$$$$$$ Raw food $$$$$$$

[Antman408]

@NamVetJoe I feed 3 pounds a day, so I feed 90 pounds a month. It costs me around 180-200 a month. It’s a complete balanced meal each day that I prepare myself. It’s a mixture of muscle meat, organ and bone from several different protein sources. All organic and balanced. If you do some research online you can find the ratios you need along with the vitamin supplements. Or you can purchase meal plans, pet nutrition sells complete balanced plans with sourcing options. Any premise is going to be expensive. If you want more info feel free to PM me.

As far as you @Oh Little Oji pot calling the kettle black. His service has nothing to do with this thread or his tussle with the other party. If memory serves me correct you were a complete prick to me a few months ago because I clicked “disagree” with a comment you posted. And you said I was “ruining your cred to the new members”. I’m a combat veteran with multiple deployments to the Middle East and over 8 years of service as a infantrymen. So by your service standard “how dare you sass me!”

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Alright? Lol

You, join him.

 

[Viemarangelrock]

I currently feed a pre-made complete raw meal. A 1.4kg Chubb costs me between £3.80 - £5.50 (chicken being on the cheaper side. At the other end of the scale, lamb)

1 Chubb feeds Tara (30kg) for 4 meals (350g per meal) so monthly I’m spending roughly £70.00 ($86) it’s just a tad over what I was paying for a good quality kibble (£65 P/M - $80 P/M)

I plan to DIY soon, I know I can make even more savings there.



Nutriment Adult rated 97 out of 100! All About Dog Food

 

[Rits]

@Oh Little Oji

I'm going to step in now. It is very apparent Tad that you have issues with a member here that are unrelated to the topic. I'd like to kindly ask you to please solve your disagreement in PM or use the ignore feature on DCF. I in fact was worried reading further when reading the reply from OP towards the alternative of pre-made. It read hostile to me and I was ready to step in if it grew from there, although sometimes it can be due to a bad day or simple oversight. So no reason to poke it further in that direction...

So let us see you state that these prices in Canada are for just pork or just beef and kidney. Do you feel that if you feed your dog that they are getting all their needs fulfilled? Are you supplementing your raw food? Maybe you should buy from an American supplier that offers a completely raw food that has all the nutritional needs. Here is a list of what is contained in the raw I use. Can you please post what is in the raw you purchase from your grocery store. And you are correct I am telling people that feeding raw the right raw is expensive

I did highlight the statements that sent up red flags that I should watch this thread... Let us all be a little kinder in our questions and conversations here. We all have something to learn from one another no matter our age. As I said maybe it wasn't intentional, sometimes tone gets lost, but some of the verbage and statements came off with a bad vibe to someone simply trying to offer that raw doesnt have to be expensive.

Raw feeding DIY does not have to be expensive. There are market sales, whole market, freezer clean outs, local co-ops, hunter scraps etc. That can make raw cheaper. It all depends on how forward you are in finding these deals, your local market, and if you have enough freezer space to stock up when there are good prices.

Theres nothing wrong with DIY raw fed. Raw fed does NOT have to be so complicated. Buying pre-made gives you the peace of mind, and the cost reflects that. Not all pre-made raw diets are equal and pre-made does not equal "better" than DIY. We are all doing what we think is best by our dogs and what we can afford. Just because someone can only afford or manage kibble doesnt mean raw feeders look down upon kibble feeders. The same should go for within the many different ways to raw feed your dog. Nature provides our dogs with everything they need, so long as we feed variety and in the right percentages. Phosphorus, proteins, hormones and enzymes is provided by meat, calcium by bone, multi vitamins by organs. Add in the occasional fish for healthy fats and leafy greens for antioxidants and you have no need to supplement. Raw Feeding Primer: 10 Simple Rules To Get Started

 

[NamVetJoe]

I think we all just want what is good for our dogs and find a way to save money in the process. FYI The lowest price I have seen for beef is about $4.00 lbs BUT as my local supermarket butcher that sells that beef told me . Please stay away from that beef it is imported from Mexico. Adding growth hormones in that country is a common practice as evidenced by professional boxers on the champian level that has tested positive for growth hormones after eating beef in Mexico. The point of my post and I am sorry if it got lost in the shuffle is simply that people wanting a Doberman or any medium to a large dog have to consider that above and beyond the price of the dog vet bills and related shots and pills feeding a complete diet including supplements can be expensive and needs to be taken into consideration.

 

[Tropicalbri's]

After a quick check, I am north of $300.00 a month just for food

I was paying $1200. a month for two. This was already prepared raw and included shipping.

Now I drive up to Homestead to a family owned butcher shop where they will grind the meat for me if I want and they carry all types of meat inclusive of Emu, Rabbit, Duck and Bison.

By preparing my own, I cut the monthly bill to under $700 a month which still sounds like a lot but both mine get 4-5lbs raw each day because they are very active.

 

[Tropicalbri's]

@NamVetJoe i think our location has a lot to do with the cost of meats. Our beef here when on sale is $5.99lb, plus like you said, I worry about what is added to the meats that are not only harmful to us but especially to our pets.

The cost of any food, gas, groceries in the Keys is sky high so I have to go to the mainland to afford it.

The family owned butcher shop I buy from own their own livestock farms and butcher themselves. They beef is grass fed organic. They explained to me that they sell cows that will go on to be grain fed to fatten up and the people add what they want then it’s sold to consumers.

The most scary part for me about preparing raw was getting it exactly right. It still concerns me but the twins cardiologist made up the ratios of each meat type for me and the amounts to be fed of muscle meat, organ meat and bone.
I was at one point driving to Naples/Ft.Myers and buying the whole cow that was grass fed and having it butchered. Unfortunately not all butchers are honest and I wound up with meat that was not from the cow I bought.
The hurricane hit in 2017 and I lost over 200lbs of food because of it. Surprisingly the insurance company actually paid for a percentage of the food that I had stored in a client’s freezer. That is when I decided to start preparing my own. Hubs bought me a meat grinder designed for raw feeding and a scale to weigh it out. Lordy it is a LOT of prep in the beginning but you will get a system working for you and it becomes much easier.

 

[ChuckE]

Our Dobies are both on the raw food diet. We feed them a combination of Chicken drumsticks, necks, feet, gizzards and hearts. Ground beef, eggs, steak, fish, ground turkey.
We usually buy in bulk from a local poultry supplier. Cost $16 for 40 pounds of chicken necks. The other things we get on sale from local big chain super markets. We have tried getting chicken from Sam's Club but it always seems to go bad quicker than super market ones. Not absolutely sure on the cost but the fish is always the cleaned herring in the seafood section. $3.89 a pound which is 5 herring.

 

[ChuckE]

Oh and a typical meal is 1 drumstick, 2 chicken necks, 1 chicken foot, meatball size ground beef, half banana and 1 egg. The puppy we are moving over to raw food so we are weaning her off the Smart Dog Iams the breeder had her on. So she gets a little more raw food each meal and less dry food. It goes back and forth with her. When her stool is like diarrhea I use less raw food and more Iams. If anyone has any advice for me on switching the puppy to raw in another way I would love to hear it.

 

[HakuTheDoberman]

Oh and a typical meal is 1 drumstick, 2 chicken necks, 1 chicken foot, meatball size ground beef, half banana and 1 egg. The puppy we are moving over to raw food so we are weaning her off the Smart Dog Iams the breeder had her on. So she gets a little more raw food each meal and less dry food. It goes back and forth with her. When her stool is like diarrhea I use less raw food and more Iams. If anyone has any advice for me on switching the puppy to raw in another way I would love to hear it.

I have read that it’s not recommended to feed with Kibble and raw as they digest at different rates ( either cut kibble out cold turkey, or do a fast so they get rid of the kibble and then start fully raw ) and to start weaning on just plain skinless boneless chicken breast, then add chicken and bone ( try to avoid a lot of skin as that may be too much fat causing diarrhea ) you should then introduce the second protein of your choice after a day or two of all is good add the third and so on. That’s if you doing 80/10/10 (protein/bone/offal)

Here is a website and a guide for transitioning puppy’s to raw. (Note that some people don’t believe in adding any fruits of veggies to the diet, this is called the prey model diet, but some believe you should add them, there are two sides and it’s personal opinion on what you choose.)

https://www.rawfeedingadviceandsupport.com/puppy-starterguide They have a Facebook page if you need any help or have questions! (They don’t feed fruit of veggies tho so don’t post about that, we feed fruit and veggies ourself but I don’t say anything aha, but their guidance of transitioning, proteins and meats are very helpful!)

 

[Doberman Gang]

Can’t imagine what it would cost to feed my pack. $$$$$. I would rather spend my extra time training. We

 

[Tropicalbri's]

Can’t imagine what it would cost to feed my pack. $$$$$. I would rather spend my extra time training. We

You have a big pack! I could not imagine what that would cost. A few mortgage payments no doubt. Lol

 

[HakuTheDoberman]

Can’t imagine what it would cost to feed my pack. $$$$$. I would rather spend my extra time training. We

If I had more then 1-2 dogs idk if I’d have it in me to stay sane with all the calculations, prep time and $$ aha

 

[NamVetJoe]

Interesting read on raw mixed with kibble Mixing Kibble With Raw? Here's the Problem ... I actually purcheses this 4.5 lb bag of kibble for $23 and use them as training treats after I break them into little pieces. The caviate is that I do add the pre and probiotics daily to his food

 

[ChuckE]

I like the idea of using the left over kibble for training treats.

I actually purcheses this 4.5 lb bag of kibble for $23 and use them as training treats after I break them into little pieces.QUOTE]

 

[Tropicalbri's]

I have read that it’s not recommended to feed with Kibble and raw as they digest at different rates ( either cut kibble out cold turkey, or do a fast so they get rid of the kibble

This has been debunked by many scientific researchers.
The theory is now, that any fresh whole food added to a dog’s diet is beneficial to their overall health.
The emphasis though is placed on raw as being far healthier for the pet as it does not have the carbs and other additives of a kibble fed diet that causes the kidneys and liver to work harder to rid the body of toxins.

It’s also recommended that a day of fasting be done every week or so to allow the body to eliminate the build up of toxins. This should be done whether feeding raw or kibble. Monday’s are our fasting days.

 

[Ddski5]

It’s also recommended that a day of fasting be done every week or so to allow the body to eliminate the build up of toxins. This should be done whether feeding raw or kibble. Monday’s are our fasting days.

That means no food at all? No treats or snacks?

Just allow water?

 

[Tropicalbri's]

That means no food at all? No treats or snacks?

Just allow water?

Water only. It allows the body to use energy to rid itself of toxin buildups instead of energy used in the digestion of food.
In the wild the wolves and wild dogs do this even if they have a fresh source of food.
Some will fast for much longer periods of time without any adverse health effects.

 

[NamVetJoe]

Interesting read Everything you need to know about fasting in dogs - Dogs First Please take note that all the links I have read on fasting say its most beneficial BUT puppys should not be on a one day a week fast

 

[Tropicalbri's]

Interesting read Everything you need to know about fasting in dogs - Dogs First Please take note that all the links I have read on fasting say its most beneficial BUT puppys should not be on a one day a week fast

Totally agree. We do not recommend fasting a puppy unless it has been sick, vomiting and diarrhea. Then you would only fast overnight and feed a bland diet in small amounts the following day if vomiting has resolved. If not resolved then those puppies are placed in our hospital care with IV fluids and medications.