Did you know Kangaroo meat is considered one of the healthiest meats available? Rich in protein, low in fat, and great for your dog.
Kangaroo is a good choice if your dog has food sensitivities, pancreatitis, or needs to lose a little weight. It’s a good choice for Aussie dogs full stop.
In Australia we have lots of kangaroo dog foods to choose from, or kangaroo treats, but are they all good?
No, of course not, but thankfully some are! We’ll look at those here.
Are roo ready?
Is kangaroo meat good for dogs?
Yes, kangaroo has a range of benefits for dogs:
- Very easy for your dog to digest.
- An excellent lean meat, being high in protein and low in fat.
- The fat content of kangaroo is unsaturated fat.
- Considered the leanest red meat protein.
- A good source of omega-3 fatty acids to support your dog’s heart health and brain function.
- An excellent source of zinc and iron to support the correct function of cell membranes, boosting your dog’s immunity, ability to digest proteins and carbohydrates, provide energy, and help them maintain a healthy coat and paw pads. In addition, iron helps regulate bowels and prevent constipation.
- A non-allergenic (hypoallergenic) meat which works very well for dogs with food sensitivities.
- Environmentally sustainable, free-range, organic, and native to Australia.
Recommended kangaroo dog foods (in Australia)
There are more options for Kangaroo dog food than you may think, with many Australian brands offering a formula including kangaroo. These range from dry foods, wet, BARF, rolls, and of course fresh kangaroo meat from the butchers.
Even Pedigree have a “Real Kangaroo” formula, but on closer inspection it’s more a “Cereals” formula with a token amount of other meats, of which kangaroo is laughably an “and/or” ingredient which might be sheep instead.
Right, on that note, lets look at better kangaroo dog foods…
Single-protein kangaroo dog food
If your dog has food sensitivities (or “allergies”) then a single-protein kangaroo dog food may really help. Here’s some recommendations:
I find the Balanced Life dog food really good, especially the “air dried” variety which is essentially dried-raw complete with kangaroo meat, organs (tripe, liver, heart, kidney, and lung), and ground bone – all very nutritious for your dog.
If the price of the air-dried range puts you off, they also have the Balanced Life Enhanced range which is a dry food with air-dried kangaroo meat and ground bones. The benefit is it’s more affordable, and the air-dried pieces will be easier for your dog to digest than regular kibble.
Related: Balanced Life dog food review | Balanced Life Enhanced dog food review
Meals for Mutts is a decent Australian brand which is more affordable than some brands, and much better than most. It’s a hit with many Aussie dog owners, and they have a good range.
The Kangaroo formula is single meat protein, hypoallegenic, grain & gluten free, with the main ingredients being a combination of kangaroo meat, sweet potato, and seasonal vegetables. It benefits for additions like coconut oil, turmeric, and pre & pro biotics to further aid digestion.
Related: Meals for Mutts review
Zignature is a great brand, and you may be surprised to learn it’s an American brand. They source the kangaroo meat from Australia, process it there, then sell it back to us. It’s very good though, and that shouldn’t put you off.
Related: Zignature dog food review
Prime100 have a loyal following as an Australian brand but personally I find the products very expensive considering the ingredients.
If you compare Prime100 Skd Kangaroo & Pumpkin to Balanced Life Kangaroo above, you’ll find Balanced Life much cheaper per kilo, mostly made from kangaroo (including nutritious organs!), whereas Prime100 Skd is a mix of kangaroo meat and possibly just as much pumpkin.
Related: Prime100 Spd review
Other kangaroo dog foods worth mentioning
Here are some other options for kangaroo dog foods along with a quick summary:
- SavourLife Grain Free Kangaroo & Chicken – I’ve found this Australian brand to be pretty good, and this combination of kangaroo and chicken will be fine if your dog doesn’t suffer food sensitivities.
- Vetalogica Riverland Red – Another reputable Aussie brand, this formula is a mix of kangaroo, lamb, goat, pork, and salmon, combined with various peas, potatoes, and lentils.
- Instinctive Bite Kangaroo & Sweet Potato – A good formula which only has kangaroo for a meat protein, but if you’re looking for a hypoallergenic dog food this does contain chicken fat.
- Black Hawk Grain Free Kangaroo – Despite the name, this is actually a kangaroo and chicken formula with peas. Pricewise Black Hawk can be a little cheaper than others mentioned here.
- Ivory Coat Grain Free Lamb & Kangaroo – Consumer reviews are ominous with Ivory Coat products so I feel I cannot recommend the brand.
- Hypro Premium Kangaroo & Lamb – A good choice if you want a slightly cheaper version of Meals for Mutts.
Kangaroo dog foods to avoid
For completeness, below are other kangaroo dog foods available in Australia, along with reasons why they may not be the best choice.
- Optimum Grain Free Chicken and Kangaroo – Not the worst formula being a combination of meat and vegetables, but as a kangaroo formula it is uncertain how much kangaroo there will be.
- Nature’s Goodness Wild Game with Sweet Potato – A similar formula to Optimum, but to compare the two I find Optimum the better choice.
- My Dog with Kangaroo – The word “with” on a pet food label translates to “not much” of that ingredient, so if you’re after a kangaroo dog food this probably isn’t it.
- Pedigree Adult with Real Kangaroo – As mentioned earlier, this is more a cereal formula than a kangaroo formula, so not what I would consider healthy for your dog.
Kangaroo jerky for dogs + kangaroo liver treats
Given kangaroo meat is good for dogs, even if you don’t feed a kangaroo dog food these can still be great to feed.
Here are some options for kangaroo jerky treats and kangaroo liver treats (rich in nutrients):
- Big Dog Kangaroo Freeze Dried Little Bites – These would be my choice, being a combination of kangaroo meat, bone, heart, liver, and kidney all in one. They may seem more expensive, and I know they’re not “jerky”, but freeze drying retains better nutrition and these treats have an excellent range of ingredients – not just the kangaroo either, but wheatgrass, flaxseed, whole egg, coconut oil, kelp, turmeric, and pre and probiotics!
- Prime100 Prime Pantry Jerky Treats Kangaroo – These are what they say on the tin (or packet), being single protein and human grade as well.
- Loving Pets Roo Jerky Dog Treats – Almost the same as the Prime Pantry kangaroo jerky, but do not state whether they’re human grade, and they’re more expensive.
- Natures Cuts Kangaroo Training Treats / Kangaroo Liver Treats – Again these are more expensive than the Prime Pantry jerky, and also more expensive.
All the above are available at Pet Circle.
Common questions about kangaroo meat & kangaroo dog foods
Why is kangaroo good for sensitive stomachs?
Not only is kangaroo a novel-protein not associated with food sensitivities, being a free-range animal are not exposed to chemicals used in farming and agriculture. Kangaroos have a strong resilience to disease and parasites, which adds further benefits for dogs with sensitive stomachs.
Is kangaroo free-range and organic?
Yes, kangaroo meat is free-range. It’s also organic. Kangaroos are not farmed using conventional farming methods, meaning they live in their native habitat as wild animals, being free to roam. Kangaroo meat is also considered an environmentally sustainable meat choice, which makes it very underrated as a meat source both for human consumption and in dog foods.
Is kangaroo meat good for puppies?
Kangaroo is an excellent meat to support the growth phase of your puppy, with a range of high quality kangaroo dog foods available in Australia.
Is kangaroo or turkey better for dogs?
Both kangaroo and turkey are very beneficial for any dog, and even more so for dogs suffering food sensitivities to other meat ingredients like chicken, beef, or lamb. Kangaroo and turkey are also both lean meats, so may be a good choice if your dog needs to lose a little weight.
Is kangaroo or fish better for dogs?
Both fish and kangaroo are good for dogs, including for allergies and weight management.
The Kangaroo Industry is abhorrent though.
Doesn’t Matter if it is “Human-Grade” Kangaroos are Wild Australian Fauna which naturally carry parasites (like tapeworm!), Russia banned imports (multiple times) of Kangaroo meat because of concerningly high traces of pathogens and diseases such as E.coli, Salmonella, Toxoplasmosis, Listeria and Coxiella. Kangaroos are shot and gutted in the wild, Their carcasses are hung on rusty hooks the back of a dusty ute for up to 8 hours (legally they don’t have to reach field chillers until two hours AFTER the sun rises, the shooter can be killing them before midnight. Night Temperatures in Australia can reach well into the 20’s and 30’s).
The Carcasses of the kangaroos (among other wild animals such as deer and feral boar) can touch each other, dust and flies can cover the bodies.
Conditions in roo chillers are Appalling, reports and investigations include:
1) hanging carcasses touching the floor;
2) fresh blood on the floor;
3) old dried blood that had not been washed away on the floor;
4) carcasses over-packed and touching one another;
5) no sterile zone due to only one point of entry into the chillers;
6) tags on carcasses showing that they are 12 and 13 days old; and
7) implement used for bludgeoning joeys with caked blood on the end.
Not to mention, the Commercial Kangaroo industry treats native wildlife awfully. It is NOT ethical, the recommended way of killing Joeys is by Bashing their heads on a hard surface, Adult kangaroos can get Injured (Wildlife Victoria reported a significant increase of Injured Kangaroos with Gunshot wounds after the Victorian Government introduced the Commercial Kangaroo Industry)
And shooting the big males significantly changes the social structure of the surviving kangaroos.
This is a quote by a former commercial kangaroo shooter, David Nicholls;
“The mouth of a kangaroo can be blown off and the kangaroo can escape to die of shock and starvation. Forearms can be blown off, as can ears, eyes and noses. Stomachs can be hit expelling the contents with the kangaroo still alive backbones can be pulverised to an unrecognisable state etc. Hind legs can be shattered with the kangaroo desperately trying to get away on the other or without the use of either.”
Kangaroos have been evolving here for 20 million years and are NOT pests, they were vastly more abundant BEFORE European colonisation.
It is Essential to leave roos alive and intact for their benefits to the ecosystem, They’re soft-footed native Herbivores who require one sixtieth the amount of grass that a cow would eat and one fifth the amount a sheep, they spread the seeds of native grasses which they eat by snipping the tops off unlike introduced farm animals that pull it up by the root.
Please don’t feed your pets unsafe food sourced from Native Australian Wildlife, especially not our National Emblem.