Questions on Raw Diet Options - Page 1

Is it cheaper/better to buy the premade or buy the meat yourself?


Hello everyone,

For those in the know (the ones that actually feed raw). It appears I have two options for the Raw diet. I can buy the pre-made stuff or I can just buy actual meat from the store and serve that up.

To keep from muddying the water let's keep the addition of supplements out of it.

I've looked at a couple of pre-made foods Bravo, Aunt Jeni's and Primal. (side note: Bravo seems to be the cheaper priced)

After a lot of reading here and some other places it appears that you should feed roughly 2% body weight to maintain that weight. So to keep math easy if you feed 2lbs/day you would need 60lbs/month it would cost about $180/month at $6/chub. Not counting supplements.

If you found it's better/cheaper to feed the pre-made can you list your supplier please.

As always I appreciate any and all help.

I fed raw for 8 yrs and loved it. I do not have the resources I did then so have switched back to kibble. Other options to think of that I used is, see if you have a chicken plant in your area. Sometimes they will negotiate a sale in bulk to you. I had access to Tyson in Pine Bluff Ark. They opened to the public 1 x a month to sell off what the stores did not take that month. Human grade chicken, not diseased garbage . I would buy whole chcikens for $45 -50 for 250 lbs. I would also contact my local taxidermist and go pick up the fresh deer necks. A Buck in rut would have 10 -20 lbs of red meat on it. They would save the ribs cages for me as well. I bought the organ meats, supplements to fill in the gaps. I also grew my own rabbits, they multipy well! Hope this helps!

@ Itsgsd,

Yes, that helps a bit I'll look and see. I do have a pork butcher up the street but have read mixed reviews on feeding pork parts.

I am curious... I have always heard and it might be an old wives tale ...that once a dog gets the taste of blood/fresh meat.. perhaps rabbits, chickens etc... that you will never be able to break them from killing the prey. Wouldnt feeding them a RAW diet actually encourage that behaviour? I mean wouldnt they have a bloodlust?
Kind of like I have learned that with a dog with high prey drive... a squeaky toy is not the best toy to grow up with.

lol judy lets hope it stays that way lol
Perhaps it is just the prey that creates the excitment of the chase that is difficult to break or train out of them.

Bump for experts...

Michael,
I buy chicken quarters at .60 cents per lb and then add in tripe, and organ meat that I buy frozen for about $1.30 per lb.  I also add Beef liver which costs about $3.00 a lb.  I will add in raw eggs, a vegetable puree and whole fat plain yogurt two to three times a week.  I am only  feeding one dog right now and Boomer eats about 3% of his body weight or 2 1/2 lbs per day.  I feed roughly 75 lbs a month and spend about $90 per month on my dog when you average it all together.  The dog is lean, extremely muscled and has a ton of energy and drive.  He is in exceptional shape based on muscle tone, coat, condition and working ability.  

Shandra,
Your statement is based on a wives tail and has nothing to do with fact.  Please, do more research..  You have a lot of work to do and a lot to learn.  I hope you have great success in researching these topics.  

Thats why I mentioned it Slamdunc, I wasnt sure if it was a wives tale or not. Better to have it confirmed than go around with a misconception. Actually, It was what my mother had told me when I was young after our dog killed the chickens. This was her explanation as to why my dad had to put the dog down.

Welcome to the world of raw Michael.
Your area and the way you value your time can have a lot to do with deciding whether it is better to buy pre-made or make your own.
I used to do my own raw meals, but determined the amount of time I spent cutting meat, mixing in supplements and etc, it wasn't worth it.
Here in the Seattle area, Darwin's delivers packaged raw to your home and it has been great for me.
Remember, if you are buying your own meat, you do not want the good cuts, you want lots of bone-in stuff. Many butchers offer ground chicken neck that are fairly cheap.

Good luck. You will see wonderful changes in your dogs.