Scratch
Black Hawk
Scratch vs Black Hawk
A score-by-score comparison of Scratch and Black Hawk: value, ingredients, transparency, what each costs to feed and where you can actually buy it, run through the same independent 100-point methodology.
Reviewed by the Dog Food Reviews editorial team
Independent scoringUpdated August 2026Not veterinary advice
Edition· Scores and prices entered and checked by hand
At a glance
The whole comparison, in one table
Every measure we hold for both brands. Where a figure is comparable, the leading side is marked; where it is a description rather than a contest, neither side is.
| Measure | Scratch | Black Hawk |
|---|---|---|
| Overall scoreOut of 100 · higher is better | 86Leads | 76 |
| Our ratingThe band that score falls in | Strong | Good |
| Pillars ledOf 6 scored pillars | 4 of 6Leads | 2 of 6 |
| Cheapest per kgLower is better · editorial estimate | $10.62/kg | $8.45/kgLeads |
| Cost per dayLower is better · a ~15kg adult dog | $3.19 | $2.10Leads |
| Price tierWhere it sits in the market | Premium | Premium |
| Retailers we indexHigher is better · chains we price-check | Direct only | 9 retailersLeads |
| Recipes we priceDepth of our index, not a score | 4 | 2 |
| FormatHow the food is sold | Dry · Raw | Dry · Wet |
| Made inCountry of manufacture | Australia (dry kibble made in NSW; raw made in Australia) | Australia |
The contenders
What you are choosing between
Two brands, the same six pillars and the same price index. Each column carries the brand's own product photography, what we hold on it and the door to the full review.
Scratch
Premium
Brand pack shot
Scratch is an Australian-owned, direct-to-consumer dog food brand sold by flexible subscription from its own website rather than in shops. It is best known for radical label transparency: it is the only major Australian brand to publish the exact percentage of every ingredient, and it sources the large majority of its ingredients from local Australian farms. The range spans high-protein grain-free kibble, a lamb-and-ancient-grains recipe and a complete frozen raw line, with an in-house vet and B-Corp certification backing the brand story.
- Format
- Dry · Raw
- Made in
- Australia (dry kibble made in NSW; raw made in Australia)
- Price per kg
- $10.62-$14.62/kg
- Cost per day
- $3.19-$4.39
- Retailers indexed
- Direct only
Black Hawk
Premium
Brand pack shot
A popular premium-mainstream brand that's everywhere and reasonably priced in big bags: but its strength is reach, not ingredients. Quality swings noticeably across the range: the better formulas lead with named meat, while cheaper lines lean on rice and grain to bulk out the panel. You're partly paying for shelf presence and marketing, so read the specific recipe rather than the brand badge.
- Format
- Dry · Wet
- Made in
- Australia
- Price per kg
- $8.45-$10.60/kg
- Cost per day
- $2.10-$2.50
- Retailers indexed
- 9 retailers
The scorecard
Pillar by pillar
Every pillar of our methodology, side by side. Higher is better on every row, the weighting shows how far each pillar moves the overall figure, and the leader is marked purely by the numbers.
Scratch leads on
4of 6 pillars
Black Hawk leads on
2of 6 pillars
Price per kg, cost per day, subscription discount, sale frequency and value vs similar formulas.
Named meat first, protein source quality, wholefoods, fillers, artificial colours/flavours, grain quality.
Complete & balanced claim, life-stage suitability, protein/fat levels, sensitive-stomach and vet use cases.
Clear ingredient list, country of manufacture, ownership, feeding-guide clarity, recall visibility.
Stock availability, delivery options, repeat delivery and retailer availability.
Review sentiment, repeat complaints and product consistency feedback.
Cost to feed
What each one costs a day
Price per kg is not the comparison that matters. A fresh bowl and a dry kibble are served in very different daily weights, so the figure to compare is what lands in the bowl each day.
Editorial estimate
Cost per day, a ~15kg adult dog
The span runs from the cheapest recipe we price to the dearest; the heavy rule is the median of those recipes.
| Brand | Cheapest | Typical | Dearest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scratch | $3.19 | $3.76 | $4.39 |
| Black Hawk | $2.10 | $2.30 | $2.50 |
Dog Food Reviews index
| Recipe | Format | Price per kg | Cost per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Chicken & Rice 20kgBlack Hawk | Dry · 20kgAdult | $8.45 | $2.10 |
| Grain Free Adult Chicken 15kgBlack Hawk | Dry · 15kgAdult | $10.60 | $2.50 |
| Grain-Free Turkey & Beef Dry Dog Food 8kgScratch | Dry · 8kgAll life stages | $10.62 | $3.19 |
| Pasture-Raised Lamb with Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food 8kgScratch | Dry · 8kgAll life stages | $12.37 | $3.71 |
| Grain-Free Mackerel & Salmon Dry Dog Food 8kgScratch | Dry · 8kgAll life stages | $12.74 | $3.82 |
| Sensitive Kangaroo Grain-Free Dry Dog Food 8kgScratch | Dry · 8kgAll life stages | $14.62 | $4.39 |
Which fits your dog
Should you pick Scratch or Black Hawk?
Neither brand is the answer for every dog. These lists are built from the pillars each one wins, the prices we hold and what each brand is best suited to.
Choose Scratch if
- On our scorecard it leads ingredient quality (84 to 76, a pillar worth 25 points), nutrition & suitability (85 to 76, a pillar worth 20 points) and transparency (95 to 74, a pillar worth 15 points).
- Owners who want full ingredient transparency and Australian sourcing
- Dogs with skin or tummy sensitivities needing single-protein or fish recipes
- Households that prefer auto-delivered, subscription feeding
Choose Black Hawk if
- On our scorecard it leads price & value (74 to 72, a pillar worth 25 points) and availability & convenience (83 to 62, a pillar worth 10 points).
- It is the cheaper of the two to feed: the cheapest recipe we price works out at about $2.10 a day against $3.19, as an editorial estimate for a ~15kg adult dog.
- It is the easier one to buy: we index 9 retailers stocking it, against none for Scratch, which sells direct.
- Everyday feeding if you pick the right recipe
- Owners who want availability over peak ingredients
Before you commit
Where each one is the wrong answer
Skip Scratch if
- You want the lowest possible cost per kilo
- You prefer buying food in-store rather than by subscription delivery
Skip Black Hawk if
- You need a therapeutic prescription diet
Our verdict
Scratch finishes ahead on our index, 86 to 76, a gap of 10 points. Scratch takes ingredient quality, nutrition & suitability, transparency and customer sentiment. Black Hawk takes price & value and availability & convenience. On the recipes we price, Black Hawk is the cheaper of the two to feed: about $2.10 a day against $3.19 for a ~15kg dog, as an editorial estimate. Black Hawk is the easier one to buy: we index 9 retailers stocking it, against none for Scratch, which sells direct. Compare cost per day and where you can actually buy each one before you decide. Not veterinary advice.
Scored out of 100 across 6 weighted pillars
dogfoodreviews.com.au
Not veterinary advice. Strong vs Good overall. Prices are illustrative and manually entered for v1, always confirm live pricing with the retailer.
The method
The same 100 points, applied to both
Scratch and Black Hawk were run through one model, with no category allowance for either. These are the six pillars it weighs, and what each brand scored on them.
25pts
Price & Value
Price per kg, cost per day, subscription discount, sale frequency and value vs similar formulas.
Scratch 72Black Hawk 74
25pts
Ingredient Quality
Named meat first, protein source quality, wholefoods, fillers, artificial colours/flavours, grain quality.
Scratch 84Black Hawk 76
20pts
Nutrition & Suitability
Complete & balanced claim, life-stage suitability, protein/fat levels, sensitive-stomach and vet use cases.
Scratch 85Black Hawk 76
15pts
Transparency
Clear ingredient list, country of manufacture, ownership, feeding-guide clarity, recall visibility.
Scratch 95Black Hawk 74
10pts
Availability & Convenience
Stock availability, delivery options, repeat delivery and retailer availability.
Scratch 62Black Hawk 83
5pts
Customer Sentiment
Review sentiment, repeat complaints and product consistency feedback.
Scratch 90Black Hawk 76
Six pillars, 100 points, published in full. The same model scores every brand in our index, and the sub-scores above are the ones these two were given.
Frequently asked questions
7 questions
On our value score, Black Hawk edges ahead (74 vs 72). Value is about cost per day, not sticker price: compare the per-kg figures above and the cheapest retailer for each before deciding.
Scratch scores higher on ingredient quality (84 vs 76) in our index. We look at named-meat-first, protein source quality, wholefoods and fillers.
Scratch scores higher on transparency. Transparency covers ingredient clarity, country of manufacture, ownership and feeding-guide detail.
Scratch works out at about $3.19 to $4.39 a day across the 4 recipes we price. Black Hawk works out at about $2.10 to $2.50 a day across the 2 recipes we price. Both are editorial estimates for a ~15kg adult dog, built from the recipes we price and each brand's published feeding guide. Formats feed very differently, so compare cost per day rather than price per kg, and confirm live pricing before you buy.
Scratch sells direct rather than through the retail chains we price-check, so there is no retailer row for it. Black Hawk is stocked at Pet Circle, Petbarn, Petstock, Budget Pet Products, PETO, Habitat, Coles, Woolworths and IGA in our index. The same product can differ by ten dollars or more between retailers, so compare price per kg at checkout rather than the shelf price.
Online-only retailers like Pet Circle and Budget Pet Products are usually the price-to-beat on everyday pricing, while Petbarn is a strong all-rounder with the widest range, stores nationwide and competitive member and Repeat Delivery pricing. Whichever you choose, compare price per kg before buying.
No. Dog Food Reviews is an independent value and comparison resource, not veterinary advice. Prices are illustrative and manually entered for v1, always confirm the live price and speak to your vet before changing your dog's diet.
Still deciding
Other brands worth comparing
Brands our reviews of Scratch and Black Hawk point to, scored on the same 100 points.
Lyka
Super-premium · Strong
Lyka is a genuinely premium, transparent fresh-food subscription that does the homework for you: vet-formulated, human-grade, portioned to your dog and complete and balanced across all six recipes. The main trade-offs are cost and the subscription-only, freezer-space model rather than anything to do with the food itself. Best for owners who want a research-backed fresh diet and are happy to pay for it; cleaner-label value is available elsewhere if budget is the priority. Not veterinary advice.
- Value
- 66/100
- Ingredients
- 90/100
Best forOwners wanting a vet-formulated fresh diet without DIY guesswork
Petzyo
Premium · Strong
Petzyo is a genuinely transparent, Australian-made brand that pairs single-protein kibble with raw BARF in one flexible subscription, making it a strong everyday option for owners who value local sourcing and clean labels. It sits at the premium end on price and is mostly sold direct or through Petstock rather than the big pet retailers, so cleaner value can be found elsewhere if budget and in-store availability are the priority.
- Value
- 70/100
- Ingredients
- 85/100
Best forOwners who want Australian-made food on a convenient repeat delivery
Frontier Pets
Super-premium · Strong
One of the best-sourced foods you can buy in Australia, and the welfare and transparency claims hold up to scrutiny. Just go in clear-eyed about cost: this is a premium you pay for ethics and convenience, not a value pick, so it suits owners who can afford to feed it properly rather than stretch it.
- Value
- 62/100
- Ingredients
- 95/100
Best forOwners who want raw nutrition without freezer hassle