’t feed a balanced diet. Dogs need nutrients from a range of foods – meat, organs, bones, or suitable alternatives at the least. Some non-animal foods provide a dog with essential nutrients. Feeding treats in excess, even raw meaty bones or mince beef, may not provide a dog with all the nutrients they need. This can cause health issues in the long term. I believe this is the reasoning behind a pet food manufacturer telling you you absolutely must feed a “complete and balanced” kibble.
One final thought though – dogs can be sensitive to specific animal proteins, so if the bones are, say, chicken, then try not feeding chicken for a while to see if that helps.
Hi, thank you very much for the reply. I’ve been following you so I had been giving my dog varieties, liver, heart,tripe, ziwipeak, woof etc. So when he started itchy, I had no clue. Thus MfM single proteins. But goat which is noble protein didn’t work so trying lifewise now. But can you advise and tell me two things. Since he’s not on single protein diet anymore and seems less itchy, is it ok to resume sardines and chicken legs for his mild hip dysplasia? Or 4cyte? Also is this company changed management recently? Or something? Because I wanted wild tuna 9kg as they recommends but pet shop nearby didn’t have so I ordered 9kg and transitioned with 2.5kg. new 9kg bag, kibbles are very dark colour, nearly black. Within two days he had full of dandruff on his ears and green soft poo as if he ate full of kale and not good for his anal glands issue. So I emailed them my concern but no reply. Although I’ve been hearing very good reputation, this is second time they didn’t reply. Did they change ingredients? Or this kibble supposed to be black and bags from pet shop are discoloured? Pet shop refunded me and I got 18kg bag which was not black. His poo became normal now but he still has a bit of dandruff.
Had the same with an 18kg bag of chicken from them around the same time. Unfortunately didn’t keep the receipt, tried contacting the company multiple times to voice concerns/see if there was anything known, never got a response. That says enough to me to avoid this brand from here on out.
Have also had similar problem with a 18kg bag of Lifewise chicken, purchased around the same time. They also never replied to my two emails querying it (had noted I didn’t even have the receipt, I was just raising the issue.)
Hi YG, I’ve heard a few reports of this with LifeWise, but it seems they happened over a brief period. I believe manufacturing has changed in part.
As for adding in sardines and chicken legs, I’d say give it a go. 4cyte and other supplements tend to be hypoallergenic so shouldn’t be problematic.
I had exactly the same issue with ocean fish food. New bag kibble was almost black, poo became green and gave my dog wind. I bought from Catch and was too busy to Email them. Never had a problem before.
Hello,
One of the ingredients for LifeWise dog food is sweet lupins. I understand that lupins are poisonous for dogs. Should we be concerned with the presence of this ingredient?
Thank you.
I have been an fan of lifewise dog food as I have an Amstaff with allergy …as I started him off with stage 2 he went great and we saw dramatic change in his coat no vet bills for months ,then he went onto stage 3 Turkey which he was lethargic and lost fur and itched so I contacted Lifewise and they suggested the wild tuna as it says above the kibble is black looks burnt and both my dogs have had chronic diarrhoea, they are both on probiotics and I have been careful not to overfeed……I would love to keep my boy especially on this food but I’m finding now they are out of stock in most of the products ATM ….I did contact Bill and he said they have had a huge demand is the reason behind the lack of stock
Hi Kristina, the lupins used in all LifeWise formulations are also known as Narrow Leaf Lupins or Lupinus angustifolius. Lupins are commonly referred to as “sweet” because these varieties have very low alkaloid levels compared to bitter lupins which are a European variety. The lupins we use in Australia are grown here and are an extremely useful source of nutrition with less nasties than soybeans. Additionally, lupins do not contain any carbohydrate but provide excellent levels of protein, unsaturated fats and fibre. Lupin hulls are commonly used as a fibre source in high fibre bread.
Hi Kristina, in the amount they are in the LifeWise formulas there isn’t any cause of concern. I expect the main reason they’re in the formula is fibre, but they also provide proteins, omega 6 etc.
Hi. We are looking at changing our three medium dogs to Lifewise from MFM. What variety would you recommend as a start. I noticed the feeding chart is for their weight is a lot less than they get on MFM, is this the case with all dog foods.
Hi Lesley, I never pay any attention to feeding charts, and often find they’re only a rough guesstimate – all dogs are different, with different appetites or activity levels.
As with variety, whichever you think looks best. You can always change formula next time around.
Hi,
I have been looking at Lifewise for a while and think about making the change to it. Since this reviews their grain-free range, I would like to know how does the grain range perform compared to their grain-free range? Since their best selling is the Kangaroo Kibble. The main difference I can see is the Protein and Fats % but I dont understand enough to make a conculsion.
Hi
I am thinking of giving lifewise a go but a few things concern me and would like your thoughts my overly active Parsons is 10 months extreme fussy eater. Do I go gor stage 2 stage 3 or adult? Secondly I really need a variety. Grain free is it really a medical issue which we all seem to be aware of heart issues,very confusing. In principle I think I would like to try
Hi Judy, if your dog is 10 months then it’s worth continuing a puppy formula until they’re at least a year old. Variety is good, and a mix of grain and grain free can be as well (as long as there’s a focus on animal ingredients which is what your dog needs the most). I wouldn’t be concerned about the grain-free causes heart issues saga – it started as a hypothesis by a vet paid by grain-based food manufacturers, and only after the FDA named and shamed a list of brands without evidence later dropped the investigation due to know real evidence. Viral media has done the rest.
Hi Michael, generally I don’t see grains as a problem in dog foods as long as they’re (1) decent grains, and (2) kept to moderation. All LifeWise formulas have good feedback from people who feed them to their dogs, so that’s a good sign.
What grains are those that you recommend to stay from? I have seen multiple places where they mention wheat,corn or soy are something to stay away from. What is your opinion on this ?
How can you recommend LifeWise kibble for dog which has had pancreatitis when it is 20% fat!
Hi Rosemary, may I ask what your dog was fed when they suffered pancreatitis? The ingredients of that food may give some real understanding to what triggered the pancreatitis, and give you better information for a suitable diet moving forward. When it comes to dry food it is easy to say fat should be kept to a certain percentage, such as 10%, but it’s not as simple as that – it’s also about formulation and containing the right ingredients rather than the wrong ingredients. Reducing fat would be more effective if lean protein was increased, but in kibble this is very rarely the case. Instead, any reduction in protein or fat means increased carbohydrates/sugars which are problematic in themselves.
We recently switched to LifeWise after trying (and failing) to return to MfM from Ivory Coat.
My 4yo golden would get bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting on ivory coat the past few months – ever since they changed formulas.
I’m so glad MfM was unavailable. He is absolutely thriving on LifeWise. And the skin issues he’s had all his life – no matter what food he was on (black hawk, MfM, Ivory Coat) – have disappeared. I haven’t seen him scratch in weeks. If this continues it’ll save us $200 a month on cytopoint!
Cannot recommend this brand enough. I’m so glad we stumbled onto it.
Hi Ash, can I ask which formulation of Lifewise your retriever is now on? We too are switching from MFM and my groodle’s main concern is skin issues.
Good to hear Ash, and I’m glad LifeWise has helped!
With the issues you suffered with Ivory Coat, it may be worth adding a report to the APOG website which tracks these issues. There’s already quite a few with Ivory Coat and other brands by that manufacturer – https://www.apog.com.au/recall-issue-log/ivory-coat/
Hello
Pet food reviews my Keeshond has had a number of skin issues itchy scratchy skin. I have had him on blackhawk fish and potato. I have heard that Lifewise is a great dry dog food
when I’m finished blackhawk I’m
not sure which way to go I would very.much appreciate a reply please Chrissy
Hi Chrissy, if your dog is suffering reactions on one brand of food then it’s definitely worth switching to another, and LifeWise tends to be a good option in this respect.
I would also take note of the ingredients in the current Black Hawk Fish & Potato recipe as this may help you discover what your dog is sensitive to.
Hi I have a 3 yr old labradoodle who has been on Meal for Mutts all his life. He has thrived and does text book stools. This product is now becoming extremely difficult to source where I live (Brisbane) so I’m having to think about what to change to. LifeWise sounds like a good option and thank you for the review. But can I just say that “barn” raised chicken is little better than factory farmed meat chickens despite the fact that they are ‘approved’ by the RSPCA. Birds in barns are highly stressed from overcroweding and widely assault each other be pecking their behinds often causing prolapses from which they can die.The barns smell to high heaven and are inches deep in filth, feathers and excrement(I’ve been in them). The hens have to fight for a nesting box and food and although they do get out and about, are locked in at night where many have to sit on poles to roost.Cynthia
David, with respect, are you aware of the MASSIVE law suits presently going on around the world especially in Australia, about lentils, peas, potatoes all in grain free dog food that is causing major heart deaths in dogs.
Lentils, peas, potato is causing enlarged hearts and dogs are dropping DEAD. Please I urge you to kindly do the research and please dont advocate dog food having lentils, peas, legumes, that is causing enlarged hearts in thousands of dogs and deaths. i attach the link below
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94464-2
Hi Vehab, I’ve been very aware for years, and see this information regurgitated daily. I’ve written about it here.
Key points though – despite the investigation being subsequently dropped by the FDA due to inconclusive evidence, based on a theory by a vet on the payroll of multiple global pet food manufacturers, it is still spread daily over the Internet as apparent “fact”.
Since some of the pet food brands mentioned by the FDA were significantly damaged, without conclusive evidence, they have since been bought up by one of the above mentioned global pet food manufacturers – Mars. This applies to Orijen and ACANA by Champion Petfoods, the most effected manufacturer.
We absolutely love this stuff. We have just transitioned our 9 year old French Bulldog Henry to this after the manufacturer of his other food (Prescription Diet Metabolic and Mobility) changed the formula and it upset his stomach. Lifewise has fixed his runny poops, he is less hungry ‘all the time’ and he doesn’t seem to get the insulin spikes he used to. Lifewise (Wendy) have excellent customer service and have been very helpful throughout the process. I cannot recommend them enough. The formula is great and the best Henry has ever had. He tried Lyka, Scratch, Hills Science Diet previously which didn’t quite work out because of a variety of reasons and Lifewise absolutely wins hands down.
I’m finding, like most people,meat especially Kangaroo too expensive and I have always fed my dogs since it’s conception “Vets all Natural”(which I know you will probably say i dont need to use) and mix it with with fresh Kangaroo.Is it okay to moisten LifeWise with boiling water so I can mix”Vets all Natural” with it ? Thank you
Hi Janine, a better suggestion could be to keep up the Vets All Natural + Kangaroo, but alternative with LifeWise. i.e. LifeWise in the morning, Vets All Natural + Kangaroo in the evening.
This may keep cost down a bit, and add more variety.
You could also interchange the kangaroo with other meats which are cheaper, as all will work with Vets All Natural.
As for soaking kibble there’s an interesting experiment here, with some info on the pros, cons, and gotchas (i.e. use warm water, not boiling).
I’m very interested in what you say about kangaroo, vet’s all natural plus Lifewise. My last moodle did very well on Vet’s all natural (to a good age of 15). My current moodle suffers chronic pancreatitis plus gastrointestinal problems. She was put on RC gastrointestinal low fat 4 yrs ago which helped the tummy/gastro probs. Then she developed the pancreatitis with enzymes through the roof different vet put her on RC hypoallergenic wet & dry which kept her out of hospital for a few mths but she is now having occasional flare ups of both. I’m tempted to try her on human grade roo mince with vets all natural and this Lifewise. What’s your thoughts? I’ll ask the new vet as well as we’ve just moved. Many thanks. She’s a nearly 6 yo moodle.
I’m very disappointed that Lifewise Fish have Meat in their ingredients!!
Most dogs who react to meat, are fed fish kibble as alternative. Not Lifewise. What’s worse is they hide it in small print!!
Lifewise dog food has brought both my Westies back from ill health.
My 12yr old Westies had been on a high end food (one recommended in this review) for many months and appeared to enjoy it. They seemed well but both developed browning of their coats around paws, mouths and collar area. The female Westie started suffering with repeated disturbed nights involving vomiting. On vet recommendations she was put on a hypo-allergenic diet which corrected her ill health. At the same time I made an enquiry to Lifewise regarding their conditions and was very impressed to receive a response from Bill advising SAP Lamb and short term additional probiotics to restore gut biome. I followed his advice and both dogs regained their beautiful white coats with no sign of browning even around mouths. They became the bouncy personalities of old that had gradually been depressed.
It is difficult to buy here so I have tried the dogs on Meals for Mutts only to find browning starting. A return to Lifewise has reverted this again. How good is that?!! Brilliant! Totally recommended!
Hi Jo, that’s fantastic feedback on LifeWise – thank you for taking the time to write it.
I’d be interested to know which food they were suffering on. Feel free to let me know privately if you don’t want to mention any brands, and the best way would probably be a message through the Facebook page (although it can take me a few days to respond).
Hello, I am currently using the Low Fat Gastrointestinal Royal Canin. I am curious as to the Fat content in the Lifewise food. I was advised by a vet to keep below 10 per cent. He has suffered from Pancreitis. I am chasing a different food due to the cost, regards Kris
Hi Kris, something worth considering is what you were feeding your dog when they suffered pancreatitis. I find most of the time won’t consider what a dog was fed when a condition occurred, which is actually one of the most vital pieces of information. Only then should they recommend other products.
So worth checking out the ingredients of whatever food that was, and see if there’s anything which could’ve been a cause. I wouldn’t consider any dry foods high fat, rarely more than 20%, and on the flipside low fat foods tend to be higher carbohydrate which I consider worse.
Will you review Feed for Thought? Just came across it and it is very interesting that they are using insects for protein. Would love to get your analysis of the ingredients.
I’ve just written it down on my notepad to review next. Long overdue!
Hello,
A good 6 years ago friends of ours recommended MforM with the warning their poop would stink. They did, so badly we gave the food away, as collecting their poop was a horrible experience.
Does Life Wise have a similar problem?
We have been feeding our GSDs Stay Loyal and are very happy with it, but saw the Life Wise product today at a better price per kilo. These days, even $1.30 difference per kilo helps. But I don’t want to go backwards with our dogs’ health either.
We feed chicken necks, chicken wing tips and brisket bones as well.
Hi Elke, it’s not something I hear of with LifeWise, and I consider it a quality brand with a high standard. I wouldn’t expect your smelly poop issue to return, although sometimes when changing brands a dog will have a big of digestive upset. Especially if they’ve been on the previous dog food a while.
I am really keen on trying Lifewise as the food my dog is on currently is not good for him. I’m interested to know your opinion if it’s worth getting fish and lamb over kangaroo? Would it be better for him with the fish if I was to add fresh kangaroo meat/organs to his meals?? Thank you for all your reviews and advice to helping me find a better diet for my dog at a reasonable price
Hi Kate, unless your dog has any specific food sensitivities I’d say variety is good – feed one formula this time around, then next time opt for a different formula.
Interesting to see you rated this food a 9/10 when it is heavy on plant based ingredients and what we can only assume is very little meat “ sweet potato, lentils, field peas, chickpeas, sweet lupins, tapioca”
While it is not technically ingredient splitting, it is safe to assume that these ingredients combined would well outweigh any meat in the formula. It’s really disappointing to see, I was excited to see the the MfM founder created Lifewise, but this is a step backwards.
Hi Nina, I see LifeWise as a dog food which uses better quality ingredients than others, with better consumer feedback. Any dog food can have more meat, but what’s the source and quality of that meat? I fully understand your point about LifeWise not having as much meat in as others, but otherwise the balance and ingredient selections have been selected for their health benefits. I feel if more meat were added to the formula it would be beneficial, but to do so in a cost-effective manner while retaining the same quality would stop it being viable as a product. Most of us are on a budget and simply can’t afford to buy a dog food once it reaches a high price.
I’ve found LifeWise a good, reliable base diet. Personally I would feed some fresh meats/organs/meaty bones as well.
I have used lifewise kangaroo for 2yrs plus now on my Rottweiler’s and they thrive on it best dog food on the market by far
After trying both the Chicken & Kangaroo varieties with my Papillons, they were less than impressed and not keen on this brand. Not saying it’s not a good food, just that they didn’t care for it much. I’ve been mixing the left over Lifewise with the brands I’ve changed to (Zignature, Stay Loyal & Taste of the Wild) and if anything is left over, it’s always the Lifewise.
I have purchased the Kangaroo one and am transitioning my 3 dogs onto it we sourced it from an online pet supply there price with delivery is only $105.00 for an 18kg bag am very impressed that the first 2 ingredients are meat can’t wait to see the change in my 3 dog’s and will recommend to other breeder’s
Love lifewise range. I have both dog n cat on their food and coats are soft n silky, temperament is alot calmer, poops are not foul, the price is very comparable to supermarket brands and in most cases the daily cost is cheaper. I do supplement a little wet food chicken and tuna but its not needed as the kibble is well balanced and a complete meal. My animals just like a change every now n then.