The power of high-quality Kibble | Scratch

Why kibble?

Dogs love kibble but most of it isn’t up to scratch. So we’ve created a fresher approach that’s better for your dog’s health and still convenient for you.

Grain free kibble

It’s what’s in it that counts

Crap ingredients = crap food. Most Aussie dogs eat kibble as part or all of their diet, but it turns out that a lot of it isn’t doing old mate any good. Not because it’s kibble – that’s just the way it’s prepared – but because big dog food companies do things on the cheap, using high GI ingredients, straight in/straight out fillers, and very little actual meat (plus additives so it lasts longer on supermarket shelves). Eaten regularly, this gets your woofer’s body out of whack and can cause short-term upset and long-term illness.

A fresh approach to kibble

We saw an opportunity to take something that dogs already love and make it much healthier for them. So, we designed a business model that allows us to spend up to 45% more on high quality ingredients by ditching the stores (and the retail mark-up that comes with it) and selling directly on subscription. We’ve developed a kibble that maximises fresh, whole ingredients and we make our healthy food for dogs when dogs actually need it.

We’ve taken our years of experience teamed with independent nutritionists, frequent lab testing of our food and a direct line of communication with our customers to ensure the highest quality at all times. The result: the most affordable and convenient form of healthy dog food.

Happy gut, happy mutt

It’s amazing what better ingredients & fresher food does! We get a lot of dogs coming to us with issues like chronic skin conditions, runny poos, farts that clear the room and general fussiness/disinterest. Having tried so many other foods with no success, we’re always happy to take the time to chat to pet owners about their dogs’ needs, health problems and follow up to see how they are doing on Scratch. So much of our dogs’ immune system, energy and daily mood comes from what’s going on in their gut. We’ve received hundreds of glowing reviews and success stories because our recipes are designed for optimal gut health, with slow fermenting whole vegetables + legumes, plenty of meat and just the right amount of carbs. And with an average customer happiness score of 4.9/5 stars, dogs are loving the difference Scratch makes.

The great balancing act

Much like humans, dogs rely on a balanced diet for optimal health. That means their food needs to be nutritionally complete in protein, fibre, fat, carbs, vitamins and minerals (like salt in dog food). This balance should come from good quality meat with no added hormones, whole veggies, nourishing oils, and additional supplements for things like joint health. It’s also important to take into account your dog’s specific calorie needs in the context of their weight, activity level, age and sensitivities. So when weighing up dog food options, it’s actually the quality, sourcing and processing of the ingredients themselves that make the biggest difference, not the shape and form the food comes in at the end.

Is kibble good for dogs though?

Yes, if the ingredients are primo, the recipe is nutritionally balanced and it caters for any specific food allergies your dog might have. (Which Scratch does, btw).

Figuring out what to feed your dog can be a minefield. Kibble’s gotten a bad rap over the past few years with new wave companies gaining popularity by doubling down on options like raw food, air dried, etc. and dissing kibble in the process. Brands have become obsessed with categories and labels, with some brands offering 20+ different choices of breed/age/weight-specific food (talk about overwhelming). The result? Pitting options against each other (ie. grain-free vs grains or kibble bad, raw good). Like most of what goes on in the unregulated Wild West of dog food, taking a hardline view against any one thing without digging into what actually goes into it, just breeds more confusion and misinformation for dog owners trying to do what’s best for their pup.

Kibble isn’t the be all and end all.

Wait, what? Aren’t we a kibble company? Sure, we spend all of our effort making the best kibble possible but we know there are a few good ways of feeding your dogs. You’ve got to find what works best for you and your furry compadre. Our tip: instead of focusing on superficial labels, dig a little deeper and find out what really goes into your dog’s food. At the end of the day, it always comes back to quality, balance, consistency and finding something that works for your lifestyle.

We know it can be tricky and even stressful but guess what—if you’ve read all the way to here it means you’re a damn good pet parent. Good on ya!

A bowl with kibble

Scratch arrives so much fresher

Stores discount so often because most kibble is made for efficiency. We changed how dog food is done, focusing on quality first.

Australian Dogs

“It’s the only food that the dogs did better on than raw”

French Bulldog Review

“I cannot believe the difference in Scout our Frenchie since changing to Scratch… Thank you Mike and Doug for creating scratch for our fur babies. You certainly have us for life”

4.9/5 Average Rating from
over 40,000 Aussie dogs

FAQs

Raw food diets are great as they have no processing, but it can be hard to get a completed and balanced diet from raw food alone. It also has other drawbacks like being fresh only for a few days, potential microorganisms such as e-coli, salmonella etc. Cooked protein is also easier to digest than raw.

Like dry dog food, chilled dog food has the kill step to eradicate pathogens. It has a short shelf life and often treated with a lot of preservatives to last the time from factory to home.

Wet dog food is also processed at a high temperature for a long period while sealed to ensure that all micro-organisms are killed. It generally tastes great but contains mostly water and a lot of gelling agents to make the gravy. A half-used can stinks out the home pretty quickly too!

Dry dog food in comparison is the most convenient, preserved by dehydration and receives a quick temperature kill-step to ensure all microorganisms are eliminated.

No, this is not correct. Dogs don’t need a category of food – they need particular nutrition. Wet, raw, homemade and of course dry dog food can all provide them what they need, as long as the recipe ingredients supply the required nutrients.

 

Unfortunately a lot of studies have shown that dry dog food doesn’t actually improve dental health, so it’s largely an unfounded claim made by marketers in the industry 🙁

Good quality dental treats that avoid sugars and high salt (that rules most out) are good for dental health however.

Scratch won’t help their teeth any more than any other kibble, but our food should help them in a lot of other ways, including reducing inflammation (turmeric and and only low inflammation ingredients), freeing up joints, digestive health (high in fibre) and a stronger immune system (lots more nutrients in our food than many other foods).

Yes, absolutely – but it’s a tricky one.

Puppies require more protein, vitamins and particular amino-acids to support their rapid physical and mental development. Adult dogs benefit from hat same nutritious diet, but don’t technically require as much of it to sustain life.

That’s why we make Scratch for all life stages, so that adult dogs can live their best life too and your dog’s diet can get in balance from the start.

Scratch is made in Sydney and is annually audited by a 3rd party as complying to the Australian Standard for the Manufacturing and Marketing of Pet Food (AS 5812-2017).

30 years ago, most dogs lived in the backyard rather than on the bed. We now fully accept them into our families as little fur babies.

While pet food has improved, we don’t think that regulation has kept up. In fact, it is still only a voluntary standard that exists, and that was written by the pet food industry itself.

While our manufacturing partners are PFIAA members and audited to the voluntary standard, we have currently chosen not to join. We especially believe that the standard does not demand the transparency that consumers expect and deserve. The flexibility that it allows marketers to deceive and promote is more appropriate for business generations ago, not now.

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