Best Dog Food In South Africa

Looking for information on South African dog food brands, but all your searches are returning products from the United States or North America?

The brands and recipes available to dog owners in South Africa are vastly different than those in Europe or the United States and so these discussions and articles are absolutely no use.

Well look no further, we've analyzed and reviewed a considerable swathe of dog food products that are available or produced in South Africa and chosen out some of the best.

South African Dog Food Vs. The Rest Of The World

The quality of dog food in South Africa tends to be noticeably poorer than western countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

This poorer quality correlates to lower-quality ingredients being used in the recipes and more inadequate nutritional profiles that are low in protein and fat and high in carbohydrates.

However, this is not surprising given that South Africa has a much lower standard of living than the western world, and many residents can not afford to feed their dogs the expensive foods that many in the west do.

Despite this, there are still imports of premium brands from the United States and Europe. These imports fill an essential niche for those living in South Africa with high incomes.

How We Chose The Best Dog Food

Dog Food quality is a complicated discussion, but we try to stay consistent with our choices. Factor such as ingredient quality, nutritional ratios (Protein, Fat, Carbohydrates, Omega Fatty Acids), Recall History, Animal Testing, Price, and Country of Origin all play a part.

Rather than get bogged down in this article on all the fine details of dog food, we recommend you check out our Dog Food Guide for more information on the dog food topic overall.

You can also check out our All Brand Reviews page to see all of the brands we've reviewed to date.

Best Dog Food In South Africa

Field + Forest Game + Lamb All Breed Adult Review

Field + Forest is a premium dog food brand based in South Africa. It is a sub-brand of Montego, which is one of South Africa's largest pet food manufacturers.

Field + Forest's Game + Lamb recipe is probably their most unique offering. Exotic meat ingredients like those contained in this recipe rarely make it into South African dog food due to their high cost and more challenging sourcing requirements.

The recipe uses a mix of Lamb, Turkey, Ostrich, and Game to provide a significant portion of protein and fat that would be satisfactory for the majority of dogs.

Also, the proportion of carbohydrates in this recipe is moderate and far lower than most of its competitor recipes. The carbohydrate proportion is provided by a mix of legumes and other vegetables such as Peas, Chickpeas, and Carrots.

Propac Ultimate Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Review

ProPac is owned by the US company Midwestern Pet Foods, which also owns popular brands like Earthborn Holistic and Sportmix. The company was founded almost 100 years ago and so is well established.

ProPac products are aimed at a lower price point than Earthborn Holistic and so produces more cost-effective recipes such as Chicken & Brown Rice. Other examples of lower-cost formulas include Lamb & Brown Rice and Fish & Potato.

Given the substantial differences in the cost of living in the United States and South Africa, this puts ProPac in an advantageous position.

Their Chicken and Rice formula makes use of Chicken Meal as its primary ingredient. This Chicken Meal has already had its moisture removed, which makes it an exceptionally dense source of protein and fat.

The formula then uses a mix of Brown Rice, White Rice, and Rice Bran to provide carbohydrates and fiber. We'd prefer it if there were more Brown Rice present instead of White Rice and Rice Bran, but this is the reality of lower-cost dog food.

Smaller portions of Peas, Dried Beet Pulp, and Flaxseed are also present and provide additional carbohydrates, fiber, and other nutrients.

Orijen – Original Review

Orijen is one of the most popular and famous names in the premium pet food industry. They are based in Canada but sell their food all over the world, including South Africa.

Orijen's formulas are known to contain a large variety of high-quality meat and fish ingredients in extraordinarily high proportions. The recipes include at least 10+ meat or fish ingredients in a single formula.

The portion of plant-based material in Orijen recipes is always low, and the small portion they do use is from a large variety of fruits and vegetables.

This range includes commonly used ingredients such as Peas and Chickpeas, but also less common ingredients like Carrots and Squash. Some of these less common fruit and vegetable ingredients can provide a unique combination of vitamins and minerals.

Orijen's Original Formula is a safe bet and contains a range of meat and fish ingredients, including Chicken, Turkey, Flounder, Eggs, among others. These ingredients are combined with vegetables such as Peas, Beans, Pumpkin, and Squash.

All of these ingredients combine to provide a very satisfactory proportion of protein, fat, and carbohydrates that is ideally suited to the vast majority of dogs.

Eukanuba Premium Performance Working & Endurance RevieW

Eukanuba is another massive North American brand with a worldwide presence. Eukanuba is owned by Mars Petcare, which also owns some other well-known and large brands such as Royal Canin, Whiskas, and Pedigree.

Eukanuba has a vast product range back in the United States; however, the range available in South Africa is notably smaller. However, one of the formula's that is available is their Premium Performance recipe.

The recipe uses a large portion of poultry ingredients that provide a very satisfactory proportion of protein and fat, perfect for a working or very active dog.

Sadly, Eukanuba uses some grain ingredients that some dog owners are not big fans of, such as Wheat and Maize. These ingredients provide the recipe's carbohydrate proportion.

Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural Review

We discussed ProPac earlier and its more premium sister brand Earthborn Holistic. Earthborn Holistic is notably more expensive than ProPac, but this can be worth the cost.

Earthborn Holistic's Primitive Natural formula is by far the best recipe from their range. The primary driver behind this is the fantastic proportions of protein and fat that the formula provides.

Primitive Natural contains a considerable portion of meat and fish ingredients, which provide very satisfactory levels of protein and fat. Some of these meat and fish ingredients include Chicken, Turkey, and Whitefish.

The formula also makes use of two staples of the dog food industry: Potatoes and Peas, which provide a small proportion of carbohydrates and fiber. The portion size of these ingredients is not large enough to dilute the level of animal protein, which is crucial.

Another noteworthy trait of this recipe is that it has a surprisingly high level of the Omega 3 Fatty Acid for a formula that doesn't focus heavily on fish. These Omega 3 Fatty Acids are believed to provide several health benefits to humans and dogs alike.

Sadly, the formula does contain Pea Starch, which is a vegetable by-product. You can read more about Vegetable By-products, specifically those derived from Peas in our article Peas, Pea Protein, Pea Flour, and Pea Fiber in Dog Food. The Pea Starch is used as a binding agent in this recipe, which means it holds the kibble together.

Earthborn Holistic is another brand that we've discussed and reviewed extensively. Check out our overall discussion of the brand here.

Hill’s Science Plan Performance Chicken Adult Dog Food Review

Hill's Science Diet, or Hill's Science Plan as it is known in South Africa, is another one of the enormous North American dog food providers. They produce hundreds of unique recipes that cover every possible breed and size of dog you could imagine.

Thanks to its vast size and product range, Hill's has found it easy to distribute some of its products worldwide, including South Africa.

The above recipe is just one that you can find in South Africa. We've chosen this recipe as it is not tied to a specific breed, and it contains a very generous portion of meat ingredients. This portion of meat ingredients includes a balanced mix of Turkey and Chicken ingredients.

There are very few other ingredients found in this recipe except a moderate proportion of Maize, Beet Pulp, and some oils. Therefore, this recipe may be the right choice for those dogs with an easily upset stomach or sensitivities.