Guest rogueslg71 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 how much (about) does it cost to feed your dog a raw diet? since i read the other thread about raw food against kibble i would really like to look into trying this because my grey's breath is pretty bad and i also would have a hard time having her knocked out just to have her teeth cleaned. before i look too much into it i would like to know how much it costs (approx) per month to feed your dog/dogs a raw diet. it currently costs me about 25 dollars a month for my lhasa. and 50 for my greyhound on the food we have her on (which is about to be changed for the diarrhea if it doesnt stop). they both eat kibble right now. also what kind of stuff do you buy, if any thing else, to mix with the food? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djsgreys Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I feed all 8 of my dogs raw. It costs me about 300/month. I buy a prepared raw diet, chicken mixed with turkey and vegetables. The only thing I add is a bit of glucosamine for my seniors and Grizzly Salmon oil about 3 times per week. Quote Deb, and da Croo In my heart always, my Bridge Angels - Macavity, Tila the wannabe, Dexter, CDN Cold Snap (Candy), PC Herode Boy, WZ Moody, Poco Zinny, EM's Scully, Lonsome Billy, Lucas, Hurry Hannah, Daisy (Apache Blitz), Sadie (Kickapoo Kara), USS Maxi, Sam's Attaboy, Crystal Souza, Gifted Suzy, Zena, and Jetlag who never made it home. http://www.northernskygreyhounds.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I answered 25-50 per dog. I feed a prey model raw diet (all raw meaty bones, meat, and offal - organ meat). There's a lot that goes into cost including the area you live in, whether you have a freezer adn can buy in bulk, what quality of products you buy, if you choose to supplement, how much your dogs eat, etc. I found a really great supplier in my area who I feel has good prices for what I get, but I also live in the DC area so it's relative (stuff is pretty expensive here), and I buy all natural, and in some cases organic and/or free range meat products. I would say my food averages b/w $1.50-$2/lb. Zuri, being my younger, active male eats a lot more each week than my female Neyla. I would say, if you're paying $50/mo to feed kibble to your grey, you can do raw cheaper, especially if you're willing to shop around and buy in bulk. Good luck! Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante2zoe Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I buy most of my stuff in bulk. I feed three greys, 1 whippet and two cats snack on their favorite items. I stocked up 5 weeks ago and paid 180.00. I still have 15 pounds of chicken backs left. However, I buy somethings every 8 months, purchase from the grocery store and receive things, like venison, from friends during hunting season, so it is kind of hard to check. However, I would think 25 -50 per month per dog works. I have been feeding that diet for 3 years and have only had one dental done during that time. That dental was a year ago and his teeth still look good. I do brush their teeth and use the Pet Gel (exact name forgotten) as well. As for supplements, I add fish oil capsules and SynoviG3 to their daily diet (3 are 8 YO and over), b-complex vitamin a couple times a week and vitamin 3 for the whippet because his urine pH is off and that placates my vet. I do add kelp when I have it, too. Quote Cindy with Miss Fancypants, Paris Bueller, Zeke, and Angus Dante (Dg's Boyd), Zoe (In a While), Brady (Devilish Effect), Goose (BG Shotgun), Maverick (BG ShoMe), Maggie (All Trades Jax), Sherman (LNB Herman Bad) and Indy (BYB whippet) forever in my heart The flame that burns the brightest, burns the fastest and leaves the biggest shadow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Oh, that's right, I totally forgot. Have had my dogs 5 and 3 years respectively and have never had a dental so total up the amount that it would cost me to have a yearly dental and divide that by 12 and subtract from my monthly cost. That doesn't even include all of hte other vet bills I think I have avoided/will avoid. It's an important factor to consider when deciding whether you can afford raw. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dwolfe711 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 We don't have a huge freezer - just a small upright - but I do try to buy in bulk and search for weekly bargains at the grocery store and market. We feed three raw - Ellie has megaesophagus and as much as I'd like to try her with it - she's doing really well on Evo kibble ground to a powder and mixed with canned Innova chicken and Evo chicken with water added to make a mush. I'd hate to upset something that is working well for her. Donna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RocketDog Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 (edited) I pay just about $25/dog for the meat, thanks to an awesome local co-op where I can frequently find meat and tripe for under 60cents a pound. If you factor in storage costs (I have two upright freezers) I pay more than $25/dog, but for the meat itself it's less than that per month. When I was strictly grocery-store shopping, I averaged about $40/dog/month. Still less than most kibbles! Edited March 10, 2009 by RocketDog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyzykel Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I answered 25-50 per dog. I feed a prey model raw diet (all raw meaty bones, meat, and offal - organ meat). There's a lot that goes into cost including the area you live in, whether you have a freezer adn can buy in bulk, what quality of products you buy, if you choose to supplement, how much your dogs eat, etc. I found a really great supplier in my area who I feel has good prices for what I get, but I also live in the DC area so it's relative (stuff is pretty expensive here), and I buy all natural, and in some cases organic and/or free range meat products. I would say my food averages b/w $1.50-$2/lb. Zuri, being my younger, active male eats a lot more each week than my female Neyla. I would say, if you're paying $50/mo to feed kibble to your grey, you can do raw cheaper, especially if you're willing to shop around and buy in bulk. Good luck! Which supplier are you using? I'm planning on feeding raw when we adopt (hopefully this summer!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest agroshong Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 It really depends on if we're bulking up or slimming down. Axel is high energy and usually takes upwards to 4% of his body weight. Abbey is high metabolism and is ranging about 3-4% as well here in her first month on raw. It averages out to under $50/ea for the bulk of their diet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 The guy's name is Peter, he runs his own business selling meat on the side (works for a meat distributor). You can check out his product on his site: www.topqualitydogfood.com. Not sure how close to you he'll deliver. I meet him in Greenbelt near where he lives, but he does occasionally do drops as far as Baltimore. Don't know if he has a VA clientele. It all seems a little shady, my boyfriend laughed the first time I told him as I meet this scruffy looking guy in a parking lot somewhere. He pulls up in some beat up truck, throws a few boxes in my car, I hand him a check and I'm off. But now that I've turned DBF onto raw feeding, he does his own pick ups with Peter as well. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyzykel Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 The guy's name is Peter, he runs his own business selling meat on the side (works for a meat distributor). You can check out his product on his site: www.topqualitydogfood.com. Not sure how close to you he'll deliver. I meet him in Greenbelt near where he lives, but he does occasionally do drops as far as Baltimore. Don't know if he has a VA clientele. It all seems a little shady, my boyfriend laughed the first time I told him as I meet this scruffy looking guy in a parking lot somewhere. He pulls up in some beat up truck, throws a few boxes in my car, I hand him a check and I'm off. But now that I've turned DBF onto raw feeding, he does his own pick ups with Peter as well. LOL, secret contraband meat! I keep trying to talk my brother in Silver Spring into getting a chest freezer so I can keep meat in it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest neworleansmama Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 The basics here are chicken quarters , pork necks and turkey necks. I buy these for about 50--60cents a pound by the 30 or 40 pound case from a meat market that caters to the less affluent. Then we add in more expensive meats for variety so the total per day is about $1.50 a day. We add in all sorts of leftovers, old cheese, brown bananas etc that I consider free since we would not use them, so the total is less than $50 a month per dog. We tried Blake, who can't eat grain, on grain-free kibble and found the cost much more. Add in that all three dogs just had checkups with no dentals in the 4 years I've had two of them and the 6 months we've had the 10 year old, and the saving is substantial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cris_M Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 It really depends on if we're bulking up or slimming down. Axel is high energy and usually takes upwards to 4% of his body weight. Abbey is high metabolism and is ranging about 3-4% as well here in her first month on raw. It averages out to under $50/ea for the bulk of their diet. Yep, an individual dog's metabolism makes a huge difference. When Duncan ate 3# a day, it cost a lot more than the 2# he eats now. (Duh.) When you first start raw feeding, it costs more than when you get the hang of it. Well, that is, if you don't start adding yummy, weird stuff... I will say that Duncan is amazingly healthy on raw. His teeth are generally horrible, but he hasn't needed a dental in a long time. He rarely has bad gas, his breath is almost odorless, and visits to the vet are just for yearly check-ups (knock on wood.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante2zoe Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I also get my bulk meat from Peter! He does look a little shady! I drive to Silver Spring to a CVS parking lot right off the beltway on Saturday mornings to pick up my order. He is actually very helpful and feeds his own dogs raw. My husband thought the whole thing was strange so he has come with me and the last time he got the order himself. I usually e-mail him and ask what is a good deal and order some of that, as well. I have also tried the international market near me, but the prices are pretty steep. I suck it up for the chicken feet though. Quote Cindy with Miss Fancypants, Paris Bueller, Zeke, and Angus Dante (Dg's Boyd), Zoe (In a While), Brady (Devilish Effect), Goose (BG Shotgun), Maverick (BG ShoMe), Maggie (All Trades Jax), Sherman (LNB Herman Bad) and Indy (BYB whippet) forever in my heart The flame that burns the brightest, burns the fastest and leaves the biggest shadow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I also get my bulk meat from Peter! He does look a little shady! I drive to Silver Spring to a CVS parking lot right off the beltway on Saturday mornings to pick up my order. He is actually very helpful and feeds his own dogs raw. My husband thought the whole thing was strange so he has come with me and the last time he got the order himself. I usually e-mail him and ask what is a good deal and order some of that, as well. I have also tried the international market near me, but the prices are pretty steep. I suck it up for the chicken feet though. Peter has duck feet. It's not on his pricelist but if you ask he can get them. They're not much larger than chk feet and my dogs of course like them just as much. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante2zoe Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 But, I will miss the little toes flopping out of their mouths! Thanks for the tip! We tried his Sin Chews - the dogs loved them, but the grease (?) got everywhere. We will stay with the bully sticks. Quote Cindy with Miss Fancypants, Paris Bueller, Zeke, and Angus Dante (Dg's Boyd), Zoe (In a While), Brady (Devilish Effect), Goose (BG Shotgun), Maverick (BG ShoMe), Maggie (All Trades Jax), Sherman (LNB Herman Bad) and Indy (BYB whippet) forever in my heart The flame that burns the brightest, burns the fastest and leaves the biggest shadow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 But, I will miss the little toes flopping out of their mouths! Thanks for the tip! We tried his Sin Chews - the dogs loved them, but the grease (?) got everywhere. We will stay with the bully sticks. Have officially totally hijacked this trhead, but we tried those too and the dogs had nasty runny, almost big d stool -but no problems with the bully sticks. Peter seemed to think it was weird b/c he says they're made from the same stuff, but they seem very different. We're sticking to bully sticks from now on too. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest simile Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I'm glad you posted this. I just finished doing a comparison of our dog food costs - raw vs kibble - and while I knew I was saving money, I didn't realize how much. In 2007 we spent ~$1600 in kibble feeding two dogs. In 2008 we spent ~$1200 raw feeding between 4 and 6 dogs, depending on who we were fostering. The other big financial savings has been in dentals. When Tip came to us his vet work said he'd need another dental (he'd just had one a couple months previous) in about 6 months. When we got Deigo (our IG) we thought he had two dead teeth in the back of his mouth. Well, we started feeding raw when we got Diego (about four months after getting Tip), and Diego's "dead" teeth are whitening up, and Tip's teeth are beautiful. No dentals needed for either one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FullMetalFrank Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 About $50 to $60 per month here, for two greyhounds. We just picked up 50# of chicken leg quarters for just under thirty bucks; we add in beef ribs, pork ribs and necks, turkey legs and backs, etc... when we find them for a reasonable price. I have an upright freezer and a secondary fridge that the freezer is just for the dogs, so we have a lot of storage space which makes it easy to buy in bulk when we find good prices. I also feed some kibble (makes up about one fourth of each dog's daily diet) and it is figured into my estimate above, a bag of Kirkland lamb and rice lasts a couple of months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BDHABT Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 We pay $1.29lb for a chicken/veggie mix;but we have to buy 100lbs at a time to get this price. The more you buy,the less it is. The meat is USDA human grade. Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest team_weasel Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 We average around $2 a pound, sometimes less, depending on what we get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krissn333 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 A friend that feeds raw has a great hookup and could get me stuff in bulk for DIRT cheap, but I don't have freezer space (that is, if I want to have anything in the freezer for ME...). She has 9 or 10 dogs (I've lost count ) ranging from dachsunds to greyhounds to a german shepherd. All of them eat raw and she said she saves about 50% by feeding raw over the cost of a premium kibble, which she would choose to feed if she weren't feeding raw. Sounds pretty tempting to me, but my dogs do GREAT on the food they're on now. Also I recently purchased some beef liver for my foster who is anemic...wow that is some GROSS stuff! I'm sure I'd get used to it, but...ugh it's icky. I've heard that some people feed kibble but add RMBs as treats, etc. For ppl that do that, what do you give them and how often do you give stuff like that? Mine have had chicken necks before and seemed to enjoy them. Sorry to hijack but I'm betting that info will be of use to the OP as well Quote Kristin in Moline, IL USA with Ozzie (MRL Crusin Clem), Clarice (Clarice McBones), Latte and Sage the IGs, and the kitties: Violet and Rose Lovingly Remembered: Sutra (Fliowa Sutra) 12/02/97-10/12/10, Pinky (Pick Me) 04/20/03-11/19/12, Fritz (Fritz Fire) 02/05/01 - 05/20/13, Ace (Fantastic Ace) 02/05/01 - 07/05/13, and Carrie (Takin the Crumbs) 05/08/99 - 09/04/13. A cure for cancer can't come soon enough.-- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mcsheltie Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 A friend that feeds raw has a great hookup and could get me stuff in bulk for DIRT cheap, but I don't have freezer space (that is, if I want to have anything in the freezer for ME...). She has 9 or 10 dogs (I've lost count <img src="http://forum.greytalk.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/lol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="lol.gif" />) ranging from dachsunds to greyhounds to a german shepherd. All of them eat raw and she said she saves about 50% by feeding raw over the cost of a premium kibble, which she would choose to feed if she weren't feeding raw. Sounds pretty tempting to me, but my dogs do GREAT on the food they're on now. Also I recently purchased some beef liver for my foster who is anemic...wow that is some GROSS stuff! I'm sure I'd get used to it, but...ugh it's icky. I've heard that some people feed kibble but add RMBs as treats, etc. For ppl that do that, what do you give them and how often do you give stuff like that? Mine have had chicken necks before and seemed to enjoy them. Sorry to hijack but I'm betting that info will be of use to the OP as well <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> You can give them RMBs, muscle meat, eggs, veggies, fruit. I wouldn't feed any organ meat with kibble as it has enough fat soluble vitamins to begin with. Just keep the add-ins to 25% and you won't upset the nutrient balance in the kibble. To answer the OP's question. The cost per dog is dependent on a lot of factors (location, buy in bulk, time of year) I keep the costs under $2/lb and it isn't more expensive than kibble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeh2o Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 (edited) We just started out on this journey about a month ago and it is really expensive. I'm used to buying a 40/lb bag of Kirkland kibble every 28 days for $24, so this has been financially painful. I also have a tiny freezer, so buying in bulk is tough, though my raw mentor has offered me space in her freezer. Someone said it was really pricey at the beginning, and I have to agree. I started out with costly pre mixed stuff, but am now expanding out to mixing my own stuff. There is a butcher in the area who grinds beef, turkey, bones and organs into blocks and charges$1.50/lb, all the meat in his shop is natural, no hormones. Also, Whole Foods near me grinds up all their poultry, bones and organs (they do the same separately) with beef, sell it in frozen bricks for $1.50/lb. I like that the meat from both places is very high quality and has no hormones. I then buy veggies, puree them in the food processor and mix them w/ the meat. I also give each dog half a turkey neck and some chicken feet. Hands down the most helpful thing for me has been having a mentor through this. I'm in touch w/her several times a week (even this morning by text!) to ask questions. She has been great at helping me find good deals as well. I don't know that I would feel as confident as i do this early in the game if I weren't for her. She is just an email, text or phone call away. My vet feeds raw, so she has been helpful, too. The butcher shop i mentioned also makes a premixed blend of her recipes, but I cannot afford it regularly for my two. I also have to be careful with Carl's veggies as he is hypothyroid and should not have crucifereous veggies very often. I started Carl on raw because of cholesterol deposits in his skin, supplements were having little effect, so I hoped going raw would help.since I'd read about so many benefits to it. Carl has been fed raw for just over a month and the change to his body has been nothing short of amazing. He went to the vet pre raw in Jan, weighed 70/lbs, I took him back at the beginning of this month for a follow up. I thought for sure he had lost weight as he looks more "ripped"' he hadn't lost a single pound! It has just changed his body, it is as if he "de-puffed". After seeing that, I started Claire on a raw diet, too. She has only been on it for almost 2 weeks and i can see her body changing now, too. Edited March 19, 2011 by seeh2o Quote Sunsands Doodles: Doodles aka Claire, Bella Run Softly: Softy aka Bowie (the Diamond Dog) Missing my beautiful boy Sunsands Carl 2.25.2003 - 4.1.2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 I average around $1 per pound in what I feed. I don't use " mixes" or grinds and I have freezers, so that helps me avoid some of the newbie issues that can make raw feeding pricey. That's not counting the vet savings of having healthier hounds who heal faster than when they were kibble fed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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