What is the cost comparison for feeding Raw vs Kibble? We stopped feeding Canidae about 6 months ago, due to issues with our supplier. (Though I'm ready to go back anyway).

Unfortunately, we've been feeding Beneful (please don't throw dog dishes at me!) since then, but I'm not liking it. The dogs seem to love it, but IMO they've been shedding a LOT more. Hubby says its due to 100degree temps, but I think it's the food, too.

I was happy with Canidae, as it's the best food that was still affordable. But how does Feeding Raw compare in price? Keep in mind I'm having a baby next month, so I'm not sure about the time-element either, lol. My Husky mix is *finally* at a healthy weight, if only we can get him to keep it on. My ACD mix is... well... fat. We're working on that!

Advise? Opinions?

The skin and coat is definitely healthier with a better food, so that's probably causing the shedding. The dogs LIKE the beneful because it's like giving a child candy or junk food as a diet. The problem with that will be when you switch back as they are used to a sugary diet now.
As for cost, it depends on where you live. If you live in the USA near major stores you can get some pretty decent stuff at the regular grocery store. I save a bundle by getting all my meat (or most at least) at the butcher. Believe it or not, he is cheaper no matter what the sale at the grocery store is. (leg quarters 48-65 cents a lb, and he will cut them into smaller pieces if needed as well, and chicken backs for 26 cents a lb)A few friends and I are teaming up to buy in larger bulk to get better savings. If you don't have that (try calling and asking though - sometimes a butcher is able to save you stuff they would otherwise throw away or charge less if all they can do is grind it up) you can still save money at Sam's club, or stocking up when their are sales on meats at the grocery store. On average, I pay about 1/3 less a month than I used to pay (and the food I was getting costs the same as Cannidae) PLUS I have fewer vet visits for illness etc (mostly ear stuff)

Oh, and they shed less as smell less and yard clean up is easier...

The prices I pay out here arent as low as Cameron but they still beat premium kibble. Evo costs between 1.75 and 1.90 a pound. The bulk of what I feed is chicken,either whole chickens or leg quarters that always seem to go on sale for .69 or .99 cents a pound. Anything else like ground turkey,beef heart,or sometimes ground beef is 1.49 a Lb. Fish oil and supplements add a little but it's still not as much as the premium grain free foods. Have you looked at the Leerburg diet?

I just bought chicken backs for .20 a pound, legs are about .65. I do pay more for ground turkey, but still much less than kibble. I pay right around $2. a pound for kibble

The meat that is in the "lowered for quick sale" is perfectly fine for your dog, too. Buy it, freeze it, and feed it when you get to it.

Hunters are an endless resource for scrap meat. Alot of the time, what some consider scrap is really good stuff. Maybe you or someone in your family is a hunter.

Do you have, or can you get a deep freeze? It is definately NOT necessary to have one, but can drastically reduce cost.

Also, don't rule out roadkill. If legal, this can also drastically reduce cost. I picked up 3 squirrels in the past 2 days. Thats like 5 days worth of food for my little dog. 1 deer can go a very long way. Think 100-150 lbs. of free dog food. :wink:

Taxidermist sometimes appreciate someone taking meat off their hands, too.

Hmm.. I don't really have any of those resources available to me, but I do have a friend that works for Safeway. he usually gets meat at a discount, so I'll see what he could work up for me for scraps.

Can I do half raw, half Canidae? I'm not sure what to do for portion size, etc. Budget is a little tight right now, so I'm not wanting to have too much meat that doesn't get eaten. Also, I just thaw it, right? No heating?

 Quote: Megan Berry

Can I do half raw, half Canidae? I'm not sure what to do for portion size, etc. Budget is a little tight right now, so I'm not wanting to have too much meat that doesn't get eaten. Also, I just thaw it, right? No heating?

IMHO, either do raw or do kibble. You'll spend more if you do both, and it can throw your dog's digestive system out of whack. It's not hard to freeze - just take out enough for two or three days. Takes about a day to thaw from the freezer, about two from a deep freezer (depends on temperature settings though) Portion is easy - there is a chart here at leerburg to figure out how much - basically you figure out how much the dog weighs in ounces (1 lb is 16 ounces) or their IDEAL weight if they are too thin/heavy then you feed either 2% or 3% of the number of ounces depending on activity level etc.
It costs about $1.50 to feed my dogs a day, give or take. It was more than $3.00 a day on quality kibble costing the same as Cannidae.

 Quote: Megan Berry

I was happy with Canidae, as it's the best food that was still affordable. But how does Feeding Raw compare in price? Keep in mind I'm having a baby next month, so I'm not sure about the time-element either,

Hi Megan,

Take a look at this thread. Cindy is working to put together a page of suppliers of raw food. Thank you Cindy.

http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/163634/page/1#Post163634


I started feeding raw last September and I would say I pay a comparable amount to a premium kibble but, this will be the first year in a few my boy won't be getting a dental. His teeth look great. In the long run it is more cost effective.

With that being said; is this your first baby? Too many changes at once can become overwhelming to you and the dogs. With the exception of necessary thorough, cleaning there is no difference in the time required to feed raw but in the interest of making your life easier aka less changes; I would get off the Beneful and back to a premium food and revisit the raw diet when you have settled into a routine with the baby. JMO.

Of course if this is not your first child the adjustment to a new baby is quicker and easier so you could be very comfortable with the raw before the new little one was born and not as fanatical about germs and bacteria. Not that there is anything to worry about but 1st babies are well protected and much worried about

On the other hand by the time you get to # 3 and 4 you might mistake them for the raw meal

 Quote: Megan Berry

Can I do half raw, half Canidae? I'm not sure what to do for portion size, etc. Budget is a little tight right now, so I'm not wanting to have too much meat that doesn't get eaten. Also, I just thaw it, right? No heating?

I personally feed a half and half for a few reasons. The key is to not mix the meals. One kibble, one raw and at opposite ends of the day. I personally do kibble in the morning and raw in the evenin. I've had zero issues doing it this way. trust me I have little issues with left over meat or kibble goin to waste... Dogs by nature are not wasteful when it comes to food.

As far as cost yes ... everything is expensive right now. I just got the listing for kibble cost changes at the store today. I may have to make some tough choices there too. I right now spend about 1.29 a lb average for raw (poultry, lamb, eggs, beef, pork, etc) for all my supplies, vitamins, mixes, etc that I use. Kibble on the flip side runs me about $1 a lb with my discount at work and some very careful shopping methods. I find that by keeping 3 months worth of kibble on hand I save buckets of money for good quality products like canidae, wellness, blue, instinct, and natural balance which I rotate and watch the stores like a hawk for sales.

As far as how much to feed that depends on your dog. Mine look awesome and for my lab it's 1 1/2 cups of kibble in the morning and a mid sized raw meal at night which for her is a chicken back and 1/2 lb of grind which is a ground meat mix I make along with a ice cube or two sized glob of organs. So far she's a lean eating machine on that.

The papillons on the flip side can eat as much of either as they want. Usually for them this works out to a chicken wing or neck along with about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of grind on a good day and an ice cub size of organs every other day. Usually they eat about 1/3 cup of kibble in the morning.

there are lots of folks out there that cook food for their dogs with good success. I just find that my dogs look better on the raw stuff and it's less work