Roxy_and_Missys_Mum Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 I fill my girls bowls with half raw beef mince/half Nutrience dry food each night. Sometimes I mix rice and carrots in with it for something different. I get raw premium beef mince for $3.75 a kilo from a great pet food supply store My vet told me: 1. Nutrience isn't a true "super premium" brand and that Science Diet and Advance are better choices 2. I should cook their mince instead of giving it raw because raw meat can have bacteria 3. I should buy proper "human grade" beef mince instead of what I'm buying from pet food shop True or false everyone? I don't mind changing to advance but I don't think I can afford human grade beef mince. Just out of curiosity, what's Advance wet food and dry food like and would it be a good option giving them half advance wet food and half advance dry food instead of what I'm currently giving them? I've been confused about what to feed before and this has just made me more confused Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witheverythingiam Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 My vet told me:1. Nutrience isn't a true "super premium" brand and that Science Diet and Advance are better choices 2. I should cook their mince instead of giving it raw because raw meat can have bacteria 3. I should buy proper "human grade" beef mince instead of what I'm buying from pet food shop 1 - He doesn't sell Nutrience, and is trying to get you to buy what he sells 2 - Do wild dogs/dingos/wolves eat cooked meat? No? Do they die? No? I've never met any dogs who've not been able to break down bacteria from the hydrochloric acid in their stomachs 3 - You know what's in human grade mince, but in the wild animals will eat stomach contents before the muscle meats which go into human grade meat. -WithEverythingIAm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxy_and_Missys_Mum Posted November 5, 2007 Author Share Posted November 5, 2007 1 - He doesn't sell Nutrience, and is trying to get you to buy what he sells 2 - Do wild dogs/dingos/wolves eat cooked meat? No? Do they die? No? I've never met any dogs who've not been able to break down bacteria from the hydrochloric acid in their stomachs 3 - You know what's in human grade mince, but in the wild animals will eat stomach contents before the muscle meats which go into human grade meat. -WithEverythingIAm Yeah they sell Science Diet but they don't sell Advance (which they also recommended) So raw meat is just fine then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 I agree for th emost part with 'witheverythingIAm's' response but no.3. I will not feed pet mince and will only buy human grade mince as it does not have the same amount of preservatives and crap in it as the pet mince does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MolassesLass Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 (edited) 1 - He doesn't sell Nutrience, and is trying to get you to buy what he sells Agree. I feed Nutrience in addition to the BARF diet I feed and have inspected the ingredients list and found it to be a very good dry food. 2 - Do wild dogs/dingos/wolves eat cooked meat? No? Do they die? No? I've never met any dogs who've not been able to break down bacteria from the hydrochloric acid in their stomachs As long as you handle the meat following proper food handling methods (as you would for yourself) then there's no issue. I would never feed cooked meat as the main staple of a dogs diet. 3 - You know what's in human grade mince, but in the wild animals will eat stomach contents before the muscle meats which go into human grade meat. Pet or human grade is not really an issue to me. If the pet grade comes with ground up bone then I'd go for that, otherwise get the human grade if you can afford it and supplement edible bones for the correct calcium/phosphorus ratio. Edited November 5, 2007 by molasseslass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 I don't like pet grade mince. It's just way too fatty to my mind. Of course, I'm the bunny who spends $3.99 per 500 grams on turkey mince for my boy ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witheverythingiam Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 I agree for th emost part with 'witheverythingIAm's' response but no.3. I will not feed pet mince and will only buy human grade mince as it does not have the same amount of preservatives and crap in it as the pet mince does. See when I think of "pet mince" I think of going to a dog food supplier, and buying a 25kg frozen block of beef mince, which contains no preservatives. But you're right Puggles - if the pet mince contains preservatives to keep it fresh, and not going green, then in that instance, if I wouldn't eat it, it's not good enough for my dogs either? -WithEverythingIAm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanglen Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 I agree with the vet! It's been a long time since our dogs were "wild" and certainly nutrience is not a premium food. As for the raw food and dogs not digesting bacteria, there are heaps of dogs hospitalised for gastro from the bugs in raw meet, look up HAeemorrhagic gastroenteritis and the number one cause! I will feed both raw and cooked but essentially only feed it very fresh raw and that should be ok. As for human vs pet mince, prefer human but pet is ok if your pet is otherwise healthy and can digest it normally. As for the advance can and dry option, probably much healthier for your pet! I would say beware of people over the internet and strong views on food. Speak with your vet or their vet nurse team and come up with an option designed for your family and companions, some people have ended up really cynical about vets on here and they are letting that blind them of good advice. Good luck with your decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldielover Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 Nutrience Holistic is an excellent food. Nutrience original formulas are pretty decent too, and i would imagine quite comparable to Advance. I would not say that Advance is a super premium food either. The Advance formula's i have used and looked at all contain by-products??? As for (non-prescription) Science diet, you only need to look at the ingredient list for yourself and compare it with Nutrience. I do only feed human grade mince, but then i have a local butcher where i can get it for $3.50 a kilo so it's very cost-effective for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlemum Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 Are your girl's thriving on what you feed them? If so, that's a pretty good indication that you are doing the right thing - maybe some raw chicken wings occasionally for their teeth but otherwise it seems like a pretty good diet. I would be interested to know how your vet thinks wild dogs cook their meat - pretty hard to light a fire without opposable thumbs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 Food subjects often cause controversy but the others aren't wrong in pointing out that some vets push certain foods because they sell it. It's trial and error with a lot of foods and each owner has to decide what works best for their dog. If a dog is doing well on a certain food, whether premium or not, there's no reason to change. Some dogs do very well on Supercoat and Pedigree. If that's the case, they don't need to be changed to a premium brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MolassesLass Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 (edited) I would say beware of people over the internet and strong views on food. Speak with your vet or their vet nurse team and come up with an option designed for your family and companions, some people have ended up really cynical about vets on here and they are letting that blind them of good advice. Good luck with your decision. And this advice goes just as well for yourself doesn't it alanglen (who is a vet). I don't care if people do their own research and buy another brand of food to that I feed (I'm neither a vet, pet supplies store owner or food company rep - just a breeder owner who's done their own research). I will give my opinion on foods based on that research when it's asked for. And my research showed that Nutrience, Eagle Pack and Nutro were the top brands by ingredients when I checked but I believe Nutro has changed hands since so needs re-evaluation. Royal Canin would be in the next bracket and Purina ProPlan is a good middle range (price) option. Hills and Advance are WAY down the list. Edited November 5, 2007 by molasseslass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxy_and_Missys_Mum Posted November 5, 2007 Author Share Posted November 5, 2007 The vet commented that Missy was a perfect weight and looked very healthy. So I'd say they are thriving on what they're being given now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldielover Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 There are some people on here that will only shout the praises of certain brands which really riles me. It is all about what your dog does best on. Some prefer Eagle pack, some prefer Nutro, some RC, etc. etc. When a vet asks you what food you're feeding and hasn't heard of it, you can guarantee that they know very little about canine nutrition. It's not like there are thousands of brands out there. I would think it would be part of their job to be up to date with different brands and different methods of feeding, not just several brands - and why always the same 2 or 3?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxy_and_Missys_Mum Posted November 5, 2007 Author Share Posted November 5, 2007 As for the meat handling, I buy 1 or 2 kilos of fresh premium beef mince from the pet store. I break it up into meal sized portions and put them in freezer bags and freeze them. I get one out each morning and put it in the fridge to thaw for their meal that night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldielover Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 [And my research showed that Nutrience, Eagle Pack and Nutro were the top brands by ingredients when I checked but I believe Nutro has changed hands since so needs re-evaluation. Royal Canin would be in the next bracket and Purina ProPlan is a good middle range (price) option. Hills and Advance are WAY down the list. Spot on molasseslass. I've done a fair amount of research myself and have come to the same conclusion: Nutrience (holistic), Nutro, EP, Ziwipeak and Dick Van Pattens Natural Balance came out the best for me as well. In saying that, sometimes my budget dictates what i buy for my girls and over the years i have used some Advance varieties, Proplan, even Optimum on the odd occasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxy_and_Missys_Mum Posted November 5, 2007 Author Share Posted November 5, 2007 Spot on molasseslass. I've done a fair amount of research myself and have come to the same conclusion: Nutrience (holistic), Nutro, EP, Ziwipeak and Dick Van Pattens Natural Balance came out the best for me as well.In saying that, sometimes my budget dictates what i buy for my girls and over the years i have used some Advance varieties, Proplan, even Optimum on the odd occasion. How does Nutrience Supreme compare to Nutrience Holistic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MolassesLass Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 IMO Supreme is fine unless you have a dog with allergies or a sensitive stomach but Holistic only costs a little more so... As already said, the best indicator of how a food works for your dog IS your dog. So you can always try the Holistic for a month and see if there's an improvement (take down notes, take photos if you're not sure you'll just notice), if not go back to the Supreme. Sounds like you're doing all the right things with the mince as well, just make sure you're giving edible bones as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rain Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 Hills and Advance are WAY down the list. Very true!! All you have to do is research and look at the ingredients list and of course what your dog is happy with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxy_and_Missys_Mum Posted November 5, 2007 Author Share Posted November 5, 2007 (edited) Thanks for everyone's advice. It's been great. I will be asking my pet food supply store if there's any preservatives in their mince. Also, I was just trying to think if there's been any improvements since having them on Nutrience and Mince (they used to get a supermarket brand) and one major difference is Roxy's eyes. Her eyes used to constantly be watery. I'd wipe them and 5 minutes later they'd be watery again. Part of it is because she's a small breed but her eyes have improved quite a lot since changing her diet. Their breath has improved too!! Edited November 5, 2007 by Roxy_and_Missys_Mum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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