Is air dried dog food better than kibble

The 5 Best Air Dried Dog Foods Australia: Tested & Evaluated 2024

The 5 Best Air Dried Dog Foods Australia: Tested & Evaluated 2024

Written ByVedrana Nikolic| Canine Coach, B.A Ethnology & Anthropology, M.A Semiotics.Edited & Fact Checked By Renae Soppe | B.A Journalism & Science.Last Updated: 5th January 2024

Some of the best dog food formulas you can find these days are air-dried. But whats so special about this food? How is it different from freeze-dried and is it better than kibble?

Todays guide is here to answer these questions and help you find the best air-dried dog food option for your dog. We teamed up with canine nutritionists, veterinarians, and dog parents alike to form a panel of independent experts. In doing so, we researched the best air-dried dog food Australia offers, ranking our favourite options and raving about what makes them so great.

We start off this guide by also discussing what exactly air-dried food is and how it may benefit your pup. Let's get to it!Related:How To Choose The Right Dog Food?Related:How Is Australias Dog Food Industry Regulated?Related:What is AAFCO? The Association of American Feed Control Officials.Related:What Is the Pet Food Industry Association of Australia (PFIAA)?Related:AAFCO vs PFIAA: Dog Food Standards Comparison Australia.Related:Understanding Guaranteed Analysis Levels in Dog Food.

Our Number 1 Pick -Eureka Wild Boar & Chicken

• Over 90% meat, organs & bones
• Top-quality, locally-sourced protein
• Made in Australia
• Only wholesome additions
• Includes probiotics
• Good value for money

Runner Up -Ziwi Peak Air Dried Mackerel & Lamb

• Only free-range or wild-caught protein sources
• Ethical farming practices
• Consistent quality
• Single protein recipes available
• Absolutely no fillers
• Only natural preservatives used

Third Choice -Kiwi Kitchens Dog Gently Air Dried Chicken Dinner

• Simple protein-first recipes
• Chicken raised without hormones and GM-free
• Suitable for all life stages
• No grains or fillers

Australia's Best Air Dry Dog Foods Reviewed

Ready to check out the best and tastiest air-dried dog food options? Our panel of independent experts spent several weeks exploring the best air-dried dog food in Australia. But believe us - only the best of the best made our list. Lets start!

What sets this product apart from the rest?

• Over 90% meat, organs & bones
• Top-quality, locally-sourced protein
• Made in Australia
• Only wholesome additions
• Includes probiotics
• Good value for money

Eureka Wild Boar & Chicken - 4.5 Star Rating

• Ingredients: Wild boar; wild boar offal (liver, heart, lung, kidney, finely ground bone); wild boar liver; free range chicken; free range chicken offal (liver, heart, tripe, kidney, lung, cartilage, bone); salmon oil; free range eggs; broccoli; flaxseed; chia seeds; blueberry; kelp; chicory root (inulin); green lipped mussel; turmeric; apple fibre; sea salt.*Also contains: Postbiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifdbacterium animalis ssp. Lactis, Lactobacillus plantarum), lecitihin, citric acid, mixed tocopherols (natural anti-oxidant).

• Named Protein First: Yes.
• Dog Food Type: Grain Inclusive.
• Recipe Range: Wild Venison & Lamb; Wild Kangaroo & Lamb; Wild Boar & Chicken
• Suitable For: All ages
• Cost: $$$$
• Australian Owned: Yes.

Eureka Pet is a small Australian company that focuses exclusively on making super premium gently air-dried dog food. They make only 3 products, that is, 3 different (and awesome) air-dried dog food recipes.

Each of the recipes contains at least 90% of meat, organs & bone. Plus, 100% of the protein is locally-sourced in Australia (and so are most of the other ingredients - over 99% of ingredients come from Australia, according to the guys from Eureka). You can bet your dog will love the taste as much as mine did (and my dogs are picky eaters!).

Eureka Pet Food being tested by our independent expert team.

The protein is not only locally-sourced - its the best possible protein that can be found in Australia. Each recipe from Eureka is a combination of wild-caught (venison, roo, or wild boar) and free-range (chicken or lamb) meat.

On top of that, Eureka tries to keep the carbon emissions resulting from their production process as low as possible, which is why they even use solar ovens for air-drying the food. The food is dried in low-heat conditions to preserve most of the nutrients.

Related:Eureka Dog Food Review.

Youll notice on the ingredient list that the food also contains citric acid and mixed tocopherols, which made me scratch my head the first time I saw them, too. According to our experts, these are preservatives, but probably the best possible option when it comes to preservatives in dog food. They are both widely considered to be safe and not harmful to dogs in any way.

Related:The Best Meal Toppers For Dogs.

Suitable for all ages as long as the dosage is adjusted accordingly. It's also one of the most expensive on this list, although our number two and number five choices may edge it out.

Over 90% meat, organs & bones
Top-quality, locally-sourced protein	Only available as a subscription
Cell
Cell
Cell
Cell

• Only free-range or wild-caught protein sources
• Ethical farming practices
• Consistent quality
• Single protein recipes available
• Absolutely no fillers
• Only natural preservatives used

Ziwi Peak Air Dried Mackerel & Lamb- 4.5 Star Rating

• Ingredients: Mackerel, Lamb, Lamb Heart, Lamb Tripe, Lamb Liver, Lamb Lung, New Zealand Green Mussel, Lamb Kidney, Lamb Bone, Lecithin, Inulin from Chicory, Dried Kelp, Minerals (Dipotassium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Selenium Yeast), Salt, Parsley, Preservative (Citric Acid, Mixed Tocopherols), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid).
• Named Protein First: Yes.
• Dog Food Type:
• Recipe Range: Mackerel & Lamb; Venison; Lamb; Beef; Chicken + Provenance Collection with mixed proteins
• Suitable For: Ziwi Peak's recipe range can be suitable for puppy, adult and senior dogs depending on the recipe.
• Cost: $$$$$
• Australian Owned: No (but NZ owned).

Ziwi Peak is the most well-known name when it comes to air-dried dog food in Australia and NZ. But is it all just hype or are they that good? Are their products worth the price? And the price isnt cheap - yes, youll be feeding less than regular kibble because the food is nutrient-dense, but not that much less.

Well, our panel of experts cant be the ones to decide if its worth it, but we can say this is really good dog food. Just look at the ingredient list: not only does it have named protein first, but the first 8 ingredients are very precisely listed ingredients of animal origins + NZ green lipped mussels (which are very healthy for your dog, by the way).

The Ziwi Peak being tested by our independent expert team.

The rest of the ingredients? Lecithin (for better texture), kelp, inulin from chicory as a source of fibre + carefully chosen vitamin and mineral supplements. There is also a bit of salt and natural preservatives (citric acid and mixed tocopherols, same as Eureka in our number one spot). These may not be the dreamiest ingredients but necessary to keep the food from spoiling.

Either way, everyone on our team of experts loved how 96% of this formula is fish, lamb, organs and the aforementioned green-lipped mussels. And the lamb is not just any lamb, but grass-fed free-range lamb ethically raised in New Zealand.

Only free-range or wild-caught protein sources
Ethical farming practices
Cell
Single protein recipes available	Cell
Cell
Only natural preservatives used	Cell

• Simple protein-first recipes
• Chicken raised without hormones and GM-free
• Suitable for all life stages
• No grains or fillers

Kiwi Kitchens Dog Gently Air Dried Chicken Dinner - 4.5 Star Rating

• Ingredients: Chicken, chicken liver, vegetable glycerine, flaxseed, fish oil, sunflower oil, calcium carbonate, salt, choline chloride, mixed tocopherols (...) - the rest of the list are added vitamins and minerals
• Named Protein First: Yes.
• Dog Food Type:
• Recipe Range: Beef, chicken, lamb & venison
• Suitable For: All life stages
• Cost: $$$$
• Australian Owned: No (but NZ owned)

Kiwi Kitchens is another air-dried dog food gem that, like Ziwi Peak, our number two choice, comes from New Zealand. Gently air-dried and made up almost completely of meat & organs, its hard to find things not to love about this food.

What makes the Kiwi Kitchens air-dried formulas a bit different from the others is the number of ingredients. While air-dried dog food typically doesn't include too many ingredients, in the case of Kiwi Kitchens there are even fewer compared to the other similar.

The Kiwi Kitchens Dog Gently Air Dried Chicken Dinner being tested by our independent expert team.

For example, in the case of the Chicken Dinner formula we used for this recipe, chicken & chicken liver should be making up 90% of the recipe. Thats very simple, and in a good way. The rest of the ingredients are flaxseed, fish and sunflower oil, and a mix of vitamins and minerals.

Our team of experts also share that the added vitamin and mineral supplements are necessary to meet nutritional guidelines as it would be quite difficult to meet balanced diet standards with only chicken & chicken liver.

The one ingredient we didnt mention so far is vegetable glycerine. Kiwi Kitchens is transparent about its use. They say every air-dried dinner they make is 3% vegetable glycerine, and they believe its worth it to make the food softer and more palatable. Whether you agree with that or not is your choice. But aside from that, this is truly some great air-dried food.

Simple protein-first recipes	Vegetable glycerine is high up on the list
Chicken raised without hormones and GM-free	Cell
Suitable for all life stages	Cell
Cell

• Over 90% meat, offal & bone
• A bit cheaper than some competitors
• More fibre than similar options
• No fillers
• Low carb

Absolute Holistic Air Dried Dog Food Beef & Venison

• Ingredients: BEEF, BEEF LUNG, BEEF LIVER, VENISON, Vegetable Glycerine, Green Lipped Mussel, Dried Chicory, Parsley, Choline Chloride, Flaxseed, Kelp, antioxidant, Calcium Carbonate, zinc, Taurine, Vitamin E, iron, Vitamin B3, Copper Sulphate,VITAMIN B1, SODIUM SELENATE, Manganese Oxide,Vitamin B5, Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, BIOTIN, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, IODINE, FOLIC ACID, Vitamin D3
• Named Protein First: Yes.
• Dog Food Type:
• Recipe Range: Beef & Venison; Mackerel & Lamb; Chicken & Hoki; Beef & Hoki; Lamb & Duck
• Suitable For: Adult dogs
• Cost: $$$$
• Australian Owned: No

Absolute Holistic is another brand of air-dried dog food that uses quality ingredients sourced from New Zealand. They offer a range of different recipes using quality protein. These formulas are pretty similar to other air-dried options, most especially our number one and number two choices by Eureka and Ziwi.

Absolute Holistic calls its mix of ingredients a Paleo-inspired diet. Whatever you choose to call it, its mostly a mix of meat, organs, and bone (over 90%) - pretty much the standard for air-dried feed.

The Absolute Holistic Air Dried Dog Food Beef & Venison being tested by our independent expert team.

There are not many additions besides the meat. There are green-lipped mussels, dried chicory for extra fibre, parsley, flaxseed, and kelp. The rest of the ingredient list goes on vitamin and mineral supplements and (drumroll) vegetable glycerine.

Glycerine is a syrup-like substance that makes the food look nicer and its texture soft and chewy. It is also very sweet which makes the food tastier for dogs but not healthier.

Is glycerine in dog food a deal-breaker? Not necessarily. It will (most likely) not poison your dog or anything like that. However, most other super premium dog food manufacturers have kicked glycerine out of their ingredient lists and found better alternatives which prove thats possible. We would prefer if Absolute Holistic, and Kiwi Kitchens in our number three spot, did the same.

Over 90% meat, offal & bone	No single protein options
A bit cheaper than some competitors	Contains vegetable glycerin
More fibre than similar options	Cell
Cell
Cell

• Formulated for dogs with food sensitivities
• Single-protein recipes
• Rich in dietary fibre
• Highly digestible
• Specialised puppy formula available too

Prime100 SKD Air Kangaroo & Pumpkin- 3.5 Star Rating

• Ingredients: Australian Wild Kangaroo meat (whole meat & selected organs), pumpkin, carrot, safflower oil, tapioca, apple, vitamins and minerals (vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (Vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5), pyridoxine HCl (vitamin B6), cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12), folic acid, zinc sulphate, zinc chelate, iron chelate, manganese sulphate, potassium iodate, potassium chloride, selenium, copper citrate, choline chloride), seaweed extract, sunflower lecithin, parsley, flaxseed oil, buffered vinegar, salt, algae oil, mixed tocopherols, glucosamine sulphate, chondroitin sulphate, Bacillus Subtilis (probiotic), taurine, citric acid.
• Named Protein First: Yes.
• Dog Food Type:
• Recipe Range: Kangaroo & Pumpkin; Duck & Sweet Potato; Lamb & Rosemary
• Suitable For: Adults/seniors & puppies depending on the recipe
• Cost: $$$$$
• Australian Owned: Yes.

The Prime100 air-dried diet is slightly different from all other options on our list. It all comes down to this: the Prime100 Air range was designed to be easily digestible and suit the needs of dogs who suffer from food sensitivities.

This is why each recipe is based on a single source of protein. The options are roo, duck, or lamb, which are all novel protein sources. That is to say, according to our team of independent experts, they are not what most dog foods contain (chicken, pork, or beef). This makes the recipes suitable for elimination diets, at least to an extent.

To help sensitive tummies, the kangaroo recipe also contains pumpkin which is a well-known source of dietary fibre. Theyve also added carrot and apple which are good, and tapioca which is ok although not very nutritious. Finally, the formula is also enriched with a probiotic culture (Bacillus Subtilis) for gastrointestinal support.

Overall, the formula looks pretty good and might work quite well for dogs with specific needs. However, there have been some mixed reviews from pet parents on our panel whove tried this food. Some said it caused loose stools in their dogs. But, to be fair, that might (or might not) be a problem that can be solved with more time and a slow transition to the new type of food.

Formulated for dogs with food sensitivities
Cell
Cell
Specialised puppy formula available too	Cell

What Does Air-Dried Mean?

Before we go any further, lets start with the basics. What exactly is air-dried dog food? Regular kibble is also dehydrated, so how exactly does air-drying differ? The term air-dried seems to imply that the food is dried using air instead of heat, but thats not entirely true.

Essentially, air-drying is a method of dehydrating or removing much of the moisture in the food. In dehydrated dog food, moisture is removed slowly by low heat. - Kristie McLaughlin, PetMD [1]

So, heat is still used, but it is typically lower than the heat used to make kibble.

Like freeze-drying, air-dryingcanbe accomplished at low temperatures, but it takes longer and leaves meats and fats vulnerable to oxidation (spoilage); most foods are dried with temperatures of 140F to 180F. At these temperatures, the food is lightly cooked; the cellular structure (and thus the aroma and taste) of meats, fruits, and vegetables changes and the taste and appearance. - Nancy Kerns, Whole Dog Journal [2]

In short, our team of experts note that air-dried food lies somewhere between freeze-dried and kibble, in terms of the level of processing and the heat used.

What exactly does that mean, though? Sometimes, its difficult to determine. But many manufacturers do try to explain their process. Eureka, for example, slowly dries their food at 68 degrees celsius in solar ovens. They also say they use a kill step which gets rid of all the bacteria, although we are not sure how exactly this is performed [3]. Ziwi Peak does not specify the exact temperature, while Absolute Holistic says that their products are slowly dehydrated over 10 hours at a temperature between 72C to 80C [4].

As you can see, the process of making air-dried dog food varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. What they have in common is minimal processing(compared to kibble). But also, the food is lightly cooked and not raw.

Preservatives and Additives in Air-Dried Dog Food

Since air-dried food is dehydrated, it shouldnt need any preservatives, right? Well, it seems that a bit is necessary after all to keep these foods shelf-stable. Among the air-dried foods we've found on the Australian market, most contained some form of preservative.

The substances in question were citric acid and mixed tocopherols, in almost every case. The good news is, these are natural preservatives that are considered safe [5].

Another suspicious ingredient you might encounter in air-dried foods is vegetable glycerine. Glycerine is a humectant which means it traps moisture and thus keeps dog food chewy and soft. It is also very sweet, which is why food with added glycerine tends to be tastier for dogs.

In short, glycerine makes dog food look nicer and taste sweeter. According to our experts, it might not be bad for your dog per se, but it also does not do any good. If you ask us - its not a total deal breaker but wed rather avoid it, especially with products that cost as much as air-dried dog foods tend to.

Final Verdict

What is the best air-dried food available in Australia? Eureka air-dried dog food is the favourite option of our team of independent experts. Made in Australia with locally-sourced ingredients, its hard not to love their recipes. The only thing about them that might not work for everyone is the subscription model (although the subscription can be cancelled at any time, there is no catch).

If thats the case, feel free to consider Ziwi Peak, Kiwi Kitchens, or any other option on our list - they are all pretty good.

Is air-dried dog food safe?

As long as you get it from a reputable manufacturer, air-dried dog food should be completely safe. The air drying process typically uses enough heat to kill bacteria and other potentially harmful pathogens. If thats not the case, the manufacturers should employ other precautions, such as testing every batch of food for harmful bacteria.

Do you have to add water to air-dried dog food?

No. Most air-dried dog food manufacturers dont recommend adding water to their recipes. This is the main difference (in texture) between air-dried and freeze-dried. Air-dried can be eaten as is while freeze-dried typically needs rehydration.

Is air-dried the same as raw dog food?

No, air-dried is not the same as raw. While air-drying without heat is theoretically possible, in reality a gentle source of heat is almost always used. Because of this, air-dried food is closer to gently cooked than to raw.

References

1. McLaughlin, K. January 8, 2021. What Is Freeze-Dried Dog Food? Is It Better Than Dehydrated Dog Food?. PetMD. Retrieved December 13, 2022. https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/what-freeze-dried-dog-food-it-better-dehydrated-dog-food
2. Kerns, N. August 24, 2021. What You Need to Know About Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried Dog Food. Whole Dog Journal. Retrieved December 20, 2022. https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/food/what-you-need-to-know-about-rehydrated-and-freeze-dried-dog-food/
3. Eureka Pet Co. FAQ. Retrieved December 20, 2022. https://www.eurekapet.co/faqs/
4. Absolute Pet. Air Dried Dog Food. Retrieved December 20, 2022. https://www.absolute.pet/our-brands/absolute-holistic/air-dried/p/24/beef-and-venison
5. Keenan, J. January 08, 2022. Preservatives In Dog Food. Retrieved December 20, 2022. https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/preservatives-in-dog-food/