Scratch

No other product in our index names its lead ingredient with a percentage attached. Scratch publishes the number beside the name, and its four indexed kibbles show it: Turkey Meal at 27%, Lamb Meal at 24.1%, Mackerel Meal at 22.9% and Kangaroo at 21%. That habit is why its transparency pillar reads 95 out of 100, level with Frontier Pets at the top of our index and ahead of Lyka's 91.

Ownership is just as plain. Scratch is independently owned by Australian co-founders Mike Halligan and Doug Spiegelhauer, with a head office in Collingwood, Victoria, kibble made in New South Wales and raw made in Australia. No multinational parent, no supermarket relationship, which puts it at the far end of our transparency column from Black & Gold at 40. Overall it lands at 86 out of 100, one point behind Lyka.

All four Scratch recipes we price are 8kg bags, and all four sit above the $9.95 per kilo median across every product in our index. Turkey and Beef is the entry point at $84.95, or $10.62 per kilo and about $3.19 a day for a roughly 15kg adult dog. Sensitive Kangaroo tops the range at $116.95, $14.62 per kilo and $4.39 a day, the dearest kibble bag we hold for Scratch. Figures are editorial estimates in AUD.

That gap explains a value score of 72 out of 100 sitting under an ingredient score of 84 and transparency of 95. The panel reads well, the receipt reads dear. On the same estimates, Petzyo's Chicken and Turkey kibble runs $7.74 per kilo and about $2.32 a day, so the cheapest Scratch bag costs roughly 87 cents more per day to feed.

The best fit is a household wanting one bag to cover everything. Grain-Free Turkey and Beef rates 87 out of 100, the highest of the four, runs 29% protein and 16% fat, and is formulated for all life stages including large-breed puppies. At $3.19 a day it is also the cheapest way into the range, which makes it the starting recipe for mixed-age or multi-dog homes rather than the specialist options.

Sensitivity feeders are the other clear fit. Sensitive Kangaroo is the only recipe carrying added glucosamine, chondroitin and hydrolysed collagen, and Mackerel and Salmon uses fish as the sole animal protein, with Mackerel Meal disclosed at 22.9% and crude protein at 30%, the highest in the range. If you would rather avoid legumes, Pasture-Raised Lamb with Ancient Grains uses oats and brown rice instead, though at 23% protein it is the lowest-protein recipe in the range and is not suited to large-breed puppies. Not veterinary advice.

Skip Scratch if you shop in store. No retailer in our stockist index lists it, which is most of why availability reads 62 out of 100, and there is no wet line to fill the gaps. Skip it too if cost per day is your deciding number: the range floor is $3.19 and the ceiling $4.39, and a value score of 72 is comfortably beaten by kibble you can buy off a shelf.