Food that vets can recommend with confidence

Scratch’s suitability for common health concerns:

Osteoarthritis

Scratch’s Sensitive Kangaroo and Mackerel & Salmon recipes are particularly useful in these cases, although all of our recipes are supplemented to optimise omega-3 inclusions (EPA and DHA) in efforts to modulate and downregulate the inflammatory process involved in canine osteoarthritis.

For dogs on joint supplementation protocols, Scratch’s Sensitive Kangaroo recipe does some of the heavy lifting at the bowl. Kangaroo is a single-protein recipe -lean, highly digestible, and easy on the gut- with added glucosamine, chondroitin, and collagen built directly into the formulation. Delivering these via the diet rather than a separate supplement removes the compliance variable entirely. Especially for clients who struggle with daily tablets, or dogs that resist supplementation, it’s a practical solution that doesn’t ask anything extra, just support in every meal.

Bodyweight matters too. Every kilogram of excess weight imposes disproportionate mechanical load on articular cartilage. Scratch’s lower-carbohydrate formulations, which start at 32.5% versus the industry average of 45–60%, support lean body condition in a way that high-starch diets simply don’t.

Skin Sensitivity

Canine atopic dermatitis sits at the intersection of immune dysfunction, barrier dysfunction, and microbial dysbiosis. As the gut-skin axis becomes increasingly recognised, diets that promote gastrointestinal health are a meaningful factor in atopic disease management.

All Scratch recipes use highly digestible, high-quality ingredients, formulated with optimal omega-3 and -6 fatty acid ratios — particularly linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid. This supports cutaneous barrier integrity, a healthy diverse microbiome, and improved whole-body nutrient absorption.

Two strong options for skin-sensitive dogs are Sensitive Kangaroo and Pasture-Raised Lamb. Both are single-protein recipes that avoid chicken, beef, and dairy — the proteins most frequently implicated in adverse food reactions in dogs. With higher prebiotic fibre (4–5%), they support microbiome diversity, which is worth considering in chronically itchy patients. The Kangaroo recipe is grain-free; the Lamb offers an ancient grain alternative for dogs where grain sensitivity isn’t suspected.

Raw from Scratch is also worth considering for atopic dogs. Emerging research from the University of Helsinki suggests that puppies fed a raw diet in early life have lower odds of developing atopic skin symptoms compared to those fed ultra-processed dry food. Raw from Scratch delivers 70% raw meat, human-grade ingredients, and no artificial additives — a nutritionally complete option that aligns with the dietary pattern associated with reduced atopy risk in the literature.

Weight Management

It is estimated that 41% of Australian dogs are overweight. That’s not a nutrition company statistic — it’s a clinical problem arriving at your consult table every day, driving comorbid osteoarthritis, insulin dysregulation, cardiorespiratory compromise, and shortened lifespan. And the hard truth is that most commercial diets aren’t designed to help.

Scratch kibble starts at 32.5% carbohydrate — well below the 45–60% market average. We also build tailored feeding plans personalised to the gram, based on the dog’s current weight, target weight, breed, and activity level. This removes the common clinical barrier of owner overestimation of food quantity. Research consistently shows that when dog owners measure food and receive structured guidance, weight loss outcomes improve significantly compared to ad hoc restriction.

For dogs where maximising protein relative to energy is the priority, Raw from Scratch is worth considering. At 70% raw meat with minimal carbohydrate load, it delivers a lower glycaemic response than conventional kibble, supports lean muscle preservation during caloric restriction, and encourages satiety in even the hungriest of dogs.

Ageing and Cognitive Decline

Canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome shares neuropathological features with Alzheimer’s disease with beta-amyloid accumulation, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. It’s an area where nutritional intervention is showing genuine promise, and diet is one of the few meaningful levers available to you outside of pharmacological management.

Scratch recipes are formulated with ingredients that directly target these mechanisms. DHA (the omega-3 most robustly linked to cognitive health) is a structural phospholipid in neuronal membranes that supports synaptic plasticity and exerts anti-neuroinflammatory effects. Antioxidant micronutrients including vitamin E, vitamin C, and selenium reduce oxidative burden on neural tissue. For patients showing early CDS signs, or as a preventive strategy in ageing dogs, Mackerel & Salmon and Raw from Scratch are our go-to recommendations.

In older dogs, protein digestibility matters as much as protein quantity. Age-related decline in GI absorptive function means that ingredient quality, not just the number on the guaranteed analysis, determines whether amino acid requirements are actually being met. Scratch’s use of human-supply-chain meats supports genuine bioavailability, not just label protein percentages.

It’s also worth noting that because Scratch is made fresh to order rather than extruded at industrial temperatures and shelf-stored, there is meaningfully lower acrylamide and advanced glycation end-product (AGE) burden compared to standard kibble, compounds increasingly implicated in oxidative tissue ageing. For a patient population where oxidative load is already a driver of disease, that’s not a small thing.

Growth and General Wellness

The evidence for early diet now extends well beyond calcium-to-phosphorus ratios, energy excess, and micronutrient imbalance. The DogRisk cohort at the University of Helsinki has identified a consistent pattern across conditions including atopic dermatitis, IBD, chronic enteropathy, and dental calculus — that early diet appears to shape immune function in ways that persist across a dog’s entire life. At Scratch, we take that seriously. We actively encourage mixed feeding from puppyhood — across kibble and fresh-raw formats, and across multiple protein sources — because early dietary diversity is increasingly one of the more meaningful things an owner can do for their dog’s long-term health.

Gut health underpins wellness across every life stage — and it’s what Scratch is built around. Lower dietary carbohydrates support microbiome diversity, avoiding the fermentative bacterial bloom associated with excess starch. A well-balanced microbiome supports immune education, nutrient absorption, and the gut-brain axis. Prebiotic fibre promotes short-chain fatty acid production, supporting colonocyte health and mucosal barrier integrity.

For lifelong dietary strategy conversations with clients, Scratch’s ingredient transparency gives you something most brands won’t: the ability to actually cross-reference a formulation against your patient’s specific clinical needs. That’s why we publish everything. Because you should be able to.