I do not mean to sound cheap. But I must keep in mind our 5 sons who eat and eat and eat. We bought our first dog keeping in mind the cost of keeping her healthy.

My husband would not like me to go BARF...but then again, I figure I must try this out in order to keep our newest pup as a housedog (we have had a hard time with puppy farts which I am associating with poor diet).

I will continue to do all I can to start her off on this diet. Thanks for the links...they are priceless!

Tammy, look around on Yahoo Groups for some barf email lists in your area. You will probably be suprised that you can get a lot of thing MUCH cheaper through select places.

For instance I order chicken necks and backs from a wholesaler for $.29/lb. Only catch is that I have to order 400lbs of meats, but I can order anything I want as long as it comes to 400lbs. So, I hooked up with some other barfers in my area and I split the order with them at no extra cost. I do the business end, they have to pick theirs up on the day it arrives. So far no one has stiffed me on an order.

Also, surf the meat section in your grocery store and look for the markdown stuff. I was able to buy turkey necks that way this week for around $.45/lb and beef heart for around$.35/lb. You can always freeze it and feed it later.

Look for small meat butchers and game processers as well. I was able to get carcasses from deer and trimmings for free. The ribs have a fair amount of meat on them and Gunther likes them just fine. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Some people think he wants to play fetch with a stick, then they realize it has hair and a hoof attached.

My neighbors think I am nuts. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> They are probably right.

At first it seems very expensive, but once you get the hang of it, it will cost less.

Deeana, do they grind those necks & backs for you?

No, they do not... I don't gring my stuff though so it isn't an issue.

 Quote:

Originally posted by tammy haga:

 Quote:

Boy what Mr. Frawley does sure seems expensive

Not really. Do the math. 40 lbs of leg quarters on sale at $0.29/lb is about $12.00. I used to pay $30.00 for a 40 lb. bag of Science Diet. That's about 100 lbs. of chicken!! Throw in a few veggies, some kelp/alfalfa and you've got a happy pup.

Walt

aka "Kid Rott" ;-)