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Post by Jeremy's Boggle on Apr 1, 2015 9:01:53 GMT -5
After finally getting my husband on board with feeding raw to all of the dogs, I'm going to have to drop back to kibble (headwall) (headwall) My stores suppliers have changed, prices have increased and variety sucks. Bulk orders are spotty & undependable. :pullhair: I'm going to check out a few possible suppliers but I'm not optimistic.  Also our large dogs eat twice as much as the calculators say and are just barely keeping weight on. |
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Post by Blue on Apr 1, 2015 13:58:18 GMT -5
Oh no! Is something like Hare Today too expensive? I'm guessing you have neither the acreage or the time or the temperament to raise your own feeder animals? (My parents did when I was a kid.)
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Post by Jeremy's Boggle on Apr 1, 2015 15:02:25 GMT -5
Yes Hare Today is very expensive. No we aren't suited to raise feeder animals. Still hoping that the store I'm calling today will have something but finding meat without added saline solution it hard.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2015 15:18:18 GMT -5
Hey I don't know your area, but I've known people locally who've had good luck with butcher shops. A friend of a friend had large rottweilers that he fed raw; he used to go to the butcher/slaughterhouse and ask them if they had "discard meats", stuff they don't sell to humans but are totally edible and safe. He fed both rotties on a shoestring budget, because most of the meat they eat was either free or low cost.
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Post by Blue on Apr 1, 2015 15:40:20 GMT -5
Do you think added saline is worse than kibble? I have no idea, I was just wondering.
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Post by Jeremy's Boggle on Apr 1, 2015 18:59:00 GMT -5
I don't really know how damaging the saline is. I've been a bit sick for the last two days so I'm going to have to research things more. Just feeling very frustrated. To have everything in place and then have it all fall out from under me. We don't have any actual butcher shops but since you mentioned it @alex I'm going to see if I can find any small slaughter houses that might work with us. the cost is really becoming an issue as right now I'm spending over $200 a month just on the dogs  |
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Post by ferretbrah on Apr 1, 2015 19:17:50 GMT -5
Check out mypetcarnivore also to compare prices
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2015 20:01:56 GMT -5
I've wanted to go raw with my dogs, but find it to expensive. Living on the coast, I have half the area to find a business that sells what I need. Add to that the need to travel almost an hour to get our of sand and actuly find dirt and things get worse. I love the Gulf, but it is limiting.
Have you checked for homestead groups? You may be able to find an agriculture or farm list online. The dept. Of agriculture may know where you can find a list. Your local Ace Hardware or feed store may know someone too. After all, breeders have to get their food somewhere.
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Post by FerretsnFalcons on Apr 2, 2015 10:21:53 GMT -5
I feel your pain, I want to start my dogs on raw too, but one of them (Charlie) is a German Shepherd and would eat almost 2lbs of food a day! With the average price of meat in my area being $2 per pound, that would be $4 a day and $120 a month just for him. Plus I would need a new freezer to hold his tons of meat! It's been a battle trying to convince my parents to drop all that money on a freezer and meats. We feed Charlie Wellness Core Ocean Formula which is $60 a bag and he eats almost 2 bags a month, so really the raw wouldn't be that much more expensive than the kibble, (and it wouldn't make his poops and breath reek) but I think the freezer is the problem, I don't even know where we could put it. Anyway, to save money I know some raw feeders get meat from hunters, taxidermists, and people who give away their freezer-burned meat. I hope you're able to get affordable meats, I think raw is totally worth it!
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Post by RedSky on Apr 2, 2015 15:26:20 GMT -5
Oh no! That's rubbish. At least you hadn't started and got the dogs hooked to eating meat to then have this problem.
I've heard of lots of people getting meat for their dogs (and other pets) direct from abattoirs. I've also heard lots of people pay next to nothing for meat from hunters, such as rabbit and venison parts.
We are lucky in that our local butcher does meat intended for dogs at a small price. They even store their chicken carcesses and give them away for free. It's a shame you don't have a local butchers.
Could it be worth traveling somewhere maybe once a month or so to get their food. If you shop at the right places it can still be pretty cheap.
I think commercial raw is more expensive in the US than it is in England. Here it's always been cheaper for me to feed commercial grinds than it is for most things from the supermarket. Maybe the exception being chicken.
I hope you managed to find something, good luck.
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