exactly how much does raw pet dog food cost?
Some people would like to feed their dogs a raw food diet, however the expense is frequently a barrier.
Many of the industrial raw pet dog food brands expense a lot more than $300 per month to feed my 62-pound weimaraner, Remy. He needs approximately 2 pounds of raw food per day.
If you get your own components for a homemade raw pet dog food diet, you must be able to spend less, however you may requirement to stock up while the meat is on sale. It likewise takes time to cut as well as part the meat into meals or “recipes.”
I’m utilized to feeding my dogs a homemade raw diet, so I believed I’d share some money-saving ideas.
These are geared towards people who are new to raw feeding or are thinking about getting started. Please share your own recommendations in the comments if you are already feeding your pet dog raw. I am always still learning!
This publish may consist of affiliate links. That Mutt may make money from the business pointed out in this post.
Affordable raw pet dog food – exactly how to save money on raw food for dogs
1. speak to others who feed their dogs raw food.
Find somebody in your area who feeds her dogs raw food. Raw feeders normally like to share their experiences with others, as well as you may be shocked exactly how lots of raw feeders there really are.
Put out a Facebook publish to see if any type of of your contacts understand somebody who feeds raw as well as what their concepts are for inexpensive raw pet dog food.
Many training clubs are connected with the AKC, as well as a few of the members will likely be breeders or owners of working dogs. possibilities are, one of them feeds her dogs raw food.
Once you discover a few others who feed their dogs raw food, ask them what protein sources they use, where they shop as well as exactly how they save money.
Want to discover a lot more about raw feeding? Click right here to download my guide + 10 simple recipes.
2. invest in a lot more freezer area for your dog’s raw meat.
I suggest doing at least a four-week raw feeding trial to make sure you are up for raw feeding long term. It’s not for everyone. After that, it’s well worth it to invest in a lot more freezer area so you can get meat in bulk as well as store it.
Craigslist is a fantastic location to browse for utilized freezers. I inspected my regional listings, as well as there were some freezers provided for around $100-200 ranging from 8 to 17 cubic feet. You may even want to inspect the classifieds section of this thing called the newspaper.
Larger retail stores may likewise have fairly priced freezers, as well as make sure to ask about cost matching.
*Get our three complimentary raw pet dog food recipes now! Click right here
3. get big quantities of raw meat while it’s on sale.
Once you understand your pet dog does okay with a specific protein source, take advantage of sales. get as much meat as you can fairly pay for as well as store, particularly when it’s on sale.
Turkeys are frequently on sale after Thanksgiving, one visitor pointed out on that Mutt’s Facebook page. poultry as well as beef are frequently on sale after the fourth of July, one more visitor suggested.
My hubby even observed exactly how the cost of supermarket beef goes down in our area at the begin of Christmas break. We presume this is since 15,000 college trainees leave town as well as as a result stores have fewer people to get the meat.
Also, take advantage of specials as well as sales from industrial raw pet dog food companies. often they offer complimentary shipping or 10 or 15% off or buy-one-get-one deals.
For example, you can get 10 pounds of raw food from our sponsor Darwin’s for just $14.99 as well as complimentary shipping. Κάντε κλικ ΕΔΩ.
4. whole carcasses are normally a much better deal.
It’s normally more affordable to get whole chickens or turkeys than it is to get poultry thighs or poultry breasts or organ meat separately. You can chop or grind the carcass into smaller parts yourself if you want.
5. Take notes as well as shop around.
When you are very first getting your meat, inspect out all the choices in your area. Don’t fail to remember regional butcher shops, ethnic markets as well as locations such as Target, Wal-Mart as well as Costco.
If you go to the exact same grocery stores regularly, you will see patterns for when the meat is on sale.
Jot down some notes each time you shop so you keep in mind where the very best offers were, the quality of the meat, exactly how much you gotten as well as on which day of the week you gotten it.
Maybe one store has a sale on poultry every Friday, for example.
Also, just ask the workers when you can get the very best deals. grocery stores frequently get their shipments in on a routine routine as well as sales may comply with a pattern.
Here are a few of the costs I discovered at my regional grocery stores for non-organic meat:
Ολόκληρο κοτόπουλο: $1.85 per pound
Whole chicken, cut into eight pieces: $1.85 per pound
Chicken organs (like liver): $2.25-$2.44 per pound
Whole turkey: $1.29 per pound
Turkey parts (necks, gizzards, organs): $1.39 per pound
Pork ribs as well as neck bones: $1.49 per pound (See my post: is raw pork risk-free for dogs?)
Ground beef: $3.79 per pound
6. get a Costco or Sam’s Club membership.
It’s worth it to pay the approximately $55 annual membership to a warehouse-style “club” such as Costco where you may discover some great chances to get meat in bulk for less money overall.
Here are a few of the meat costs I saw at Costco – absolutely the very best offer so far:
Whole chicken: $0.99 per pound
Chicken thighs: $0.99 per pound
Ground beef: $2.99 per pound
7. keep your dog’s raw meals as basic as possible.
Don’t concern about getting a number of protein sources or additional supplements for now. stay with one protein source such as poultry as well as provide your pet dog a few weeks to adjust.
This will enable you to get one type of meat in bulk. If you choose to add veggies, introduce them one each time as well as keep things simple.
If you want your pet dog to have a lot more variety, introduce each protein source slowly. ultimately you may be comfortable feeding two or three different kinds of protein. utilize these as “standard” meals for your pet dog as well as rotate them based on what you discover on sale.
8. Don’t spend a ton of money on supplements for your dog.
People get as well caught up on feeding their dogs a “balanced” diet. Yes, balance is crucial for general health and wellness as well as nutrition. however that doesn’t indicate every single meal needs to be perfect.
It’s fine to add vitamins or supplements to your dog’s meals, however don’t concern about that so much when you are very first starting out. even if you provide your pet dog supplements, he may not requirement them in every single meal.
I composed an ebook on raw pet dog food, as well as it’s a fantastic guide to comply with for those just starting out. It likewise includes 10 simple recipes.
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9. browse for regional meat shipment options.
If you online in a metro area, browse on the internet for regional meat-delivery business (such as Schwan’s). A business in my area delivers regional, natural “meat by the box” ideal to your door.
The meat is less costly than it would be in a lot of grocery stores, the high quality is just as great or better, as well as you can get it in big quantities such as 40-pound cases.
Meat-delivery business can fee less since they acquire the meat in bulk, as well as they have less overhead costs compared to supermarkets. Some will even take custom-made orders.
Using this choice in my area, the meat pertains to about $1.25 to $1.75 per pound, depending upon what you buy.
10. Talk with regional butchers about getting raw pet dog food from them.
Reach out to regional butchers as well as see if they can offer you a deal.
There are just specific animal parts that humans don’t want to eat (pig hearts, anyone?), however these protein sources are healthy as well as attractive to dogs! Butchers are often ready to offer the “less desired” meat to pet dog owners for close to nothing, just to get rid of it.
11. Ask hunters for additional meat.
Hunters can be a fantastic source for complimentary meat. utilize Craigslist or Facebook to get in touch with hunters in your area. Some have a lot more meat than they understand what to make with as well as will gladly provide it away.
You can feed just about any type of meat to a pet dog – deer, elk, duck, rabbit, moose, goose, pheasant, you name it! just freeze the meat very first to kill any type of parasites in the wild game.
*Get our three complimentary raw pet dog food recipes now! Click right here
12. It’s okay to feed your pet dog kibble every now as well as then.
I understand some people are going to state you must never mix kibble with raw food.
This is since kibble is normally harder for a pet dog to digest as well as raw meat is normally much easier for a pet dog to digest. If you mix them or switch back as well as forth, some dogs will get upset stomachs.
On the other hand, every pet dog is different, as well as some people have success feeding one dry meal each day as well as one raw meal.
I believe that is great. It saves money, as well as the pet dog is getting a range of nutrients. You will have to see what works for your specific dog. I plan to feed Ace dry food every now as well as then, just to save some money as well as time.
If your pet dog gets an upset tummy from a kibble/raw combo, try leaving 12-24 hours between the dry meal as well as the raw meal so there is a lot more time for him to digest the food.
Your pet dog may do finest with one meal per day, turning between raw as well as dry. This will work for some dogs, as well as not others.
It’s great to have a bag of high-quality kibble on hand for those days when you are just as well worn out or stressed to prepare a raw meal. all of us eat quick food or frozen dinners every now as well as then.
What’s the huge offer if our dogs eat some processed food as well?
Likewise, if you want to keep some commercial, pre-prepared raw food on hand, that would be OK, too. Σχεδιάζω να. It’s just most likely not going to save me any type of money ?
13. Don’t concern about getting organic raw pet dog food.
Ideally, you may want to feed your pet dog organic meat as well as veggie sources. However, if getting organic food for your pet dog will break your budget, it’s okay to get traditional meat as well as veggies.
Heck, you are buying for your dog at a grocery store for the hoomans! If the food is risk-free sufficient for us, it will most likely be okay for dogs, as well ?
Labels can be misleading, as well as the whole “organic” labeling has definitely assisted marketers. For example, beef identified “organic” does not necessarily come from grass-fed cattle, as some people assume. It a lot of frequently comes from cattle that ate organic corn.
Personally, I would rather get grass-fed beef (for the humans as well as the dog), whether it is organic or not. I likewise like to get meat as well as create from regional or regional sources, even if it is not identified “organic.”
Basically, just get the highest-quality food you can afford. Don’t charge guilty if you can’t pay for organic.
14. You will likely save general on vet bills
The expense to feed a pet dog higher-quality food is normally going to be a lot more costly than processed kibble. However, you will ideally save money general on veterinary expenses associated to itchy skin, ear infections as well as allergies.
15. Feed your pet dog a bit less.
A raw food diet plan for dogs is normally richer as well as a lot more nutrient dense than dry pet dog food since it is high in protein as well as low in carbs. When you switch your pet dog to raw, you can normally feed him less! For a lot more info, see this publish on exactly how much raw food to feed my dog.
It’s finest to begin out by providing him less food than you believe he needs, since as well much new food as well swiftly may cause an upset stomach.
You can always boost the amount in a week or two if your pet dog seems to requirement a lot more calories. just wait up until his system is managing the new food OK.
The policy of thumb is to ultimately feed your pet dog about 2 percent of his perfect body weight, however that is just a general recommendation. begin with less as well as change as needed.
Do you feed your pet dog raw food? Please share your money-saving ideas in the comments!
*Get our three complimentary raw pet dog food recipes now! Click right here
Lindsay Stordahl is the creator of That Mutt. She composes about pet dog training, pet dog exercise as well as feeding a healthy raw diet.