Guest BlackandBrindle Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 I stopped feeding raw exclusively over a year ago for money reasons and for time reasons. The pups still get it a few times a week for dinner, but they are on Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream kibble too. When feeding exclusively raw it ranged from $60-$70 per dog/month. What I am feeding now really works and it's half the cost. Don't get me wrong, I love raw and one day my guys will eat raw totally again, but it's cost prohibitive at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlackandBrindle Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 I just want to add this. Feeding raw is great and I don't want to discourage anyone from doing it. The price it will cost depends a lot on where you live and what kind of options you have. I think raw feeding in Phoenix is cheaper than Tucson because it's a much bigger city with a lot more options. Raw feeding when buying in bulk is definitely the way to go. Get things on sale at the grocery, using co-ops, asking friends who hunt, going to slaughterhouses, finding a local butcher, etc.... these things can all keep your costs down. My dogs will be going in for their first dental since I've had them this month. Sadie probably needed a dental even when on raw. It's just the luck of the draw. Vet bills while on raw and while on kibble/raw haven't really had any discernible differences. To do raw the right way, you can't be completely fixated on costs. There will be times that you buy a more expensive item because your dogs need variety. IT will be more expensive in the beginning until you find a niche and scout out the ways you want to get your food. Good luck!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTRAWLD Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 I'm surprised to hear the winning poll for this so far is under $50 per dog/per month. I've always fed kibble because I thought it would be too expensive, time consuming and too inconvienient to do raw. The do well on kibble, but of course I'd always like them to be better. Feeding raw means you know what is going into their system, not the myriad of ingredients on the labels. I would like to read up on this again. I came so close to going raw about 2-3 years ago when we went through Kasey's huge allergy testing. The only butcher we know is nearly an hour away. Any mentors that are currently in my circle are about that far away as well. Which also makes the raw thing more difficult. Quote Proudly owned by:10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 201012.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4My2Greys Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 I stopped feeding raw exclusively over a year ago for money reasons and for time reasons. The pups still get it a few times a week for dinner, but they are on Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream kibble too. When feeding exclusively raw it ranged from $60-$70 per dog/month. What I am feeding now really works and it's half the cost. Don't get me wrong, I love raw and one day my guys will eat raw totally again, but it's cost prohibitive at times. I had to stop feeding raw for the same reason. I was okay with the cost with 3 dogs, but then when Chase joined us and Anna stayed with us while her mom was deployed I just couldn't afford it any more. I was feeding Orijen 6 Fish or Red kibble in the morning and raw at night. When I did a comparison of then two costs, it was actually cheaper to feed Orijen at $75 a bag vs the raw for the same amount of meals. I do want to start adding some raw back into their diets though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyhound9797 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I averaged about $60 per month for one female who weighed 60 pounds. I spent between 60 cents - $1.50 per pound on food but I belonged to a group who bought in bulk directly from a meat distributor and I have a commercial freezer which definitely makes a difference. When whole chickens, bone-in breasts, quarters or pork roasts were on sale at local groceries for anywhere from 49 - 89 cents per pound I always stocked up. Before I started feeding raw I was spending $45 on kibble which lasted about 5 weeks so the cost of raw wasn't a significant difference to me. The peace of mind of knowing exactly what Piper was eating and knowing where the food came from made up the monetary difference in my mind. Sandra in FL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyhound9797 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I'm surprised to hear the winning poll for this so far is under $50 per dog/per month. I've always fed kibble because I thought it would be too expensive, time consuming and too inconvienient to do raw. The do well on kibble, but of course I'd always like them to be better. Feeding raw means you know what is going into their system, not the myriad of ingredients on the labels. I would like to read up on this again. I came so close to going raw about 2-3 years ago when we went through Kasey's huge allergy testing. The only butcher we know is nearly an hour away. Any mentors that are currently in my circle are about that far away as well. Which also makes the raw thing more difficult. Like someone said, your location, size of your hounds, their activity level and whether you are able to buy in bulk or not have a huge effect on the cost. I see that you're close to Mississauga which I'm assuming is the area of your closest butcher? If you have a freezer or are able to buy one you'll find that the drive is well worth the savings. I drove 45 minutes one way to meet my distributor every 2-3 months but also stocked up during grocery store sales. So, depending on how much you are currently spending on kibble per month, you may see a significant increase or a small one, but "Feeding raw means you know what is going into their system, not the myriad of ingredients on the labels." gives a lot of peace of mind. You do need to spend a bit more time preparing meals if you buy in bulk but it's not a lot. All of my food was frozen when I got it so if I was planning several days worth of meals I would let it thaw in the utility sink until I could pry it apart enough to put in smaller portions. Really, that's all that needs to be done. I would spend maybe 10 minutes a week so it wasn't time consuming or inconvenient to me at all. Your mentor doesn't need to be in your local area; I've mentored several people across the country. Emails and phone calls work perfectly fine for this. Feel free to send me a message with your questions! If you haven't already read the raw feeding basics thread I started here it is - http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/242512-raw-feeding-basics/. It's a great place to start and with time, you'll wonder why you didn't feed raw sooner! Sandra in FL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KennelMom Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 (edited) About $1.50/day/dog. We buy in bulk. Obviously Edited March 21, 2011 by KennelMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTRAWLD Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 (edited) Thank you Sandra....I'm revisiting this. My calculation is one bag of high quality kibble (due to Kasey's allergies) is $69 for 35 lbs. We go through two bags in six weeks roughly = (70 lbs kibble for $138 for 6 weeks). Reduce that to 4 weeks and the monthly calculation is $92 a month (at best) for 2 dogs!! UGH, when I type that out I'm nearly disgusted. Actually our "local" butcher is in Brookville and we are on pretty good terms with them - but we've never done a "raw" agreement. I'll have to get a list of things to ask, etc and see if what he has is even available. We used to live in Halton region so that butcher was close to home at the time. However, I work in Mississauga, so....I'll do some more research, and let you guys know how we fare! We do have a freezer we could stock. I was thinking, the time to get it all together might be just upon pickup of the meat....separate everything out for their daily feedings ahead of time before freezing, and then we are good to go. Thank you for the encouragement. Here I go to continue on my quest.... OH MY and I totally forgot to add, I'm about 5 minute drive away (at work) to Maple Lodge Farms...... Edited March 21, 2011 by XTRAWLD Quote Proudly owned by:10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 201012.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I second that you don't need a mentor who is local. I never really had a go to person, just experienced folks willing to share by email and in discussion lists. I have done the co-op thing, but I've also had periods (as now) where everything is sourced from the grocery store sales. I stock up when things are on sale and load up the freezers. when things are limit of one at a sale price, I recruit my mom my grandmom. Both of them also keep an eye out for sales and mark downs and will call me or pick things up. Friends know to give me things that are freezer burned instead of throwing it put. I get pretty good deals, though food coats have risen in the last 18 months. Then again, so has kibble. I can't see ever going back to anything else. As my hounds have aged, the raw has made a big difference in their health and condition. If it got more expensive, I would just find something I love less than my dogs and cut back there. Just last week I got some beef heart for .69/#. - haven't seen it that low in a while, so I grabbed it. I find I can feed a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTRAWLD Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Sorry to add to this thread (I totally feel like I'm hijacking it I"M SORRY) Kasey is allergic to chicken, but I heard feeding him raw chicken isn't the same as the chicken found in kibble. Can I truly have raw chicken in his diet without him going crazy with allergies or do I still have to avoid that meat? Quote Proudly owned by:10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 201012.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Sorry to add to this thread (I totally feel like I'm hijacking it I"M SORRY) Kasey is allergic to chicken, but I heard feeding him raw chicken isn't the same as the chicken found in kibble. Can I truly have raw chicken in his diet without him going crazy with allergies or do I still have to avoid that meat? You may be able to feed him raw chicken without having an issue. The only way to know for sure is to try. I know threw dogs locally who tested allergic to chicken on expensive allergy tests, reacted when fed chicken kibble, but has no reaction to raw chicken. I only know of one dog who was equally reactive to raw chicken. The other important consideration is to steer clear of chicken enhanced with a salt broth, to which many dogs and people react. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest quietstorm Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Sorry to add to this thread (I totally feel like I'm hijacking it I"M SORRY) Kasey is allergic to chicken, but I heard feeding him raw chicken isn't the same as the chicken found in kibble. Can I truly have raw chicken in his diet without him going crazy with allergies or do I still have to avoid that meat? LOL - would you email me already!! I didn't know you were revisiting the idea! I can give you the sources and help you out - we always aim for $1/lb and I spend under $150/month feeding 4 dogs totalling 260lbs! (except of course when I forget to thaw food and then it costs me $12 to go to the grocery store and get their dinner) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WhiteWave Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I chose 25-50, but it varies. During deer season, probably less than 25, but during the spring/summer months probably around 35-40. We buy from a butcher. We feed a lot of venison for 10cent/lb during deer season. Also Fresh beef heart, liver, spleen, pork necks. Get chicken quarters in 40lb cases from local store. Turkey only during the holidays when on sale and we buy whole birds. It is cheaper than kibble for me b/c dogs allergies are better, overall health is better, teeth are sparkling white and even my 14 yr old dog didn't need a dental, and when I pick up poop for 11 dogs, it is sooooo much nicer than kibble poop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTRAWLD Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 LOL Pauline. I was planning to tonight after researching LOL! Quote Proudly owned by:10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 201012.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Kasey is allergic to chicken, but I heard feeding him raw chicken isn't the same as the chicken found in kibble. Can I truly have raw chicken in his diet without him going crazy with allergies or do I still have to avoid that meat? If he's genuinely allergic to chicken, he'll be allergic to it in all its forms. The way molecules and allergies work in the body, it isn't possible for him to be allergic to chicken when it's in kibble but not allergic to cooked chicken, raw chicken, dehydrated chicken ..... But, if he's simply reacted badly to chicken kibbles, he could well be allergic or intolerant to something else in them. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlackandBrindle Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Kasey is allergic to chicken, but I heard feeding him raw chicken isn't the same as the chicken found in kibble. Can I truly have raw chicken in his diet without him going crazy with allergies or do I still have to avoid that meat? If he's genuinely allergic to chicken, he'll be allergic to it in all its forms. The way molecules and allergies work in the body, it isn't possible for him to be allergic to chicken when it's in kibble but not allergic to cooked chicken, raw chicken, dehydrated chicken ..... But, if he's simply reacted badly to chicken kibbles, he could well be allergic or intolerant to something else in them. :nod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeh2o Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I joined the NaturallyGrey Yahoo group, lots of good information there as well as here on GT. I hooked up w/my mentor in roundabout way. She had been one of the people who helped search for Sophie last Jan, she was actually the one who was driving her car the wrong way down a busy street to protect Sophie the night she was caught! Anyway, we'd heard of one another, but never actually met as our hours searching didn't overlap until that night (and I was looking for her up in the hills). Anyway, I joined NaturallyGrey and "met" her there. She has been a Godsend for us! I was lucky enough to get to meet her a few weeks ago at a local meat outlet that she turned me onto. 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 greyhound9797 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Thank you Sandra....I'm revisiting this. Your dogs will thank you for it. When you see what I call "the dinner dance" you will be so encouraged! My calculation is one bag of high quality kibble (due to Kasey's allergies) is $69 for 35 lbs. We go through two bags in six weeks roughly = (70 lbs kibble for $138 for 6 weeks). Reduce that to 4 weeks and the monthly calculation is $92 a month (at best) for 2 dogs!! UGH, when I type that out I'm nearly disgusted. Holy moly, that's a lotta dough! Don't be disgusted, though, just be proactive. You're revisiting raw which is great. The next step is actually feeding raw which you'll do when you have researched your options and replied to the person who lives near you who averages $1 per pound (excellent!!). We all start out somewhere. Actually our "local" butcher is in Brookville and we are on pretty good terms with them - but we've never done a "raw" agreement. I'll have to get a list of things to ask, etc and see if what he has is even available. We used to live in Halton region so that butcher was close to home at the time. However, I work in Mississauga, so....I'll do some more research, and let you guys know how we fare! We do have a freezer we could stock. I was thinking, the time to get it all together might be just upon pickup of the meat....separate everything out for their daily feedings ahead of time before freezing, and then we are good to go. I never used a butcher; well, I did visit the Greek community in Tarpon Springs and bought an entire pigs head. Some people get great deals from butcher shops as opposed to grocery stores, especially if you are already a customer of theirs. But be prepared for the butcher to tell you that you'll be killing your dogs by feeding raw. Several people have heard this from their butchers so others have learned just to keep the reason they're buying certain foods to themselves. If he tells you that or gives you any issues about what you're buying simply tell him that you can go someplace else or you can buy from him. Thank you for the encouragement. Here I go to continue on my quest.... Don't mention it. I'm always game to encourage people to feed raw. Good luck and return to the forum to let us know how you and your hounds are doing! Sandra in FL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Don't mention it. I'm always game to encourage people to feed raw. Good luck and return to the forum to let us know how you and your hounds are doing! Sandra in FL And please feel free to ask more questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTRAWLD Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 (edited) My head is spinning! Will let you know how it all works out. I emailed about raw before going to bed, and I actually dreamed about it all night....YUCK LOL Edited March 22, 2011 by XTRAWLD Quote Proudly owned by:10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 201012.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I'm curious since this thread is going again if there really are 4 people who pay over $90/mo to feed a single dog or if those were mistakes (people who were answering what they pay for more than one dog a month)? I'm totally just curious. If I were rich, I'd source all of my meat for Zuri from local farms and probably have no problem spending that much per month, I'm just not rich. 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...
seeh2o Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I'm curious since this thread is going again if there really are 4 people who pay over $90/mo to feed a single dog or if those were mistakes (people who were answering what they pay for more than one dog a month)? I'm totally just curious. If I were rich, I'd source all of my meat for Zuri from local farms and probably have no problem spending that much per month, I'm just not rich. Well, I think I'm spending almost that amount, $81 for one dog. Carl weighs 70/lbs, he gets 1.8/lbs per day x $1.50 per lb x 30 days = $81 (or is it $75+)...feel free to double check my math...I'm not so hot at it! Claire weighs 62/lbs and it's about $69.75 for her for 30 days. That does not include veggies that I mix in, turkey necks, duck necks, etc. to supplement. I was paying about $25 every 28 days for a 40/lb bag of Kirkland kibble. This is very $alty, but I am going to do it as long as I can afford it. 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 greyhound9797 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) I'm curious since this thread is going again if there really are 4 people who pay over $90/mo to feed a single dog or if those were mistakes (people who were answering what they pay for more than one dog a month)? I'm totally just curious. If I were rich, I'd source all of my meat for Zuri from local farms and probably have no problem spending that much per month, I'm just not rich. I voted in the $50-$70 range for one small female grey and I'm not rich! I was feeding about 1.5 pounds per day averaging $1.25 per pound which comes out to $2.19 per day or $65.63 per month. I just did an experiment for a 90 pound male getting 2.5% of his body weight in food (2.25 pounds per day) at $1.25 per pound and it comes out to $84.38 so technically, yes, someone COULD be spending $90+ per month for one dog. Again, it has to do with your location, how much you average per pound, the size of your grey and how much food s/he eats per day. As I said, I'm not rich but Piper ate better than my husband and I do. Some people (mainly my friends who don't "get" feeding raw and feed IAMS and other grocery store pet food) think that's terrible but this is the choice I have made for my pets. When you think about it, we choose what we spend more money on and some of those things are necessities and some aren't. Consider Pampers vs cloth diapers (I understand the convenience factor but Pampers are not a necessity), shopping at Lord & Taylor vs Target, eating at an expensive steak house vs Outback, driving a Mercedes vs a Hyundai. Yes, some of them are status symbols, some are simply because if we can afford the more expensive option why not take it but mainly it's a matter of choice (at least in my opinion). I choose to spend good money on keeping my pets as healthy as possible and cut back on other things that are not as important to me. Sandra in FL Edited March 23, 2011 by greyhound9797 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KennelMom Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Kasey is allergic to chicken, but I heard feeding him raw chicken isn't the same as the chicken found in kibble. Can I truly have raw chicken in his diet without him going crazy with allergies or do I still have to avoid that meat? If he's genuinely allergic to chicken, he'll be allergic to it in all its forms. The way molecules and allergies work in the body, it isn't possible for him to be allergic to chicken when it's in kibble but not allergic to cooked chicken, raw chicken, dehydrated chicken ..... But, if he's simply reacted badly to chicken kibbles, he could well be allergic or intolerant to something else in them. True, however if the allergy is secondary to a gut permeability issue, healing that will improve digestion and he may be able to tolerate chicken. I think he's more likely allergic to some other ingredient in kibbles than chicken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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