# Estimated Monthly Cost to Raw Feeding



## trewqwert (Apr 17, 2017)

I've been interested in raw feeding for my 75lb 11 month old GSD. He's become a lot pickier recently and it has become really difficult to entice him to eat his kibble, even after adding plain-cooked meat to his meals.

I used the feeding calculator on the Big Country Raw website and it estimated that the monthly cost would be approximately $105CAD. Is this accurate? Would it be cheaper for DIY raw feeding instead of pre-portioned? 

How much does it cost to feed your dogs? It would be really helpful to include your dog's weight as well. Thanks!


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## RockyK9 (Dec 9, 2014)

trewqwert said:


> I've been interested in raw feeding for my 75lb 11 month old GSD. He's become a lot pickier recently and it has become really difficult to entice him to eat his kibble, even after adding plain-cooked meat to his meals.
> 
> I used the feeding calculator on the Big Country Raw website and it estimated that the monthly cost would be approximately $105CAD. Is this accurate? Would it be cheaper for DIY raw feeding instead of pre-portioned?
> 
> How much does it cost to feed your dogs? It would be really helpful to include your dog's weight as well. Thanks!


 Hi!
I also use BCR food for my Male. He is currently 95# . I feed him about 2 lbs per day but it costs me about $200 monthly. You could do it on your own but way less convenient .


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## TayciBear (Mar 26, 2017)

I feed my 10 year old 110 lb Lab and my 9 week GSD (whose parents are 100-120 lbs) and it costs me about $112 total. I buy all the meat myself and its time consuming, but not that much. I make dinner every night anyway. I get bone-in chicken breasts for about 87 cents/lb and I try not to pay more than $1.99 per lb for anything. I can get leg quarters for 59 cents/lb too. I also called my local butcher shops and they got me in touch with someplace that processes meat. He will fill up a black plastic tote for $10 including green tripe.

If you go with premade you'll be paying a crazy amount. I'm not willing to pay more than $60 a month per dog so I do it myself.


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

The variables are endless and not easy to estimate. There are some here that are probably only paying about a $1 (US)per day to feed their dog. Others like me are paying a lot more. I have paid as much as $350/mo and as little as $60/mo for my 73 lb. 4 year old.

You will pay much more if you go with any sort of premix like Sojos or The Honest Kitchen.
Super premium prices for many of the dehydrated or freeze dried commercial raw products like Stella & Chewy, Primal, Natures Variety Instict, etc.
Then you have commercial grinds available from places like My Pet Carnivoir, Raw Paws and the like that vary greatly in price depending on the protein, where it is sourced, quality (grass fed, organic, etc)
Then you have the do it yourself option. Again, availability and source of the protein, type of meat (organic grass fed vs super market vs butcher vs co-op) vary greatly in cost. 
Just to really complicate things- if your dog has any food sensitivities or allergies that limit protein types to those that are pricey like beef, lamb or exotics then it gets really pricey.
If you are lucky enough to not have any food issues and can feed primarily chicken, pork and less expensive proteins then you can most likely come out somewhere around $1-3/day (US) depending on the calorie needs of your dog if you use the do it yourself method or some pregrind mixes.


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## Mesonoxian (Apr 5, 2012)

My 30lb keeshond gets a homemade/DIY raw diet, we feed about 1lb/day and it costs us roughly $300/year.

The cost of feeding raw varies greatly depending on the "style" of raw you choose, as well as suppliers/co-ops/other resources you may have, and even location. My raw budget has gone down since I started feeding raw 3 years ago, and much of that is because I've gotten more connected with the "raw network" in my area, and have built relationships with people (hunters, meat processors) who now know to save me their extra stuff!


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## trewqwert (Apr 17, 2017)

I've heard about how some raw feeders are lucky enough to have connections with butchers and suppliers for cheaper prices. That would definitely be helpful in decreasing the cost. And it's true how the cost does vary by region.


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## trewqwert (Apr 17, 2017)

Mesonoxian said:


> My 30lb keeshond gets a homemade/DIY raw diet, we feed about 1lb/day and it costs us roughly $300/year.


Wow, that is great budget


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## NerdicEclipse (Feb 20, 2017)

Mesonoxian said:


> My 30lb keeshond gets a homemade/DIY raw diet, we feed about 1lb/day and it costs us roughly $300/year.
> 
> The cost of feeding raw varies greatly depending on the "style" of raw you choose, as well as suppliers/co-ops/other resources you may have, and even location. My raw budget has gone down since I started feeding raw 3 years ago, and much of that is because I've gotten more connected with the "raw network" in my area, and have built relationships with people (hunters, meat processors) who now know to save me their extra stuff!


This. When I started out feeding Minka raw a while back it was a little pricy. Didn't really know what I was doing or how/where to shop. DIY is a lot cheaper than the prepared stuff. Honestly that stuff is outlandishly priced for literally no good reason at all. They mark it up just because... Well, they can. You'd think they were sending your dog filet mignon or something. Right now Minka costs about 85 cents a day to feed. It's miles better for her than kibble, on par and probably better than pre made stuff and cheaper than either by far. As you go, you kind of learn where to shop and where the deals are. They don't care (nor do their bodies) if you give them prime cuts of meat or "trash" meat that butchers throw away. From what I've read and seen while studying up on the topic it seems a lot of people have a serious problem with anthropomorphizing their dogs. Thinking that they need things they really don't, and shouldn't have things that are perfectly fine. They can't separate what we like and we eat from what a dog needs or likes.

Looking at some of the pre-prepared stuff you can buy and order I just don't think I could ever justify it. The prices are insane and they offer literally nothing above what you can get for a dollar per day per dog (or near it) in almost any region with almost any kind of grocery store. DIY is more trouble... There's a lot of prep, a lot of smelly stuff and it's time consuming but for us that makes more sense than basically spending a car payment per month on the same stuff that someone else pressed into a patty :laugh2: Plus the dogs seem to like it better too. They like having the bones to crunch, and it actually seems to calm them down and give them a form of exercise to eat their meals.


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