# Cost of raw/home cooked vs. store bought.



## RubyFeuer (Mar 30, 2010)

I was just trying to get some info to see if it is more financially feasible to feed dogs on a raw diet (or cooked meat in our case to prevent worms), or feed them store bought food. I spend about $50 every three weeks so that is getting a bit expensive. It's good dog food and is great and all, but I wanted to know if it was cheaper to feed them food that I make for them. I know they like it a lot more especially my small dog who HATES kibbles. He'll it it, but much to his displeasure lol.

So, here are my questions:

Do you feed home food (raw/cooked meat along with veggies and other things to balance it), or store bought?

If it is store bought, what brand and quality?

How much do you spend on dog food a month (either home food, or store bought)?

If home food what diet do you follow?

I appreciate everyone's input to help me figure out if it is cheaper or the same to feed them home food. I understand that it will vary by area so it might be more expensive even if I find that it is cheaper for most people. Or the opposite of that.
I look forward to hearing from everyone.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

How big of a freezer do you have?


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## RubyFeuer (Mar 30, 2010)

Not that big, but we manage to squeeze crazy amounts of meat in there lol. If we end up staying in the country we are going to buy a freezer chest so that will work well for buying in bulk.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

I feed raw.

Most of it is leftovers from local farms. We do a drive around once a month to farms we have a deal with and they have all their leftovers in the freezers for us.
Some of it comes from the factories. All of it is free range, hormone free.
I don't feed veggies.

I spend about 10-15 a month for 4 dogs.

We have a big chest freezer in our garage that we got from CL for about $50 that is full of all the dog meat. 
Our latest score was 2 trash bags full of chicken, turkey and beef bits for $6


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

we belong to a co op so we get better pricing, as we buy over 4000 lbs at a time...it's a big co op

but even if i were to buy from a grocery store, i would shop sales....and they might not have quite as much variety, but the way i look at it is this:

their vet bills are zero. their dentals which cost quite a bit are zero.

so what i lose on the merry go round, i win on the swings...if i didn't have the benefit of a co op, they would eat chicken, fish, beef, and pork....and that would be fine....

not sure how much it would cost...but i have dogs that are fairly small...so they eat a pound a day...i figure i'm spending 1-2 dollars per pound on them.


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## RubyFeuer (Mar 30, 2010)

Good idea going to farms and stuff for leftovers. Definitely sounds cheaper so far that way lol. I have a dog who is about 60lbs at 6 months old so he still has a big of growing to do which is why he is eating so much too lol, a small dog who is 13lbs and a month away from her first birthday ^^, and a third dog who is 11lbs and eats like a bird lol. He eats so light because he hates all dog kibble. Doesn't matter the quality or the brand. He eats it though so he doesn't die lol. Whenever I feed him the home made food he is really happy and eats all of it. I have to measure it out with the good home made food though or else he will eat until he blows up lol. I'm definitely going to get a freezer chest if we stay in America. That way we can buy a lot in bulk and save money lol. We could even get like a half a cow or something and have it cut up for us and keep the scraps or the less desirable pieces for them lol. 

This morning they had London broil steak with rice lol.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

*Do you feed home food (raw/cooked meat along with veggies and other things to balance it), or store bought?*
Raw. Currently mostly bought from a meat guy and it is mostly leftovers from human grade cuts, ostrich/beef trim, organs, heads, fetal animals, etc.

*How much do you spend on dog food a month (either home food, or store bought)?*
$15-25 for 1 38 pound dog.

*If home food what diet do you follow?*
44 pound geriatric chronically ill Sassy was fed home cooked. She needed a whole chicken a week plus expensive $1.50 a pound rice. Came to 5 pounds of rice and 4-5 whole chickens plus 4 pounds of pork or beef plus a bunch of supplements. Last time I figured it was about $30 a month, far cheaper than the prescription kibble she would have been on and a fraction of what canned prescription would have been.

For estimating raw cost add the weights of your dogs together, multiply by 2% for a daily feed and by 30 for pounds you will need per month. Max needs about 20 pounds a month and his meats range from $.39-1.75 with the average cost about $.90 a pound. Same for cooked really as you need to be mostly feeding meat anyway.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

and, as you get more comfortable with raw, you'll find connections and ads on craigslist, should you go that way....
or deals with local farmers who need money..

and the tougher the meat, the better it is for the dog...so all those tough cuts you get when you buy a cow...just tell them you don't want the ground, other than the amount you want for yourself....but to leave the rest of it whole.....and you can feed that to the dog....especially the fattier pieces....

chickens are cheap...and i get sardines for a dollar a piece, very high in omega threes.....beef ribs are cheap and they are great recreational chews...stay away from knuckle, femur , soup bones, weight bearing animal bones...don't want to take the chance of fracturing a tooth...

there are ways, believe me...to cheapen up dog food when you go raw...even eggs are good for a dog and they're cheap...

we just got emu for 65 cents a pound....it's just the scrap, but it's cheap and we'll pick through it and use what we can....

i think it's more expensive in the beginning.....and then you find other raw feeders : )


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## RubyFeuer (Mar 30, 2010)

Sounds good ^^ There are a lot of people around here I guess that like to feed raw so maybe that will help. I know my dogs will love it lol. Like this morning I saw the food I made for them and I was like......mmmmmmm. lol It looked good and I hadn't eaten yet.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Plus it doesn't have to be either or. You can simply substitute a raw meal for a kibble meal up to every other day without worrying about 'balancing' the diet. Be safe and don't give the big dog small bits but you might cut up a chicken for the family and cut out the whole back for the big dog and give the little dog the neck and gizzard or a wing or when you have pork or beef ribs cut off a few for the dogs. You might happen upon a turkey in the clearance bin, cut up and BBQ some for the humans and give some to the dogs. Max says turkey necks are the bomb. Or nobody wants to eat the fish Uncle Joe caught, freeze for a couple weeks, check for hooks and cut off sharp spines and offer to the dogs.


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