# how much do you spend on feeding your dog per month?.



## kelliewilson (Jan 1, 2015)

Im just curious on how much people spend feeding their dog a month. I spend more on my dog then i do feeding myself. 220.00 a month. thats 30 cans of dog food, and kibble. plus a few treats. I cant imagine what i would spend if i had more then 1 dog like many people do.


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

My spend breakdown:
Kibble 20kg every 8-10 weeks $106.00
Sardines, per week $4.00
Bones, per week $6
Pumpkin, per week $1-$2
Eggs and natural yoghurt, per week $2
Treats per month $10-$14
Works out roughly to $26 a week, or $94 a month.
I'm interested in the moisture content on your cans of dog food, you might be spending a lot each month on water.


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## kelliewilson (Jan 1, 2015)

I get the blue basics can food, and blue for large breed puppy kibble. how would i find out about water in the can foods?


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

I'm in Australia, so not familiar with that brand. Read the Ingredients label, the ingredients should be listed in descending order. e.g. I'm looking at a can of Heinz Full of Beanz at the moment. Bean content is 51%. The rest is tomato sauce. A convenient but not cost effective way to buy beans.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

I'm not sure why you are feeding canned food, to start with.
Also a bit curious if you are aware of the recent drama with Blue?

I am feeding two dogs, just over $100 a month on kibble.

Chicken, whole farm fresh, $7 each, one chicken is 3-4 meals and my dogs get 1-2 raw meals a week. Failing that, I buy chicken quarters on sale, 4/pack, $10 a pack.
Cheap roast, beef or pork, potatoes, carrots, and whatever other veggies I have handy, into the crockpot, toppers for a month for about $15
Chicken hearts $5 a pack, into the oven for a bit, break them up and I have treats

All told I spend less then $100 a month per dog


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## Augustine (Nov 22, 2014)

Currently, we're going to be spending a little over $100 a month on Butters. $65 for kibble, $14 for a 14oz jar of organic raw coconut oil, $10-15 on toppings, $19 on a 3 month supply of digestive enzymes (which is about $6 per month), and about $5-7 for organic apple cider vinegar.


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## The Wild Bunch (Jun 17, 2015)

Mine varies each month based on how many fosters are here. Usually there are my 3 plus one foster. 

Here is roughly what I spend a month in US dollars.

Kibble 92
Sardines 6
Organic Pumpkin 3 to 5
Probiotic yogurt 6
Ground Turkey 8 to 10
Whole chickens 8 to 12
Liver and hearts 6
Veggies Various 10
Safflower Oil 6
Eggs 2 to 4
Various supplements 20ish

WOW.  hurts writing it out. Geesh. LOL :crazy::crazy:

Looks like about $200 Good grief. 

No wonder I have to tell my son NO when he wants to get new tenners. Yikes. LOL.


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## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

I feed raw so mine is WAAYYY cheaper!

A 40-pound bag of frozen raw meat (a mix of proteins) cost me $15 - that last me about 6 weeks.

I buy supplements (about $200 worth) that lasts me about 3-4 months

Once a month I spend about $50 on weird things like turkey neck, chicken's feet, etc. 

That's it!


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

About $65 with supplements for two dogs for full raw


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

Kyleigh said:


> I feed raw so mine is WAAYYY cheaper!
> 
> A 40-pound bag of frozen raw meat (a mix of proteins) cost me $15 - that last me about 6 weeks.


What is in this for $15 for 40 lbs?


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## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

Chicken, turkey and beef - meat, bones and organs


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Saphire said:


> What is in this for $15 for 40 lbs?



Unless the vendor is getting free scary meat, there is no way anyone can sell it for that little.
I have heard of someone in Ontario selling blocks of what looks like gray chicken.


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## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

He runs a slaughterhouse specifically for animals LOL ... I've been feeding my dogs this (and he has a cat version) for the last 15+ years ... they are perfectly healthy!

He's based out of Quebec and they have very different (lower) prices! I even brought in a brick to my holistic vet to check out and he said it was perfectly fine as long as I added supplements, which I do.

Sunflowers - I know who that is ... their meat is CRAP!


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Kyleigh said:


> He runs a slaughterhouse specifically for animals LOL ... I've been feeding my dogs this (and he has a cat version) for the last 15+ years ... they are perfectly healthy!
> 
> 
> Sunflowers - I know who that is ... their meat is CRAP!


Whew! Thank you for clarifying that!


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## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

No problem! I remember when I first found out about him and the price! I was SHOCKED ... OMG I will actually be able to afford better food for ME!!!!


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Kyleigh said:


> He runs a slaughterhouse specifically for animals LOL


What animals is he slaughtering? 

How could farmers drop prices for healthy animals for dog and cat food supply?


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

Kyleigh said:


> He runs a slaughterhouse specifically for animals LOL ... I've been feeding my dogs this (and he has a cat version) for the last 15+ years ... they are perfectly healthy!
> 
> He's based out of Quebec and they have very different (lower) prices! I even brought in a brick to my holistic vet to check out and he said it was perfectly fine as long as I added supplements, which I do.
> 
> Sunflowers - I know who that is ... their meat is CRAP!


It's odd that farmers would supply animals at a much reduced price just for dog and cat food. 
They are already under paid for their animals, to further reduce that so someone can sell raw dog food $15 for 40lbs doesn't make sense to me.


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

Just make sure you KNOW what your getting. I love raw feeding because I get to control the quality of meat my dog gets. I know the ratios of each meat source, bones, muscle and organ meats. My meat comes from human meat sources and inspected as such with the exception of green tripe. I know there are no growth hormones or antibiotics etc. I control every aspect. 
If I can't control the quality and ratios I would feed Orijen or comparable kibble.
If you can't control ratios and quality, your no further ahead than kibble IMO


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## kelliewilson (Jan 1, 2015)

I'm interested in the moisture content on your cans of dog food, you might be spending a lot each month on water.[/QUOTE]


I read the back of the basics can food, 78.0% moisture. that means water????????????? I feel duped!!!
I thought i was doing a good thing feeding him this because he doest really like just dry kibble. first time in my life i can afford high end dog food and i suck at it


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## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

To all those who are asking about the raw meat - I brought it a brick for my holistic vet to analyze and he said it was fine ... He does it in huge bulk, I don't know exactly how, I'm not about to go and tour his slaughterhouse. 

I've been using his meat for 15+ years and the zoo is fine. I do full blood panel every year with both the cat and dog - they are healthy. 

Please quit panicking! They are fine!


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

$52.00 month for kibble ("B" rating on petfoodadvisor) 2 bags 28lbs total
6.00 month for active yogurt (mix w/water for am topping)


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

kelliewilson said:


> I'm interested in the moisture content on your cans of dog food, you might be spending a lot each month on water.



I read the back of the basics can food, 78.0% moisture. that means water????????????? I feel duped!!!
I thought i was doing a good thing feeding him this because he doest really like just dry kibble. first time in my life i can afford high end dog food and i suck at it [/QUOTE]

You don't suck at it! Dog food is confusing, they do that on purpose to get you to buy.


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## lauren43 (Jun 14, 2014)

Way way way too much lol!

At this point probably over $200 per month. Thats 1 GSD and 1 Chi.


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## DTS (Oct 19, 2010)

Way to much. 
1 bag of Orijen every 3 weeks $84 for 30lbs 
Vitamin E 1 bottle a month $10
Fish oil 1 bottle a month $15
Tumeric 1 bottle every 2 months $4
Nupro $20 every 2 months
Natures variety instinct $4-5 a can. 3-4 cans a week
Coconut oil. $13 every 2 weeks. 
Digestive enzyme $45 lasts about 3-4 months. 
Titan has to take acid reducer. $25 for a month
Plus heart guard $15 a pill X2 dogs $30 a month
Comfortis $22 a pill X2 dogs $44 a month.

I feel like going raw would be cheaper.


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## osito23 (Feb 17, 2014)

I feed 4 dogs (GSD, lab mix, aussie mix, and chi mix) raw for less than $100/month. I feed human grade meats from a restaurant supplier and order in bulk. The $100 includes fish oil and treats because I make liver treats or dehydrate hearts etc. The only other supplement I add is Cosequin for the 2 seniors at $15/month.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Kelliewilson said:


> I read the back of the basics can food, 78.0% moisture. that means water????????????? I feel duped!!!
> I thought i was doing a good thing feeding him this because he doest really like just dry kibble. first time in my life i can afford high end dog food and i suck at it


 

Don't feel duped. Meat itself is about 80% moisture. 
Moisture is necessary and important.
When dogs eat dry kibble, it actually robs their system of moisture, and over time, this affects the kidneys.
You are doing a good thing by feeding something moist.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

kelliewilson said:


> I read the back of the basics can food, 78.0% moisture. that means water????????????? I feel duped!!!
> I thought i was doing a good thing feeding him this because he doest really like just dry kibble. first time in my life i can afford high end dog food and i suck at it



From an article by Dr Becker

The Biggest Problem with Kibble: Lack of Moisture

But if low- or no-carb, grain-free, high-protein formulas are exactly what dogs and cats were designed to consume, then what's the problem with kibble?

The major concern is with the lack of moisture content.

Our carnivorous companions were designed to consume moisture-rich foods. Raw foods are about 70 percent moisture. Grain-free, dry foods are about 12 percent moisture. Huge difference!

The ancestral diet of dogs and cats is up to 70 percent water. Rabbits and mice are composed primarily of water.

Our pets' bodies have evolved to consume a diet that is rich in moisture and is neither extruded nor baked. When raw foods become kibble, several strange things happen to the raw ingredients, but the most detrimental is that the food becomes too dry.

This requires your pet's body to provide sufficient moisture to reconstitute the food in the digestive tract. Although an animal's body will make a noble effort to consume extra water to compensate, most pets simply can't make up the difference.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

We have 4 dogs and 1 cat. Two dogs get Victor dog food and go thru a bag a month at about $50 per bag so $25/mth for each dog.

My two Shepherds are fed raw. I have no idea what it costs exactly but I rarely pay more than $1/lb for food. Seger eats about 1.75 lbs per day plus an egg, honey, ACV and veges that I process in the summer from our garden and a local vege farm. Jax eats 1 lb per day. So their food is roughly 30-40 each month.

I buy turkey hearts, pork, duck bones from a wholesale place that serves the local restaurants, bars and grocery stores. Other various poultry parts (feet, neck, hearts, livers, kidneys, gizzards) from a local butcher at 0.25/lb. Ground beef mix from another local butcher at 0.75/lb. I pick up beef, pork, lamb neck at 0.60/lb from that same butcher for others.

And then treats. The poultry feet come from a local butcher at 0.25/lb. Beef tracheas from another local butcher at 1.50/ea. 

If you look around you can find good suppliers that are otherwise throwing things away.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Jax08 said:


> We have 4 dogs and 1 cat. Two dogs get Victor dog food and go thru a bag a month at about $50 per bag so $25/mth for each dog.
> 
> My two Shepherds are fed raw. I have no idea what it costs exactly but I rarely pay more than $1/lb for food. Seger eats about 1.75 lbs per day plus an egg, honey, ACV and veges that I process in the summer from our garden and a local vege farm. Jax eats 1 lb per day. So their food is roughly 30-40 each month.
> 
> ...


Am I the only one whose dog has to eat 3 pounds of raw a day?


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

Sunflowers said:


> Am I the only one whose dog has to eat 3 pounds of raw a day?


Yes you are! ?


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Saphire said:


> Yes you are! ?


:hammer:


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

3 dogs, $120 base for my raw co-op...then add in the green tripe, lamb hearts, turkey hearts, different organ meat, bones(duck necks) and supplements which are fish oil, coconut oil, B complex, CoQ10, E, yogurt, eggs, sardines...ugh. I think that runs it up to about $200 average a month for 3 dogs. 

Though comparing that to what the apoquel I give Onyx which right now is averaging 8 bucks a day..ouch. My vet is either taking advantage of me or Zoetis is. but it's working, so I'll pay to keep her from chewing holes into herself.


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

I don't even want to do the math. A lot is all I can say. My girl is sensitive to all the inexpensive proteins. We are limited to beef, lamb and duck for the most part. She is picky. We tried Blue Ridge Beef and she just didn't care for the meat with ground bone. And she won't eat anything with raw organ in it so I have to lightly braise all organ meat. Add in dehydrated lamb or beef lung treats and supplements and it gets up there.

I'm going to guess and say around $150+ a month for one dog.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

OP, for $200/mo, you could be feeding The Honest Kitchen dehydrated, human-grade food...then YOU add the water when you reconstitute it. THK's "Revel" (free-range chicken, all life-stages) is their "budget" line (around $60 for a 10 pound box that makes 40 pounds of food), and their lines goes up from there in cost. You'd probably need 3 boxes a month for a full grown dog.

For my allergy dog, I pay around $200 for THK's Preference base mix plus the cost of beef. 

My other 2 dogs eat Fromm Four-Star. Two bags a month comes out to just over $100 for both dogs.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

1, 70lb adult male about $55-65 a month Farmina kibble. I agree on the moisture. I soak mine.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

About $500 per month for 2.5 dogs. 1/2 commercial 1/2 raw and lots of supplements.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

DTS said:


> Way to much.
> Plus heart guard $15 a pill X2 dogs $30 a month


Will your vet give you a script to order online through a VetVIPPS-certified pharmacy? If so, KVsupply.com sells it for about half what you are paying - $42.95 for 6 pills (=7.15/pill). (Iverhart (generic equivalent) is even less than that at under $30 per 6 pack.)


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## osito23 (Feb 17, 2014)

Sunflowers said:


> Am I the only one whose dog has to eat 3 pounds of raw a day?


You're not alone. Bear is 22 months old and I swear he's going through another growth spurt or something. He averages 2.5-3lbs/day, sometimes more.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Karlo eats close to/or 3lbs a day, and I still can see ribs.


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## kelliewilson (Jan 1, 2015)

Ive been reading about the honest kitchen dog food, I think im going to give it a try next month when I run out of what he has left of his food.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Yikes, I have absolutely no clue how much it costs to feed my dogs, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to know. Ever.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Sunflowers said:


> From an article by Dr Becker
> 
> The Biggest Problem with Kibble: Lack of Moisture
> 
> ...


 Yup! That's why I float their kibble.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

We just have one dog, Titan, we budget $150 a month for food and treats.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

osito23 said:


> You're not alone. Bear is 22 months old and I swear he's going through another growth spurt or something. He averages 2.5-3lbs/day, sometimes more.





onyx'girl said:


> Karlo eats close to/or 3lbs a day, and I still can see ribs.




Ok, good. 

I was told he simply has a high metabolism.

Karlo:wub:


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Sunflowers said:


> Don't feel duped. Meat itself is about 80% moisture.
> Moisture is necessary and important.
> When dogs eat dry kibble, it actually robs their system of moisture, and over time, this affects the kidneys.
> You are doing a good thing by feeding something moist.


 Wow, so it's not a bad thing to mix in wet or something. I swore somewhere I read that the dry kibble is good for their teeth. My parents would be so happy to know that it's not the case.. as would I. 



Sunflowers said:


> Am I the only one whose dog has to eat 3 pounds of raw a day?


 Nope. When Titan did eat raw.. he was up to 4 lbs a day. Not overweight either at all. He just has a VERY high metabolism.


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

Gus is 2 lbs a day unless working, then it goes up to 2.5lbs

He sits at 83lbs


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## Ruger Monster (Jan 29, 2015)

I spend about $45/mo on 33lb of Fromm LBP kibble for Ruger through Chewy. 
Maybe $20/mo on Chobani plain yogurt as a topping.
$10/mo on treats, bones, etc.

Jasmine & Gnat's foods tend to last longer since Ruger eats more than they do, and eats 2x/day vs their 1x/day. Every 2 months or so I spend $40/each on their kibbles, and another $10-15 on treats and bones.


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## kelliewilson (Jan 1, 2015)

My vet said it was fine, I mix half a can with kibble in the am then the other half at night. so its 1 can a day and 4 cups of kibble a day


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