|

Part 6: Our food journey | The Kibble Wormhole | Sourcing the Wholesome Bowl

A vertical shot taken from a high angle in a kitchen. A brown Miniature American Shepherd stands on its hind legs, reaching up toward two large bags of human grade raw dog food sitting on a white stone benchtop. One bag is bright lime green and the other is white with bold black text listing ingredients like 'Beef, Salmon, Sweet Potato'. A small orange measuring scoop with the brand name 'Scratch' is also on the bench.

Navigating the unregulated wild west of dog food left us stuck in a massive wormhole. In this chronicle, we share our honest transition testing premium Australian options, from everyday kibble and Frontier Pets freeze-dried raw to Scratch human-grade frozen raw food, trying to find some clarity on what is best for Monte.

Coming into this, I knew I wanted clean, wholesome food. I have never been a fan of tinned food, not for humans, and certainly not for dogs. I loved the idea of raw feeding but craved the convenience of dry food. What I didn’t realize was just how difficult it would be to find the “perfect” balance, especially with a puppy like Monte who wasn’t particularly food-driven.

Navigating the “Unregulated” Wild West of Dog food

The first thing you learn is that the pet food industry is largely unregulated, making it a marketing minefield. Because of this, I made a non-negotiable rule: everything had to be sourced and made in Australia or New Zealand. I wanted to know that the ingredients were held to our strict local standards, avoiding the “mystery fillers” often found in imported products.

I started with ‘top-shelf’ dry foods like Open Paddock (WOW) and moved through various premium brands like Black Hawk and eventually the high-price point of Ziwi. While I did look into some of the big-name global brands like Taste of the Wild and Orijen, I ultimately gave them a miss. Despite their premium reputation, they are manufactured in the USA and Canada; for me, ‘clean and wholesome’ meant keeping it local to the AU/NZ region.

While the quality of the local dry foods was there, I kept gravitating toward the idea of raw. We tried Big Dog, but Monte wasn’t a fan of the “mush” texture.

The Turning Point: Our Shift to Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food

I eventually found a “happy medium” with Providore. I was already using their treats, so the air-dried food made sense. Monte loved the variety packs, he needed less to be satisfied, and it was proudly Australian-made.

But I still wanted to get closer to a truly raw diet. That’s when I discovered Frontier Pets. Their freeze-dried, free-range formulas were a game-changer. It offers the nutritional benefits of a raw diet with the shelf-stable convenience of “kibble”. It is also the only raw food I have found that is designed to also be re-hydrated. I use cold water in summer and warm bone broth in winter. It remains our go-to for travel to this day.

The Final Destination: Scratch Human-Grade Dog Food

Finally, I found Scratch. It was the first time I looked at dog food and thought, “I could put that in my stir-fry.” It is transparent, clean, and you can actually see the ingredients in their natural state, the blueberries, the beans, the chunks of beef. I did have to sacrifice some precious freezer space, but the results were worth it.

Our Current Routine: We settled on a 50/50 plan of raw and their kibble.

  • Morning: A portion of kibble used for our quick training session, followed by a small bowl of raw.
  • Evening: The same routine, training beats followed by his raw meal.

The Travel “Hack”: While the Scratch raw food is our daily gold standard, frozen food has its limitations when you are on the move. My solution? When we travel, I take the Scratch kibble and a stash of Frontier Pets. Because the Frontier Pets is freeze-dried raw, I can re-hydrate it anywhere.

The Reality Check

Is it pricey? Yes. I had to work my way up to that price point. But feeding him human-grade food with no synthetics or fillers feels right. They are only with us for a short time; if you can make the budget work, feeding food that actually looks like food is the best investment you can make.

That same philosophy carries over to his training snacks, because store-bought treats often come with hidden fillers that defeat the purpose of a carefully curated diet, I also started making my own single-protein treats at home. If you are keen to take complete control over what your pup is snacking on between meals, have a look at how I make DIY dehydrated dog treats to keep ingredients simple and wholesome.

  • Here is the metadata for the Frontier Pets product range, written in Australian English for your blog. Alternative Text "A wide-angle horizontal shot of five different Frontier Pets dog food and treat bags lined up on a white marble-patterned kitchen benchtop. The bags feature varieties such as Free-Range Lamb + Wild-Caught Salmon, Free-Range Beef, Free-Range Chicken, Free-Range Pork, and Free-Range Beef Tripe. A small instructional pamphlet with QR codes sits in the foreground, and a wooden cutting board and knife block are visible to the right against a white tiled splashback.
  • Here is the metadata for the dry Frontier Pet food image, written in Australian English for your blog. Alternative Text "A close-up high-angle shot of a white ceramic bowl containing dry, freeze-dried pet food. The food consists of various-sized cylindrical nuggets and crumbles in an earthy brown-gold colour with visible flecks of green herbs. The bowl is set on a light-coloured stone-textured kitchen benchtop
  • A close-up, high-angle shot of a white ceramic bowl containing rehydrated pet food. The food consists of small, textured brown nuggets and visible orange vegetable pieces mixed into a dark, bubbly broth. The bowl is set on a light-coloured kitchen benchtop with a blurred wooden floor in the background.
  • A vertical shot taken from a high angle in a kitchen. A brown Miniature American Shepherd stands on its hind legs, reaching up toward two large bags of dog food sitting on a white stone benchtop. One bag is bright lime green and the other is white with bold black text listing ingredients like 'Beef, Salmon, Sweet Potato'. A small orange measuring scoop with the brand name 'Scratch' is also on the bench.
  • A top-down close-up shot looking into an open white bag filled with frozen raw pet food. The contents consist of small, colourful frozen cubes in shades of deep red, purple, and greyish-brown, mixed with bright green bean segments and small orange vegetable cubes. The interior of the bag shows printed black text.
  • Here is the metadata for Monte’s frozen raw food portion, prepared in Australian English for your blog. Alternative Text "A top-down close-up shot of an orange plastic measuring scoop filled with frozen raw dog food cubes. The cubes vary in colour, including dark red, pale pink, and greyish-brown, with some showing a light dusting of frost. A single small, bright yellow-green vegetable piece is visible among the protein cubes. The scoop is held over a white stone-textured benchtop.
  • A vertical eye-level shot of a modern, light teal pet food storage container sitting on a white stone kitchen benchtop. The container has an open lid and the brand name 'Scratch' printed in orange on the front. Inside, the box is filled with brown, disc-shaped kibble, with a clear plastic measuring cup resting on top. In the background, a vase of pink and white tulips adds a soft, decorative touch to the scene.

Full Disclosure: I want to be clear that this is not a sponsored post. I have paid for every bag of Scratch and every box of Frontier Pets myself, it is just what has genuinely worked for us.

Also, a friendly reminder that I am not a vet or a nutritionist! This is just our personal story. Every dog is different, so definitely have a chat with your vet before making any big changes to your pup’s bowl.

Ready for the next chapter? Part 7: Monte’s Desexing Twist | The Hidden Complexity of the “Wait”

Let’s talk food

The “pet food wormhole” is deep, and honestly, a bit exhausting to navigate. Have you found a balance that works for your budget and your pup? Or are you still sifting through all the noise?

I would love to hear what is working for you, leave a comment below or say Hi on Instagram!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *