Hi everyone,

I am trying to prepare a monthly feeding budget. I am interested in a combination RAW/BARF and packaged food diet. I have already priced the packed foods (Innova et cetera). How much do you estimate you spend on food for one GSD puppy, let's say at eight weeks, then six months and then a year? )

What meats do you feed your dogs? Do you have the butcher/meat department hold back scraps or do you buy filet mignon? <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I have looked at Ed's articles and just want some additional input.


Thanks!

 Quote:

...... What meats do you feed your dogs? Do you have the butcher/meat department hold back scraps or do you buy filet mignon? <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> ....

Neither one! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I buy necks, backs, some wings, and a lot of other RMBs plus some inexpensive cuts of muscle meats, and some organ meats -- all of which happen not to be expensive meats at all.

"Scraps" -- well, I wouldn't know what that was, so, no, I don't let the butcher pick what my dogs eat. I'd be concerned that scraps was mainly fat trimmed off when steaks and roasts were carved from the carcass or from the primal cut.

Here's a long and many-poster thread about what people spend on raw feeding:
http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/showf...rue#Post4142301

My own take is that it's cheaper than most of the better-quality commercial foods. It took a short time (maybe a few weeks?) before I had my routine down, but now I stock up whenever one of the ingredients I use a lot of is on sale.

I don't think I see any advantage to feeding part kibble and part fresh. I think once you have the fresh routine and ingredients, you won't see any benefit to feeding kibble instead at some of the meals.

P.S. I believe (very strongly) that I have reduced vet costs enormously by switching to fresh food. I think that the immune system is supported (including the allergy response) by feeding appropriate food of good quality. I don't mean that this is a vague or theoretical idea; I mean that I pay much less in medical costs now that I feed fresh food. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />