# Where to shop?



## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

So we've finally made the plunge from grain-free kibble w/ partial raw to an all raw diet.

I know what to feed on a raw diet, the approximate ratios of RMBs to OM to MM and all that, and that variety is important. We've got a good source for chicken 1/4s and for ground beef mix (mostly ground MM, with some fat and liver) that we're starting with but I know we've got to expand beyond that.

So my question is, where do people typically find a lot of the different cuts and varieties? Grocery stores? Ethinic markets? Butcher shops? Local raw co-ops?
I'm just not sure where's the best place to start going about finding places to buy beef and pork heart, chicken and turkey necks, tripe, kidney, etc... Also lamb, fish, venison, duck and other more unusual meats like rabbit, ostrich, goat, and whatever else we can find at less than grocery store prices (on the rare occasion we can even find unusual stuff at our local grocery stores). 

Figured I'd ask here before I start randomly calling butchers and grocery stores out of the yellow pages.


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

find the companies that supply the markets, restaurants and butchers. buying wholesale will be cheaper for you.


----------



## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

I get stuff from the grocery store... I mean, the butchers around here don't even care things such a necks and hearts! I just check the sale ads and buy what I can. Of course, that's mostly been chicken lately which has been alright since Jerzey has just started raw. Luckily, I found some ground beef super cheap and was able to add a bit of that to her chicken quarters and will start that transition this week. Then, who knows...! I would recommend, however, trying to buy wholesale as doggiedad said... grocery stores don't always have good deals and you'll have to make stops much more often to get good deals.


----------



## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

We are lucky. We have someone in the area that feeds full raw and is a supplier and supports finding other outlets. tripe and marrow bones.

WWe pick up fish at the various stores, big bags. Plus chiken quarters!

We have a new supplier in the area that does not feed raw that is getting into it from a business side. They are a bite more expensive than the 1st

I like the 1st one.  She practices what she preaches.


----------



## ahlamarana (Sep 22, 2008)

I get a lot of dog food from various custom butcher shops. There are not a lot of raw feeders here, so these guys just throw away stuff like hearts, livers, and bones. I stopped into a new shop a couple of weeks ago and asked if I could get some neck and rib bones, in just a couple of weeks time they saved 100 lbs of pork bones for me and gave it to me free.

Hunters are great people to get carcasses from- most people just breast out game birds and throw the rest away, and during deer season I am able to get around 20 deer carcasses. Now that snow goose season is on, I plan to fill every available space in my freezer with them. 

Another good place is Freecycle, post that you want freezer burned meat. People clean out their freezers all the time and just throw the stuff away. Last fall I cleaned out a guy's freezer for him and got all kinds of steaks and roasts, things that I would never buy for the dogs.


----------



## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

We get ours from a meat distributor, for the most part (and yes, I found it by searching the yahoo yellow pages...and it is only 15 min away!). We don't have a lot of local farmers around here, but we did find one that sells emu meat. I also find some things at ethnic markets that I can't get at the distributor. 

I also make sure to check the meat isle every time I go into a grocery store, even if I don't actually need meat. You never know what sales you might stumble upon. I'd check weekly ads for the grocery stores too.


----------



## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

Most of what I buy I get from the grocery store. It can be more expensive that way but it's not quite as bad when you only have 1 medium-sized dog. I have gotten venison from a friend (thanks, Ruq). I also knew of two natural food stores in Montana where I was able to pick up ground buffalo for half what it sold for in the grocery stores as well as some ground emu (though I only gave that once as a special treat).

You can also check the farmer's market. I didn't have much luck at the one in Montana as far as meat went. But I plan on checking the ones around here come summer.


----------



## gsdlove212 (Feb 3, 2006)

I usually buy from the local meat market., occasionally from the grocery store. This year I got lucky....the lease my husband maintains was starting a management program on the deer there. They had to cull 75 deer. I think we took 12 or 13 LOL. I have actually had some success with freecycle. I posted a wanted add for meat. Telling people that I would take any "parts" they were not going to be using when they process deer or cows. I also told them I would take their older slightly freezer burnt stuff if they were cleaning out the freezer for the new year. You would be suprised at the stuff we got. We also have access to fresh fish (aka catch your own LOL).


----------



## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

Wow! I never would have thought about freecycle... maybe I should post.


----------



## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

You too huh Chris! lol Though I still will have kibble on hand for those days I forget to lay something out.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1010840

Lauri put the link down for purveyor list. I subscribed on the 19th, says 7 to 10 days for the information, still haven't pulled the $ from my acct to pay for the membership yet.


----------



## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Small town grocery stores (Vs. the bigger chains) seem far more willing to work with me. They will order the cases of meat and I can get just about anything through them. Your other option, IF you have the storage space, is to go right down to the Eastern Market and buy directly from the packing companies. If you buy enough then you wouldn't have to make the trip all that often. 

Tripe I order from one of the raw food distributors like Taylor Pond Farms. Actually a friend orders it for me when she gets her supplies.


----------



## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

I saw their site, I wish they came my way!!


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I like http://www.aplaceforpaws.com for tripe. I go to a local processor that grinds beef heart /tongue for dog [email protected] $1 a#. Another meat store makes a pork [email protected] cents#. I get my turkey necks from an inner city grocery, they order me cases cheaper than my local grocer does for the exact same thing. I am searching for more variety as Onyx has chicken sensitivity, so might go with Taylor pond farms, prices seem high though when you go thru companies that cater to us RAWers.


----------



## Nerrej (Jun 23, 2008)

Cris, is there a china town near by? I work near one and they have all of the things that most places wouldn't have. Hearts, kidneys, etc

So yah ethnic markets are a good choice. Urban grocers are good too. they have gizzards, necks, butts, etc.


----------



## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

I called around and have found the best prices from a local butcher, much cheaper than the grocery store. I buy in bulk and process it myself.



> Originally Posted By: Chris WildI know what to feed on a raw diet, the approximate ratios of RMBs to OM to MM and all that, and that variety is important. We've got a good source for chicken 1/4s and for ground beef mix. . that we're starting with but I know we've got to expand beyond that.


When I first started I found certain foods that I could afford and that the dogs liked and digested well and I didn't want to continue to spend the extra time and money on variety for pure varieties sake.

That's when I learned that you can achieve good nutrition without offering a large variety of foods. You just need to know what's in what you are feeding and supplement the difference. 

This approach works well for food allergy, SIBO and/or IBD dogs too because they often do best with fewer ingredients/changes.


----------

