# Cost of Raw Feeding



## DHau (Feb 24, 2007)

My dog has been on two different premium grain-free foods due to allergies and I have seen no improvement with her scratching on either diet. My options now are to continue testing for allergies or go raw. Before I continue with this idea, my girl is allergic to chicken, pork and lamb. So that leaves me with venison, beef, fish and turkey.

I was wondering if raw is cheaper than kibble on a monthly basis? I am currently spending $45 a month on kibble. I prefer the kibble due to convenience and storage. I don't know anything about this type of diet and was wondering if there was something on the market that's already prepackaged?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I keep my food costs to less than a dollar a pound or less/feeding 2# a day, with supplements it runs at least $15 a week to feed one dog. The green tripe is most expensive as far as the ground mix goes for me. I was lucky to get it recently for $1.30# without paying shipping.
Pre-packaged or premade RAW is much more expensive, IMO, and because you cannot feed chicken I think the price for you would be alot more than what I am paying(I feed alot of chicken)


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

I had a dog with allergies and couldn't eat chicken. That made raw feeding pretty expensive for him after I couldn't find meat under $2 a pound. I've heard that different parts of the country have much lower meat prices than I do. Maybe you're lucky.


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

It depends on your area and your resources. I know a raw-feeder who can get venison for free and feeds her guys a mostly venny diet through the winter. There are also raw co-ops in some areas where you can get food for cheaper though you generally have to have the freezer space to buy in bulk. You can also get good deals through some butchers. If you shop in grocery stores (like I do), it can be more expensive.

I aim to get food for around $1/lb but it's been pretty tough since I moved to CT. I can rarely find red meat for less than $2/lb and it's usually much more than that. If I manage to find pork ribs or beef muscle meat for $1.99/lb I stock up! It's even hard to find chicken quarters (one of the cheapest raw meaty bone sources) for less than $0.69/lb. Risa seems to be doing better with more red meat sources than white meat so things are getting a bit more pricey for me as of late. Fortunately, she only eats between 1-1.5 lbs a day.


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## djpohn (Jun 27, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: DHauMy dog has been on two different premium grain-free foods due to allergies and I have seen no improvement with her scratching on either diet. My options now are to continue testing for allergies or go raw. Before I continue with this idea, my girl is allergic to chicken, pork and lamb. So that leaves me with venison, beef, fish and turkey.


How do you know she is allergic to these protein? Was she allergy tested or are you just basing it on her itching eating kibble with them as ingredients?

Most allergies are due to environmental issues and feeding a species appropriate diet will help, but won't solve your problems. Also an imbalance in omega 3 & 6's and lack of essential oils can add to the scratching. (some one posted a link to information on this recently) Have you tried allergy medication to see if this helps? I was recently reading where using an allergy med like tavist combined with omega 3's (dha) will help stop the skin irritation, but you have to give both together. You also have to have a source of vitamin e and I also add vitamin D to my dogs diet, since they really don't have access to that much, just what they absorb from the sun.



> Quote:I was wondering if raw is cheaper than kibble on a monthly basis? I am currently spending $45 a month on kibble. I prefer the kibble due to convenience and storage. I don't know anything about this type of diet and was wondering if there was something on the market that's already prepackaged?


Which grain free have you tried? It is possible that her issue is with some of the other ingredients in the food. Just feeding one dog, it may be possible for you to put together a raw diet. I feed multiple dogs and pups(fosters) raw so I seem to spend a ton each month, but I try to keep my overall costs around $1.00 per pound on what I feed so I probably spend around $40.00 per month per dog. I feed more expensive meats, fish and tripe and very little chicken and turkey since one of my dogs is allergic (had the tests done). I prefer to spend more on food and less at the vet.

I had a rescue dog that had the allergy tests run and we put him on a round of shots. He did very well and didn't have a problem once the series was over. Occasional seasonal itching was easily handled with an antihistamine. You also might want to consider homeopathy to help your dog. It can help the body heal itself. I have had really good results skin and other issues.


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## harlanr3 (Sep 10, 2008)

you could also feed duck,Rabbit,Goat.I think the pre made is pretty spendy


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

Here in VA I've been able to find turkey necks and legs, good RMBs, for under $2/lb. Ground beef, which could be used as your MM, is generally around $2/lb.

You could feed canned fish, such as canned mackerel, to your pup which would be much cheaper than fresh fish. Jerzey absolutely loves this stuff! I do, however, tend to rinse it off to get some of the sodium off of it. 

The woman I dog sit for buys a deer from a local hunter and has it processed (ground) and packaged and feeds it to her dog throughout the year. I don't know how much that costs, but I can guarantee its cheaper than any venison you'll buy in the store!

As for liver, which you'll want to do beef, I feel like it's around $4 a lb but you feed such small amounts of it daily you almost forget that it's a bit expensive.









I have to buy everything from the grocery store, so my stuff is a bit more expensive than many other people buy it for. You could always do raw once a day, or just a few times a week in order to get some of the benefits while keeping the cost down. That's what I do. Jerzey gets kibble for breakfast and raw for dinner. See if you can find a raw co-op, as mentioned, or see if there is a butcher around willing to sell you anything for cheap.

The nice thing about turkey, though, is that after thanksgiving you'll be able to buy it for CHEAP! If you have an addition freezer you could stock up and use that throughout the year.









If possible, you'll DEFINITELY want to invest in an additional freezer! Since you aren't able to feed the cheapest meat, chicken, when you find things on sale you will want to _stock up!_ so a freezer would be extremely beneficial (freecycle? craigslist? yard sale?) Look through the ads online for your local grocery stores is nice too. Then you can known what place has the best deal and just swing in and get what's on sale, rather than dropping by every week to see if they have something worthwhile to buy for the pup.


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## Woodreb (Oct 27, 2008)

Jaime,

Keep an eye on prices at A&P or Shoprite. A&P just had a beef roast sale for $1.49/lb. We stocked up on this to grind for hamburger meat (I don't do raw for the dogs since they do OK on grain free kibble). Shoprite had a sale on chicken quarters a few weeks ago for $0.49/lb. Lately, I've found that those 2 stores seems to have the best meat sale prices.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Grimm was itchy even on grain-free kibble. That's a big reason why I switched him to raw, too. 

You can do raw with the meats you listed! Venison, beef, fish, turkey.. and rabbit, too, perhaps. 

Guess what? I thought Grimm was allergic to chicken. He scratch constantly on chicken-based foods! But, know what? In raw, we add Omega-3's to balance out all the agri-farmed foods Omega 6's. So, with the addition of the right amount of fish oil capsules, Grimm can now easily eat chicken for his RMBs! This makes raw feeding cheaper. He must have a different meat for his muscle meat, because chicken for his bone pieces, and chicken for his meat pieces, would be too much chicken. But, he CAN eat chicken for his bone pieces now! This is if I add enough fish oil caps to balance out the omegas, as this keeps inflammation DOWN. I never, ever thought I could feed Mr. Itchy chicken LOL! But, I can-- just as the bones.

If you want to do premade raw, it will not be quite as cheap. I began with premade-- what a great experience that was! I saw results really soon, too!

I am now doing DIY raw, and it is cheaper than Orijen.. when I add in the supllements, I guess it costs about the same-- but NO MORE ITCHY SKIN/HOTSPOT VET VISITS!

Two possibilities to think of:

1. Buy some frozen chubs of premade raw, that have turkey, fish, venison, rabbit or beef as the main meat, and try it. (be patient.. this is a big dietary change, so loose poops for a few days can be totally normal, although premade raw didn't cause this with Grimm)

or

2. You can begin by trying a very TINY chunk of a turkey neck, maybe the size of your thumb, with a correct amount (Lauri's site is best for details!) turkey MM. The advantage: No chicken, just turkey. The disadvantage: turkey is a harder bone to begin raw with, the animals are older, bones tougher... I started with turkey, and Grimm sometimes vomited a chunk of bone up the next morning. This can be typical when they first learn to digest bones though-- their bodies DO get the hang of it, it is natural for them. be patient.









3. Take a deep breath now.... start with chicken. Yes, I know-- but Grimm was reacting terribly to chicken-based foods, too. This is just for 2 weeks: chicken as the MM, chicken as the RMB. No OM yet. After 2 weeks, you can use turkey as the MM every other meal for a few meals, then keep to turkey as the MM. Let chicken remain the RMB, since it is so easy on the tummy. After another week with turkey as the MM, switch the MM to beef every other meal for a few meals.. then keep beef as the MM. Once you have done this, you now can have beef, turkey, or chicken in your dog's diet anytime you want. Add OM to the diet... it can be from beef, turkey or chicken. Liver is good, freeze it in teeny chunks the size of your thumbnail.







Big hint: To start with chicken, get him used to fish oil capsules a week or two BEFORE you start the diet, while he is still on his usual kibble.

Sending good vibes to you and your dog! Raw can be cheap, easy, and FUN... the best is no more hot spots and itchies.. finally!


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: WoodrebKeep an eye on prices at A&P or Shoprite.


Thanks for the head's up! I'm not sure where the closest A & P is but I know I get their ad weekly. And I do all my weekly shopping at Shoprite since they have a great selection of weird stuff (hearts, livers, kidneys, chicky feet, etc.) as well as decent prices on food. I must have missed the chicky quarter sale but I know I just recently bought 10 lbs of 'em for $0.59/lb courtesy of my mom so I probably wasn't paying attention.


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## DHau (Feb 24, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: DHauMy dog has been on two different premium grain-free foods due to allergies and I have seen no improvement with her scratching on either diet. My options now are to continue testing for allergies or go raw. Before I continue with this idea, my girl is allergic to chicken, pork and lamb. So that leaves me with venison, beef, fish and turkey.


How do you know she is allergic to these protein? Was she allergy tested or are you just basing it on her itching eating kibble with them as ingredients?

<span style="color: #FF0000">I had her tested by our vet but it was proteins only.</span>

Most allergies are due to environmental issues and feeding a species appropriate diet will help, but won't solve your problems. Also an imbalance in omega 3 & 6's and lack of essential oils can add to the scratching. (some one posted a link to information on this recently) Have you tried allergy medication to see if this helps? I was recently reading where using an allergy med like tavist combined with omega 3's (dha) will help stop the skin irritation, but you have to give both together. You also have to have a source of vitamin e and I also add vitamin D to my dogs diet, since they really don't have access to that much, just what they absorb from the sun.

<span style="color: #FF0000"> Haven't gone that far yet. I am still considering more testing to rule other ingredients out.</span> 



> Quote:I was wondering if raw is cheaper than kibble on a monthly basis? I am currently spending $45 a month on kibble. I prefer the kibble due to convenience and storage. I don't know anything about this type of diet and was wondering if there was something on the market that's already prepackaged?


Which grain free have you tried? It is possible that her issue is with some of the other ingredients in the food. Just feeding one dog, it may be possible for you to put together a raw diet. I feed multiple dogs and pups(fosters) raw so I seem to spend a ton each month, but I try to keep my overall costs around $1.00 per pound on what I feed so I probably spend around $40.00 per month per dog. I feed more expensive meats, fish and tripe and very little chicken and turkey since one of my dogs is allergic (had the tests done). I prefer to spend more on food and less at the vet.

<span style="color: #FF0000">She has been on Natural Balance Sweet Potatoe and Duck and Orijen 6 Fish. I returned to the NB because other issues came up that I believe are food related. </span> 

I had a rescue dog that had the allergy tests run and we put him on a round of shots. He did very well and didn't have a problem once the series was over. Occasional seasonal itching was easily handled with an antihistamine. You also might want to consider homeopathy to help your dog. It can help the body heal itself. I have had really good results skin and other issues. [/quote]

<span style="color: #FF0000"> I took her to the vet's regarding the scratching and she was given a steroid shot which didn't make a difference. The vet thought since it was springtime the outdoor pollen may be the cause. </span>


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

It took less than 2 weeks on raw-- and CHICKEN, his sworn arch-enemy!-- to see Grimm finally STOP SCRATCHING and biting at himself! 

Note: You do need to start the fish oil caps first, so she is used to them in advance.

'Nother note: Don't be scared-- Grimm's coat fell out in a big dramatic, pain-in-the-butt shed after we started raw! He lost tons of coat! Then it all grew in..... darker, softer, thicker, SHINY-- and *for the first time in his life, itch-free.*


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: DHauMy dog has been on two different premium grain-free foods due to allergies and I have seen no improvement with her scratching on either diet.


The food many have been grain free but I would be willing to bet money that they were not CARB free - potatoes and such.

Dogs don't digest carbs like humans do. Their bodies are not designed to process carbs. They don't NEED carbs.

If you look at the Changes after being switched to raw post you will see my story about Sparks. He had been allergy tested and was positive for almost everything - INCLUDING chicken. And yet when I switched him to raw chicken he improved greatly.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Yeah Lauri, I couldn't believe my Grimm does well on raw CHICKEN. No more itching! I was stunned. 

The grain-free kibbles have, as Lauri mentions, potatoes-- this starch helps hold the kibble together, but sends glucose spiking, and potatoes can contribute to inflammation. (not true of sweet potatoes which can reduce inflammation, but a dog can have a sensitivity to either of these ingredients) Add to the fact that some "grain free" actually do have barley, if you look closely at the ingredient list! And in the foods that are truly grain-free, flax is often added.. and many dogs get itchy on flax. Mine does-- itches horribly on anything with flax in it.

Know what I noticed the second week of raw switch? The SOUND. Silence!







No more thump-thump-thump of Grimm scratching during the night or in the next room.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: DHau
> 
> I was wondering if raw is cheaper than kibble on a monthly basis? I am currently spending $45 a month on kibble. I prefer the kibble due to convenience and storage. I don't know anything about this type of diet and was wondering if there was something on the market that's already prepackaged?


I'll answer this part of your question. There are a number of prepackaged raw meat diets out there. The most economical (at least for me) is Bravo. I buy 10 pound chubs of Bravo chicken or beef for Rafi. One of my local stores special orders it for me. I also buy tripe from Bravo. The chicken is $16.50/10 lbs. and the beef is $25/10 lbs. The tripe is $6.29 for 2 pounds. Rafi gets about a pound of raw meat a day and he also gets 1.25 cups of home cooked quinoa and sweet potatoes and pureed leafy green veggies per day. 

The reason he also gets the homecooked is that if he eats more than 1 lb. of raw per day he gets pudding poops.







He's doing well on this combo though. 

The reason I use the preprepared is that I don't want to feed him meat that's been irradiated or had hormones or antibiotics injected in it or been fed crap. The meat is human grade and anti-biotic free. The beef is grass fed.


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## LJsMom (Jan 6, 2008)

Ruth, How do I figure out how many calories are in the Bravo?


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