First post, be gentle!
I was looking for a deal on Black Hawk dog food and noticed that this is reasonably cheap. Not sure how long the first coupon will last but the second one is from their facebook page. Each is one time use only.
Previous deals have been around this price plus shipping
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/130485
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/105969
EDIT: Updated coupon to the one intended for Black Hawk products
Our furry friends need quality food!
yeah, I spend more time and effort making sure my dog eats well than I do for myself…
$4/kg is a cracking price for this, good find OP!
This is a good price for Blackhawk.
Cheapest ive seen is $90 excluding delivery.
I've been getting it for around $85 for a while now…
from?
@jv: JV,would you have any idea if black hawk is better than hills science? My vet recommended Hills science but I suspect the clinic stocks that brand. Appreciate your help
My vet recommended Hills science
That's because they make money on it…
I've read in many forums that Hills contains lots of fillers and lots of breeders recommend Black Hawk as great value for money…
@jv: Correct. A lot of the main ingredients are the same wheat/grain based fillers that you get with your supermarket brands.
When you pay for premium food you should get premium ingredients.
I discovered this site http://www.petfoodreviews.com.au a while ago, it really got me thinking about what I was feeding no my dogs. From what I have read blackhawk make some of the best value dry food.
@jv: Vets often recommend Hill's and Royal Canin because they publish scientific papers and they give technical support when you are managing a complicated case with their special diets. (eg. kidney disease)
However, I think most vets would also say other premium pet foods including Blackhawk, Advance, Eukanuba, Wellness (ie. non-supermarket brands) should have a balanced composition, and it should be fine for healthy animals. And when I say balanced composition; I'm not talking about all the fluff that reviews like this says. I'm more thinking about calcium/phosphorous ratio, vitamins, essential amino acids, etc… which is commonly available information for premium foods.
Fantastic price! Thanks OP
Good price for 20kg!!
It's about 89 on jumbo pets, you can check on sniff out
this site is soooooo much better than stefmar !!!
Still 113.78 shipped to perth
Sorry I am in Adelaide so I only tested to here
do they do free shipping to Newcastle?
According to their website, yes:
Metropolitan Areas Eastern Seaboard & Selected Areas
Sydney Metro
Melbourne Metro
Brisbane Metro/Gold Coast
Canberra
Adelaide
Selected NSW Areas (incl. Newcastle and major regional cities and towns)
Selected VIC Areas (incl. Bendigo, Ballarat)
Selected QLD Areas (incl. Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba/Ipswich area )
Black hawk lamb! Loved that movie.
I used this for 3 months with my 2 blue heelers but the amount they crapped from it was unreal! Plus the smell wow.
Great stuff, my dogs love it.
However, be aware that the lamb and rice Blackhawk food is the most calorie dense of the lot, and is the one they suggest for working dogs. Not too big of an issue though, if you notice your dog gaining weight on it, feed them slightly less.
You could say that Black Hawk is…
puts on sunglasses
…down.
YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I logged in just so I could up-vote this :-)
Think that code should be BHSALE44. (Black Hawk orders only) RCSALE31 works but is meant for Royal Canin products.
Ah fair enough when I found it, it didn't show any limitations on its usage so wasn't sure of its application. Can you confirm that BHSALE44 also works?
Yep, just tested and it works. Valid till 4th April. If you navigate through the brands of dog food both Royal Canin and Black Hawk both have a brand of the day banner with code.
Well what do you know haha, either way a bargain! Updated
Good for human consumption?
Is Black hawk better than Hill's science diet? Thanks
It is in my book.
My dogs love it, I don't clean up nearly as much. It's Australian made. It's often cheper. And the Emu oil in it is supposed to be a natural anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal.
yep, Hill's is a cheap food in fancy packaging and good marketing. Black Hawk is actually a good food.
Thanks
I've been feeding my rottie pedigree which costs half this.
Should I get him on this expensive stuff - he's an old man (almost 9) & I want him to have a good retirement
Pedigree is full of fillers and has very little meat based protein. The Black Hawk is miles ahead.
Old dogs may have specific dietary needs though, have he been to a vet for a checkup within the last year or so?
yes he gets his annual check up plus been visiting often for other little issues that came up.
Doesnt have any special requirements just refuses to eat if its plain dry food - Have to mix a hanful of beef mince or can of tuna or some wet dog food.
But based on your comments I want to try this stuff if its healthier for him.
That's great to hear! When you get the packet remember to ease your dog into it by slowly replacing Pedigree with the new food (instructions on bag). Beef mince is a great idea regardless of food brand as it's great protein. Pedigree uses quite a bit of salt and sugar to get dogs to eat them so the Black Hawk is definitely healthier.
Also check the amount to feed based on the Black Hawk packaging, as it is probably a lot less than Pedigree. Foods like Pedigree actually requires greater amounts to fulfil their dietary needs, so your dog might even poop less.
Less poop is always appreciated!
Thank you for taking the time to reply to me!
I get Optimum Adult from Costco for my Beagle - always undecided if there is better food for her though, and what to look for…
Optimum is pretty terrible - no better than Pedigree etc. Cheap dog food has lots of "fillers" such as corn, which is indigestible for dogs.
Black Hawk is a well regarded food and a lot cheaper than Royal Canin, Advance, Hills Diet and the like.
If you're interested, petfoodreviews.com.au is a useful website. It analyses the ingredients lists of food and gives detail about whether they are good or not.
corn is indigestible to humans, can vouch
If you get your food from Costco get the Kirkland Nature's Domain Chicken and Rice. It's great and won't break the bank.
why not check out http://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/best-dry-dog-f…
unbiased reviews, served as an eye opener for me
The usual brands that spend on marketing have poor reviews!
for comparison
Black hawk 4*
Hill Science 2*
Pedigree 1*
Royal Canin 2*
Optimum 2*
the general trend seems to be that companies that spend heaps on marketing, have high prices but poor foods, and smaller independent companies actually have similar prices but better food!
Royal Canin eg markets its donut shaped kibble as good for labs (slows consumption)but its kibble contains corn and cornflour in its top three ingredients which has questionable nutritional value.
disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the website nor with any of the food companies. Just another person who wants the best for my dog :)
Just beat me to it! Great website
ha ha
just a bit peeved that the the top rated foods ie 5* are sold out.
Does any one know of any place that stocks Canidae grain free puppy in 10kg bags?
Ah so. New Zealand Company now. Still sort of local tho.
Pretty basic reviews, with a nonsensical, ambiguous, conclusion on this product. He would feed to his dog, but not preferred, manly due to lack of meat?
I have not heard of any of the brands reviewed(tho haven't looked around for 2 or 3 years).
Where are the big names?
here is a list and review of all dry foods available in Australia
http://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/
the big names are all in there
Here is a list of good dry foods available in Australia
http://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/best-dry-dog-f…
Not surprisingly many big names are missing from the second list
I used to feed my lab Royal Canin thinking it was good
But just look at the top ingredients Chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal- I've decided to spend my dollar elsewhere
Why feed him Chicken by product meal instead of chicken
And why feed him corn gluten meal when I would not bother feeding him corn
One of the cheapest dog foods is the Kirkland's Nature's Domain (Chicken and Rice) which is a great value and pretty well rated. I think we pay $47 for 18kg from Costco.
Chicken and rice are easily digested and it has a decent amount of meat with no by products (although not as high as the best of the best).
I would happily feed my dog Kirkland's Nature's Domain
probably the best bang for your buck!
Cool, I didn't know there was an Aussie premium dog food anymore. Just need to compare to Royal Canin and Eukanuba. Has anyone done the research? Including rice has me worried though. Any sign of "radiator coolant" to entice them to eat it?
I hope you guys are giving your best friend sone meat with their dry food. Graftted Carrot is the easiest other additive, but most other vege's are cool as well.
I have not heard anything good about either RC or Eukanuba, and they're significantly more expensive than BH. AFAIK the rice is brown rice which is pretty good for them, but there is a grain free version if you prefer.
I feed mine Black Hawk + a couple of bones or chicken carcasses a week. She also gets bits of carrot (which she absolutely loves) and other vegies when we're preparing food.
Yeah but hearing is nothing. I have only ever heard good things about Eukanuba, but currently feeding them Royal Canin GSD mix which we get for $85, or occasionally cheaper at Pet Barn when you on special and you can push to the rewards free bag.
We mostly don't grate the carrot anymore as it has become a big deal with the 4 fellas when they finish their dog bowl, they all line up waiting for their carrot desert. It cracks visitors up at feeding time. They look like they are walking around with cigars.
The older dogs showed no interest in the full carrot at first, but a bit of dog psychology by making it a big deal with one of the younger dogs to get a full carrot, turned the others around. I do wonder about digesting a non-grated carrot, but their crap seems fine with no undigested lumps etc.
This must have been popular, they are now out of stock. My order is now due after new stock arrives April 16.
Should have asked for commission haha
Being a (very successful) showperson and breeder, can I add that we feed Natural Balance. Made in Fremantle with a variety for every need. It is not the NB in petfoodreviews as that is American. As it states all natural, vitamin E as a preservative. Used it for years and strongly recommend for our puppy buyers http://www.naturalbalance.net.au/
Petfoodreviews.com.au is Australian ;)
I've not heard of Natural Balance before… is it widely available? Just looking at the ingredients of the regular energy, it contains corn meal as #4 and "poultry digest".
What do you breed/show btw?
Sounds a lot like an advertisement.
the website is very much Australian and the author incidentally lives in Freo :)
The Natural Balance the author reviews is identical to the product in the Aussie website and uses Aussie lamb and duck
It also uses tallow as a source of fat (whereas better foods use salmon oil for example as a source of fat)
Oily fish is a source of good fat, tallow not so much. Given a choice I would rather my dog has salmon oil than tallow.
Also has corn gluten- which adds no nutritional value to dogs
It is unfortunately a 3* product and not as good as some other foods there
It is a good marketing ploy to use words like 'Super' and 'Premium'
good price
Let me get this right. So it contains rice, lamb meat and black hawk meat? That won't be cheap.
Pet food companies questionable support for vets
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-24/cat-food-study-lead…
Not an advertisement, just trying to pass on my over 40 years of experience. We have used this product for years. One of our puppy buyers asked us to look at his dog and we were so impressed we asked what he was feeding him!! Seems a group was exporting the product to Asia and wanted to break into the local market. He asked if we would trial the product. The difference was amazing! We spend 10's of k importing our dogs and would not feed them anything we did not believe in. Unlike other breeders/exhibitors, due to the OmegaMagic in the food we do not have to add anything to our dogs diets to achieve the desired fertility, shiny coats and healthy "glow". We wean our pups directly onto it and they eat it all their lives.
As I said, it is included on our diet sheet. Our vet is so impressed that she has started stocking it in her new practice. The price is reasonable and I believe they still include free delivery.
Pet reviews gives it a high 3, with Blackhawk a low 4, but a lot of this is based on presumptions. Natural Balance will even send out complete nutritional breakdowns if required and you can talk to them on the phone with any concerns.
From a dog groomer in NSW (from their website)
"We started feeding our 2 dogs Natural Balance when living in Perth over 10 years ago and continue to use it with our current dog. Personally, we rate it over all the big name products. In fact we now recommend it to our customers and get great feedback – mainly that their dog maintains a healthy weight and the dog eats it where it would not eat Blackwawk, for example. And NB’s Delicate formula gets great feedback from owners of dogs with skin & stomach issues. There is almost too much choice in the range of food available, our best advice is to try a few but make sure one of them is Natural Balance.
PS: we are groomers in NSW, not from NB"
What's your business/breeder name, what vet are you talking about & where are you taking these "reviews" from? P.S. Click REPLY to my comment.
Ingredients in NB which I would not feed my dog, even if it leaves him with a less shiny coat
Corn gluten meal:
An inexpensive by-product of human food processing which offers very little nutritional value and serves mainly to bind food together. It is not a harmful ingredient but should be avoided simply for its poor nutritional value and quality.
Tallow:
Fat obtained from the tissue of cattle in the commercial process of rendering.Dogs and cats like the taste of this fat, so it is often used to make low-quality food more palatable. Beef tallow is very low in linoleic acid and much cheaper for the pet food industry to use than a good quality vegetable oil or nutritionally rich chicken fat.
Poultry Digest:
A cooked-down broth made from unspecified parts of unspecified animals. The birds used can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or contamination. Any kind of bird can be included: "4-D birds" (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter) misc. roadkill, restaurant and supermarket refuse and so on.
Neither of these ingredients are premium or super or high energy
No bigger scam on the planet than overpriced premium dogfood. At these prices you could buy human food and feed the dog more cheaply.
I guess you're right that some premium dog food is overpriced, but this is a good price for food that's significantly better than Pedigree etc.
Also, feeding exclusively human food to dogs requires quite a lot of care to make sure they get a good nutritional balance. It's a lot easier (and probably healthier) to feed kibble with regular meaty bones for teeth.
Mate I have 2 dogs that I love to bits. But I couldn't afford to have them at these prices. That 20kg wouldn't last 2 weeks. I got the golden retriever from a breeder and she fed the puppies Optium.
Some people will pay STUPID amounts of money in the hope of giving the dog a better nutritional balance. In many parts of the world dogs eat table scraps and often still thrive. Most dogs here get fed on this stuff that's being derided in the reviews as 1* and still have a full and healthy life. I don't feed my family gourmet food every day so you can be sure I won't be feeding my dogs better than them. Want to downvote? Go for your life. I don't care.
Well you can feed your dog whatever you want, but personally I would rather go hungry than feed my dog poor food. But I don't have to, because I made sure I could afford to properly care for a dog before I took on the responsibility…
It's not the difference between eating regular food and "gourmet" food. It's a matter of nutritional value, not taste.
You will also find you'll need to feed less if you use a premium food, because they contain more protein and energy than cheaper foods, which contain fillers. 20kg in two weeks is around 750g per dog per day. My bag of Black Hawk recommends 300g per day for a 40kg+ dog, so if you pay double for it you'll actually not end up paying any more since it'll last twice as long.
A 20KG bag of this lasts my 2 German Shepherds a whole month. The female is 32kgs and the male is 40kgs, they aren't small dogs. How much are you feeding your dogs?
Keep in mind, you feed your dogs LESS when it's a premium food. And then they poop less.
@juzz88:
20kg = 10kg/dog
To get a month out of it you need to make that last 30 days. 10,000g/30days = 333g/day.
That did seem a little low to me but the feeding guide I found for Blackhawk suggests:
200 to 250g for 25 to 30kg dogs
250 to 300g for 30 to 35kg dogs
300 to 350g + 110g per 10kg over 35kg
So it sounds like you're close to spec if you're not feeding anything else.
I'm feeding roughly 450g dry (Supercoat at the moment) + 170g wet (MyDog) per day. I'm using Supercoat at the moment but I may try something else if I can find something reliable and cheap. I think my golden was doing a bit better (less smelly breath and gas) on Optium as a puppy but I switched when I switched to adult food.
The amount I'm feeding are roughly in line with the instructions on the packaging, but it's hard to know exactly how compliant you are when when you're supplementing with wet food.
Supercoat recommends:
400 to 640g for 25 to 50kg dogs
Mydog recommends 2-3
680g cans or 1-1.5 cans if fed with dry (but it doesn't specify the ratio).
So you'd feed roughly 1.25 to 2 times as much Supercoat for the same amount of Blackhawk give or take. A 50kg dog would take 640g of Supercoat but only 515g of Blackhawk (calculating Blackhawk on 35kg upper limit plus 55g * 3 to get to 50kg). For a 25kg dog it would be a straight 200g Blackhawk vs 400g Supercoat. That large difference doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense and just shows you that the feeding guides are really are rough. They usually come with a disclaimer that you need to adjust for activity level.
I feed twice a day. They get dry food morning and night and wet at night only. My dogs are a good weight according to the vet. Very occasionally my Lab will skip her morning feed, which is fine as I need to keep her lean (hip displasia). I'm skeptical about feeding them less high quality food. Labs and Goldens being so food motivated, I don't think it would work very well…they'd likely want more and end up unhappy and if I gave in they'd get fat. But if it was more readily available and cheaper I'd give it a try. But Supercoat on special is about $1.50/kg. This stuff is almost triple that for this special - over $4/kg.
See my response to juzz88 regarding the figures. For small dogs it is actually roughly double that you'd feed supposedly BUT (based on Ozbargain specials) you're paying almost 3 times as much. For larger dogs it's 1.25 times as much and you're still paying almost 3 times as much. And I bet the dog feeling less full will mean it requires more attention, especially if it's a food obsessed breed.
As for going hungry to feed your dog, I don't think that's as noble as you seem to think. I love my dogs but they will always come second to humans and I have a family to look after.
Also you have to be convinced that the food really is THAT much better.
@syousef: Fair enough. We tried supercoat too (because it was so cheap), but it went straight through them. They do OK on Optimum and Kirkland, but they have zero stomach issues on Black Hawk or Canidae. Just depends on the dog I guess.
Yep as I said I'm not thrilled with Supercoat but have to get through a few more bags before I think about switching. I do wish they'd sell the "good stuff" at the supermarkets. Quality definitely seems to have gone down for the non-premium foods over the last decade or so.
@syousef: I don't have children, which makes it easier for me, but my view is that by adopting my dog I have undertaken to provide for her needs. I will do everything in my power to make sure she has good food, vet care, etc.
Of course having children is a similar responsibility. Neither should be taken lightly :)
The difference is you think buying supermarket dog food is a failure to care for a dog. I do not.
The argument here is not that one pays a ridiculous amount of money for better food.
I think most of us are spending what we think is top dollar for food that is in fact not so good, whereas we could spend the same amount of money for better food
I'll illustrate with an example
compare this with
Similar price points, but one is a real good food and the other one is not
Dude seriously the superior attitude is really rubbing me the wrong way. You are aware dogs became domesticated on table scraps aren't you? The comparison to Macdonalds is just insulting. A lot more people feed their dogs supermarket brands than premium, and most of those dogs do just fine. Which is unsurprising. If you or I had a 10-15 year lifespan we wouldn't have to worry about junk food giving us heart attacks.
And thanks for making another point. Most of the premium dog foods are only a little better for the dog than the supermarket brands. There might be the odd premium dog food that actually might make a significant difference but most consumers wouldn't know, and the dogs survive just fine.
For dry it's Supercoat, Optium, Pedigree to name 3…just go to woolworths or coles online and look up dog food.
thanks for the info
Purina Supercoat (Nestle) $3/kg
ingredients: Meat & meat by-products (from beef, chicken and/or lamb), wholegrain cereals (wheat and/or sorghum); cereal by-products and/or vegetable proteins; other cereals
Pedigree (owned by Mars) $2.30/kg
ingredients: Cereals &/or cereal by-products, meat & meat by-products (poultry, beef &/or lamb), poultry palatant, beet pulp
Optimum (also owned by Mars) $4.50/ kg
ingredients: Meat & meat by-products (poultry, beef and lamb); sorghum and/or rice and/or wheat; barley and/or corn; chicken digest; cereal protein; beet pulp; vegetables
Mars also owns Eukanaba, Royal Canin, Iams
Meat by products is the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue, & stomachs & intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth & hoofs.
Neither of the three actually specify what meat is in the product, or what cereal is specifically in their product, and I suppose they have their shareholders to answer to ie motivated more by profits rather than the well being of pets. Of course these foods are not that bad for dogs, and help them fill their bellies. After all we get what we pay for.
Why not have instead Kirklands Signature Natures Domain $2.60 per kg, Costco. Similar in price point to the supermarket brands
Ingredients:Salmon meal, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, canola oil, ocean fish meal, potato fiber, pea protein
For a similar price you are not feeding your dog with meat (which one?)/ meat by products/ cereal or cereal by products (not that they are bad, just that they are cheaper).
My point being that for prices similar to what the big brands (Nestle/ Mars/ Colgate Palmolive and their advertising muscle sell you) you can buy a much better product
Purina Supercoat (Nestle) $3/kg
Pedigree (owned by Mars) $2.30/kg
Optimum (also owned by Mars) $4.50/ kg
Kirklands Signature Natures Domain $2.60 per kg, Costco
Of course it is a lot easier to source the first three in every supermarket, and you have to go to Costco to get Kirklands, but perhaps if we buy in bulk we don't have to make as many trips. I would, as I think my dog is worth the extra effort :)
@docians: yes but apparently if you think your dog is worth more than the cheapest shittiest food you are an insulting idiot with an attitude problem (according to this syousef anyway)
Because I don't pay $3/kg for Supercoat. I pay $1.50 as I said above. If there was a costco nearby and I already had membership I'd probably give it a try anyway, just to see if it made a difference to my dogs. But realistically I'd be paying membership on top of the $2.60 so no it's still an option that is 2-3 times the price at least.
Also the fact that the same manufacturers produce premium foods makes me suspicious that they may actually be not that different. I don't imagine minor variations to the ingredients list get much quality control. You certainly don't always get what you pay for. You'll find plenty of people willing to take your money and give you worthless crap in return.
The "cheapest shittiest food" is homebrand crap that you can get for $1 a kg at normal price. A lot of dogs live on that and do fine too. And a lot of dogs get rescued by people who can't afford more or who rightly put their human family ahead of their pets. But according to you they're all just horrible people who are practically abusing their pet because they don't feed premium dog food.
Telling someone they are feeding their dog junk food "Maccas" because you believe the food you feed your dog is superior because it costs more makes you insulting and indicates an attitude problem. I did not call you an idiot, but if the shoe fits and you want to wear it, feel free. I'm done bothering with you.
Thanks op! Got two bags, great dog food. fed my rotti this until he departed, now feeding my bull Arab this, very happy with this price and this dog food!
$170 shipped to me… pass
Good deal, though I still have 3 ~$50 bags from the Petbarn sale a couple of months ago.
Great price and good food. Would get some but I just bought a 20kg bag.