| Website | Ivory Coat |
| Available from | Pet Circle |
15/09/2020 – Due to numerous consumer issues regarding Ivory Coat from The Real Pet Food Company we advise avoiding this product.
Update 19/04/2024 – Please read consumer reports on APOG – Ivory Coat if you are considering feeding this brand.
If your pet has suffered any ill effects from feeding this product please give details in the comments section below or add a report on the APOG website above.
When I started Pet Food Reviews over a decade ago, Ivory Coat was one of the brands of dog food I would happily recommend.
Originally a small Australian company, Ivory Coat was acquired by The Real Pet Food Co, one of Australia’s largest manufacturers. It was around this time I began to receive numerous concerning consumer reports.
Since 2020, until this very month in 2024, I continue to receive these reports. It is therefore hard to recommend Ivory Coat in any way.
The rest of this page will be the original Ivory Coat review (Written in 2014):
Ivory Coat is an Australian success story.
Just like Black Hawk, they produced a dog food which put many of the big commercial brands to shame. Ivory Coat boasts one of the highest protein and fat percentages of dog foods available in Australia, which consequentially means less carbs (sugars).
Just like Black Hawk, once established the company was bought up by a bigger player. Black Hawk was bought by New Zealand’s Masterpet, and Ivory Coat was bought by Australian’s largest pet food manufacturer The Real Pet Food Co. It’s a huge company which makes many commercial and private label brands, not all of them good. Some feeders noticed changes in quality, but from an ingredients and analysis standpoint the product stacks up well.
Let’s take a look at the adult Chicken & Coconut Oil formula…
The food is essentially four main ingredients, potentially in fairly equal proportions. Two of those ingredients, the 1st and 4th, are a combination of chicken meal and chicken fat. These animal ingredients are far more in tune with a canine diet than the other two, peas and tapioca.
It’s good to see a protein percentage in the 30s (32%) combined with a moderate 14% fat. I estimate the carbs to be around 36% which is pretty good for a dry food. It’s important to note a fair whack of the protein will come from peas, the second most significant ingredient. The tapioca provides little in terms of nutrients, but the starch serves the purpose of binding the kibble together. There are certainly far worse ingredients than tapioca, such as the far too common wheat.
The rest of the ingredients are pretty good. It’s nice to see the food preserved naturally, rather than using cheaper/nastier chemical preservatives. Flaxseed is included, an excellent source of omega 3 and nutritive fibre. Salmon oil is a good choice for both omega 3 and 6 to maintain a healthy, glossy coat. Coconut oil is also great to see which will help maintain a healthy coat and boost the immune system. Common to many high-end foods we find a range of fruits and veggies, vitamins and minerals, which should provide benefits.
All in all it’s a decent food and worthy of adding to a rotation.
19/07/2017 Ivory Coat bought by The Real Pet Food Company. More information can be found here.
Ingredients
Australian Chicken Meal, Peas, Tapioca, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), ground flaxseed, Tomato Pomace, Coconut Oil, Pea fibre, salmon oil, sweet potatoes, Carrots, kale, broccoli, spinach, parsley, apples, blueberries, vitamins A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B12, D3, E, Beta-Carotene, Niacin, d-Calcium pantothenate, Biotin, Folic Acid, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Copper, Natural Prebiotic, Calcium Propionate, Rosemary Extract & Green Tea Extract.
Has there been any change in the quality of this food? I was hoping to change back as I used it a long time ago but not sure if I’m game to try it again.
how long will an unopened bag of ivory coat last
Hi Bruce, generally I try and use a bag within a month of opening. How long a dry food keeps for depends on a few things, such as how you store it and what the conditions are, but also how it’s been stored and transported since leaving the manufacturer.
We have just tried this with a six year old Lhasa Apso. We checked the review as his poos have become dry and hard. It has now gone in the bin. He has only a small scoop in the mornings and that has been enough to affect him. Ivory Coat Grain Free.
I see Ivory Coat has changed their ingredients list of their food which has also altered their analysis. In my opinion the analysis does not look as good as it does before (lower protein, reduction in omega ratio etc). In your opinion has their new formula improved or got worse? What are the benefits and drawbacks of the new formula? Ivory Coat claim that they are now using real meat (vs what?) and thus since their protein has reduced, it is better quality protein.
I’ve been using Ivory coat with my German shepherds for years, and I just got a bad batch of dry food… Usually with a bullet proof stomach, he was lethargic, off food and the runs. I count ourselves lucky that’s all he had after googling the company again to find all of this information!
Hi Phoebe, I’m sorry to hear that and hope your dog has fully recovered. Do you have the batch number of the bag? Use by date.
Our dog has been on ivory coat grain free chicken puppy kibble since 12 weeks. She’s 4 years old now and not a single issue, even after the Chinese company bought them. Maybe there’s been bad batches or the dogs in question having issues have sensitive stomaches?
Ours is a fussy eater as well, she would definitely notice a change in quality and avoid it like the plague lol but she still munches away. It’s not her primary source of nutrition, maybe if she was eating it everyday could be a different story??
Hi Johnny, I suspect bad batches are the culprit, and with Ivory Coat being widely sold it’s also a numbers issue. There’s a very interesting post on the APOG Facebook page, especially when you read how many dogs have been affected in the comments.
Two weeks ago I changed over to the Ivory Coat Natural Health grain free chicken for puppies because I couldn’t get my usual black Hawk one. My puppy is now having huge issues using her bowels. She has been at vet for X-rays and an enema and is still having problems. As advised by vet she is currently just having steamed vegetables to try and help her. I will be taking the new packet back to store for a refund. Over $800 in vet fees so far.
Hi a vet put me on to Ivory Coat fat free Turkey for seniors for my dog a few years ago but in the past few months noticed he was struggling to use his bowels his coat was looking terrible and he started vomiting .
Took him to my vets who run some tests and told me it was the food making him very sick I came home and googled reviews for Ivory Coat and read that people’s dogs had actually died eating this food .
It used to be good when it was Owned by a Australian Company but was recently sold to China using the same name .
I’m not sure what they are putting in this but some people’s dogs had blood in their stools and were either getting very sick or had past away just glad I got my dog to the vets in time and have now stopped buying the product.
Please just be very very careful if you are going to feed this to your dog .
Hi Janette, I’m sorry to hear this, and sadly so many like it over recent months related to Ivory Coat.
I have not experienced any issues with this food (Grain-free Lamb & Kangaroo), I have been feeding it for a few months now. Was feeding Canidae Pure Elements Lamb & Pea but this has unfortunately been withdrawn from the NZ market. This was the only product I could find with somewhat similar values. Yes, the reviews from others were off putting but with gradual change, there has been no negative side affects. My dogs have kept excellent condition, have shiny coats, no issues with stools or any of the other issues listed from other dog owners. I feed this to three American Staffies and I have one American Staffy with extreme allergies and food sensitivities. She is coming up 8 years old and it has taken me a long time of trial and error to find what causes issues with her so changing foods is done very reluctantly.
Hi there, my puppy was eating chicken and rice one and enjoyed a lot so I bought a 13 kg pack.He has become fussy since 2 weeks ago and I had to mix it with wet food. Now he refuses to eat either dry or mixed one. As there are some issue reported should I be worried?
Where did you buy the large bag of Ivory Coat from a pet shop? take it back as Ivory Coat is money back for palatability or contact Ivory Coat & tell them they might refund money??.
Don’t make him eat the kibble there might be something wrong, dogs have a good nose smell things we cant smell, Ivory Coat is made by the Real Pet Food Company.
Look at Canidae Pure Puppy, if he’s a large breed Puppy – CANIDAE ALL LIFE STAGES LARGE BREED TURKEY MEAL & BROWN RICE FORMULA DOG DRY, its on special at the moment.
https://www.mypetwarehouse.com.au/canidae-all-life-stages-large-breed-turkey-meal-brown-rice-formula-dog-dry-20kg-p-32126
I bought 13kg of this and 2 weeks later have decided we can’t use it. It goes right through my dog and his coat is now dry and coarse (no other changes to his diet or anything else). Too much pea protein and we don’t like green tea extract as it’s heavy on the liver. Looking for something better now.
Keep in mind anything below salt is 1% or less, of course IC have decided to not disclose salt so it’s pretty hard to tell where the good ingredients start or end but green tea extract based on other foods will likely not be more then 0.05% of the ingredients and unlikely to cause any issues.
I personally wouldn’t feed IC these days, just don’t think it’s at the quality it could be for the price.
I feed Cherish albeit the puppy formula and have a lot of success with it, the kibble also tastes good lol and is the reason my dogs like it vs the dozens others I tried with no success. Their main food is however air dried, the kibble only makes up a very small amount of their diet usually around a kilo per month.
My friend uses Blackhawk and is happy with it so far and my other friend uses Wellness Core and a few other foods and is happy with it too, but Wellness Core line is pricey as heck, but if it’s the only food that works then just gotta roll with it.
I just brought a 2 kg bag of this for my dog to try, he seems to be fine and likes it but is this really good.
What would you recommend out of these 3 brands Meals 4 Mutts, Ivory Coat or Black Hawk
Hi,
Ivory coat was bought out by Chinese & now is made at Dubbo Plant by the Real Pet Food Company also Black Hawk is NZ owned, also made at the Dubbo plant, The Real Pet Food Company also makes supermarket dog foods & was making Baxters when dogs became very ill & some have died, I’ve email The Real Pet Food Company & asked them are they still making Baxters dog food, they said NO but dogs are still getting very ill after eating Baxters wet & dry dog foods..
“Meals For Mutts” it’s Australian made & owned but was recently sold & is made in WA now…..
I do not feed Australian made pet foods no more, Australian pet food companies are not regulated & these pet food companies can do what they like.. So until our pet foods become regulated I feed US & NZ dog foods..
Canidae is very good dog & cat food & when Canidae is tested every 3months for Heavy Metals, Toxins & Contaminates tests came back really good…
Wellness also good dog food, it’s only sold Pet Barn..
It’s best to rotate between a few different brands so your dog isn’t eating the same brands causing health problems if the food is high in toxins, heavy metals or not balanced property etc..
“Stay Loyal” is Australian owned & made try rotating with “Stay Loyal” & “Frontier Pets” also “Ziwi Peak”.
A really GOOD Australian made & owned dog food is “Frontier Pets” it’s free Range Chickens, Pigs & Cows all organic feed, dehydrated human grade ingredients, you just add some warm water….try a trial pack $16.65 makes 1.2kgs Frontier Pets is really good if your dog has health problems, IBD, IBS, Allergies, Food Sensitivities etc. Have a look.
here’s their link.
https://frontierpets.com.au/
Susan did you try emailing MFM, I don’t think they would sell, their very proud of their formulas, MFM facebook page won’t let me post a question , are they hiding maybe?
Hi Tom,
Here’s where I read it, read Pet Review 3rd post, it was written by someone else then he deleted his posts & Pet Review re-posted his post, he works for Hypro & MfM is now manufatured by Hypro….
https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/meals-for-mutts/
Bill was MfM Nutritionist then he left MfM after MfM was sold & he started his own dog & cat food called “LifeWise”, LifeWise Special Needs Grain Formula’s look good..
https://www.lifewisepetfood.com/product/wild-tuna
Sam who now makes Petzyo is some how related to MfM or was the old owner of MfM (I Think)??
These Australian pet food companies get real big cause of social media, people spread the word their food is good, then they sell when at their peak & get the big bucks…..
Both M4M and Ivory Coat seem to be in a state of flux at the moment, with recent reports suggesting that neither is the product it used to be since M4M changed their manufacturing facility and Ivory Coat changed ownership. The Blackhawk situation seems clearer since they went through their ownership change a while ago, with most agreeing that it’s really gone downhill. To avoid this scene, you might want to consider something like Stay Loyal, or for a few dollars more, one of the Pete Evans formulas while M4M and IC sort themselves out.
Hey again, so Susan is still at her house until tomorrow, pays to read her entire message to me huh? haha, this is what she wrote.
TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb formula, or Canidae Pure Wild or Pure Sky or Pure Land if senior dog Pure Meadow Senior.
Wellness Core Large Breed formula is excellent & you dont need to have a large breed dog & you get all the supplements DHA for their joints & bones sold at Pet Barn.
So essentially what I mentioned just the actual names of the formulas.
Thank you very much
No problem.
Hi can anyone recommend a good dog biscuit for dogs with sensitive stomachs?
The Taste of the Wild lamb formula comes to mind, a friend of mine has a dog with IBD, acid reflux among other things and he was eating the food with no problems.
I’d stay away from fish heavy foods, I don’t see them being tolerated very well, I know when Angel eats the fish kibbles she also starts having pain, more so then if she eats one without,
Would be good if Susan was here, I think she’s currently out of the house on a trip and she has no portable computer, she knows which foods are good for sensitive tummies other then the one I listed above.
I’d see Artemis as being good, did the water test on it and it starts melting rather quickly.
Some Canidae formulas the ones listed as limited ingredient could be good.
The canned variety is pretty good value for anyone already feeding the dry, at $39 for a slab of 12 400g cans is a good price, considering how expensive their kibble is, they don’t have 20kg bags but they’d cost a lot if they did, if 13kg is already $113 I think, I’ll go check lol. Pet Circle starts at $98 and goes to $118 for the salmon variety. $98 + the 8kg would equal 21 kilos and be an extra $80 but the bigger the bag the cheaper it gets. So instead of $178 it would maybe be around $150, even so MfM is more digestible and a much better value to Ivory, but to each their own.
I just looked at the Ivory Coat wet cans, Ivory Coat doesnt write the fat% protein% or fiber % alot of dogs will probably be getting Pancreatitis as the fat in wet can food is higher then a dry kibble, wet can foods haven’t been converted to dry matter yet, so if it says 5%min fat when converted to dry matter 5%min fat wet is around 20%min to 26% max fat. Ivory Coat should write the converted fat% on their site & on their cans of food….
Their still in the process of updating the website so they will eventually do it just not right now. The foods are good value but the ingredients are pretty bland. Ziwipeak is 4.5% the ones I give Rusty, so not bad. They don’t go lower then 4.5% though even the venison. Ziwipeak should create a kangaroo formula in place of the venison one, since venison is becoming scarce.
I spoke to the Ziwi Peak rep not that long ago and I know they are going to introduce a chicken formula some time this year. They are also thinking of getting rid of the venison formula as it is quite expensive to obtain, so you never know they might make the switch to kangaroo.
I heard from K9 that buying human grade venison is becoming really hard, nothing about price, but I don’t doubt it’s expensive as venison formulas are usually more pricey. Chicken should be good, provided it’s a low fat option, K9 chicken formulas have like let me check actually, okay canned is 6.5% and freeze dried is 34%, venison used to be 27% so using Frontier as an example their chicken has 19.9% when it’s dry, so it’s quiet a bit more, it’s really not low fat.
But since I already use chicken with a Frontier and 1 pork ball and because his homemade is chicken, I’d rather a different meat protein entirely. I guess I’ll be wishing for a kangaroo or other exotic meat formula.
Hi, great review!
A while ago I found out that my pup has a grain allergy… Before we had the final diagnosis, we went through it all, itching, head shaking, diarrhea, feet licking etc. Since then we are constantly researching grain free options and a couple of months ago I discovered grain free Ivory coat and it works very well for us! I often find better prices in online shops than in offline retail stores, for example https://www.nettopet.com.au/brands/ivory-coat-dog-food.html
It makes my life easier.
Hi guys, I have a 15 week young whippet that’s eating the Hill’s Science Diet kibble. My partner mentioned Ivory Coat as another option and I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on which would be better for my puppy?
Hi Victoria, energetic dogs get their energy from two food sources – fats and carbohydrates (sugars). Hills Science Diet is grain based so will offer your whippet the latter which is not ideal, and if they don’t burn it off they’ll gain bulk. Dogs digest animal fats far more efficiently, and depend on proteins from meats to retain and build muscle strength (as well as overall health). Ivory Coat contains more meat and animal fat than Hills.
Hi Victoria, will your dog grow to be a large breed dog?? I dont think Whippets are a large breed dog?? if he/she is a large breed puppy then he needs a large breed puppy formula other wise look for a Puppy formula’s there’s “Ivory Coat”, “Meals For Mutts” MfM are an Australian made & OWN pet food company…another really good kibble is “Canidae” All Life Stages & their Pure grain free formula’s….. I rotate between a few different kibble brands this way my boy is getting a variety & if something is wrong with the kibble my boy isn’t eating it long enough to suffer with long term health problems…
Have you looked are Freeze Dried & Air Dried raw?? There’s Ziwi Peak & our Australian made “Frontier Pets” if you go onto the Frontier Pets site the lady who invented & makes Frontier Pets sells sample bags for 15-17$ which makes up 1.2 kgs, here’s Frontier site have a look it’s free range animals & organic farming.. you just add water.. https://www.frontierpets.com.au
So I’m on product reviews reading about ice cream to see what’s good and what’s not and I go into the pet food section and into meals for mutts and someone literally wrote they changed from MfM to Ivory Coat and are happy with it not containing carbohydrates, I didn’t know that this was an actual thought process with grain free but I guess you learn new things daily.
Just because it’s grain free doesn’t mean it has zero carbohydrates *shakes head*.
Hi, Pet Food Review, I was just on “Ivory Coats” Facebook page & Steven Deveraux-Standard who started Ivory Coat 2014 grooming range then Grain free 2015 Steven has posted in a post to a poster that Ivory Coat has merged with “Real Pet Food Company” who is this “Real Pet Food Company” ? what pet foods do they make??
Real Petfood Co now bought by Chinese “agribusiness” New Hope Group and Temasek…
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/real-petfood-company-to-expand-offshore-after-quadrant-sale-to-chinese/news-story/544416766b306bf20b56f07c307146dc
Hi,
nothing came up when I click on your link only to Subscribe & pay..
today a lady called & introduced herself from the Real Petfood company when she rung me this afternoon, I had sent “Ivory Coat” an email over the weekend asking about Ivory Coat Reduced Fat Senior Turkey formula what is the max fat% & the Kcals per cup, cause Ivory Coat does not write this on there kibble bags or internet site.. She didnt say she was from Ivory Coat….So there musn’t be no more Ivory Coat the Real Petfood people have bought the Ivory Coat name & business. Now I know why “Meals For Mutts” keep writing they are the only Australian made & OWNED pet food company in Australia….
The afr site is pretty aggressive when it comes to revenue-related scripts. This link might work in your case.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-24/chinese-investors-sink-teeth-into-pet-food-company/9081298
Time to stock up and freeze any favourite Ivory Coat formulas I guess 🙁
You didn’t like contact me on Facebook did you? cause someone stating he was you did and creeped me out.
Me? On Facebook? Yikes that’s about the last place you would find me. Every time I see the quality of conversation there it feels like I’m losing brain cells just reading it. It’s not me, just block/ignore/unfriend/delete/report or whatever tools they give you to deal with these people, and whatever you do, don’t click on any crazy links if they offer you one.
To be honest I just needed to make sure it wasn’t like maybe a friend or something, didn’t sound anything like you and I was ultra suspicious right from the beginning of the conversation. Kept going on about pet food cost spreadsheet and I tried to talk about random things but this guy didn’t care and I knew from that it wasn’t you also because you enjoy an off topic chat now and then.
Eventually told me he didn’t know what I was talking about or wasn’t able to understand anything and asked me how much I had to drink and that he should of asked me earlier in the day, really weird conversation and yeah creepy af, I told whoever it was that I wouldn’t talk with them anymore, because 1 creeped out haha have I mentioned this yet? and two I wasn’t happy with how they were treating me.
Clearly someone from Dog Food Advisor trolling it out, impersonating you was a mistake on their part though, because I know how you write and how you are toward me and the others and this was definitely not you, not one bit.
Sounds like you’re getting a much more interesting class of loony than the boring ones I get. Just block block block until they go away (or better yet stay off Facebook!).
I have real life people on there that I need to keep contact with and it’s much easier then texting them and also much easier to chat with Susan than through email, so not going anywhere sadly haha. But I agree that Facebook can be the bane of anyone’s existence, with some of the s**t you read there. Alternatively if you don’t want help finding a new dog food then don’t comment in the first place! super sensitive special snowflakes supreme.
Unfortunately for me society dictates Facebook is 90% of running a website, and if you don’t respond to messages within an unrealistic timeframe your rating drops significantly. It isn’t easy answering questions like “Should I feed my cat Supercoat or My Dog”.
Thanks Alan, I was struggling to find a better article last night.
Whether this is a bad thing is yet to be seen, but we should keep in mind “Australian Made” only means a minimum 50%.
Glad I don’t care about kibble for at least 1 of my dogs anymore, Angels the special case, but I think I’ll keep her on the Applaws it’s got good ingredients, good meat content and she does very well on it, it ticks all my boxes that’s what matters.
Hi Susan, they make VIP, Farmers Market, Natures Gift, Natures Goodness, Tucker Time, Fussy Cat, and also B.A.R.F.
Hi, Dr B’s frozen BARF? when I’ve bought the Fussy Cat raw it’s been off a few times how you know it’s off, when you cut the 5 trays of raw cat meat to put in the freezer the freeze the separate packets of raw cat mince swell up with air the Butcher in Coles said yes he’s been seeing this alot lately with the Fussy Cat raw sachets & has been throwing out alot of themout, the meat must be letting off toxin or something for the air to be in these sealed separate packets, I prefer the Aldis “Cachet” raw sachets so does my cat, she wont eat Fussy Cat no more I wonder why?? the Aldi’s Cachet never swell up with air when they’re frozen, I wonder who makes Adlis raw Cachet cat food? I was just worried who makes this Baxters which pet food company?? Ive just gone over to Wollworths Australian F/B page & asked them WHY haven’t Woolworths taken this dry Baxter kibble off the shelves till it gets tested to see whats wrong with it & Woolworths posted back saying, people need to SLOWLY introduce the Baxter food, so Baxter must of told Woolworths “Oh people just arent slowly introducing this dry kibble theer’s nothing wrong with its or something like that.. but its also the Baxter treats dogs are getting sick from, It needs to be tested all the bags of Baxter kibble that has been feed & the dogs have gotten sick & died from it & we need to know who’s making this Baxter what pet food company?? is making the Baxter Dry Wet & Treats???
You should of seen all the poor Staffys that are feed this Baxter cheap crap, I belong to 3 Australian Staffy groups & after I posted your post about Tank the Bull Arb, I woke in the morning to all these posters that had posted on the post I shared about Baxter foods so many sick dogs..Cant accrant affair do a story to warn people if Woolworths wont take it off their shelves I printing out flyers & tomorrow putting them up at the Newcastle Woolworths over teh Senior small bags & the other Baxter small bags I know theres not as many as when Baxter kibble first came out just Senior formula & another formula either adult or puppy formula, I’ll have to have a look tommorow & see so theres definitely a problem cause when Baxter first came out 1/2 the shelving was full of all Baxter range of dry kibble small bags & the Large bags now its just the small senior & another small formula.
Have you watch Rodney Habibs Video’s “The Truth About Pet Cancer” ? it blew me away episode 2 & 3, just scroll down Rodneys F/B page for Episode 2 as Episode 3 came out saturday & it’s up the top of his page & you need to watch Episode 2 first & get to know all these Drs, Vets & Proffessor’s that are talking & telling the truth & Vaccinations my God in America an average 16 week old puppy gets 21 vaccines 21 that’s unbelievable in his short little life & Vets are wondering why are dogs getting cancer so young they know why.. also Flea products more poisons I like Dr John Robb what he takes about in episode 3 I think it was about the Vaccines https://www.facebook.com/rodneyhabib
Hey Pet Food I don’t get what you mean by original ingredients and new ones, both formulas exist and the chicken was newly added last year but the lamb and kangaroo was always a thing, chicken did not overtake the kangaroo one, the only one changed was venison in favour of lamb and sardine which I think is a much healthier choice to just venison alone.
The best source of venison I feel is Ziwipeak right now, Rusty feels amazing on this new formula and then K9 Natural, that one was good at first and helped tremendously with his joints but the new formula had him gaining weight and not digesting it very well.
Thankfully Frontier arrived when it did, Rusty continues to be full of energy and spunk.
Im feeding Ocean Fish and Salmon atm but want to remove the potato in the diet. I’m going to mix with the new lab & Sardine and then switch. Thanks
Im keen to try the new Lamb & Sardine variety as it has Sweet potato and no potato. I think it is a seasonal thing with my labs as we live on a farm and they run everyday through our crops that are flowering atm. I have no issues any other time of the year. Bit I really want to cut back on the carbs but still want to feed at least 50% pellets. Their seems to be potato in everything apart from the expensive air dried food.
Air dried is essentially similar to the process of making jerky so that’s why it’s so expensive, your also paying for the best quality air dried in Australia, everyone else is using stuff to make the pieces softer and that stuff is not good long term.
The Lamb & Sardine formula is actually very good. Sweet potato is lower GI than potato so is arguably the better ingredient.
Can anyone tell me if potato in pellets can cause itchy skin as I have read it turns to sugar which causes itchy skin and how does it compare with Sweet potato’s.
Most food-related itchy skin conditions are caused by grain allergies, or sometimes from specific meats.
Yeah it definitely can, it’s also bad for cancer and diabetes and can make yeast infections worse. I’m very sure that sweet potato was better but it’s still a carb source so for certain ailments it’s s no no, I wish there was more carb variety in dry foods in Australia like chickpea kibbles and such. I can’t have any potatoes of any kind right now with my insulin resistance so that may or may not give you an idea of how good it is.
I feel chickpeas and peas might be better for itchy skin.
I’ll research this further I’m actually genuinely interested in what foods are best as I see this question come up a lot and I don’t know enough to fully help.
I’ve been reading and found that pea protein can cause inflammation in dogs. It’s a sugar binding protein apparently.
I even read on the “savour life” dog kibble that because their product has peas in it ( I’m assuming a lot) that you should not feed their kibble every day! Not something you usually see on a product to be honest, telling you not to feed it everyday!
PFR – Ivory Coat have a new product out Lamb & Sardines can you give me your opinion on this new product
Looks like they have deleted the venison formula too, though it’s still out there in the supply channels 🙁
Guess this shipment will be my first and last venison from them ;(
Really wish they would do away with the tapioca they added it into the new formula as well, it has like no nutritional value from memory and its GI was through the roof.
It’s a bummer huh. Venison protein is tough enough to find in the oz pet food context without taking out a bank loan, and it looks like one more source has just dried up.
Everyone continues to have problems with venison, there’s just not enough of it to go around and you have to consider all the companies using it in the USA also, if it was just us we’d be able to keep it going forever no problems well maybe.
They need to turn to other proteins, like goat, was going to say rabbit but I don’t think it was very popular either that or once again there just wasn’t enough of it.
You’ve also got emu though, buffalo and a variety of others I’m sure.
Yeh there has been a few angry people about that but I think its a supply issue. I was just asking because I feed my dogs sardines and was wondering if this has enough sardine in it to benefit compared to the tin. I feed my labs ocean fish & salmon in conjunction with stay Loyal atm plus raw.
Could you continue with the cans anyway regardless of the sardine content in the kibble? I mean if you’re using the 59c cans at Woolies/Aldi and assuming maybe 1/4 of that weight is the water they’re packed in, the kibble represents a saving, but not a huge one unless you’re feeding Great Dane quantities. There’s also frozen whole sardines available for a bit less again than the canned version, if your dog likes the look of them.
Yeh I would agree with you Alan and yes I would continue the can anyway i was just wondering if the benefits in the pellets is worth buying it as Im just a novice when it comes to the ingredients lists. The only thing I hate about the can is it stinks really bad.
Interesting.. it’s probably just my crappy sense of smell but I’ve never really noticed much of a stink with the cans. One reason might be that I sort of flush out the can with clean water a couple of times before opening it fully, just on the assumption that my tap water is probably better than whatever skanky water they used in Thailand. Never tried it any other way but maybe it’s also reducing the smell?
I’ve switched my 16 week old puppy over from Royal Canin Medium Junior to Ivory Coat Puppy All Breeds a week ago but have had really sloppy stools since. I’ve followed the transition guide as per Ivory Coat instruction but after 7 days of only feeding 1:4 of IC to 3:4 RC there has been no improvement. Does any have advice as to how long the sloppy loose stools might go on for? I’ve only got about a kg of Royal Canin left and need to decide whether to persevere for a few more days or jump ship and try to transition to another brand. The other brands I’ve been considering are Canidae Grain Free Pure Foundations Puppy, Meals for Pups and Black Hawk Puppy. Would really appreciate any advice.
Hi Giselle, there’s a few factors which need to be considered. Diarrhoea often occurs when switching foods, with the common conception being the new food is the issue. This isn’t necessarily the case. If a dog is fed the same food for an extended period they simply become intolerant to other foodstuffs. It’s the same with us humans. Variety in a diet is always a good thing regardless of what manufacturers want you to believe, which has historically been the case. Most RC formulas are heavy on corn, whereas IC is more meat and animal fat, so they’re very different in ingredients and composition.
In your case your puppy is being introduced to a completely new food for the first time in their life, so they’re simply not used to it. I feel it’s worth persisting, but keep in mind it’s possible the puppy may have a more ingrained intolerance to something in the IC. Canidae Pure Foundations is pricier but proves to be very good in instances such as this, so that could be worth a try too.
Firstly I wanted to thank everyone again for taking the time in replying to my query. Everyone has been wonderfully helpful.
I would like to provide an update on the sloppy stool situation and perhaps some advice for those who might experience the same in the future.
After careful consideration of the advice given I decided to persist with the Ivory Coat. The reviews are good, the ingredients look good and if I had to continue feeding kibble to my pup, this is the brand I wanted to use. So persist we did.
I reviewed the suggested ratios of mixing new with old kibble – initially mixing 1/4 of new with 3/4 old, then 1/2 of each, then 3/4 new with 1/4 old etc. and came to the realisation that since in the past I worked with cup measurements instead of actually measuring the exact grams, I was grossly over feeding the amount of Ivory Coat. I was eyeballing 3/4 cup of old with 1/4 cup of Ivory Coat which ended up being far too many grams of Ivory per serving initially – in fact the eyeballing of a 1/4 cup per serve ended up being nearly 50 grams where according to the gram measurement and 1/4:3/4 mix ratio she was only meant to be having 15 grams to start with!!
I sat down and worked out the exact amounts of grams required and within a day the stools firmed up. I carefully persisted with the “gram ratio” rather than “cup ratio” and have not had any sloppy stools since.
We are now at the 3 week mark and Puppy is now fully switched over to Ivory Coat with perfectly normal, firm and regular stools.
I must confess that I did use slippery elm and kefir to help settle her stomach.
My advice would be to measure out the exact grams required rather than just eyeballing a cup measurement. The scales keep us honest.
Im no expert but from my experience change over from grain to a grain free will need much more than 7days for your dogs system to settle. I would agree with Alan give it a bit longer. Having my dogs now on IC and Stay Loyal respectively for over 12 months. I would not return to RC. I have had mixed results when weaning pups onto BH puppy with runny poos. Canidae puppy no issues bit is expensive. M for M I have not tried. Having said that some of the new owners still have them on BH puppy and doing well but others have transitioned to IC or Canidae. Hope that Helps. If you do changed again just buy the small bags until you sort it out.
7 days is probably a bit too soon to draw any conclusions – some dogs need the better part of a month to really settle down. The others you mentioned may prove to be a smoother transition in your case, or at least mask the ‘sloppy’ factor with ingredients like beet pulp etc. but since you’ve started down the Ivory Coat path I’d be inclined to stick with it rather than jump ship just yet. Anything that gets pup off the RC stuff has got to be worth a bit of hassle.
Thanks Alan and Whende for your replies. I feel relieved to know that not all is lost and I’ll happily persevere as I’m pretty keen for her to be on better food than RC. A friend has recommended adding some Kefir and Slippery Elm to her diet to see if that doesn’t help a bit.
you made the wrong choice.. you should have switched him over to the LOW FAT ivory coat first. The extra fat is the thing that makes the poos wet.. it always is. low fat is 10% .. the puppy food you got is 19% .. low fat kibble also works wonders for older dogs with wet stools. Fat is hard to digest.
Cooked whole potato added to the kibble at feeding time can help FIRM the stool .. it can even make them constipated if you give it to them every single day 🙂
I stopped using there dog and cat products due to little coloured plastic contanimants. It is identical to what was in applaws bics.
So incredibly disappointing to see they have been acquired by some large pet food conglomerate. They were such a great quality Aussie company. And we all know what happened with Black Hawk just recently when they were acquired by some multi-national; reduced pack sizes, increased prices and most importantly much decreased quality in ingredients. I won’t touch Black Hawk anymore and
I very much hope Ivory Coat doesn’t repeat these mistakes. I will be watching closely for any changes in ingredients and checking back here. It’s disappointing how these companies start up small, build a reputation for quality foods and good Aussie-made ingredients and then very quickly sell out their reputations to make a buck!
at least this ones Aussie.. unlike the other pet foods that get taken over by overseas companies
THanks for sharing
Hi Shortnsweet,
I’ve amended the text at the top of the review as it was slightly incorrect. Ivory Coat has actually merged with The Real Petfood company which may be a positive thing. I believe they now own the factory where their food is made, which gives them more control over the manufacturing and ingredient sources.
It’s a great dry food!
It’s one of the very few that has no yuk natural flavours or chicken digest included
May be VIP will learn something about better quality from this brand they have acquired
Unlikely, Purina or Mars not sure who but someone has a really good food and they know what good food is I’m sure of it and they continue to pump out Pedigree trash and Beneful trash. Also like Alan said no one really cares about this or that it’s about how much money they can make selling trash.
Usually the buyer isn’t terribly interested in learning lessons from the buyee, but I like your optimistic outlook. Fingers crossed!
We hope PFR keeps a close eye on any ingredient changes for us. I will be back here frequently to check it out. Thanks for your good work PFR.
Will do Whende 😉
thanks.. i just switched to this brand from wellness core due to the fact wellness may or may not be radiated at customs.
Wellness is not radiated. Great food.
Wellness won’t be irradiated at customs.
I contacted Customs about irradiation and this is what they told me: “Not all types of pet food can be irradiated. For example, cat food is never allowed to be irradiated and only dog treats can be irradiated. If the pet food is intended to make up a substantial amount of an animals diet (e.g. kibble) then it cannot be gamma irradiated to address biosecurity concerns.” So it seems no dog kibble would be irradiated, no matter which country it comes from?
Customs from what state, NSW?.. From the information I’ve found online its pretty much at the discretion of customs weather things get irradiated or not. They banned cat food irradiation in 2009 after cats started to die… Customs cowboys are nuking food being overprotective. We need labels on things that have been nuked as a standard. I’m not risking vet bills on sick dogs because of it… sticking to Aussie made food. NZ Products looks to be exempt from irradiation also
Fans of Ivory Coat may be interested (dismayed?) to read the news article on their website advising that the company has been acquired by VIP pet foods/Real pet food in the last week or so 🙁
i like VIP pet products.. from the ones I’ve purchased so far.
I suppose time will tell whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.
I actually saw this on Facebook and replied with the usual what! type of response, damned shame I hope the ingredients don’t change their so good for a kibble right now.
Hi all have being using ivory coat puppy and now switched to lamb and roo now for a couple of months and my dog is great with it I think this has to one of the best knibble around , and Australia
I love it also currently don’t have any as I rotate kibbles but I was thinking of buying the venison after this bag of Blackhawk.
just bought a bag today and it was mouldy as can be ..
I’m assuming you’re taking it back asap, but while it’s in your possession, could you advise the best-before date to give a rough idea of its age? From what I have observed from bags in the past, the Ivory Coat stuff has best-before dates at least 13 months from manufacture, and no doubt the true number is a round figure further out than 13 months.
Yes I will be going back later today with it. It’s quite disappointing enough that they had no starch free foods let alone us spending over $100 on a bag of dog food (at a discounted members price) only to settle with the best option they had to take it home and find its mouldy.. the bag was dated in 2018 when I quickly viewed it to check it was in date still it’s outside because it stinks so much so I might provide a closer date later when I take it back. But what do i even do ! at this point I’ll have to get a refund and drive like another 30 mins to the place I passed yesterday which I now regret not just going to instead. Not easy with where we live baby an etc :/ ntm I hate having to return it. Now their store will suffer as I cannot trust this brand at all now!
Only it’s not really the brands fault though is it? It’s whoever it was with and how it was stored and handled from factory to shop, unless a food recalls for mould issues then it’s not really their fault.
I’ve never had mouldy feed with dogs an horses an etc before no matter how it’s been stored my guess is it’s actually something to do with the makeup of the feed or process but either way now I won’t be able to trust it. Not all mould can be seen before it’s there. The food makeup is probably the most appropriate I’ve seen so far so as you can imagine we are quite disappointed. The date on the bag Is the 10/04/18
It’s a pity this has soured you on the brand, as all signs point to Ivory Coat being a high quality product. I do find though that the handling and storage of anything labelled as pet food is rather carefree, so there’s always that element of mystery when you first open a bag. Perhaps clear windows on the packaging would help to some extent, as Ziwipeak and others use.
This casual approach to pet food seems particularly prevalent with the frozen products without preservatives which are fairly unforgiving. There’s an alarming number of accounts from people who have opened up their nice frozen product only to find it has spent some time in the tropics on the way to the pet supply store freezer 🙁
I have the same problem with really soft yucky poos that are hard to pick up. They have been on it for a couple of months and no improvement.
Could also be fat related, some dogs just can’t tolerate high amounts, some of Ivory Coats formulas have 18%, the fish one is good at 12% or even the reduced fat isn’t bad at 10% I mean the ingredients weren’t bad I think it still contains two types of meat sources like all the others.
I think I’ve read not too sure it was loose stools though that too high a protein % can cause dogs some issues as well.
Maybe you could try the old Blackhawk formulas and see how your dog does on those, I really don’t think the new ones are a good place to start and since they changed the ingredients especially.
Artemis has good food but it’s pricier then Ivory Coat, I’m not sure if taste of the wild has a truly low fat option if fat is the problem.
Thanks Amateria. They are on the fish formula as one of my dogs has a terrible time with yeast problems and his ears are particularly sensitive. Was using Blackhawk until a few months ago but local pet shop owner had heard that ear issues had been a problem after owneeship and formula changed. Then tried MFM which was OK except foe loose motions and ear problems. Must skin and ears have been good since using Ivory coat but clean ups a problem especially out walking. Might try the lower fat option.
HI Barb We had the same problem with our Akitas they could not tolerate the fish try the chicken or the turkey and duck no issues there 🙂
I changed my labs onto the ocean fish & salmon or chicken and i am able to control their weight much better on the lower fat content.
What breed of dogs are they Barb?
Yeast issues are generally aggravated when foods are simply too high in starch aka carbs as the carbs turn to sugar and trigger yeast infections in dogs anyways, Earthborn has low carb foods but in the end I wasn’t fond of their food, triggered a pancreatic attack for Rusty no idea why to this day, can only speculate which ingredients may have caused it.
Grain free also doesn’t mean low carb, as apparently some people think it does.
Yes, I’m aware that carbs are a problem but finding a dry dog food that is grain free and low carb has proven to be a real problem. Many have potato or sweet potato in the recipe and I’m not sure about things like peas and lentils etc. I think the Ivory Coat has reduced my dog’s itching but not eliminated it and the ear problem seems to be under control (fingers crossed) Had a flare up after a week in boarding kennels on Blackhawk salmon and potato formula. Will give lower fat Ivory Coat a go. This little rescue dog has issues with fat (never gains weight no matter how much food he eats) and I know he has a problem with fat.
Same as me it seems, I eat like a horse legit and I’m just kind of stuck at around 53-55kg I’m also 172cm, I eat all sorts of foods and I’m snacking almost 24/7 and yet nothing.
Sweet potatoes and chickpeas or another name garbanzo beans are low Gi, I know that based on my diet and my love of bread that low Gi foods are better as they take longer to digest, thus slowing down the insulin spikes as I have insulin resistance and I think this also means that it’s better for dogs with yeast conditions and especially better for dogs with diabetes.
Since the carbs turning into sugar are the problem, so slowing down the process could have some pretty dramatic effects on health, I guess it’s worth trying, we have a wide array of kibbles here, a lot less then America but still we have choices for each individual doggy issue.
I guess give it a go for like a month or two and then report back, so me and anybody else whose interested can see how everything went and if the info was helpful.
I was wondering if anyone has the problem of Ivory Coat making the dogs stools really soft? Have changed my dog onto Ivory Coat and notice a difference.
Yes my dog was excatly the same on ivory coat with sloppy poos. And i slowly transitioned. I switched back to applaws only to find the biscuits mouldy.
Only happens if it’s allergy related or if you didn’t transition over 1 week, don’t listen to the people saying 3 days, you need at least 1 week, some dogs I’ve read about needed 1 month imagine that.
Fed our pug/frenchie cross the puppy version of Ivory Coat mixed with different stuff on occasion. Our pup is healthy happy and fit with no allergic reactions or problems. We are now moving on to this one as she is one year old 😉
my english staffy is 7mths old, and while they’re puppies i have been told by the vet to leave puppy kibble in their bowl for little and often feeding. make sure their bowl has food in it all the time. my puppy likes to graze, and she knows that there’s always food in her bowl.
I’ve read that doing that causes picky dogs and a lot of people on dog food advisor also mentioned this.
I wouldn’t personally know as I have no clue what type of life our puppy had before she arrived at our house, but with her you need to leave food out as she won’t eat when you want her too and most days she only eats at night before bed.
I’ve been feeding my puppy the chicken one. Does anyone know how long will it take before it goes rancid and no longer good to give to dogs? I keep it in the original packaging inside an airtight container. I read somewhere that it only takes two weeks for kibble to go rancid.
I open the pack and freeze half of it with those moisture absorbing crystal packs lasts a lot longer…
Must try that one that thanks!
I have kept Ivory Coat’s fish formula for up to 3 months in its own bag not inside of a container and it was still fresh as ever when I ran out.
Hi Susan wow? So just half in the freezer with a packet of those micro bead things you get in shoe boxes? Great idea! Must try that one.
You responded to me by the way instead of Susan.
Oops. 🙂
Thanks
Thanks Amateria that’s great news. I alternate ivory coat and B.A.R.F (mince) so it takes longer to finish the pack and it’s only a 2kg pack. Haven’t tried the fish one yet but will try next time. Thanks
Yeah I use the kibble as a sort of vitamin packed treat and some days I don’t use it at all so it lasts a really long time, I think someone mentioned that their bag lasted a long time in a hot climate with small holes in the bag and didn’t sweat or something so it appears to be a very good brand for long term storage.
The fish one has like 5 different sources of omega oils which is what I really like about it, helps with coat problems (never had any) and achy joints, also helps older dogs with their aging brains be more alert and alive which is an awesome thing.
How does this compare with Stay Loyal?
Hi Rod, they’re both rated 5 stars so both good foods. You could always rotate between the two.
I bought ivory coat once and when I read the label it rang alarm bells to me as I have breeding dogs and the label says for non reproducing adult dogs, and I wonder why they put non producing does that mean if you have breeding dogs you shouldn’t feed it to them
Its because the food targeted at adults are aimed at maintenance nutritional requirements under the AAFCO.
Reproduction and growth have different nutrient standards because growing/reproduction has higher needs of certain things. The puppy food meets standard for growth and reproduction under the AAFCO so should be fine to feed to a pregnant/lactating bitch 🙂
Its due to the flaxseed meal. Its been linked to infertility
Did you get an answer to this?
Hi i will be getting my male lab next week and was thinking of feeding Ivory Coat Puppy Large Breed. Is this food suitable? As with most breeders the puppy is currently on Advance and they are insisting i continue with Advance, i just took their recommendations on face value. I want to ensure my lab gets the right nutrition i.e the calcium content, phosphorus and fat are at their right dosage for him to absorb. I would appreciate some guidance on this food from Ivory coat.
Yes, it’s suitably formulated for puppies. If you’re concerned there’s no reason why you can’t feed a mixture of foods.
My 8 month old Labrador has horrible skin, he scratches all the time and gnaws at himself. Ive changed his diet 3 times already. I brush him regularly and bathe him about once a month.
Would Ivory Coat help with this at all?
Some dog breeds are susceptible to grass allergies & also have sensitivity to certain meats. Our border collie girl used to itch something crazy so our vet recommended laying off the beef & lamb (chicken/turkey/fish/kangaroo are ok) and it helped a lot.
Hi Bec, did your BC definitely have sensitivity to beef/lamb or was it grains?
We initially removed lamb/beef (only very rare allowance) which seemed to resolve the issues. Later to this we did also put her on a grain free diet which was more of a trial that just continued. She is a very fussy eater and my main aim was to get her away from the supermarket mass produced dry ‘food’. The vet did originally recommend Science Diet but she hated it.
Grain allergies are the most common for this, so a grain free food would certainly help. Worth a try?
Depends what he’s allergic to and if it’s seasonal allergies than food won’t really help at all.
It’s likely been around for awhile, I haven’t noticed anyone using it yet but pet warehouses review system is up and running and I left a review for the ocean fish formula of this brand and I think I messed up with the knee cap part, do dogs even have knee “cap” problems? Lol
Or just knee problems without the cap? It sounded stupid when I re read it but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong, just means for some reason it sounds dumb.
I also really want the new Ivory Coat 🙁 so much heartache.
Hi just bought ivory coat for the first time for my English staffy pup! His 15 weeks and proberly about 7 or 8 kgs. Just wondering how much of this I should be feeding him?
I replied to you however my comment is stuck in pending and I’m sure it will be unstuck soon but for now I’ll leave this here without the extra website link.
It appears to be what I generally see across all of the foods that are premium, cheaper foods will be like twice that amount which ends up costing you more.
I forgot but puppies actually need to be fed 3 times daily as I’ve read over countless websites.
So it seems based on that, around 120g per day, so 40g 3 times a day, morning, evening and night, but not too late or he’ll be up all night littering your house with no no’s if he stays inside. You’ll need to be your own judge when it comes down to your dogs weight and general look, so increase or decrease as necessary.
This is also available at Mega Pet Warehouse stores.
I now have to ask because I am confused to all hell, was Ivory Coats smallest bag always 2kg? Or was it 3kg at some point?
I was sure as hell it was 3…
Threw the bag out as I don’t need it anymore, placed the rest in the container I got for Artemis darn it.
It was always 2kg since launching.
I check out at least 25 different dog food brands and their ingredients daily, it’s one of my hobbies now as I enjoy doing it so much, likely I was getting mixed up with another brand as tends to happen, when you review (kind of) so many foods a day.
Wait, why are you checking on the daily? It’s not like they change formulas that often.
Because I don’t have the memory to remember every ingredient is every food the first time around, so I keep checking them to remember them better if I ever need to help someone in the future with it.
Besides I mentioned hobby and I’ve been doing this same ordeal for 5 years and I love it, just not really any work around to do with it, except maybe holistic nutritionist? because I really do enjoy it more than anything else.
Hi, I’ve been feeding my two puppies the ivory coat grain free chicken puppy. They love it and their coat is always healthy. i’m just looking at foods that are comparable to this one but cheaper.
I had a look at black hawks and canidae all life stages. What would you recommend? Kind regards, Pablo
Taste of the wild is comparable if you choose the varities that have a lot of meat.
Black hawk is very good coat wise, I think the meat content is a little low though.
Taste is all high protein which is very good for puppies and even older dogs, don’t want to drop too low with that.
I think most of the higher end foods are very similarly priced, you would need to drop the meat content to get a cheaper food.
Hi. Update on Milly. It’s day 5 of the change of food and we have some success. I’m offering her 100 grams of kibble once a day and she ate all of it yday but only half today. Nothing else. No treats no bones no leftovers. Just kibble. I will continue this for another week and then re access. She certainly scavengers around the kitchen with no success but would gladly eat people food if offered. She does my head in but I love her to bits so we will continue this journey together.
If people food helps her eat more of her food than like I’ve mentioned before that’s not a bad thing, if it however doesn’t than I guess she just needs more tough love haha
I wonder if tripe powder would coax her to eat her kibble or not, I got it today ordered from pet warehouse and funnily enough Anja was nosing around in her food trying to eat only the crumbs and not the food itself, but in the end she had to eat the food as the crumbs were kind of stuck to it too much to scrape off, was really funny to watch.
Tripe is supposedly the stuff that doggy dreams are made of :p as per the packaging for the K9 Natural version, I think it’s because it stinks that they love it so much and it’s super healthy.
Kinda wish we had Tripett dry foods here, all their foods have tripe in it and I think that’s awesome, but alas we do not, sad times.
So update on Milly the Maltese Shih tzu terror. At the end of day 3 she finally ate 40 grams of kibble. I know it’s not much as that’s 40 grams in 3 days but I’m hoping it s the start of something. She is very head strong and I think it’s a battle of wits between her and I but fingers crossed.
Yeah I hope so too, sometimes dogs just need a tough love approach, maybe she will realise that she either eats what she gets or she doesn’t eat at all, eventually she will eat and learn to love it :p
As long as that is truly what’s happening and not something more severe, I guess keep us updated and we will hope for the best.
Help!! Hi. I have 12 month old Maltese Shih tzu who is a very fussy eater. She hates dry food and although I mix 50% wet and dry together she only eats the wet. Eukanuba puppy is what we have but I’m mostly throwing it out. I need to find a dry food that she will eat. At this stage she hasn’t eaten much at all in 2 days but is drinking water as usual. Ivory coat has been recommended to me and I thought the puppy one would be a good start. Should I still mix it with wet or go cold turkey and just offer the dry?
Hi Vicki,
I’ve just been at Better Pets and Gardens and been told if you buy the small 2kg bags, they will refund your money if your pet doesn’t like it. All you need to do it bring in the receipt and at least 50% of the food left in the bag. I’m trying to swap my pets food over as well so I thought that wuold come in handy!
I bought the 2kg bag from Best Friends and they also said that I can return it with a refund if my pup doesn’t like it. Good to know. Today is day 2 of her not eating. She refuses to eat the kibble. The guys at Best Friends said this would probably happen and to offer it once a day for 20 minutes and then move it. And to give it 4-5 days as long as she is drinking. Let’s see what tomorrow brings but she seems quite hungry just not enough to eat it.
Maybe try a canned food with her, I’ve heard of a lot stories of dogs who just seriously dislike kibble, even if it happened over several years.
I’d say it would be worth a try, I can’t really say which ones are good as Rusty will eat any can you buy, I only buy the good ones but yeah, any of the higher star kibble on here that has cans you could try, or try a cheaper supermarket one like natures gift that way you didn’t spend $4-6 for a can your dog won’t touch.
Hi Amateria
Thanks for your comments. At this stage I think we will stick to the program for another 2 days and see if she eats it tonite. She is not a happy dog at this stage. I guess I have spoiled her and now reality is setting in for her.
Yeah I hope it works out, I read that she’s generally of adult age, but they can’t really do things until age 2 and long hairs get their full hair at 2 so they should technically be adults at 2 instead of 1 to be honest.
Anyways that puts her into a better position with not eating as an adult dog can go longer without eating, a puppy on the other hand needs to eat, something anything.
What did you spoil her with? Could you possibly add it to her food? It’s quiet important to add real foods to kibble at least once a week, when I make Rusty’s bowl he gets quiet a variety on top of his homemade.
I saw him eating virtually the same thing day in and day out and that’s when I decided to try adding some foods, not to his bowl at first, in fact he didn’t have a bowl until last month, I got it for him because he was in danger of getting bloat eating that quickly.
First tried Ziwipeak beef, he put on weight so the next bag I bought was the venison, he’s had at least 6 bags of Ziwipeak since I started this whole food charade more than a year ago.
K9 Natural was my next choice to try, he became a new man dog on this food, not sure what ingredient did it as it could have been any of them but seriously he became alive!
I tried Sunday pets dry, full of disgusting hair and the pet stock person I spoke to said it smelled weird also, you’d think they would at least be better than pedigree in the USA who killed hundreds of dogs from wires and hairs in their foods yuck.
Decided to also try, Blackhawk, holistic select and Ziwipeak cans and I stuck the Ziwipeak ones as I feel their more natural and they smell like human food, not dog food, they now also contain olive oil which I was very happy to see in the ingredients list, not all the flavours have it though.
Now I’ve ordered yet another batch of treats and with it Artemis osopure bison and salmon, they added pumpkin and coconut oil and removed a lot of other ingredients which has made me want to try their food, I hope it we do well on it.
Oh also Ivory Coat ocean fish formula, which has worked wonders for the costs of both our dogs and Rusty barely limps anymore.
Probably a super long post I can’t see the whole of it, but that’s my story, might open a few doors for you, might not, I hope that your dog will finally eat something in the end, maybe just keep trying kibble since you have a way to return it at least, like try every flavour maybe something will finally spark her interest, maybe try taste of the wild, they have exotic flavours maybe she’s one of those diva dogs haha who will only eat exotic foods never know.
Wish you all the best and now I take my leave, if you continue to have problems it might be time for a vet visit, she could have something wrong inside, my memory has been awful and I’ve unfortunately forgotten what may cause it, but I remember reading about dogs who won’t eat due to specific issues inside their bodies.
You could also visit dog food advisors forums and ask questions there, the people on there are very knowledgeable about everything as they’ve usually seen it all before and may be able to give you better pointers than someone like me.
Thanks so much for your advise.
No problem at all 😀
The puppy formula would be worth a try as the kibble’s smaller. Definitely continue to mix with wet food if that suits, I’m an advocate for mixing foods and there are benefits of feeding wet.
Thanks so much for your quick response. Will let you know how we go.
Hope everything works out well for you, I love Ivory Coat the health benefits of the ocean fish formula didn’t take long to appear, which means it’s awesome quality.
Hi, we run a boarding kennel and breed Bull Terriers and Irish Terriers. I am loving this diet and so are out dogs. I also cook bone broth to give our dogs something warm and wet in winter and we add raw mutton for no reason other than we like to give our dogs a treat. What I have noticed is that some of our Irish Terrier pups are growing coat vigorously and a bit too soft for the breed. any ideas?
Usually happens when you start to feed better foods, isn’t it supposed to be like a good thing though? Keeps them warmer after all :p
No, not necessarily what we are after. A good undercoat will keep them warm but a harsh, dry, weather resistant top coat keeps them dry. My terriers are meant to have a harsh, weather resistant, wiry coat. They are currenlty a bit oily feeling and way too soft. I suspect too much oil or fat in the diet but don’t know. Have contacted IC but have not yet heard back from them. It would be great if they made a product for harsh coated breeds. There are lots of them around.
Salmon oil or any fish oil, green lipped mussels, canola or sunflower oils, flaxseed, any fish meals and apparently even tripe in food lends a hand to make coats softer, more manageable and looks like in your case worser, besides maybe avoiding some of these ingredients I really have no idea how to help you.
I did 5 years of dog food research, not of coats I’m afraid.
If you don’t find any answers here try dog food advisor, they have a wide variety of people online lately, who know everything there is to know about dogs and problems they may have.
Hope you the very best and sorry I couldn’t help 🙁
Hello everyone!
Does anybody can describe the size of the grains? I have a rotweiller and she eats better a bigger sized grain. I saw that they don´t have a large breed food.
Thank you
Their ocean fish formula is pretty big, I was surprised by it, but it also meant that Rusty wouldn’t just swallow it whole (he does every now and than though).
Thank you!! Good to know, I will try this one.
Hi Marilia, the Ivory Coat kibble is average size. You shouldn’t have a problem with a large breed dog as the kibble isn’t small like some brands.
Thank you! Will try it.
Hi there! I’m looking at buying some new, better quality food for my two chihuahua x fox terriers who are aged 3 and 4 (and are 3 and 5kgs, so quite small). I’m tossing up between the Ivory Coat and the Black Hawk Grain Free and was wondering which would be your pick as they both have 5 star reviews. The price difference between the two is not a huge concern. Also, I see that Ivory Coat now offer chicken and fish & salmon in addition to the lamb and kangaroo. Would you recommend a particular meat source over another? Thanks so much!
You could rotate between the two Monique 😉
Ok great, thanks!
It’s been around 3 months I would imagine since I bought the Ivory Coat and I always like to review it a 2nd and maybe even 3rd and 4th time as I continue to feed it until the bag is completely empty and also if I buy new bags in the future.
The food is still as awesome as when I got it, still fresh in the bag, still smells amazing, still oily not dried out.
Rusty’s hair is like liquid gold in the sunlight and so is Anja’s as she eats some of it as well, so it continues to make a beautifully silky coat.
Did not change poops, only raw changes poops or foods like Ziwipeak.
Did not change teeth or breath but than Rusty has awful teeth, we are getting them cleaned in the future, at a vet who asks only $50 for a full clean, how awesome is that! We know this vet real well, her visits only cost $20.
Shedding seems to be less, could just be that time of the year but everyone seems to be loosing less hair, which is nice.
Rusty seems to be more alive on this food, likely his body needed some extra supplements like the fish oil to activate his personality again.
He’s barely ever limping anymore and he bounces around like a puppy again.
So to conclude this 2nd review, I am still extremely happy with this kibble and will gladly buy it in the future, when I run out of Totw or something.
Could be totally coincidence but someone on pet circle bought the Ivory Coat puppy food few days after you wrote that comment, I wonder if it was Haylee buying the food or just that a coincidence.
I’m on pet circle quiet often and I’ve only seen 1 buying of the puppy formula so far, so that’s why it’s so interesting.
Hi there, I’m planning to switch my two cavalier x poodles from advance to ivory coat thanks to your informative review. They are 6.5 and 11 months old, when would you recommend they can start on adult dry food?
Hi there,
Was thinking of changing my 15month old ridgeback cross onto ivory coat as it sounds fantastic. I have two worries but… My first is he is on a specific large breed dog food so worried that swapping him to ivory coat which is not size specific might mean he misses out on things like glucosamine and chondroitin.
My second worry is that the first ingredient is a meal which from my understanding could possibly be things like ground chicken bones not pure chicken meat. What are your thoughts on my worries?
Hi Jade, you’re right that chicken meal may (or may not) contain bone. That said bone is okay for a dog, and chicken meal is much denser in nutrients and protein than regular chicken.
Thanks for this amazing web site.
A sweet basenji boy adopted us a year ago & we began by feeding him what his foster parents were feeding him. Supermarket dry food and chicken wings. Poor kid had dry flaky skin and ribs poking out.
I researched wanting to feed him a high quality, non-grain Australian dry food for his breakfast and discovered Ivory Coat. Fast forward a few months and now our boy has a gorgeous coat. He glimmers! For dinner, we feed him human grade kangaroo/turkey mince, quinoa (!) and steamed mashed vegetables.
This is an amazing product & I would recommend it to anyone that cares about their pet.
Hello,
Because of this website, I switched from Advanced and have been feeding my dogs Ivory Coat for about a year now (both beagles) and they love it, they both partake in dog sports so I think they need the decent kibble to maintain their energy levels (I also add fresh meat/bones/vegetables to their diet) – they are very slim beagles – a rare sight!
My question is – can I rotate the flavours to keep it interesting? I currently feed them Turkey and Duck but I know when you start feeding a new food you have to incorporate it slowly – is this still the case when its the same brand but different flavours?
Thanks for all your advice!
Hi Zoe, yes I 100% recommend rotating foods. There is no reason a dog should be fed the same food all the time. It’s a common misconception that a new food is the cause of digestive issues. Sometimes it may be the case, but in many instances it’s because they’ve developed intolerances from the previous diet being exclusively for a long period.
hi there.
my baby boy is a picky eater.. he gets really a really bad tummy when he eat some food but thank goodness for ivory coat we have now found a perfect food for my thor. no runny bums and he is so excited when he gets his meal.. not that anyone wouldnt food is amazing. 50 gold stars.
happy owner and happy customer
shae and thor
I have a 5 yr old Doberman who had significant spinal surgery when he was 18 mths followed by an ACL repair in the BRL hence the need now to keep his weight down. He is a ravenous eater and I have fed him BARF (all raw meat, vegetables, some fruit and bones) up until recently when his specialist and now his Vet both read the riot act to me about his creeping weight problem! The Vet recommended Royal Canin for lge breeds. I feed half a cup morning and night mixed with half cup of BARF. It’s working and after 8 weeks he is now 45 Kgs instead of 50 Kgs. He is far more energetic and seems to be doing well. However I was sceptical about a Vet recommending a product that he sells and promotes. I hope he sells it because it is the best product and not for financial reward however I still have doubts. I am VERY interested in the Ivory Coat and wondered which flavour/blend you would recommend for weight control?
Sue and Iddy
Hi Sue, Ivory Coat offer a Reduced Fat Turkey formula. You could try that, but generally I find weight management is more about feeding a decent quality meat-based diet instead of a grain-based diet which most kibbles are.
I have 2 dogs, 1 English staffy and one Boxer.
Both have suffered with skin allergies since they were pups, I tried Royal Canin and Advance but both seemed to make their skin irritated and flaky. Also the poo’s stunk and didnt look very healthy.
I’m currently trialing the Ivory Coat Ocean fish and salmon food, so far so good. It’s been 4 weeks and their skin is almost cleared up, they have more energy and their poo’s don’t smell as much and are firmer to pick up.
Hopefully im onto a winner.
That’s good to hear Eric, thanks for taking the time to comment
I wish I discovered your site years ago or even a few days ago before I purchased a bag of Hills Science Diet Senior 11+ to changeover from My Dog which I have been feeding my 15 year old Pomeranian for most of his life. I feel guilty!
After reading your reviews of the the best dry food brands, I’m leaning towards Ivory Coat (lamb and Kangaroo). My question is how large is the kibble size? Would it be the around the same size as My Dog?
If its large, then which brands would have a small kibble size?
Thanks Duy
Hi Duy, the Ivory Coat kibble is average size. I believe My Dog is a smaller in comparison. There’s no reason you couldn’t try a bag of Ivory Coat Puppy with your 15 year old Pomeranian if the adult size kibble is an issue.
I ordered a couple of sample bags of Ivory Coat and received eight. Thank-you Ivory coat. The same weekend I bought a 2Kg bag of the Ocean Fish and Salmon flavour is it was on promotion from my local pet store.
From one sample bag I mixed in the ivory coat (Salmon) with his current Hills kibble over 4 days and my little Pom absolutely loves it. No problem with kibble size either even after his recent dental surgery (he had 7 teeth removed). He will pick out the ivory coat kibble first and then look at me expecting more. Now, he will only eat the Hills as a last resort and not much of it either just 1/4 cup per day. He has a bigger appetite than that. I have over 3/4 of the Hills bag left which I will have to donate soon. The only problem with Ivory coat was that his stool was a little soft but I will keep an eye on that when I change him to 100% Ivory Coat. I hope that won’t be an issue because I’ve never seen him react that positively to any kibble.
I also purchased a 1Kg bag of Ziwipeak (Venison and Fish) but he won’t have a taste of that until we get half-way through the Ivory Coat bag. I’m planning to rotate between the two brands,
I started my 6yo West Highland Terrier on this brand’s Lamb and Kangaroo. Since then, her stools have gotten VERY firm.. she’s drinking more water than she was when she had wet food but I’m wondering if it’s not enough and therefore causing her stools to become a little too firm? Should I alternate between wet and dry food?
Any advice or knowledge on the area would be very helpful. I’ve never had this issue before and she has been on other dry food before and this didn’t occur to the best of my knowledge.
Thanks!
Hi Alicia, there’s certainly a huge benefit varying a diet, and I see a mixture of wet and dry to be a very good thing. It’s something I recommend.
Help, I’m very concerned I won’t know what to look for if my NEW PUP ingests
Toxins from mould, there has been 5 reports- in Ivory coat, should i be alarmed, or are these reports not true.
The puppy food i have looks good, & my little girl loves it.
Maybe i will swap foods for a bit, till this is cleared up.
Thanks ,
Hi Caroline, most manufacturers at some time or other have issues with mould. If you find mould in a bag of dog food then return it, otherwise there’s no reason for concern. It’s not a very common issue.
The packaging of Ivory Coat is pretty good. Some manufacturers use paper-based bags which are more susceptible to these issues. It only takes a small hole in a bag, combined with a humid/damp environment during transport or storage for this to happen.
I had a newe bag of Ivory Coat that when opened seemed to have a white powder on the kibble.I contacted the company and there was an explanation for it and I was assured it was ok but they replaced it no problems at all and sent it by courier 🙂
Thanks so much, my little pup sleeps so much it’s hard to tell if
she is feeling sick or is just tired, how would she act if sick,
i have so much to learn about puppies.
Puppies tend to sleep all the time, from all the ones we’ve ever had they’ve always slept like rocks throughout the day, based on our current puppy the whole sleeping thing seems to slow down around 6-8 months.(based on a chihuahua though).
If he’s sick you’ll know it, walking around with head down tail between the legs, throwing up, blood in stool and many other things, trust me you would know, I have never read a comment where someone didn’t know their pet was sick, even people who have never had pets before.
I can’t seem to reply to you but if you need further help with people that are usually on 24/7, I help out a lot on there as well is dog food advisor, either leave a comment directly on the food your feeding or ask something in the forums, everyone is usually very quick to answer.
It is an American dog food website per say but there’s a few Australians on there and some of the food we have here they also have ratings for.
Not discrediting this website in any way, it’s just I’ve had quiet the pleasure the last few days to really talk it out with the guys over on advisor and mostly everyone on their is lovely and will try to help where they can.
Thanks Veronika for that information,
Our lab loves Ivory Coat! We can see the difference in her overall and coat health! It feels good to know that we are feeding her good quality, australian made dog food! 🙂
I switched to the reduced fat Turkey dry food for my little fatty and not only does he love it but he is so much healthier! Grain free is a big plus too!
By far the best food I have given my 12 year old Chihuahua Darcy! He is generally more active and his coat looks like it did when he was just a pup! Highly recommend trying this product. Also love that it is a local Aussie company!
My Cavalier King Charles is really enjoying the foods, he was on the puppy and now the Adult formulas. We are often complimented on his great coat condition which has been very shiny since he started on the puppy formula.
His stools are mostly firm and easy to pick up. I’m keen to try the new Ocean Fish & Salmon formula after we finish our bag of Turkey and Duck.
Really happy we found this food!
Thanks Pet Food Review Australia, I will keep that in mind and rotate feed with the Venison & Reduced fat formulas.
The condition & stools of my dog has improved significantly since changing from Meals for Mutts & love that I am supporting an 100% Australian company. Cheers Andrew
Hi ,
I have just started giving my puppy Meals for Mutts . its only day 1 .
He has very loose poo’s . I am changing from Advance to MFM.
I have heard of Ivory Coat . Why did you change from MFM?
Please let me your thoughts ?This is our first pet .
Hi Stacey, it’s common for new foods to cause loose stools, especially with puppies. This should subside after a week or so, but if it continues may be a cause for concern.
I’ve been using Ivory coat for over a year now and my dogs love it. I’ve never had a problem with it and finally happy that there is a genuinely healthy and 100% Aussie made product.
Hi, I’m getting concerned about reports of mould in Ivory coat,
on this review & on Dogz on line Forum,
I love this Aussie food & would like to keep useing it.
Could you find out if the company is going to
check it out & stop this happening.
Hi,
I see Ivory Coat has bought a new Chicken Free formula – Ivory Coat Ocean Fish & Salmon. Are you going to review this one any time soon, love to hear your thoughts??
Thanks Andrew
Hi Andrew, I probably won’t review it but it’s definitely as good as their other formulas. It makes a great recipe for any dogs suffering allergies that would likely be grain or chicken related, and there aren’t many foods available without chicken. I’d also recommend it as a good food to have in a rotation.
Hi, I’m eager to change my dog over to Ivory Coat and see how she goes on it. She is 14.1/2 years old, a Golden Retriever, and over the last year or so she’s got into the habit of eating dirt, used to be only at night but I notice she now nibbles on patches of dirt in the yard during the day. The evidence of this is in her bowls of water and also around her mouth. I’ve been feeding her on a mixture of Optimum dry food and tinned My Dog which suits her sensitive bowel but I’m wondering whether the dirt eating is because what I feed her is lacking in something. Do you think Ivory Coat would be suitable for a dog of her age.
Hi Penny when a dog eats dirt they normally have Acid Reflux, stomach problems the dirt settles their stomach, you’d be better off trying the Ivory Coat Reduced fat, the Ivory Coat Lamb & Kangaroo will be too high in fat & too high in protein % if she’s getting acid reflux, Optimum has byproduct meats & byproduct whole grains that are probably causing the acid reflux also the My Dog wet tin food is high in fat as well, I’ll explain later, When I first rescued my boy, I put him on Optimum, I thought Oh it must be a good kibble cause Chris Brown the vet was on the front of the kibble bag, after having a sick dog, IBD I had to learn very quickly about foods, I cant believe Chris Brown sold himself out like that he’s a vet he should know when he looks at the ingredients they are CRAP even Rodney Habib a Canadian Pet Nutrition blogger bagged Chris Brown out last year when he came to Australia…
If the Ivory Coat Reduced fat doesn’t stop her eating dirt then try either Holistic Select Senior Chicken Meal & Brown Rice or Canidae Platinum for senior dogs, both kibbles are easy to digest & low in fat %, also they both make wet tin foods too match, when you try any new kibble slowly introduce over 5-7 days, so she doesn’t get diarrhea…. also give some Liquid Mylanta about 4mls if you see her eating dirt…I know straight away if my boy gets acid reflux he grinds his teeth & starts swallowing & mouth licking, he did eat dirt when I first rescued him & feed him bad kibbles like Optimum & vet diets… Once you change her diet to an easy to digest lower fat & lower protein diet & she doesn’t stop eating dirt then make appointment to see a vet, she may need stronger ant acid medications & feed a cooked diet….A cooked diet with lean meats will be the best for this, kibbles have tooo many carbs & are over processed, I feed my Patch cooked chicken breast, sweet potato, broccoli, zucchini for breakfast then a low fat kibble around 8-12%-fat & low protein around 20-26%-protein for kibble…..With wet tin foods nothing over 4% in fat… The fat & protein % is different in wet tin foods, when you convert wet tin food if the fat% says 4 % fat then it’s around 15% fat dry matter (Kibble) 5%-fat is around 22% fat when converted….
Hi Penny, a decent dog food is suitable at any age. We don’t rate Optimum very highly, and My Dog is one of our worst rated. Ivory Coat is certainly worth a try, and it might be worth supplementing her diet with some fresh meat, chicken wings or meaty lamb bones, all are cheap from the supermarkets.
Thanks for the quick response. I’ll certainly try her on the Ivory Coat and hopefully it won’t upset her gut like so many other things do.
A change in diet can often cause an upset stomach, especially when a dog has been eating the same food for a long period of time. This will usually subside after a week or two, unless it’s an intolerance to something
Hello I have a 4 year old cavalier King Charles spaniel who suffers from ongoing yeast infections/overgrowth around her vulva, feet, ears and mouth. I’m contemplating swapping her from black hawk to either meals for mutts or ivory coat? What do you think would be better? Thankyou in advance
Hi Amy, they’re both good foods. You could always rotate between the two, see how they go.
I am considering changing to grain free dog food. I have two cavaliers, one is two years of age in June 2016 and the other is one year in July 2016.
The older dog has had patella surgeries on both legs and is diagnosed with hip dysphasia. What Ivory Coat grain free would you recommend? Is one grain free. Meal better for a sensitive stomach? What grain free would you recommend for my soon to be year old?
Generally any grain free food can help a dog with a sensitive stomach, although it’s possible an intolerance to a specific meat or other ingredient could be the cause. All Ivory Coat foods are grain free. It’s worth considering supplemental feeding of fresh meats such as chicken necks or raw meaty bones as this will help with joints.
Ivory Coat has come out with a new formula without chicken fat for anyone who has a truly allergic dog, although my dog isn’t allergic I will be buying this food when the totw has had a chance to arrive, that way if the puppy likes it I could buy both foods at the same time.
The reason for the new formula is it has a lot of healthy oils and I want Rusty to be on a healthy oil food for a little bit to help with his joints, in addition to the k9 natural and his usual home cooked.
Hi, looking at switching to this food for my mini schnauzer but in the fat reduced option. He is pretty active and is walked twice a day (40mins-1hr) but I still struggle to keep him at a healthy weight! The website mentions to consume the dry food within 30days, I have also read elsewhere that once dry dog food is open it should be eaten in around 6weeks. Has anyone had any trouble with this food going stale or even mouldy as the above person mentioned? The bigger bags are so much more economical but don’t want it to go bad!
Hi Katrina, any dry food will be affected by the elements so it’s worth keeping it in a cool dry place or a sealed container if possible. Kibble does deteriorate over time so it’s worth using it within 4 weeks after opening if possible. It’s also worth considering how well packaged a food is when you buy it, as some manufacturers use better packaging than others.
Feeding a dog a diet high in meat content and lower in carbohydrate ingredients (especially “filler grains”) should really help maintain a healthy weight. It’s not always about feeding a food low in fat. Ivory Coat Reduced Fat is a good choice, but once your Schnauzer returns to a better weight it’s worth switching back to a normal diet.
Thank you so much for the time you take to do these reviews… I have found them really helpful in making the right choice for our puppy.
We have a beautiful 13 week old pedigree chocolate lab puppy, who we bought from an interstate breeder. We bought the food that the breeder was using so that we were able to transition her on to the food of our choice when she’d settled at home… and my gosh – BONNIE – is the terrible food she was brought up on (I believe he was supplementing with chicken necks etc)…
She’s got very dry, flaky skin & we can see that she’s very thin & quite small for a lab puppy – her ribs are clearly visible – so we’re making the food switch to Ivory Coat asap – but I have a question about the quantity of food we should be feeding her? The guide doesn’t give an age recommendation – only a weight one… so based on her being 7kg – she’d be getting less than a cup a day?! does this seem right?
Thanks again 🙂
Hi Larissa, thanks for the feedback!
I’d feed her as much as she needs. Puppies go through growth spurts where they’ll eat more than usual, so it’s easier to feed them as and when they’re hungry.
I have a Moodle (Poodle x Maltese) who has had a weight problem for some time now. He weighed in at 14kg and the vet says he should be 12kg. The vet had him on Royal Canine Obesity which did work over time but left me with a dog always crying for food. I’ve tried different brands of low fat food over the last year but the daily crying and begging for food is getting worse. To make matters worse the weight has crept up again even though Monty’s daily diet consists of 130g of dry biscuits, 1/4 piece of dentastix and a raw carrot cut up into chunks to use as treats and a daily walk/jog of 25-30 mins (almost an hour on the weekend). I tried cutting the biscuits down but that resulted in even more begging and crying. I’ve just purchased my first bag of Ivory Coat low fat turkey. I’m assuming that I am to carry on feeding 130g and cut down gradually to the lower end of the recommended scale? Anxious to see if there’s a loss of weight and hoping it puts a stop to the continuous whimpering for food!!
Picked up a sample packet and my dogs loved it, so I lashed out and bought the puppy food and the senior blend. For the first time they both eat all the dry food in the dish. I’ve always fed the high end speciality dry food but they used to leave most of it in the dish and it was tossed at the end of the day. I love the fact this is an Australian product and I’m trusting the advertising that it supports Australian farmers and it’s as good as the manufacturer claims.
I changed over to Ivory Coat about a month ago,I was using Advance .I am super impressed with the food .I have a mini with skin Problems and they have now disappeared.
I would highly recommend this food to all dog owners
Hi a little while ago I purchased two 2kg turkey duck dry food and was very impressed with the quality and how much my dog enjoyed eating it. The pieces were large flat and round and very dark in colour, almost back. After that I purchased the 13kg venison and the pieces looked very different, smaller and light in colour, much more like the poorer quality dry foods I’ve bought in the past, but he ate it up and I dint think much of it at all as it was a different recipe after all.. However today I have received my purchase of 13kg turkey duck, since he liked that one so much the first time, and I was surprised to see that the food is identical to the venison recipe, not at all like the pieces in the 2kg bags of the same recipe.. Why is the dry food so markedly different in appearance when bought in bulk? Has anyone else noticed this? Thanks
In reply to your comment,the packaging does state that colour may vary from bag to bag due to it being all natural and ingredients being seasonal. I am about to start feeding my staffy the puppy food this week so see how he goes.
That’s interesting to hear. I currently have an 8kg bag of Turkey & Duck which is dark and flat. All bags I’ve had previously have been the same. In contrast I also have a bag of Canidae All Life Stages with smaller kibble and much paler in colour!
I have two overweight labs & just transitioned from Black Hawk Fish. & Potato to Ivory Coat Turkey low cal. The recommended quantities on Ivory Coat is a lot more than they were previously having & they weren’t loosing weight. Are these quantities set for weight loss. My two are 35 & 37kgs, I am feeding them 250grams based in the packaging.
Hi Anne, it’s difficult to say as it’s not all about composition and calorie content of the food. Ivory Coat is grain free compared to Black Hawk Fish and Potato, so the lack of rice may help your dogs lose weight, and the reduction in fat will certainly help. Feeding guidelines are really just guidelines, and it varies greatly from dog to dog. Weight loss is also about activity levels and lifestyle, especially with dogs such as labradors who benefit from exercise.
Did the dogs gain the excess weight on Black Hawk Fish and Potato?
after reading many reviews on ivory coat here and elsewhere, I brought a 2kg bag tonight (lamb and kangaroo) for my jack russells, I have already lost one to cancer and now with my other two plan to feed them this with golden paste (turmeric), the question I have is do I need to keep adding the fish oil or can I leave it out now with the ivory coat? Im a paranoid person with my dogs now as I could not lose another one to cancer, I use to feed my deceased dog and his brother hills so I stopped and have them currently on the wellness core grain free dry food and scottys dog roll, so will let you all know how I go with the ivory coat which I will be slowly adding to their food to get them use to it.
Hi Deborah, all the foods we rate highly should have a sufficient amount of oils and omega fats and should offer a balanced diet. That said, I’m pro supplemental feeding and see no harm in adding some fish oil or other nutrients here and there.
I have a 13.5 year old Lab.
Only real problem is muscle weakness in back legs, and arthritis.
Kunuk is also deaf.
Was looking at Black Hawk(not grain free) just wondering if a higher protein food would be better.
Thanks JMKM
Hi Mary, meat protein is just as important for older dogs as it is for younger dogs, perhaps even more so to retain muscle and support wellbeing.
I feed my 3 dogs, husky x border collie, English bull terrier, and toy poodle all ivory coat. I have tried all adult formulas on my older dogs, and puppy formula on my toy poodle. Since first hearing about ivory coat I was instantly impressed with there ingredient. All 3 of my dogs have benefited from the switch, husky x was borderline over weight on very little food, has no got his figure back. Bull terrier had major skin problems and very slim, now is scratch free with a thick shinny coat and nice muscle mass. And toy poodles tear stains are improving dramatically. Can’t recommend this food enough, really shows you are what you eat.
Excited for there ocean fish and salmon formula to hit the shelves soon.
I bought Ivory Coat vension today and I am interested to see how my six year old foxy will go on it. My dog has been living overseas up until recently and has been eating Orijen most of her life and now in moving here we had to find something thats equally great. First she was on Ziwipeak which is amazing, but too pricey, then she was on Black Hawk grain free which she seemed to have an upset stomach on very often and was eating grass a lot while on it, so we stopped with that. I figured after careful research to go with Ivory Coat. The healthy pet store I got this food from only sells healthy dog food brands (so no Royal Canin or Hills) and every time I go there the owner tries to explain to me how much money vets and some other pet shops make by buying Royal or Hills at very cheap wholesale prices and the crazy commission they make on it and how he refuses to do that as he believes only in the holistic approach. Anyway what surprised me was that he gave me a sample for Meals for mutts salmon grain free one and said try this. And I said to him how I was actually contemplating between Meals for Mutts Salmon grain free one and Ivory Coat Vension (this one because of the lower fat level and the fact that she loves ziwipeak vension too) and after reading reviews on this site I chose Ivory Coat. I said why, do you think meals for mutts is better? He said yes its definitely a better food and better ingredients and longer around so safer. I said well that one is actually cheaper than the one I got so its funny to hear that but anyway i told him about this site and how there is some concern with meals for mutts as to the meat content. Anyway he definitely confused me a bit, especially because he knows his holistic stuff. But I will definitely give it a go now that we have the bag to see if she gets anymore of that rambling upset stomach that honestly started happening since she moved and hence stopped with Orijen. If Ivory coat doesnt agree with her I think we will go on Taste of the Wild Salmon. Its a really good food too and it is the cheapest holistic food in Australia for the 2kg bag! I dont know why, I know for sure its not the quality because in Europe Canidae and most of the other brands were cheaper to buy in pet shops than Taste of the wild so i feel its just a lack of popularity here in Oz. I also called Taste of the wild to make sure its not irradiated and they said 100% its not. But meanwhileb- ivory coat seems good or even to rotate between the brands that agree with her stomach would be a good idea as I always imagine how boring it would be for us if we had to eat the exact same food every day of the year. 😀
Hi, thank you so much for the useful and great review.
I have a 1 year female pug and have switched Ivory Coat from Royal Canin (feel horrible horrible that I fed her Royal Canin.)
I was originally going to buy Lamb and Kangaroo but the pet shop stuff advised me that the small sized dogs (especially lower activity ones like pugs) do not need red meat and white meat is easier to digest. I got turkey in the end but I realised turkey is ideally for ages dogs.
At the moment under hot weather I cannot take her a long walk but generally she is quite active and I am wondering she can take enough energy from turkey dry food. Do you agree that the small sized dogs should go with white meat? Please advise. I want my dog to be healthy and have a long healthy life.
Thank you
Hi Akane, you could feed both 😉
White meat is leaner, and generally healthier. Energy wise you’ll be fine with both the turkey or lamb recipes.
Thank you so much for the quick reply. I will try to give her Lamb and Kangaroo next time and see how it goes. Thank you
Thank you so much for the quick reply. I will try Lamb and Kangaroo next time and will see how it goes. Thank you
My dog absolutely love Ivory Coat but i was wondering if it would be ok to make a mix of different dry foods to feed my dog eg/ ivory coat,applaws and wellness?
Hi Chloe,
Yes, definitely. I rotate foods myself.
i am about to take my dog off hills metabolic for weight loss as he has reached his desired weight i am tossing up between black hawk and ivory coat which one should i go for?
Hi Eddie, I avoid recommending specific brands and it depends on a number of factors including your dog, breed, your budget, and so forth. That said I consider both of these foods as good choices.
Usually when a dog has been on a single food for a while it’s worth transitioning to a new food gradually over a week or two to avoid loose stools/diarrhea, so keep that in mind.
Hi I just got my Lab a bag it tells me to give 400gm how many cups is that?
How big’s the cup? 🙂
Feeding guidelines are never exact – it depends on your dog, his activity levels, age… To be honest I never pay much attention to feeding guidelines.
Orijen INGREDIENTS list:
Goat*, venison*, mutton*, bison*, whole arctic char*, rabbit*, duck*, whole steelhead trout*, whole pilchard*, whole alaskan cod*, goat meal, venison meal, alaskan cod meal, mutton meal, blue whiting meal,
That’s 10 fresh meat sources before a single MEAL! So how are these formulations similar??
Hi Rhaz, it’s not always about the number of ingredients, it’s about the composition and analysis as a whole.
For example, in a single cup of food the Orijen formula may contain 10g of each meat/fish ingredient. In comparison another food may contain 100g of a single meat ingredient. The ingredients list appears vastly different, but in reality both foods have the exact same quantity of meat.
Hi PFR,
Interesting read regarding the protein percentage listed on Ivory coat label..
With this in mind, would you recommend feeding our pets a formula manufactured with feather meal? Feather meal consist of 85% crude protein.
Orijen boasts fresh meat’s first, plus multiple protein sources, how can you compare these two?
Regards,
Rhaz
Hi Rhaz,
Do you have reason to believe Ivory Coat is made with feather meal? If you read my other reviews you’ll see I take into account difference in proteins.
Personally I don’t consider multiple protein formulas better or worse than singular protein formulas. I’m of the opinion a rotation in diet is a better option than feeding a single food, which essentially offers a diet covering multiple protein sources.
I consider composition as well as ingredients, and accordingly see Ivory Coat being a similarly good food to Orijen and Acana (which aren’t available in Australia).
My mother found mould towards the end of her Ivory coat, was in a sealed container, hadn’t expired. She rang Ivory coat which didn’t seem concerned, so I sent email to the CEO Steven…..what a mistake. Told me my mother had tone towards his staff member & that he didnt like my email which also had tone. Clearly doesn’t like you complaining about his product. Wont be a successful family business with him in charge. Customer service = 0
Hi Mike, I can’t comment on your correspondence with Ivory Coat, but mould can and has occurred with many brands. Moisture can seep in during manufacturer prior to a bag being sealed, or if a food has been transferred to a container with any moisture in it then this may also be the cause, whether the container is sealed or not.
Thanks for info, mainly writing it to see if others have had this happen to them with Ivory coat & that he doesn’t care about customers. 🙂
That’s absolutely fine Mike, this is an open forum 🙂
I would LOVE to try this food for my giant breed dogs and my puppies but I feel the calcium levels of 6% per 1000kcal and the calcium/phos levels may be too risky. There is an abundance of research that too much calcium in growing large/giant breed pups can result in bone deformities. Are these guys considering making a large/giant breed range as I would buy it in a flash if they did.
Hi Mel, we feed this and the guaranteed analysis listed is only 2% on their puppy foods of which is inline with AAFCO guidelines. Check out their site it has the calcium levels listed on it.
Hi, I have a very active 20 month old border collie. She is currently on the Primitive Natural Earthborne Holistic dry food and loves it. We get comments about her coat, etc being beautiful and shiny all the time. The only issue we have is that she sometimes eats hers or other dogs’s feces. I am looking to change her food because it’s also getting really hard to source in our area and based on your reviews I am considering the grain free Candidae Pure Land, grain free Black Hawk chicken or Grain free Ivory Coat lamb and kangaroo. Which one of these 3 would you suggest is closest to Earthborne quality wise?
Thank you
Hi Andrea, I try not to recommend specific brands but all foods you’ve listed are worth trying.
I was given a bag of Ivory Coat Lamb and Kangaroo for my show dogs (collie roughs) After a few weeks I kept getting wonderful comments about my dogs that they were just blooming. My 5 year old boys coat was luxurious and absolutely beautiful. I am sold on this product and will put my show dogs on it permanently
Hello, this forum has been very helpful, I have a 10 month old German short haired pointer girl, our dog breeder suggested a really cheap kibble with a bunch of extras or hills science diet as is, we went for hill’s and she has started to reject it. After reading this information I was interested in trying taste of the wild, which was only available online in my area or ziwipeak which is so expensive, decided to try ivory coat which is actually available in a couple of pet stores In adelaide. Just got it, came home removed her rejected hills, gave Luna a small cup of ivory coat ate it immediately. Wished I had I researched her food earlier. Thanks
Hi there,
I’d like to buy some dry kibble for my 3 year old Rottwieler. As a pup he was very skinny and only until a checkup with a vet as a 1 year old the vet suggested putting him on Royal Canin special diet, as he was having digestion problems, not putting on weight, and bad diarrhoea.
The Royal Canin worked/s well but I’m not happy with the ingredients listed, so I’d like to find something as natural/clean as possible.
He also has a couple other issues that we still can’t remedy. During walks he periodically sniffs and cleans at his paws, and at night he tries to gnaws at his rear paws (although I think this is more of a mental issue). He also over the last few months has been shaking his head as if he has something in his ear/s, but has been checked before without a sign of anything in them?
Thanks in advance, and I look forward to your response.
PS, this is a great thing your doing. Is it all volunteer?
Hi Troy, may I ask what he was fed as a pup?
The itchy ears could be a food allergy, it’s hard to say. Ivory Coat (or any of the foods on the best-rated list should help – https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/best-dog-food-australia/).
Yes, it’s all volunteer work which I do in spare time:)
Hi, I made sure he was on, what I thought at the time, the best dry food available from my vet here in SA. I’m not 100%, but I’m almost certain it was a standard Royal Canin dry Puppy food, with the occasional Hills puppy can food mixed in, until as I mentioned earlier he got put on to the special Royal Canin diet as he wasn’t digesting food properly and not gaining weight. He is still on the Royal Canin ‘Veterinary Exclusive’ Osteo & Digest, non-neutered Adult formula – until I can find a clean, natural, holistic and possibly organic dry food that I’d be happy to eat myself! 😉
Yeah the itchy feet and ears I’m hoping to fix as well.
Hi Troy, I definitely think Ivory Coat is worth a try. I imagine it’s cheaper than the Royal Canin from the vets, and it’s well formulated so may work well for your Rottweiler – give it a go!
Thanks a lot, and already bought the Ivory Coat turkey – as I believe turkey is one of the least irritable and digestion friendly meats for your dog. So I’ve read.
Now I’m interested in supplementing dry kibble with raw food, and I’m sure there will be PLENTY of recipes and info online that will only just confuse and stress me out! 😉
Thanks again for your generous contributions!
Hi
I am about to try my labradors on Ivory Coat, my girls are seriously overweight and I am going to try the Chicken and Turkey. My boys are good weights and very active so I will feed Lamb and Kangaroo, but I am concerned now about the rosemary as my 3 year old has seizures. I am trying to think back to when I changed to Black Hawk from Royal Canin, because the seizures suddenly started out of nowhere..and he has had all the tests, and has no epilepsy, sugar related episodes or anything that the vets can find. I had no idea Rosemary could be a stimulant in dogs. They are pretty regular, one seizure every 4 – 8 weeks, but he has gone for a period of 13 weeks, and I am wondering if that’s when I went back to Royal Canin as the chicken and rice Black Hawk was constantly sold out in Noarlunga area. Can you advise Thank You Anne
Hi Anne, I’ve never considered rosemary a bad ingredient and wasn’t aware of it being a trigger for seizures. I’m aware of other people changing the diet of their dogs and finding seizures reduce or cease completely, so that said you may find Ivory Coat works, it’s hard to say.
GUYS I HAVE JUST PUT MY 11 WEEK OLD GERMAN SHEPHERD ONTO IVORY COAT PUPPY AS HE SEEMS TO SCRATCH ON THE BLACK HAWK BEING GRAIN IN IT. I’M JUST WORRIED THAT THE PROTEIN LEVEL IS TOO HIGH ON THIS STUFF AS GSD BREEDERS SAY GSD PUP’S SHOULD BE ON ABOUT 22-26% PROTEIN RANGE. IS THERE ANY REASON FOR THIS AND IS IT OK TO KEEP HIM ON THE IVORY WHICH AS WE KNOW HAS PROTEIN LEVELS AROUND 36%.
ANY ADVICE WOULD BE HELPFUL PLEASE.
If you were to feed a dog fresh turkey breast and vegetables, you would be feeding a protein higher than 22-26%… It comes down to the ingredients. I’ve spoken to Ivory Coat about this and their take has been, their foods are just meat and vegetables, and in order to reduce the protein they would have to reduce meat content by adding a filler… i know what i’d rather.
Ivory coat lamb and kangaroo is best for my 3 year old dog. its very healthy. her poop is fine not smelly or soft and she’s used to the food now.
I noticed she does drink a lot of water as she eats it up…im not sure why..i used to mix coconut oil with the food just to add some oils but the vet said she’s already quite oily and I know ivory already has enough oils/moisture so I wonder why she’s drinking so much water in between as she eats up all her ivory coat meal…
Hi
I used this site earlier this year to assist in finding a new quality food that was not an extravagant price. We have started our 4th bag of Ivory Coat and my German Shepherd loves it. Thank you Dave who replied to my enquiry back then as we haven’t looked back. No allergies, itching and in full coat and great energy.
I am always getting comments on her energy levels, muscle tone and overall condition. I show my GSD and receive many comments on her coat being shiny, I have even pointed out that no she hasn’t had a bath for a few weeks and people are amazed at how good her coat looks.
My GSD loves her food and her dinner is finished in a flash. I am very happy with her improved endurance as we do a lot of training for the shows. Highly recommend this product. Can’t wait to raise a litter on the puppy food.
Thanks Vicki, that’s great to hear!
Hi ,
I have a 3 yr old border collie cross who has seizures, so I am looking for a good quality kibble that would be suitable for him . Needs to be grain free and not have rosemary added , as grains and Rosemary can trigger seizures. It also needs to be low in fat as he has also had pancreatitis. Hoping you can help . Thank you in advance .
Hi V, I’ve sent you an email. Seizures are emotionally difficult to cope with, so I feel for you and your border collie. I know of similar cases where a change in diet to a decent quality kibble or homemade diet has stopped seizures completely.
Hi,
We have a little 14 year old toy poodle whom we got when he was 18 month old. He was an Australian champion and a stud dog we were told. When we got him he was very timid, would not go to any family member but me for 6 month, did not know how to play and was very frightened of sudden movements or noises. He also never ate dry food or any bones. He only eats soft food and is very picky. he also gets lots of hot spots which the vets treat with antibiotics and cortisone. Now I read about that maybe the grains or whatever else is in the commercial soft food is could be the reason? Does Ivory food come as soft food as well? he has his teeth cleaned every year and lost a few teeth as well so now it would be very difficult for him to eat any dry food. If I would soak the dry food with water would it still be nutritious as in the original state? Hopefully there is a solution that is better than cortisone or antis.
Cheers Monika
Hi Monika, the hot spots could well be an allergy, but it would take investigation to find out if it’s caused by grains or other ingredients. A grain free food could be a good start.
Ivory Coat only offer dry food, but yes you could try moistening it. Other brands on our best food list offer wet formulas.
Hi there
Thank u so much for your useful web site
My 11 months cavalier was on Proplan diet (chicken&rice fo puppy) as her breeder adviced me !!! Till last week that i took her to hospital as food poisening coze of having old row chiken deramestik , after 4 days in hospital the Dr told me she is suffering food allergy and having digestive upset/diarrheas , actually i had found that she is itching her self and has some draft on skin , i changed the shampoo but still she was itching herself that vet told me it is cose of food alergy , short story after one week that she is having medicen she still has diarrhea !!! I cooked many diferent things for her but still not getting better , i just tried her (pro plan) , her diarrhea got better but she start itching herself
i’m Looking for a good dry food for sensetive stomack and food alergy for her actuly i’m not sure what food she has alergy to ???as pro plan is not good brand (i just found it vai reading your review ), in first step , i want change her diet to a good brand dry food but i’m not sure wich one is good for her , would u pleas help me ?? The price is not matter just good qulity food for my little girl and peace of mind for me , thank u in advance
Hi Vida, you’re on the right track being on the Ivory Coat review – it’s a very good food. Also, have a browse of our top rated foods as most would suit.
We have an very active 14 month old toy poodle x Shihtzu/Maltese. He weights 3 kg, and has a fine lean and tall built. He was the runt of a litter of 8 pups. He has had a couple of minor skin issues, but we do not know the cause. What type of dry food would you recommend or quantity of protein / fat etc for our little active dog? I found your website today and I am impressed with the detail of the information you are giving. Thank you.
Hi J, many skin issues are caused by food intolerance or allergies, with the most common cause being cheaper grains such as wheat and corn, and sometimes meat ingredients such as chicken. Feeding a grain free food would likely offer good results, or otherwise try switching to a food based on an alternative meat or fish to see if it helps (note: many recipes contain chicken of some kind).
Hi iv’e been buying the Ivory chicken kibble for puppies and my Shih Tzu loves it and usually she is fussy so i’m glad she’s finally liking something but the thing is she is 8 years old iv’e bought the duck and turkey one but the kibble is too big for her have you any other smaller kibble for an adult dog or is feeding the puppy biscuits ok i’m just worried because the puppy kibble might be too high in protein for her.
Hi Sue, puppy diets are often formulated better than adult diets due to a puppies growth requirements and nutritional needs. They’re higher in protein, fats, and calories. If your Shih Tzu is happy, healthy, and of a good weight then I see no issue.
An alternative is to start mixing an adult formula into her food bit by bit to help coerce her onto an adult formula.
I was wondering if anyone else’s puppy eating Ivory Coat Australin Coice puppy food has had diarrhea? We were feeding him Nutro Natural Choice but found he was scratching like mad. Now we have changed the scratching has stopped but he has had massive poops ( soft but not quite diarrhea ) but now has diarrhea. We are currently, to stop the diarrhea, feeding him boiled chicked & white rice which has worked but would be interested to know if anyone else’s pupoy has had on this food?
Hi Amanda, this can happen during a transitional stage from one food to another as you’re introducing ingredients the dog has never had before. How long have you been feeding it?
Our four mini dachshunds love Ivory Coat. Shiny coats, bright eyes and no allergies. We were given a sample by our vet and haven’t looked back.
Hi I just wanted to pop in and let you know about our experience with Ivory Coat. Our 9 month old puppy has always been a little on the hyperactive side, especially when it comes to Meal’s times! Whenever we’d be pouring his “other brand” dry food in his bowl, he’d be jumping around like crazy and would scoff it down super quickly. In just two weeks while we have been slowly swapping him over to Ivory Coat, we have noticed an incredible difference in his behaviour which I think comes from removing the grains and sugar from his “other brand” dry food he was on. Meal times are super easy, without us saying anything he calmly waits for his bowl to be filled and eats much slower – sometimes even leaving a little before coming back to finish later. He breaks wind less often and it’s not as potent as it used to be! His behaviour is that of a different dog not a 9 month old puppy! While he is still playful and excited, he’s not hyperactive as he used to be. He is a lot calmer, happier to just sit on the couch and cuddle, and I think his listening & obedience has even improved! Will definitely be contributing on Ivory Coat. Love the product and the ingredients, and can’t wait for him to try the adult flavours!
Thanks for sharing Val, that’s interesting to hear. I’d love to know what the other food was…!
As would I. We had changed our dogs food a month ago and his behaviour has become atrocious. He is a different dog. So badly behaved. We are now gradually moving him onto Ivory Coat over the next few days – our vet recommended it to us. Hopefully he will be back to his relaxed, and sometimes playful self.
Hi Michelle, what food were you feeding?
we have a 2.5yo Border Collie and a 5.5month old Border collie – both are now on Ivory Coat and love it. I am now concerned that you are saying that under 12 months they should not have it – can you advise why?
Hi Pat, puppies have different nutritional requirements to adult dogs. Ivory coat have a puppy formula which I’d recommend feeding until your puppy is 12 months old.
Thank you so much for this website, very informative and useful.
Someone mentioned the large size of the kibble, would it be to large for Cavalier King Charles spaniels? And just out of interest how would you rate against Taste of the Wild, Salmon? I feed TOTW and have done for some time now and they love it! I don’t necessarily want or need to change brands But I thought if Ivory Coat is on a par and being australian I would give it go…
Thanks again.
Hi Juanita, both are very good foods. Ivory Coat is definitely on par and it’s great to see these Australian pet food companies emerging and offering high quality foods. You shouldn’t have trouble with the kibble size, give it a go!
Would the Ivory Coat Lamb and Kangaroo/ Turkey and Duck flavour be suitable for a 7 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback who weighs 34kg (perfect weight according to the vets). He eats a lot of food but he is also very active. And the Lamb and Kangaroo comes in the bigger bag now making it more economical in price than the puppy food?
I know the Ivory Coat website says not suitable for dogs under 1 year of age but I am wondering if this applies to large breed active puppies?
Hi Charlotte, Ivory Coat also do a puppy food so I’d recommend that until he’s 12 months old, then transition to their adult formulas.
Hi Daveo!
I found while my boys coat and general condition was great he became very yeasty on ivory coat.
There was a study referencing jane dodds posted on dogz that linked the high levels of pea protein to yeast infections.
Do you have any recommendations of high quality kibble without peas?
Hi Natalie, the current concerns with peas in pet foods are in regard to lectins, which over time *could potentially* build up in the intestines and cause intolerances or other issues. It’s worth noting many ingredients contain lectins – wheat, corn, soy, beans, potatoes – all of which are common in pet foods. Baked beans are rich in lectins, and we all know what happens when people eat baked beans – gas!
Generally it’s not an issue in kibbles as the cooking process pretty much nullifies any lectins, making it an almost insignificant concern. In any case, unless your dog is having digestive upset/diarrhea, or signs of allergies, then there’s no reason to be concerned about his health. You could vary his food, which effectively moderates most ingredients, such as introducing a quality grain kibble without peas.
Hi,my dog is on black hawks at the moment but I like to give yours a go I let you know how my gsd takes to it .
Hi
I was wondering if the puppy formula would be suitable for large and giant breed puppies? I believe they usually need a lower protein and fat level than small/medium breeds so that they do not grow to fast and develop joint problems.
Hi Frances, that belief is largely unsubstantiated and some say there are no issues feeding any dog a high protein meat-based diet. Smaller dogs do require more protein, and for larger puppies it’s more important to ensure they get adequate omega fats and animal fats in their diet, which will be the case feeding a food such as Ivory Coat.
Take you very much for your thorough research and recommendations for dry dog food. I have a ten year old Jack Russell Terrier and plan to slowly switch his diet to ivory coat adult lamb and kangaroo but am not sure if it is suitable for his age group. Please advise anyone.
Hi Sonny, I see no reason against using this food for a 10 year old Jack Russell – it’s a very high quality food. As with any food it’s worth monitoring weight over time.
I wish I could try Ivory Coat but the fat% is tooo high in all their flavours also my boy is allergic to the protein in potatoes….oh well I’ll try with my next dog, maybe by then Ivory Coat will be potato free as well like some brands are in America…..Grain free potato free
Fat content too high? They have a Fat Reduced Product with just 10%, and a Venison at 14% and then others that are higher.
I have a labradoodle that was proned to allergies to anything with chicken. It was a conscious decision on my part to switch him to a raw food diet. This was avert time consuming excercise as I wanted to provide him with the best nutrition, with included adding such things a sardines, kelp, fish oil, flaxseed, ground vegetables and fruits etc. over a period of three years I researched and tried him on many different quality dried foods which he refused. Then Ivory Coat caught my attention with its high protein content and ingredients. A few samples in hand, he was converted immediately, where he would have previously spat out the dry food in favour of the raw portion of the mix in his meals. I’m eagerly waiting for the larger bags! Thank you for your reviews I feel a little more comfortable that the product has been rated highly.
Hello,
I’m getting a Havanese pup in a week and I’ve been researching different dog foods and diet to get him off to a good start in life with the right food. I’ve read your reviews (very helpful–absolutely love them) and so far I’m leaning towards Canidae or Ivory Coat. I really like Ivory Coat by your review and their official website, but I noticed many people on the Dogz Online forum (it came up in a Google search) who read your review and were complaining about the potatoes and chicken fat. Although you gave Ivory Coat a higher review than Canidae, I’m wondering if Canidae is actually better because it doesn’t contain potatoes OR chicken fat. Would you still recommend Ivory Coat over Canidae, and if so, why specifically? Thank you!
Hi Jacques,
I have an almost 2 year old Havanese whom I have always fed fresh meat & Blackhawk but I’m considering switching to Ivory Coat as it does seem to be a better quality food & is fully Australian made & owned (Blackhawk is now NZ owned). Did you end up feeding your pup the Ivory Coat & if yes are you & your pup happy with it? Cheers, Donna-marie
This is interesting as the Canidae PURE does contain both potatoes and chicken fat, both however i would consider quality ingredients.
The strange thing is the recipe from Canidae that doesn’t contain these, as a very low meat content evidenced by only 25% protein, Ivory Coat is much higher… (I’ve taken these figures from the information listed on this site)
My preference if similar however would always be to support Australian.
Hi Jacques, I’ve actually revised my rating of Canidae Grain Free from 4 star to 5 star. It’s a food I rate very highly and often recommend. As for Ivory Coat vs Canidae ~ they’re both very good quality foods, so I’ll leave it as personal preference. I’d happily feed either, and I do.
Our 2yo Border Collie Lilli has been on Black Hawk most of her life and then a friend told me about Ivory Coat’s new range of kibble. I was very impressed with the ingredients and Lilli will almost do back flips to eat this kibble whether as a treat or her main meal. She absolutely loves it. It is a little on the pricey side but I am not bothered as I will always try to feed her the best food I can afford – she’s worth it afterall. Added bonus it is Australian.
Very happy & healthfy Border Collie
Hi Sharon & Lilli,
That’s good to hear! I too have a border collie and she absolutely loves this food. The first time I gave it to her she wolfed it down with a look of glee on her face. It was spectacular to see.
It’s pricier than some of the supermarket brands but I think it’s very reasonably priced for what it is.
The manufacturer has told me this will soon be available in a larger size for retail (15kg I think) and a 20kg size for breeders which should make it more economical.
I switched our Miniature Schnauzer of 12 weeks from royal canin to ivory coat’s puppy food. He resisted to eat this product. I tried royal canin again and he seemed more willing to eat this. I can only think of 2 reasons other than taste. The kibble of ivory coat is too large or it is too dry. Moisture content of royal canin seems higher which may make it more easier to eat. I will try others brands.
Hi Daniel, you can soak kibble in water to soften, that’s what I have to do, then when the kibble is soft, I drain out all the water then I put in a blender & it comes out like wet tin food & I get the lower fat that I need as a lot of wet tin foods are very high in fat%…… 5% fat in a wet tin food when converted to dry matter (Kibble) is around 22% fat, that’s probably why a lot dogs have sloppy poos, they cant handle the high fat content in wet tin foods….
Most Vet will tell you getting a dog off of Royal Canin is like taking a dog off crack cocaine… due to all the sweetners and artificial flavour enhancers to make the food palatable to them…
Sometimes like children, we just need to do whats best for them, when they are hungry they will eat it, and then enjoy, and at least you know your feeding them quality!
Hi Daniel, it can take a dog a couple of weeks to accept a new food. How long did you try it for? The Ivory Coat kibble is moderately large, but not sure if that would be the issue. The moisture content of 10% is average for a dry food so I don’t think that would be the issue either.
My fussy 1 yr old Lab Sally luvs this food and as she has possible grain allergies its what we were looking to try and it was an instant hit and its very reasonably priced for a quality product. We were using Hills Science Diet but she just wouldn’t eat it unless she had to in the end. Also this is an Aussie company. Well done guys.
Happy Owner
Tom & Jenny Brown and Miss Sally