# RAW on a college student's budget?



## projectleda (Mar 28, 2015)

Hey everyone! I am currently a fourth year college student living with a 10month old German shepherd called Leda. She's always been fed well on dry kibble - starting on Wellness Grain Free at 8 weeks and switching to Earthborn Holistic Grain Free after I came back to school - but she's beginning to develop chronic ear infections and skin allergies and I think that feeding her RAW would be the best option to help her feel better on a regular basis. Now - my mother feeds her dogs RAW, but they are three small chihuahua's so it's not really a matter of quantity and if I do end up moving Leda to a RAW diet I would like to do it correctly and I'm worried about the money involved and being able to get her the quantity she would need on my student budget. 

Any Advice? How expensive is RAW feeding for you and your shepherd(s) ?


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## CaliGSD3 (Apr 23, 2015)

I'm in the same boat, and have received tons of helpful advice here. If you happen to have a large enough freezer and buy in bulk, it can be do able. Ive done some calculations and honestly, the best I could possibly do is $65 if I really get good deals and buy in bulk.
If I really work at it, I can likely get an average of $1-1.25per lb, and my 75 lb GSD will need 2-2.5 lbs per day. And this would be buying meat from butchers and/or bulk restaurant supply vendors and having to prepare and portion out meals myself. Premade raw is obviously out of the question, it would be hundreds per month!
he currently eats orijen and that's running me $80 per month at least so im wanting to switch to raw to maybe save a little and becasue I think it's just the best for them. (Ughhh my dog is eating like a king and I'm living on ramen! LOL)

For a college student without an enormous freezer and ability to spend hundreds at once in bulk orders, I'd say $65-70 most likely the best case lowest cost you could get to feed a well balanced raw diet. But ear and skin issues can get expensive to treat so it may be worth it.


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## projectleda (Mar 28, 2015)

CaliGSD3 said:


> I'm in the same boat, and have received tons of helpful advice here. If you happen to have a large enough freezer and buy in bulk, it can be do able. Ive done some calculations and honestly, the best I could possibly do is $65 if I really get good deals and buy in bulk.
> If I really work at it, I can likely get an average of $1-1.25per lb, and my 75 lb GSD will need 2-2.5 lbs per day. And this would be buying meat from butchers and/or bulk restaurant supply vendors and having to prepare and portion out meals myself. Premade raw is obviously out of the question, it would be hundreds per month!
> he currently eats orijen and that's running me $80 per month at least so im wanting to switch to raw to maybe save a little and becasue I think it's just the best for them. (Ughhh my dog is eating like a king and I'm living on ramen! LOL)
> 
> For a college student without an enormous freezer and ability to spend hundreds at once in bulk orders, I'd say $65-70 most likely the best case lowest cost you could get to feed a well balanced raw diet. But ear and skin issues can get expensive to treat so it may be worth it.


I know how you feel! The Earthborn I have Leda on is one of the less expensive higher quality dry kibbles offered around here and when I can't catch it on sale it's about 112$ for two bags which is a little over a month for her.

Raw feeding would in my opinion and in the research I've done here probably really help her skin problems/allergies/ear infections all of which aren't particularly bad or bothering her way of life but she's not as healthy as she could be and I'm still paying a lot of money. my biggest problem I think is knowing where to find the right kinds of meats/organs around here (I live basically in the middle of nowhere with a Walmart and and Aldi's at my disposal so that'll be hard I think) Leda's about 70lbs right now so we're very close c:


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## Big Brown Eyes (Jan 11, 2015)

I understand the desire to feed raw. 

However if dog has food allergy from one brand, then try another. 

And use a good ear cleaner for the dog. 

Not sure if raw feeding is a panacea.


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## projectleda (Mar 28, 2015)

Big Brown Eyes said:


> I understand the desire to feed raw.
> 
> However if dog has food allergy from one brand, then try another.
> 
> ...


In between the time she was switched from Wellness to Earthborn also for allergy reasons I tried a variety of foods with her, Earthborn was best at the time but now it's seems she's developing the itch again. And it's not as if I don't clean her ears regularly - my issue is more with having her on steady medication for ear infections/eye infections if I don't have to. 
I'm not saying it's a cure all to feed her Raw, but if it can help with the problems on top of her regular care then it's the option I'm going to pursue.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Well I had three large dogs on raw several years ago, I eventually had to switch to kibble for them because I moved into an apartment and it just wasn't feasible for my living situation. Any who it depends a lot on where you live and what sources are around you. 

When I lived out in the boonies raw feeding was super cheap. I actually got a lot of their food for free or pretty close to it. I lived on a spring fed lake with no catch limits for fish like blue gill and could easily reel in 100 + in an afternoon, it was farm country so lots of small butchers that processed and would give me bags upon bags of scrap meat and "saw dust" for a few dozen homemade cookies, my family and all my friends in that area were hunters, and we had chickens ourselves. So really the cost for me then was like $20 a month for all three mostly for supplements. 

Then I moved to the city. It got a bit pricey. I think I ended up paying like $300 per month for all three dogs. It could have been much cheaper if only I was able to have more freezer space. I do not have a freezer right now, and did a budget for a 90lb shepherd to feed him raw in prep for my new pup. Looks like it is going to run me about $120-$150 a month for the raw plan I want to follow. 

Speaking of which, what type of raw diet will you be following? Whole prey model or more along a BARF line? There are pros and cons to both. To be honest I have done both with my guys. I did not notice a big difference between the two as far as my dogs health were concerned. I choose now to follow a BARF like diet opposed to whole prey because I believe there are long term benefits associated with it. Since cost is an issue you might want to look at the BARF models - If you can find a carb source that works well for your dog it will greatly reduce the costs. You can do a sweet potato based formula and probably be cheaper then the kibble you feed.

Do you have a freezer? Where will you be sourcing your meats?

Honestly walmart isn't all that bad as far as organs go - the one near me has liver (chicken and beef), chicken gizzards and hearts, beef heart, beef kidney, intestine, and technically the have tripe too (but the useless white kind). Over in the pet section they have the dehydrated lung treats. They also have the big 10lb bags of chicken leg quarters for 9 bucks. That is a decent base (You will have to look into adding additional calcium with bone to meat ratio if these are your base). Turkey necks from walmart are cheap. They have fairly cheap choices for raw meaty bones - neck bones are pretty cheap. Ribs go on sale at walmart pretty frequently. Sure it's not the organic-grass fed-massaged daily-super meat you can buy, but IMHO it's still better then kibble. 

Eggs are another option for you. Cheap way to add protein and calories. They aren't exactly raw - but canned fish (sardines, mackrel) are cheap and healthy. I always kept those on hand for quick meals in case of emergency or bad planning on my part.

You're right, raw would probably really help your dog with her skin issues. My former Pit Bull had the most skin and ear issues a dog has ever had. Raw helped him immensely. 

Oh, I know you said you had tried several brands - have you considered that your pup may have a lectin sensitivity? It's really hard (almost impossible) to find a commercial dog food with ingredients low in lectins. They can cause skin issues and may explain why you were having such a hard time finding a commercial diet that works for your pup. My pit seemed to have an issue with them keeping high lectin food to a minimum in his diet heped


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## projectleda (Mar 28, 2015)

voodoolamb said:


> Well I had three large dogs on raw several years ago, I eventually had to switch to kibble for them because I moved into an apartment and it just wasn't feasible for my living situation. Any who it depends a lot on where you live and what sources are around you.
> 
> When I lived out in the boonies raw feeding was super cheap. I actually got a lot of their food for free or pretty close to it. I lived on a spring fed lake with no catch limits for fish like blue gill and could easily reel in 100 + in an afternoon, it was farm country so lots of small butchers that processed and would give me bags upon bags of scrap meat and "saw dust" for a few dozen homemade cookies, my family and all my friends in that area were hunters, and we had chickens ourselves. So really the cost for me then was like $20 a month for all three mostly for supplements.
> 
> ...


I'm definitely thinking more along the BARF guidelines just because that type of meats would be easier for me to get a hold of more quickly. And while in a perfect world I'd be able to buy her super A+ quality meats as long as it's not the skin/allergy issues she's having now I don't much mind the kinds of meat she eats. She also loves sweet potatos and pumpkin so I'm thinking of having those pretty regularly. 

I've still got a bit more research to do, but at most if she would cost me 120-130$ a month it's only a fraction more than what I'm paying now for her dry kibble anyway.


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## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

Feeding raw can b expensive. I live in Southern California, so expensive is built into the cost of everything. I set a limit of $2 a pound max for any meat. I know that is a lot, but allows me to get goat, rabbit, etc. you need at least 3 different protein sources.

I shop the ads. Goat was $1.99 pound if you bought 10 pounds on Thursday only. Lamb is the only one that I have not found under $2. When I first got started in raw, I bought a small freezer like 12 cubic feet. Used it for dogs only. I lived in a condo so it fit in a corner of the dining area. I just shifted the dining room table, even tho it did not line up under the light anymore.

We also only feed 1.5 pounds of raw a day. In the morning they get kibble and can. Raw for dinner. It helps keep the cost down, but I admit the dogs eat better than I do.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

You could try raw for a month as a possible cure and see if his skin clears up. For the amount of a vet visit, you can by a lot of meat. (try Craig List for scrap meat in the sport section fro hunters) Then, to cut costs, you could feed one meal a day raw and the other a good quality kibble. Or give raw a few times a week. In the past I did this for years and it worked out fine.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

projectleda said:


> I'm definitely thinking more along the BARF guidelines just because that type of meats would be easier for me to get a hold of more quickly. And while in a perfect world I'd be able to buy her super A+ quality meats as long as it's not the skin/allergy issues she's having now I don't much mind the kinds of meat she eats. She also loves sweet potatos and pumpkin so I'm thinking of having those pretty regularly.
> 
> I've still got a bit more research to do, but at most if she would cost me 120-130$ a month it's only a fraction more than what I'm paying now for her dry kibble anyway.


I'm a little confused as to what you consider barf meats and what are whole prey meats?  In my experience the meats you need to be feeding on both are the same just in different ratios as BARF includes fruits/veggies.

But yeah... since you're open to using carbs then you should be able to get a good formula that's affordable pretty easily


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## projectleda (Mar 28, 2015)

that was meant to be meats/fruits/vegetables but alas, brainfart.


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