[christine_72]

I was hoping to hear from other dog owners who feed this and what do you and your dogs think of it?
The one caveat for me is my dog is somewhat fussy when it comes to dry food... This is a very expensive food at $52 for a 2.5kg/5lb bag, so I'm hoping he will find it 'tasty'.

 

[Shell]

Yikes, over $10/lb. How does that compare to your usual brands, presumably either not imported brands or the bigger international names?

I have feed it quite a lot in the past. Dogs always did well on it and seemed to find it appetizing. My price point was better though at about US$55 for 28 lbs.

My main issue with it is the very high ash levels. Ash being the minerals left when meat and bone matter is burned. High ash levels MAY be hard on the kidneys, definitely are bad if a dog has known problems or likely based on genetics (mom or dad or siblings have problems). No real clear line on how much it matters for healthy dogs but overall, Earthborn PN is on the high end of the range. Around 11% IIRC while I'd prefer <8% just as a precaution.

The manufacturer is very reputable though and manufactures in-house a handful of brands. They are responsive to questions and have a very good safety record.

 

[christine_72]

Hi Shell, Thanks for replying.

The food he's currently on is $47 for 3kgs (6.6lbs), this is one of the few Aussie Holistic grain free dry foods available here. There's a couple others (lowish meat content), but Nugget wasn't too keen on eating them! I was thinking of adding the Earthborn into his rotation. He eats around 100g of dry food per day, so a bag lasts us ages. He has raw/homecooked for his other meals.

 

[christine_72]

While I'm on a rant about our dog food prices.. I looked into Ziwi Peak, and that's $140 for a 2.5kg bag, which is extortionate if you ask me! I know many Americans complain about the price of ziwi peak too, i dread to think how much you guys pay for it.

 

[Shell]

I've never known anyone in real life that feeds Ziwi Peak anyways.

So the Earthborn is not massively more expensive than current food and he eats partial raw. In that case, I'd definitely try it but make sure to calculate the actual mineral amounts fed so you can adjust his raw meals accordingly.

What other brands or formulas are available to you? I can't imagine the average person with a medium or large dog eating only kibble can afford Au$10/lb or even half that.
Edit-- I don't mean every brand available in Australia but more like what other brands have you considered while selecting Earthborn to try?

 

[christine_72]

I've never known anyone in real life that feeds Ziwi Peak anyways.

So the Earthborn is not massively more expensive than current food and he eats partial raw. In that case, I'd definitely try it but make sure to calculate the actual mineral amounts fed so you can adjust his raw meals accordingly.

What other brands or formulas are available to you? I can't imagine the average person with a medium or large dog eating only kibble can afford Au$10/lb or even half that.
Edit-- I don't mean every brand available in Australia but more like what other brands have you considered while selecting Earthborn to try?

Canidae
Ivory coat
Meals for mutts

This is what I'm currently feeding him. https://stayloyal.com.au/salmon-turkey-grain-free-dog-food.html

We've got the usual crappy foods:

Purina
Royal Canin
Eukanuba
Iams

 

[InkedMarie]

I pay $50 for the biggest bag of Primitive Natural; my two kibble eaters do very well on it.

 

[christine_72]

I've decided not to go with Earthborn, because the ingredients are quite different here than the American version, which is strange!

Australian ingredients:

Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Whitefish Meal, Egg, Tomatoes, Peas, Blueberry Fiber, Cranberry Fiber, Apples, Blueberries, Carrots, Spinach, Cranberries, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Taurine, Beta-Carotene, L-Carnitine, Yucca, Rosemary, Vitamins, Minerals, Probiotics. They didnt post the whole list of ingredients on our website....

American ingredients:

Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Peas, Dried Egg, Pea Starch, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Whitefish Meal, Flaxeed, Natural Flavors, Pea Fiber, Dried Blueberries, Dried Cranberries, Dried Apples, Dried Carrots, Dried Spinach, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Taurine, L-Carnitine, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Folic Aid, Biotin, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Rosemary Extract, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product.

 

[MarieLovesChis]

Is there anything specific you don't like about it? We have the same ingredient list in Europe and it is pretty popular and well received. I have never tried it personally but I don't see anything in the ingredient list that would make me think it's bad. I actually would prefer it over the American ingredients since it has less peas. I don't think it is anything special either though, certainly don't see why it would be priced at $52 for 2.5kg! Yikes

 

[christine_72]

Maybe I'm an inept ingredient list reader, but the American version seems to have more meat content, or is it just clever labeling?? I also cant find the Guaranteed Analysis of our version, as I'm curious if the protein/fat/ash content differs too.

 

[MarieLovesChis]

I think it's just marketing lol it seems to have the same amount of protein as the American version and not too many high protein veggies that would contribute that much to the overall protein. Here's the guaranteed analysis we have. Looks pretty good! Ash is just a tad high but nothing too terrible

Protein 38.00%
Fat 20.00%
Ash 10.20%
Fiber 2.50%
Moisture 10.00%
Sodium 0.30%
Calcium 1.50%
Phosphorus 1.00%
Vitamin A 12,000 IU/kg
Vitamin D3 750 IU/kg
Vitamin C 100 mg/kg
Vitamin E 250 IU/kg
Copper 16 mg/kg
Omega 6 >3.30%
Omega 3 >0.40%
Mehionine 1.20%
Lysine 2.10%
Taurine 0.05%
L-Carnitine 50 mg/kg
Beta-Carotene 10 mg/kg
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) >0.05%

 

[Shell]

No way to tell which version has more percentage of its protein from meat sources. One version has potatoes, one doesn't. Ingredien splitting on labels is a thing that can mislead by having multiple meat sources but because the ordering is by weight, it can mean that turkey meal and chicken meal as first two ingredients is same total as chicken meal as first ingredient in a different formula. If two+ ingredients have equal before cooking weights, they can be listed in any order (under US labeling laws)

Since turkey doesn't seem as common outside of America, it could simply be a supply chain practically and be roughly the same meat protein.

 

[christine_72]

Thank you @MarieLovesChis and @Shell I might see if i can hold of a sample bag, and go from there.

 

[MrMightyPaws]

My dog is a very picky eater, even with this food, but that doesn't mean that it isn't good food. As a brand, Eathborn Holistic is one of the better brands out there and they pride themselves in never having a dog food recall. Its premium food and a premium price, but the quality is top-notch. There primitive natural brand is their best brand and I definitely recommend it.