Supercoat is one of the most popular brands of dog food in Australia, and has been for many years.
You’ll find the brand everywhere – Woolworths, Big W, Coles, PetBarn, and of course big online retailers like Pet Circle which is where it’s cheapest at the time of writing.
There are two reasons why you may feed Supercoat to your dog:
- Because it’s readily available; or
- Because it’s budget friendly.
Over the years I’ve found many dog owners recommend the brand for reasons such as “My dog eats it, so it must be great”, but as a certified pet nutritionist the best advice I can give you is to keep in mind how many cereal grains there are in this food – wheat, sorghum, corn, barley.
I’m sure you know your dog is instinctively drawn more towards meat than crops?
If that’s the case, it’s worth considering feeding your dog some raw meat, organs, appropriate raw meaty bones, some tuna, sardines, eggs, or other species-appropriate table scraps as well!
Supercoat dog food review
What the marketing says
Let’s focus on Supercoat Smartblend dry dog food. All recipes are similar even if this review looks at Adult Chicken.
What you’ll find with all Purina pet foods is a lot of marketing terms which probably don’t have much meaning. On Supercoat these include:
- “Every ingredient has a purpose”
- “Nourish Their Best Life”
- Active Energy (from the “goodness of real Australian Beef” ~ yep, that’s what it says on their website for the chicken formula, but I’ll get to that!)
- “Healthy Digestion”, “Shiny Coat”, and a winner for most Aussies – “Proudly made in Australia”
Let’s forget about those marketing terms for now. It’s better to let the ingredients do the talking!
What the labelling really says
When I studied pet nutrition (for a CPD accredited Diploma) the coursework recommended to only change formulas, never brands, if a dog had an issue with a food. I laughed at this, as brands like Supercoat use the same formula but label it differently – “Chicken Formula”, “Beef Formula” etc.
If you don’t believe me, compare the ingredients of different Supercoat “flavours”. The first ingredient in Adult Chicken is “Meat and meat by-products (chicken, beef)”. So a combination of chicken AND beef.
Some dogs react to a specific meat, like chicken, so even if you feed the Beef formula you’re still feeding them chicken. Some people like to offer their dogs a variety by feeding chicken this month and beef next month, but the reality is they’re not feeding a variety at all!
Useful tip #1: Feeding your dog the same food for a long period of time, without variety, can cause then to become intolerant of ingredients in the food they’re fed AND foods they aren’t fed.
Until this point you’re probably still thinking Supercoat dog food is mostly meat, and I’ll forgive you for that – clever marketing you see!
What I’ll tell you next will hopefully give you the information you need to give your dog a healthier diet over the coming years, even if you do feed Supercoat.
Most pet food companies use trickery with the ingredients. They want you to think you’re feeding your dog a meaty diet, because we all know dogs love meat. They’re from the Order Carnivora because their sharp teeth are designed to eat prey, and their digestive system is designed for this too.
Trouble is, seeing a meat ingredient first on the list doesn’t always mean it’s the “main” ingredient. It depends on what else is in the food.
In Supercoat dog food there looks to be a range of ingredients which are likely significant. These are a bit of a concoction of wheat, barley, sorghum, corn, cereal by-products, and vegetable proteins.
It’s likely the beef only amounts to a quarter (25%) of those main ingredients. Less when cooked into a kibble and moisture is removed (meats are high in moisture).
What does that tell you?
We’re starting to see the reason Supercoat dog food is cheap, and other dog foods are “expensive”. Meat is expensive, cereal by-products are very cheap.
Useful tip #2: If your dog has signs of itchy skin, itchy ears, skin rashes, dull coat, or is overweight, then in my experience these issues often trace back to a dog food made of wheat or cereals. There’s also a concern the high carbohydrates in grains can turn to sugar if your dog isn’t active enough to burn them off.
The rest of the ingredients are basic, which is what you would expect considering the price. Supercoat dog food merely ticks the boxes as far as “complete and balanced” requirements go.
You get what you pay for with this one.
Should you feed Supercoat to your dog?
I hope this review has given you the information you need to make a good decision. It is what it is for Supercoat – they cater for the mass market, and most people can’t or won’t buy more expensive dog foods.
Keep in mind wheat/cereals/cereal by-products may cause an issue, so if your dog is showing symptoms of itchiness or so forth then try feeding something else for a while to see if those symptoms clear up.
Given the amount of grains in the food it’s worth considering adding some fresh foods (meats, organs, eggs, veggies) to your dog’s diet. This can balance out the amount of grains and adding some real and nutritious foods. Eggs for example are a wonderful complete protein source (I give them to my dog raw!)
I truly hope this Supercoat dog food review has been of use. If so, please share the link!
Do you feed Supercoat to your dog? How have you found it.
A quick reflection on Supercoat dog food marketing!
Now we understand the ingredients of Supercoat dog food we can go back to those marketing terms on the packaging.
- “Every ingredient has a purpose” – yes, but what purpose? To keep production costs down and profit margins up? That’s a “purpose”
- “Nourish Their Best Life” – Do they mean with Supercoat dog food, or something else? It has little meaning, and no legalities.
- Active Energy (from the “goodness of real Australian Beef”) – yes, beef has goodness for your dog as a meat-eater, and meat provides energy. But we’ve seen there isn’t as much meat in Supercoat as we would like.
- “Healthy Digestion” – fibre from grains (all dog foods must contain fibre), “Shiny Coat” – simply because there’s Omega 6 which is also a requirement in all complete and balanced dog foods, and “Proudly made in Australia” – probably still a winner for most Aussies, but it doesn’t mean Supercoat dog food is better than other brands made elsewhere.
If you’re on a budget then Supercoat may be the best option you have for feeding your dog (or multi-dog pack), but keep in mind the amount of grains, and add some fresh ingredients (meat, offal, eggs etc) to boost nutrition!
Supercoat Ingredients
The ingredients of Supercoat dry dog food (Adult Chicken):
Meat and meat by-products (chicken, beef) and poultry by-products; wholegrain wheat; wholegrain barley and sorghum and corn; cereal by-products and vegetable proteins; minerals, vitamins and amino acids (including calcium, phosphorus, sodium, chloride, potassium, manganese, zinc, iron, copper, iodine, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin D, choline & folic acid).
Supercoat Guaranteed Analysis
The guaranteed analysis of Supercoat dry dog food (Adult Chicken):
| Protein | 24% |
| Fat | 10% |
| Crude Fibre | (max) 4% |
| Carbohydrates * | Estimated 48% |
FAQ
Who makes Supercoat dog food?
Supercoat is a brand of dog food made by Nestlé Purina PetCare (or Purina), a subsidiary of the Nestlé corporation. The brand is sold predominantly to Australian consumers.