Pet mince

jesse said :

shauno said :

jesse said :

I like what MsCheeky said. We feed our 2 yr old pup on Proplan mixed with a little cooked lean mince. I buy lean mince, cook it in water, fridge overnight to set (and then get rid of) the fat – amazed at the fat, even on lean mince – and freeze small containers. His breed has a tendency to be overweight, but he also gets fruit, veg, egg yolks and chicken necks as a treat. He’s not fat, has great teeth. A happy pup:-)

Give him bones to[/quo

You are right! Forgot to mention that he has a shank twice a month and he LOVES it. We have had 8 of this breed over the years and each has succumbed to mitral heart disease. Hence the avoidance of fat.

If you get Kangaroo mince its really lean as long as they dont add some fat to it. I dont like it much myself as i like a bit of fat in the meat for flavour.

CB43DW said :

As an aside, Andy’s is great for other meat as well and has a great selection of smoked meats that he smokes on site.

Couldn’t go past this comment, most smokers use tobacco or other herbal materials! Will have to visit him, to check out the produce, it can be a challenge to get good smoked meat products.
Seriously, I’ve read all this advice here and found it very useful. We started feeding some of that packaged mince from the supermarket, the nice red stuff, they must put colouring in it because our dogs started passing red loose motions so we cut that out quick smart.

shauno said :

jesse said :

I like what MsCheeky said. We feed our 2 yr old pup on Proplan mixed with a little cooked lean mince. I buy lean mince, cook it in water, fridge overnight to set (and then get rid of) the fat – amazed at the fat, even on lean mince – and freeze small containers. His breed has a tendency to be overweight, but he also gets fruit, veg, egg yolks and chicken necks as a treat. He’s not fat, has great teeth. A happy pup:-)

Give him bones to[/quo

You are right! Forgot to mention that he has a shank twice a month and he LOVES it. We have had 8 of this breed over the years and each has succumbed to mitral heart disease. Hence the avoidance of fat.

jesse said :

I like what MsCheeky said. We feed our 2 yr old pup on Proplan mixed with a little cooked lean mince. I buy lean mince, cook it in water, fridge overnight to set (and then get rid of) the fat – amazed at the fat, even on lean mince – and freeze small containers. His breed has a tendency to be overweight, but he also gets fruit, veg, egg yolks and chicken necks as a treat. He’s not fat, has great teeth. A happy pup:-)

Give him bones to

I like what MsCheeky said. We feed our 2 yr old pup on Proplan mixed with a little cooked lean mince. I buy lean mince, cook it in water, fridge overnight to set (and then get rid of) the fat – amazed at the fat, even on lean mince – and freeze small containers. His breed has a tendency to be overweight, but he also gets fruit, veg, egg yolks and chicken necks as a treat. He’s not fat, has great teeth. A happy pup:-)

and yes, ms cheeky, my girl gets mainly dried food, high in protein, etc… with the raw meat an extra source of minerals (hearts are excellent!) and teeth health (wings). she also gets a marrow bone to gnaw on every so often, and a whole egg she enjoys cracking, or a can of sardines with brekky two or three times a week… chivalry is not dead; it just got gender non-specific

I use dog biscuits because they really are formulated to have all the various substances dogs need… currently using the stuff with that Bondi Vet chappie on it, but might try Supercoat after what MsCheeky had to say. I also make up wet stuff from chicken legs… simmer them with the ends snipped off. I get the juice to freeze as stock, dog gets the meat and the bone ends, compost gets the bones. I simmer the meat/bone ends with lentils, zucchini, celery, carrot, spuds, beans, peas, and at the end mix in some cooked rice and bacon skin (from smoking my own bacon) and freeze it in baggies, and mix in a few spoonfuls into the dog biscuits.

The resulting stock is brilliant, it turns to jelly in the fridge. Dog loves the food and especially the bone-ends. And the dog biscuits ensure he’s getting all the correct things. Absence of horrible dog farts is good too.

I can vouch for Kangaroo meat I had a Rhodesian Ridgeback and it was fed on roo meat for the first 12 months and it was a great dog really large and healthy and massive stamina.

What MsCheeky said.
We feed our two 18 month olds on supercoat (as recommended by our vet) with some leftover dinner scraps (rice/veges/potato) or raw egg mixed in occasionally and they are in better than excellent condition.
A chicken wing or neck a few times a week as a treat in the morning and you can’t go wrong IMO.

MsCheeky said :

I’m going to disagree with some of the posters, particularly those who say that pet food is rubbish. There’s pet food and there’s pet food. A wise old vet told me that tinned pet food is an expensive way to buy water, and it is indeed bulked up and rubbish. It’s made to appeal to the human eye, that is, to make it look like the dog is getting a decent sized meal. In fact, most of it comes out the other end looking pretty much how it went in. And anyone who’s fed their dog on tinned food knows the resulting fart cloud.

But the high end dried food tend to be quality products. The wise old vet, and a wise old dog breeder, both had the view that you look at the contents, and where protein (as opposed to cereal) is the first on the list, you’re headed in the right direction. The wise old dog breeder put me on to Supercoat, which he said was as good as the madly expensive ones, but sold in supermarkets.

I appreciate people who wish to make their own dog food, but I think it would be pretty difficult to get a properly balanced diet. I agree with an earlier poster that meat is definitely not sufficient on its own. A dog in the wild eats a wide variety of plant food in between eating meat.

All of that said, my bluey survived just short of 16 years on mostly dried food (Supercoat), usually but not always mixed with wet stuff, such as a bit of water sloshed around a frypan where meat had been cooked, some table scraps, raw chicken, beef bones, some vegetables, a variety of fruit – particularly after a run, when she was happy to eat apple, watermelon, orange, mango, banana, fallen plums – and she was cow-like in her constant grazing on grass. And yes, she also got the odd treat, a sliver of chocolate, a bit of a biscuit etc – who can resist their face ALL the time. She was never overweight and active until the very end.

Oh I agree on not just feeding meat. Which is why I do use a ready-made supplement to add to my dog’s meat. Has all the vitamins and minerals and stuff in it.

And I do still feed dry food on the side too. They try to avoid it because they know dinner is going to be way yummier though. But it’s there if they’re really hungry.

Thanks for the heads-up on Supercoat.

An ex feeds her cats and dog on kangaroo meat from the stock foods place in Phillip. If I had the energy, I’d look it up but stock food or pet food and something Close in Phillip will get you there. I realise this is not North but it’s good stuff, reasonably priced and one of the cats tries to rip the sliding door apart every morning in the anticipation……. ok, maybe that last bit is not so much of a selling point!

I’m going to disagree with some of the posters, particularly those who say that pet food is rubbish. There’s pet food and there’s pet food. A wise old vet told me that tinned pet food is an expensive way to buy water, and it is indeed bulked up and rubbish. It’s made to appeal to the human eye, that is, to make it look like the dog is getting a decent sized meal. In fact, most of it comes out the other end looking pretty much how it went in. And anyone who’s fed their dog on tinned food knows the resulting fart cloud.

But the high end dried food tend to be quality products. The wise old vet, and a wise old dog breeder, both had the view that you look at the contents, and where protein (as opposed to cereal) is the first on the list, you’re headed in the right direction. The wise old dog breeder put me on to Supercoat, which he said was as good as the madly expensive ones, but sold in supermarkets.

I appreciate people who wish to make their own dog food, but I think it would be pretty difficult to get a properly balanced diet. I agree with an earlier poster that meat is definitely not sufficient on its own. A dog in the wild eats a wide variety of plant food in between eating meat.

All of that said, my bluey survived just short of 16 years on mostly dried food (Supercoat), usually but not always mixed with wet stuff, such as a bit of water sloshed around a frypan where meat had been cooked, some table scraps, raw chicken, beef bones, some vegetables, a variety of fruit – particularly after a run, when she was happy to eat apple, watermelon, orange, mango, banana, fallen plums – and she was cow-like in her constant grazing on grass. And yes, she also got the odd treat, a sliver of chocolate, a bit of a biscuit etc – who can resist their face ALL the time. She was never overweight and active until the very end.

TP 3000 said :

I just buy regular mince from the Meatway’s Butcher (Kambah) for our dog. I just cook it up with a cup or two of peas & an egg every week. It keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days without going off. However the mince from Woolworths is rubbish & when my butcher closed for a month earlier in the year, this was the only month my dog became ill each night.

The advantages with using normal mince is that you can cook up some spaghetti bolognase & my dog thinks I’m cooking his dinner. Of course he gets me back by being a cheeky old bugger.

But I do have to ask young Watson, is there any spefic reason behind the pet mince for your dog & cats? I feed my dog mince as he is around 13-14 years old & his digestive system can’t handle anything else.

Because commercial pet food is basically junk food for dog. Has lots of “fillers” with little or no nutritional value. Even the most expensive brands – passionately plugged by vets – are really just very well marketed rubbish.

Human grade mince would be too lean for a young dog like mine. They need fat, bones and some organs too. Hence my search for pet mince. And because it is basically a waste product, it can be as cheap as your average tin food, but much healthier so a good way to try and avoid vet bills down the track.

I must say, my old dog loved Chum and ignorance was bliss. But in the meantime I’ve come to enjoy feeding my new dog “real food” instead of overprocessed slop.

I just buy regular mince from the Meatway’s Butcher (Kambah) for our dog. I just cook it up with a cup or two of peas & an egg every week. It keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days without going off. However the mince from Woolworths is rubbish & when my butcher closed for a month earlier in the year, this was the only month my dog became ill each night.

The advantages with using normal mince is that you can cook up some spaghetti bolognase & my dog thinks I’m cooking his dinner. Of course he gets me back by being a cheeky old bugger.

But I do have to ask young Watson, is there any spefic reason behind the pet mince for your dog & cats? I feed my dog mince as he is around 13-14 years old & his digestive system can’t handle anything else.

Diggety said :

Feed it cat.

Do I feed the cats dog, then?

Feed it cat.

Costco sell these packs of chicken drumsticks or chicken wings for $3kg. If you do go with getting fresh meat, make sure to give them some organs every now and then for minerals.

Madam Cholet said :

Not being presumptuous, but if you are feeding your dogs fresh meat, make sure that they are also getting veggies and/or dried food – meat is not enough on it’s own and can result in deficiencies. Avoid table scraps as well as these can also cause nutritional and weight problems.

I add Phuds supplement to my dog’s dinner. There’s also Vet’s All Natural. Contains all the minerals, vitamins and what not that they need.

poetix said :

Holden Caulfield said :

astrojax said :

i feed my girl either hearts from iga ainslie or turkey wings (or chicken wings, until woolies deli stopped stocking them – que?? get them sometimes from markets/civic chicken shop) much cheaper, good for her teeth and she loves them! [and sometimes, sardines] all with our leftovers, of course (sans onion)

And who said chivalry was dead.

It sounds offal.

Try the veal.

Not being presumptuous, but if you are feeding your dogs fresh meat, make sure that they are also getting veggies and/or dried food – meat is not enough on it’s own and can result in deficiencies. Avoid table scraps as well as these can also cause nutritional and weight problems.

The butcher at Griffith does a frozen off-cuts kind of thing. We fed it to our dog for a bit, until he got older and needing other things in his diet. He’s now on the Hills diet, which suits him very well. He also has “fish in his dish” when we have fresh fish once a week.

God, he lives a charmed life!

I’m with Watson on this. Too many nasties in pet mince. I pick up “beef trim” from my butcher for about $4 a kilo. It’s the off-cuts they use for making their sausages, or so they say. It isn’t minced up, so it lasts a lot longer in the fridge and the cats actually get something to chew on. I chuck in a few raw chicken wings or necks every few days for their teeth. It isn’t as cheap as commercial pet mince but at about 50 cents for a 100g serve of fresh meat, it’s pretty good value.

Holden Caulfield said :

astrojax said :

i feed my girl either hearts from iga ainslie or turkey wings (or chicken wings, until woolies deli stopped stocking them – que?? get them sometimes from markets/civic chicken shop) much cheaper, good for her teeth and she loves them! [and sometimes, sardines] all with our leftovers, of course (sans onion)

And who said chivalry was dead.

It sounds offal.

astrojax said :

i feed my girl either hearts from iga ainslie or turkey wings (or chicken wings, until woolies deli stopped stocking them – que?? get them sometimes from markets/civic chicken shop) much cheaper, good for her teeth and she loves them! [and sometimes, sardines] all with our leftovers, of course (sans onion)

And who said chivalry was dead.

astrojax said :

i feed my girl either hearts from iga ainslie or turkey wings (or chicken wings, until woolies deli stopped stocking them – que?? get them sometimes from markets/civic chicken shop) much cheaper, good for her teeth and she loves them! [and sometimes, sardines] all with our leftovers, of course (sans onion)

Chicken necks are great too. I do feed a couple of those each day. Our last foster cat used to love them too. Used to steal them from under the dog’s nose if she got a chance.

Some offal is good for pets, so is some fat and bone. But I tried to add kidney once and – apart from the smell making me feel sick – they would not touch it and I had to throw out a whole batch of frozen meat.

Aeek said :

going OT but I love seeing dogs and cats living together. The cat provides endless stimulation for the dog, a larger dog can provide a safe zone for the cat, and they don’t compete the way two of a kind do.
Plus a dog that has been socialised by a cat is likely to be way safer with children.

The dog is ours, but the cats we just foster for the moment. Foster cats are beyond awesome though. Most of them were exposed to a multi-pet household at a very early age (some are bottle-fed from birth) and they are completely bomb proof.

If anyone wants a kitten, let me know! We have two 12 week old fosters and they are both lovely.

And added Spence to my list of places to check out. Glad I posted the Q here!

carnardly said :

What is in pet mince? Mooshed up dogs and cats?

lol

I always thought that it was funny that the Exotic meats shop was right near the pet shop at Belco markets.

going OT but I love seeing dogs and cats living together. The cat provides endless stimulation for the dog, a larger dog can provide a safe zone for the cat, and they don’t compete the way two of a kind do.
Plus a dog that has been socialised by a cat is likely to be way safer with children.

i feed my girl either hearts from iga ainslie or turkey wings (or chicken wings, until woolies deli stopped stocking them – que?? get them sometimes from markets/civic chicken shop) much cheaper, good for her teeth and she loves them! [and sometimes, sardines] all with our leftovers, of course (sans onion)

I’m tired. I read ‘pet mice’ and was enjoying the OP until I read the first few replies.

Now it’s quite dull (but informative)

As an aside, Andy’s is great for other meat as well and has a great selection of smoked meats that he smokes on site.

We used to live in Spence in 2006 and that’s how I found him, We’ve moved but I still drive across town past countless number of butchers to buy his produce.

(And no, I’m not an employee or relative of his, just a very happy customer.)

Andy’s in Spence.

Unlike other butcher Andy (the tall skinny bald guy) doesn’t put offal in his mince and therefore it doesn’t smell rank after a few days. I’ve had the mince for over a week in my fridge and it doesn’t smell.

Some great tips there, thanks!

I was actually on your website today, Jordo. I might put in an order this week.

And will check the Lyneham butcher for some red meat mince too.

And I’ll keep the Phillip place in mind for if I need it.

We’ve fed the dogs kangaroo mince from Powell’s Stock and Feed in Phillip for years and years. It’s not northside, obviously, but it’s not too far out.

Watson said :

So I was hoping to find a friendly butcher who could tell me exactly what goes in their pet mince. He would gain a loyal long-term customer!

Try the Lyneham butcher or even the one just outside Supa Barn in the city. They’ve been good for us in the past at handling slightly left of centre requests.

Check out our pet mince here http://www.jordoschopshop.com/chicken-pet-mince-bags-1.html it’s ground chicken wings/necks/carcases and nothing else. If you get 2 or more bags it’s less than $2kg. We also deliver our meat and pet foods free right across Canberra and Quangers.

Holden Caulfield said :

We’ve just started feeding our cat the VIP Petfoods mince. He thinks it’s tops!

We got it from IGA O’Connor from memory.

The reason why I don’t want to feed supermarket pet mince is that it apparently has extremely high levels of bad preservatives (E223 mainly, I think) in them. Including VIP and Paws (same company). But if you want to buy cheaper brand name pet mince, Aldi sells 2 kilo bags for $7. It is my pets’ favourite, but again – no idea what goes in it.

So I was hoping to find a friendly butcher who could tell me exactly what goes in their pet mince. He would gain a loyal long-term customer!

I am not a fan of Petbarn (the service in Belco is so slow that I usually end up walking out without buying anything!) but I just remembered that I did buy some frozen pet mince at the independent pet store in Belco.

What is in pet mince? Mooshed up dogs and cats? lol

have you tried Pet Barn by any chance? they sell nice mince though i have only gotten it once as a treat for my puppy.

they in belco and majura park

We’ve just started feeding our cat the VIP Petfoods mince. He thinks it’s tops!

We got it from IGA O’Connor from memory.