What should you feed your pet in 2024?

20 years ago most of us fed our pets kibble (aka “biscuits”) because that’s what we were told was best for our pet’s health and wellbeing.

In 2024 we know better.

We had the wool pulled over our eyes by a multi-billion dollar industry led by the likes of Mars, Nestle, and Colgate-Palmolive, and their expert marketing departments.

Most people still feed dry food today, including myself, but it’s important to know there’s a huge difference between real meat-based kibble and the stuff made mostly of by-products of the grain industry.

Our options today for feeding our pets are much better, and we should take advantage of feeding a variety:

• Raw feeding (meat, organs, raw meaty bones)
• BARF diets (pre-made raw meat and bone patties)
• Freshly made pet food delivered to your door (such as Lyka)
• Raw diets with the convenience of kibble, such as air-dried raw from ZIWI Peak or Australia’s own Eureka, or pristine freeze-dried nutrition from brands like Frontier Pets who continue to keep our pets healthy.
• Then you have really good quality kibble, made with real meat, grain-free, or less empty carbs and additives than the popular brand names which really aren’t as healthy as we thought.

If you want a starting point, here are 2024’s best rated dog foods, puppy foods, more budget-friendly foods, and also recommended Australian dog foods.

If you have a cat, check out 2024’s best rated cat foods or kitten foods.

Within each guide you’ll find information and tips on how to offer your pet healthier options to suit your needs and budget.

Recent articles, guides, and reviews

About these pet food reviews

According to Researchgate, a study showed 79% of dogs and 90% of cats were fed conventional pet foods, namely dry biscuits (kibble) or tins of wet food.

That’s as many as 4 million Australian dogs and 3.4 million cats!

But are those conventional pet foods healthy?

Most dog foods and cat foods in Australia are made from ingredients like wheat and corn, which our pets wouldn’t naturally eat.

Did you know the introduction of kibble to the Australian market coincided with a rise in health conditions assessed by Australian vets?

50 years on we’ve continued to see an increase in many diet-related health conditions in our pets, despite the advance of science and alleged improvements to pet food.

Leading Australian veterinarians Dr Ian Billinghurst (inventor of BARF) and Dr Tom Lonsdale have for decades reported the connection between commercial pet foods and health conditions. Simply from asking pet owners what diet they were feeding their sick pets, and assessing the data.

Today, as many as 1 in 3 Australian pets may suffer some form of cancer.

We need to ask ourselves why, and do our best to make sure our own pets aren’t that 1 in 3.

Prior to the 1970s, most Australian dogs were fed raw meaty bones and table scraps, and were rarely diagnosed with the diet-related illnesses we see today.

Yet science tells us the best way to feed our pets is a strict unvaried diet of hard nuggets of grain, for factually carnivorous animals like cats (obligate carnivores) and dogs (facultative, scavenging carnivores).

Even at a fundamental level it makes little sense, yet we trust science and believe what we’re told by pet food marketing departments.

Australian pet food regulations are voluntary, and there’s no recall system in place to ensure our pet foods are safe to feed our pets. How crazy is that?

How do we know the food we feed our pets is safe?

We have no assurances.

I’ve researched and reviewed pet foods for over a decade, collaborated with veterinarians, professors, pet food manufacturers, industry insiders, and almost endless pet owners like yourself.

I have a qualification in pet nutrition, but note my studies endorsed specific products – that should make you question the education professionals in the pet industry receive.

I hope these reviews help. I’ve written them to offer insight and guidance for you to make your own choices, which hopefully lead to better health for your pets.

At the least they should help you learn what’s really in the food you feed your pets.

I’m a pet owner like you, and my own pets have benefited from what I’ve learned over the years.

These days I feel far more confident my pets are healthy, and I know I’m not paying a premium for “scientific” pet foods made from wheat and corn, for carnivores.

I hope I can share those same benefits with you.

How to find the right pet food for you and your pet

Don’t worry, feeding your dog or cat a better food is easier than you may think. Even with dry food we have some much better options these days.

We also have many options for fresh pet food, or dried foods of a far superior quality.

Feeding your pet a raw diet is also encouraged, but advise you to make sure you’re feeding your pet all the nutrition they need (it’s worth it!).

I’m also a personal advocate for raw meaty bones, and the books listed here are an excellent starting point.

If you want to know how good your current pet food is, start by reading the respective dog or cat food review.

Or, if you want an insight into pet food, and two of the biggest misconceptions about pet food today, then start here!

Disclaimer

As a pet owner myself, I’ve written these reviews in the hope they benefit the health and wellbeing of all Australian pets.

The dog food reviews and cat food reviews are comprehensive, but have taken a great deal of time to write over a period of years.

Sometimes pet foods are subject to buy outs or ingredient changes, and often trends in consumer feedback show a decline in quality.

I do my best to keep reviews current, but always read comments on the various reviews and do your own due diligence.

None of these reviews are designed to take the place of your veterinarian, and if your pet has any health issues I strongly urge you to seek their advice.

Although I find many veterinarians promote pet foods which I question to be a suitable diet for our pets, I request you use the information on this website to supplement your veterinarian’s advice and guidance.

As an independent reviewer of pet foods I cannot be responsible for decisions any reader may take in feeding their pets or treating them for diet-related health conditions.

All that said, I hope the information in these dog food reviews and cat food reviews has value in helping you as a pet owner make better decisions for the health and wellbeing of your pets!

A quest for healthy pet food!

The purpose of these dog food reviews and cat food reviews is to give you a starting point in figuring out what’s best for your pet.

I want you to read the ingredients of your pet food, and ask yourself – does that sound healthy? Does that sound like the right diet for my dog from the Order Carnivora, or my obligate carnivore cat?

I bet, if you look at the pictures of succulent chicken on the front of the bag, then read grain after grain after grain on the ingredients list, you may be as confused as I was when I first read the ingredients of my cat food.

Why on Earth would you feed so many grains to an animal factually known to depend on a whole-prey diet.

I mean, seriously, it’s no wonder up to 50% of senior cats have some form of chronic kidney disease or 1 in 5 get diagnosed with cancer. Their little digestive systems aren’t designed to process so much grain.

You can argue the case with dogs too. Yes, they’re scavenging carnivores and will generally eat whatever you put in front of them, but it only takes one look at those teeth and jaws to know what they’re designed for.

To quote Australian vet Dr Tom Lonsdale, one of the most honest and knowledgeable vets I’ve had the pleasure to work with, our pets are not “furry toys”.

We need to feed them appropriately.

I’m a pet owner, and I want what’s best my pets. I also want what’s best for yours. I’m not a marketer or a salesman, like the folk who make and brand your pet food, I’m a consumer like you.

I’ve learned a few things from running Pet Food Reviews for nigh on 10 years, and hopefully I can pass on some of that knowledge in the reviews.

If you have any questions your best bet is through the Facebook page, or feel free to comment on the individual reviews.

Feedback, thoughts, and experiences are very welcome – they help me, and they help others!

About the author

David D’Angelo holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree, combined with CPD accredited Diplomas in Pet Nutrition and as a Veterinary Support Assistant (VSA).

David has researched and written about pet food and pet nutrition for more than a decade, with a focus on giving you the information you need as a pet owner to make more informed decisions for the health of your pet.

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