How much do you pay for RAW dogfood?

[17Rider]

I am thinking about going raw for 2- 20# JRTs.
At the store yesterday there were about 6 different companies packaging into 1# patties.

I bought one brand works out to $4.60/ lb
another was $5.50 ! but had elk antler velvet added, and made locally.

I usually feed a high end (orjen/acana) evolution kibble but the dogs barely will look at it after a friend was giving them this RAW food at her place. They like it so much they eat a patty frozen.

I started seeing some odd behavior and lumpy changes in my 11yo that is similar to the JRT I lost at 14.
They’ve been on the same kibble for years, which makes me wonder if a change is in order. The price is kind of outrageous though?!

[paulaedwina]

You hit on exactly why my answer to you is zero. Raw premade food was way too expensive, so I made it myself.

Paula

[17Rider]

Do you grind in bone yourself and organs?

I wondered if I was 1/2 way there when I emptied out the freezer last year and gave the meat to the dogs.

[dalpal]

I pay about 250.00 per month for 4 large dogs. You can do it yourself, cheaper…I just prefer the premixes.

The cheaper packaged raw is Blue Ridge Beef. See if you have a distributor in your area…I buy 4 cases of that and Honest Kitchen Mix.

[lewin]

I buy Stella and Chewies and Steves raw food for dogs. The Stella and Chewy’s is around 5$ a pound and comes in more flavors than the Steves but that one is around 3$ a pound so I mostly get the Steves. There is no way I would have the time to feed raw otherwise. I have also thought about feeding Sojos (Dehydrated raw) as half the diet as it would work out to more like 1.50 a lb.

[paulaedwina]

[QUOTE=17Rider;6322191]
Do you grind in bone yourself and organs?

I wondered if I was 1/2 way there when I emptied out the freezer last year and gave the meat to the dogs.[/QUOTE]

I didn’t grind bones, I used chicken and turkey necks. Organ meats I bought by the tub from a local turkey operation. I just scalded those whole.

You’re half way there. Just pretend you’re your grandad and you’re feeding the dog scraps and it gets alot less complicated.

Paula

[li_l_bit]

I feed partly raw, partly home cooked. My diabetic girl does better overall on home cooked.

I get chicken necks from a nearby poultry farm for 59 cents/lb.
I get beef hearts from a meat packing shop here in town for $1.00/lb.

Whole chickens at supermarket for 88 to 99 cents/lb.

Free venison.

Organs and liver from a country meat processor for 39 cents/lb.

Then I splurge and get cases of boneless/skinless turkey thighs for $1.49/lb

Good prices can be found. Every now and then I get in the mood to call around and see what I can find a deal on.

[wendy]

if you feed a lot of poultry, or have “good sources”, you can possibly get homemade raw down to $2 a pound for meat, but then you have to buy various vitamin/mineral supplements ( or you will end up feeding your dog a poor-quality diet) which adds to the cost, and you have to buy a huge freezer to store your bulk purchases, and you have to spend time acquiring and processing your food. After accounting for all of these factors, I figure buying a premade for $4 a pound is a fair price. Accounting for the water content, a bag of even very expensive kibble is cheaper- to feed an average 50 pound dog for a month, Orijen would cost around $50 a month; a premade raw diet would cost around $70 a month. They are probably close to equivalent in nutritional quality.

People who claim to feed a really cheap raw diet are generally the person who feeds cheap chicken parts- necks or backs- as the bulk of the diet without bothering to make sure the rest of the diet makes up for the lack of nutrition in cheap commmercial chicken parts. Well, sorry, not a balanced diet. Your dog would probably be better off being fed Old roy plus a few chicken necks here and there.

If you’re a hunter, or can raise rabbits/chicken or other game at home for the dogs, you could probably pull off a balanced, raw diet at a reasonable cost.

The people who talk about the days of feeding “table scraps” forget that it used to be that “table scraps” often consisted of the innards and head of the chicken that went in the pot, plus the dog often was able to go out and catch a groundhog for dessert.
What do table scraps look like today? mine rarely contain chicken heads or liver, what about yours?

[paulaedwina]

People who claim to feed a really cheap raw diet are generally the person who feeds cheap chicken parts- necks or backs- as the bulk of the diet without bothering to make sure the rest of the diet makes up for the lack of nutrition in cheap commmercial chicken parts. Well, sorry, not a balanced diet. Your dog would probably be better off being fed Old roy plus a few chicken necks here and there.

That’s quite an assumption. I fed necks, backs and thighs, ground or cooked sweet potato, ground carrot, various and sundry fruits (ground), egg with shell, fish body oil, and organ meats. They were having quite a nutritionally sound diet thank you. As with people food, diversity is the key to nutrition.

The people who talk about the days of feeding “table scraps” forget that it used to be that “table scraps” often consisted of the innards and head of the chicken that went in the pot, plus the dog often was able to go out and catch a groundhog for dessert.
What do table scraps look like today? mine rarely contain chicken heads or liver, what about yours?

Another giant generalization. I tell people who feel intimidated by feeding raw to pretend they are their grandparents feeding the dog table scraps. You what what pretty much guarantees? A diverse diet. Add some organ meats and you’re good to go.

Paula