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TIP STORE: Pets: Dogs

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​From Bean Bag to Comfy Dog Bed

Our kids have grown up and didn’t want their bean bags anymore. We have a red cattle dog who is pretty hard on her dog beds. So after wondering what we’d do with the beanbag we decided to put it out for our dog and she loves it; it’s also nice for her to snuggle up in during winter. A no brainer really. No need to buy any more dog beds. 
Contributed by Toni Thoroughgood 
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​Cheap, Good Quality Pet Food

If you are in the Ballarat area I really recommend visiting Whitey's Pet Food in Sebastopol for your pet mince and dry food etc. The mince is great, not fatty at all which I find my animals like better than the 'pet mince' from some other butchers who charge $2.99kg! This week I purchased: 4kg chicken mince @ $0.80 a kilo = $3.20 4kg beef mince @ $2.85 a kilo = $11.40 Then using recipes from the tip store (the one with rice, beans and mixed veg and another with Weetbix and sardines) I have made enough food for my 4 cats and 1 dog for the month for under $20!!! Previously to feed just the cats for a month was over $30.... WINNING!!! Check them out online www.petfoodballarat.com
Contributed by Rebecca Jane, 28th February 2014

​ Website: www.petfoodballarat.com
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​Healthy Cheap Eats for Dogs

Approximate $ Savings: $10-15 pw

​ If like me, you make your own vegetable juice the pulp can be used instead of composted. Pet Chicken Mince (skin and all) from your local pet shop, approximately $6 per kilo, mixed in equal parts with vegetable pulp makes a healthy meal for your dog (veg pulp must not include onions or chilli though). Combine thoroughly, shape into "meat patties" appropriately sized for your dog, place on trays lined with baking paper and place in the freezer until frozen. When frozen place in airtight container. One per day thawed will keep your dog healthy and happy. No more heavy canned food to carry in after shopping!
Contributed by Marg Smiht, 11th February 2012
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​Pet Food on a Budget

Approximate $ Savings: $12+ per week

Having two Staffies, my pet food bill can get quite high. I was buying pet mince from Woolworths for $15 for three kilos. Then I found that chicken shops like Lenard's are selling minced chicken frames for $1.50 per kilo or five kilos for $6! The dogs love it and so does my wallet. Also, I buy all my dry dog food from our local produce store. They only buy the forty kilo bags and repackage it themselves into smaller bags, passing on the bulk buy savings on to me!
Contributed by Cassie Skreblin, 5th August 2010

​Store: Capalaba Produce, 3211 Old Cleveland Road, Capalaba
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​Gourmet Casserole Dogs Just Love

Approximate $ Savings: up to $52 per week on similar food

After watching a documentary about pet food which showed how little nutritional value there is in most options available in the supermarket, I started making my dog Max (a very active Kelpie German Shepherd) his own gourmet food. I buy 2 kilos of pet mince from my local chicken shop, then cut up 2-3 tough stalks of celery I'd usually throw away, and the tops of the bunch including the leaves. I add a large chopped carrot, a couple of cloves of garlic, then add about half a cup of barley, red lentils, brown lentils, brown rice, oats and split green peas. I cover it all with water, and put it on a low temperature to simmer, stirring occasionally to break all the meat up. When it's cooked, I weigh it into Ziploc bags - 600g for each evening meal. This makes at least 7 days worth of dinners. My cat is now eating the same food and loves it! I also add a fish oil capsule to Max's food to keep his coat glossy. Compared to what I once spent at the supermarket, each day of food for both my animals works out at about $0.35. I recently priced a similar "gourmet" food in my local Coles which was $3.95 for 300g on sale. By this reckoning, I'm saving at least $52 a week on my dog's food alone. Both my animals have never looked healthier, and it's really no trouble to make. You could use any veggies you like, except onion, which can be very dangerous for dogs.
​Contributed by Emma, Richmond, 6th June 2009
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​Pet Food Outlet Offers Great Savings

I have started shopping at a pet food factory outlet. VIP have opened outlets for their dog and cat food in Queensland and WA. 3kg pet roll retails for around $6-8, outlet price is $4.99. 25kg bags of dry dog food $25, 10kg bag of cat food $17 or 1kg bags for $2. Treat biscuits $1.99/kg. They also sell boxes of dog rolls for $17 either 12 or 15kg. Fresh & Frozen cat and dog food, the small 100g tins are only 50 cents (retail around $1.50 each) great for a small dog or fussy cat, downside is they have no labels. A huge saving. This has cut my fortnightly pet food bill by more than half with 3 dogs. Shop is open Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm and Saturdays 8am - 12pm. They also offer a membership for 12 months for $25 giving an extra 10% off your shopping bill.
​Contributed by Christine, Ormeau, 10th January 2010
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​Make at Home Doggy Treats

Approximate $ Savings: $4 week

I have a little Maltese who loves dog biscuits and has two every day. When the supermarket price increased again I decided to leave the box on the shelf and make my own. I found a recipe on the net and adjusted it a bit; now I use 1 cup SR flour, 2 cups plain flour, 1 tbsp bran, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 egg, 1/2 cup each grated carrot and cheese, 1 tbsp parmesan, 1/4 - 1/2 cup stock (not the salted stuff in a packet) or water, plus 1/2 cup Something Nice. For this last bit I use bacon rind, chopped chicken skin or chicken scraps, bits of fat and meat from the lamb chops, whatever I've saved from cooking for the family. All this is mixed together and rolled out, then cut out with a biscuit cutter. Make the dough fairly stiff and the biscuits should be under 1cm thick before cooking. Bake at 180 for 20 mins or so, then turn them over and crisp the bottoms for 10 minutes. They need to be kept in the fridge. Each batch costs perhaps $1.00 as I use home brand products mostly, and a box of Lucky Dog is well over $5. I know what's in these biscuits and Miss Susan loves them. It's also a good activity to do with the children. They smell wonderful and if your child wants to have a nibble it's safe, and probably very tasty.
​Contributed by Georgina, Keilor, 31st July 2009
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​Bulking Up Dog Food

Approximate $ Savings: $20 week

Having two dogs and two cats, food bills get a bit overwhelming. Without depriving my pets of healthy, good food, I always add some cooked rice to my pets food. It helps bulk up their dried and wet food and is healthy for them and economical. Cook a batch of rice in one go and put aside especially for the pets to mix in with their other food.
​Contributed by Anna, Erina, 27th March 2009
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​Nutrition Rich Dog Food on a Budget

Approximate $ Savings: $7 per wk

​ With dry dog food having approximately double the protein content to tinned, 25% compared to 12%,I make gravy using all saved veggie water and a $1 pack of gravy mix from ALDI to liven up their evening meal.
Contributed by Jan, Bendigo, 18th September 2008
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​Doggy Diet

Approximate $ Savings: min $5 per week

Our dogs are much loved members of our family and we like to give them a varied diet. As any dog owner knows, it can become quite costly to feed pets particularly if you want to give them more than plain label, dry (boring) food. I approached a local restaurant and they are now saving me their "scrap" food in a small bucket during dinner service. They're quite happy to put any uneaten, left over meat and vegies into a container in the kitchen for my dog. You need to be aware of the foods dogs mustn't eat (eg, onion, chocolate, too much fat etc.) but several times a week we are able to feed our dog porterhouse steak, vegetables, fish and all sorts. Any greens he can't/won't eat go into the compost to contribute to our soil quality (from which we then grow our own vegies!). Not only saves us money (min $5 per week, per dog depending on what brand you buy) but gives our dog a rather gourmet diet, for nothing!
​contributed by Kate, Creswick, 20th July 2008
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​Easy Budget Dog Food

Approximate $ Savings: $11 - $15 per week

​ With 2 large dogs to feed, thanks to my son moving back home, my shopping trolley each week had more food for animals than humans in it. I have now found a way to reduce the cost of feeding the dogs and they are getting something that is probably better for them than whatever is in the tins. I now use a 2kg bag of Coles Savings brand dog mince, 1kg Savings brand frozen mixed vegetables, 5oog savings dried pasta, 1kg Savings brand rice and a packet of generic Gravy mix. This amount is sufficient for a week. In a large stockpot I cook up half of the mince, veggies, pasta and rice with 3 dessertspoons of gravy mix, bring to the boil and simmer for 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour. Once cooled I place in containers ( bought cheap from Cheap As Chips ) approximately 700 - 750g of mixture. From this I can feed the dogs for 3 1/2 days! They love it, I usually cook it up the night before we need it and let it cool down over night. It might take a little more effort than opening a tin but it's worth it!! Contributed by Carol, Mt. Gambier, 1st January 2008
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​Inexpensive Dog Food

Approximate $ Savings: $20 per week

​ We have 2 large dogs and an Australian cattle dog and I have found a way of feeding them very economically. I buy the large bags of dog biscuits from Big W at $12.95 and they get 2 cups a day of that. On top I put the mixture I make up each week. I cook 1 1/2 cups each of rolled oats, rice, small pasta and dried soup mix, adding 4 heaped tablespoons each of brewers yeast and kelp and 2 tablespoons of garlic flakes bought from the stock feed supplier plus a good slurp of olive oil. When the mixture is almost cooked and is still fairly wet, I add a 1kilo bag of mixed chopped frozen vegetables (no onions) and cook for a few minutes. Let it cool. I buy 3-4Kgs of pet mince from the butcher at $1 per kilo. This is minced up chicken carcasses and other scraps so it contains plenty of calcium. I mix that through the cooked mixture and pack it into 1kilo plastic containers and store it in the freezer. One container is divided between the three dogs on top of the biscuits. This works out to about a $1 a day for all three plus the biscuits. Sometimes I throw on an egg. The dogs are all healthy and happy, with glossy coats and no fleas. They also get a bone a day from a bag of off-cuts that I buy for $3 (which I freeze so they don't get smelly) and this ensures their teeth are very clean. Contributed by Louise, Willaston, 22nd June 2007
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​Best Dog Food Advice

One of the best pieces of advice we received from our vet was to start feeding our puppy household scraps (as his main meal) from an early age so that we did not end up with the "gourmet diet" doggy. If you generally eat well but have fish n chips or pizza or Chinese sometimes then so can he! Saves heaps when you can throw on some leftover sandwiches, a bit of spag bol, an egg and stir in a splash of milk (microwave it a bit) etc. If you don't introduce this early in life you may end up with a very pricey pet food bill.(check with your vet but we started our pup very early just going gently on the spicy foods which he now loves! PS not too much carbohydrate or just like us they will get beefy. And he also put us onto cat food which is a cheap addition to leftovers and very good for dogs.(we use the no name brands) :-)
​Contributed by Noni, Central Coast, 3rd May 2007
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​Saving 50% on Dog Food

Approximate $ Savings: $15

​ I save up to 50% on the cost of feeding my dog by purchasing bulk packs of 12 x 400g tins from Big W for just $15/case. This saves me up to $15. I have found that Big W has a lot of other pet food at far cheaper prices than supermarkets. For example I can by 1 kg packs of Schmakos for only $10. Contributed by Roula, South Coogee, 20th March 2007
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​Homemade Dog Food with Chicken Mince

We have a large dog and dog food is very expensive so I make my own. Pet mince is available from any pet food outlet for around $1 - $1.20 per kg, I use chicken mince. Cook 1 kg chicken mince with 1 packet of home brand rice and a large packet of home brand vegies. I rotate the rice with Homebrand pasta each time, placing in old 2 litre ice cream containers and freezing. This will feed your large dog for a week or a small dog for a fortnight for around $3.
​Contributed by Terese, Murray Bridge, March 18th 2005
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​Dog Food

I was reading an old newsletter that must have slipped through without me noticing. This is in response to Samantha, Riverside way back in June 2005. It is false economizing to buy those particular brands of dog biscuits. Most brands available from the supermarket including Pal are cereal based and so are not giving your dogs the right amount of nutrients. Yes they are cheaper through the checkout, but you require more for your canine loved ones. I have researched this and have found the brand Supercoat (meat based) is much better for your dog. It is more expensive to buy initially but you need significantly less. I have two "over" active dogs and feeding them this brand has lowered the bill (albeit only slightly) in the end. And now they are healthier than ever (less vet trips) but I now know that they are getting enough nutrients. These biscuits (I only feed them up to two cups each per day) and the suggested meaty bone (try brisket, nothing left in the yard) every day has made a noticeable difference to their attitudes, coat and all round well being. Most livestock feed yard carry them in up to 18 kilo bags and I have even been able to bring the price down again by just asking and letting others know of their great service. Consult your vet he/she will agree. Try it 6 months and just notice the difference in man's (women's) best friends.
​Contributed by Amanda, Aloomba, July 27th 2006
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​Natural Food Best for Dogs

If commercial pet food (poison in a can), change to a natural raw food diet (chicken necks, raw meaty bones etc.). Secondly, check the dog has no allergies to any plants in your garden. Dogs don't scratch for no reason. It's usually an allergy to something or it's flea bites. Also be wary of over shampooing your dog and making his skin dry and itchy.
​Contributed by Diane, Kewdale, April 26th 2006
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​Recipes for Dog Food

You have the same problem I have with one of my dogs itchy skin, I don't give my dogs any kind of tinned food as they are so full of chemicals that cause it also dog biscuits but I do buy HB meaty rings for them but not all the time. Bones but no pet mince as you don't know what's in it. Pet Loaf 1/2 cup of wheat germ, 1 cup rice bran, 1/4-1/2 kilo mince (any kind), 1/4 cabbage shredded, 1 grated carrot, 1 cup rolled barley (from health shop). Cook all veggies and mince, boil barley in 2 cups water, add all together and put in an ice-cream container. Cats will eat this as well. This recipe was given to me by a lady who writes for Grass Roots Magazine in 1988 and all my animals eat it. Biscuits 60g butter, 1 small tin of meat paste or fish for cats, 120g plain flour, 1 tablespoon. Gravox, a little milk to mix together. Mix all tog and roll out thinly cut into small squares. Bake in 180c oven for 15-20 mins Remove from oven and let cool for hard biscuits put back in for another 5-6 mins. Teenagers can eat this with out harm mine did. Dog loaf food 2 cups of white Beans, soaked over night, 1/4 cup wheat germ, 1 1/2 kilos mince, 4 eggs, 2 cups brown rice, 2 teaspoons salt, 4 cups water, 4 cups carrots grated, 2 large potatoes grated, * 2 teaspoon stock powder. Grate all veggies and par boil. Cook rice in stock powder and water over night and allow to go cold. Strain veggies. Put potatoes, carrots, meat, rice, eggs, beans and wheat germ into a very large bowl and mix with your hands until well combined. Put into a large roasting tin or several cake tins as it freezes well later. Bake at 180c for 1 1/2 hours. Serve when cold. * if using commercial stock powder cut the salt down to 1 teaspoon.. Dr Harry's web site has some really good recipes for dogs and cats.
​Contributed by Robyne, Goolwa, April 27th 2006
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​A Supper Cuppa!

On cold nights my dogs go to bed with a hot cuppa! Try milky tea/coffee, hot soup (made from Homebrand chicken noodle soup made according to packet directions), even milky thin porridges will help keep them warm till morning. My dogs have "supper" each night about 10pm before I go to bed! I look after them well because they have always loved & protected me! My Bluey girl is 17 years old and her Bluey son is 14 years old and both in great health thanks to these simple ideas. Hope this helps you keep your pets happy n healthy Lorna.
​Contributed by Pauline, Pakenham
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​Soft Food for Dogs and Cats

For food, why not try pouring boiling water on dry food and letting it soak in to soften it? Add some softened Weetbix and some gravy. You can change the flavours by using different gravies. A cat can also benefit from warming up some pet milk for it to sup on. If you wish to help with their coats - use an old show pet trick and give them an egg yolk (NOT the white). It gives them a lovely glossy coat, and also adds to their nutrition.
​Contributed by Lesley, Rooty Hill
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Prepare Ahead and Save

You can buy pet mince from Lenard's Chicken shops for $1.50/kg (some will do 5kg for $5.00 I've heard but not found one). Keep all your veggie peelings, cutoffs, scraps and do a big cook up with rice. This is very economical and soft; your old pooches shouldn't really have to chew much at all, just slurp it down with glee! My dogs have always loved this. I usually do a big cook up and then freeze in recycled containers from takeaways or even just cheap ones from the Warehouse. You then have food for a month and just have to remember to take a container out of the freezer each day or as required. Even if you forget, you can always zap it in the microwave and "serve" it warm.
​Contributed by Karen, Cairns
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​Good Pet Food

We have 2 dogs, 4 cats and 2 fish. This is what we do: put garlic powder in the dogs' food as a natural deterrent for fleas and also add kelp. We feed raw food and some dry food for all the animals - you will find this is not only cheaper at point of sale, but will save you money not going to the vets. A lot of dry and wet commercial foods can cause skin, allergy & teeth/gum problems in dogs/cats, due to lack of nutrients. We buy our pet food from pet food suppliers, also ensure any chicken you feed is human grade (avoid those hormones, organic pref). Also save money by not getting annual vaccinations for pets - waste of money PLUS bad for pets' health (have done MUCH research on this). As for recipes - look up on the net the BARF diet, or RAW MEATY BONES. Join an online forum also, I belong to a dog and a cat one, learn lots of info and share tips/ideas. (PS. I know I wouldn't like to eat tinned wet smelly food every day! Plus it would ruin my teeth, gums etc!)
​Contributed by Merran, Victoria, September 23rd, 2004
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​Dog Food

I found this recipe for home made dog food on another site and tried it out. My dog loves it and I know what is in it and it cost considerably less than buying canned food. 1kg pet mince ($1.50 from butchers) 1kg frozen mixed vegies ($2.) 500g of pasta ($1) handful of rice (40c) 1tbsp of used oil (nil as you would just toss it anyway). Boil the pasta and rice in water with oil added, drain add the mince and vegies and spoon into containers and freeze the extra, defrost, as you need it. I have a small dog so for under $5.00 I have enough wet dog food to last her nearly 3 weeks with adding a handful of dry biscuits.
​Contributed by Tina
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​Make Your Own Dog Food

Make your own dog food!! Buy uncooked pet mince and cheap frozen vegies then cook the mince in vegetable oil, and add the vegies until they are cooked through. You can also add cooked rice or pasta (cut up anything big) to bulk up the meal - making it even cheaper - just don't add too much or fussy dogs will turn their noses up at it! You can mix in gravy for a change; alternate the types of mince that you use and even heat it up a little for cold nights. My dogs love it, especially because when there are leftovers from "human meals". I mix it with their food so they get different flavours almost every night. Also this means that they are not receiving titbits throughout the day so they are not overeating.
​Contributed by Tanya
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