Seriously looking into raw feeding but need ways to cut costs first

[welasharon]

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I am spending much less on raw feeding than I did on vet bills and comercial feed. Teeth are clean and shiny. It is the best for my dogs and me as well...but yes you can't just throw a chuck of meat at them. I am using Pitcairns book. THere are many very good raw food programs to follow. I happen to like this one. I was able to feed my lab Beneful for a few years but am back on a raw diet as his problems began creeping back...I had forgotten how much better they do.
sharon

 

[Tracydr]

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Most areas have raw coops. Check dogfoodchat.com. They have a list of most area coops. I'm in the Phoenix area and we have two. The one I use is awesome. Not always cheaper than the store bought cheapest sale meat but they also have weekly cheap meat specials at 50-75 cents that we get from area Walmart and other groceries on sell-by dates and this is frozen and dumped into big buckets by type of meat. Can save tons of money from regular grocery store prices.
I mainly feed beef heart, pork heart, pork picnic, turkey necks, some home raised chicken parts and for organ I use dehydrated liver ( I buy pork and beef liver and dehydrate for days I don't feel like cutting meat, it like having kibble) and spleen ( sweetbread). I haven't tried kidney yet but I probably should.
I do give fish oil for a supplement.
I've had no puking, no diahrhea. Some soft poops when I go too long without feeding bone but my dogs don't need bone too often. I'm also feeding a little kitten who's doing very well, too.
My oldest dog is a 13 year old chihuahua and, since starting raw, he can now jump up on the couch again. Today, he playfully attacked my Doberman, playing " king of the doorway", a game he used to play as a youngster and sort of stopped as he slowed down. He's been on raw for a year and in the past 6 months he's been really spunky! I think he's feeling really good and I can tell his joints feel better. He's gained weight and his dandruff went away. Also, he used to get ear gunk and hasn't had any of that.
He nearly died of hepatitis a couple of years ago from a steroid shot and now his bloodwork is totally normal.

 

[Tracydr]

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Watch out for cheap leg quarters. If they have added sodium they can cause itching and other problems, especially in allergy prone dogs. I try to use lots of turkey, I get necks for pretty cheap. My dogs like turkey better than raw chicken and the darker meat is slightly more nutritious.
Feed as much red meat as possible. I feed a lot of heart, a lot of pork picnic roast.

 

[Tracydr]

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I got a bunch of free " packing peanuts". Not sure how cheap they really were, Cornish cross probably would have been cheaper but they've been easy. I'll be skinning and processing one at a time as they start crowing soon. I have I think eighteen, along with my twelve Cornish x and six red broilers that I'm slowly processing. I like to do a couple at a time since it takes me a while to pluck and do a nice job on the one's I want to roast. I've found if I don't keep the Cornish x in too small of an area they have strong legs and hearts, seem to do fine until a little older, although I do have quite a few right now and need to get busy.

 

[Tracydr]

Ethnic groceries often have inexpensive and unusual cuts. Great place to look for organ meats and, if you want to get stuff like whole heads and stuff for that true prey experience, that's one place to go.
Butchers can't give whole beef heads anymore, I wonder if they can still give deer and elk heads? They wouldn't give the trophies but perhaps the cows and ewes? The cheek meat and brains are very popular with dogs.
If you are ok with butchering, I've always wondered if you couldn't find live goats and other animals cheaper than already butchered?

 

[halo]

Quote:
Most areas have raw coops. Check dogfoodchat.com. They have a list of most area coops. I'm in the Phoenix area and we have two. The one I use is awesome. Not always cheaper than the store bought cheapest sale meat but they also have weekly cheap meat specials at 50-75 cents that we get from area Walmart and other groceries on sell-by dates and this is frozen and dumped into big buckets by type of meat. Can save tons of money from regular grocery store prices.
I mainly feed beef heart, pork heart, pork picnic, turkey necks, some home raised chicken parts and for organ I use dehydrated liver ( I buy pork and beef liver and dehydrate for days I don't feel like cutting meat, it like having kibble) and spleen ( sweetbread). I haven't tried kidney yet but I probably should.
I do give fish oil for a supplement.
I've had no puking, no diahrhea. Some soft poops when I go too long without feeding bone but my dogs don't need bone too often. I'm also feeding a little kitten who's doing very well, too.
My oldest dog is a 13 year old chihuahua and, since starting raw, he can now jump up on the couch again. Today, he playfully attacked my Doberman, playing " king of the doorway", a game he used to play as a youngster and sort of stopped as he slowed down. He's been on raw for a year and in the past 6 months he's been really spunky! I think he's feeling really good and I can tell his joints feel better. He's gained weight and his dandruff went away. Also, he used to get ear gunk and hasn't had any of that.
He nearly died of hepatitis a couple of years ago from a steroid shot and now his bloodwork is totally normal.

Holy smokes, I thought you were feeding kittens to your dogs!

 

[Tracydr]

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Actually, prey model doesn't include veggies. The organ meat is where they get the vitamins that veggies would provide. Why feed milk bones, which is basically flour and actually gunk up in the teeth, full of carbs, when they can have bones, gristle, tendons? My chihuahua and papillon have white teeth, despite being toy dogs, the chihuahua is thirteen! He's had one dental in the past four years and the vet couldn't believe how good his teeth are. He actually didn't think he needed it but he had a broken tooth from trauma caused by running into his nail clippers. ( he hates toenail clipping)
Blood panels have been perfect on all three dogs. I had a lab with terrible pancreatitis when I used to feed high quality dog food.
I'm spending less now than when I fed dog food. I did buy a great big freezer off CL for $100 but I've filled half of it with people food and just love having it.

 

[Tracydr]

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So does stinky in = stinky out? I have heard that green tripe is ummmm odorous.

Haven't noticed stinky out. It is like crack for pets. Omg, the kitten went insane over it!

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
Most areas have raw coops. Check dogfoodchat.com. They have a list of most area coops. I'm in the Phoenix area and we have two. The one I use is awesome. Not always cheaper than the store bought cheapest sale meat but they also have weekly cheap meat specials at 50-75 cents that we get from area Walmart and other groceries on sell-by dates and this is frozen and dumped into big buckets by type of meat. Can save tons of money from regular grocery store prices.
I mainly feed beef heart, pork heart, pork picnic, turkey necks, some home raised chicken parts and for organ I use dehydrated liver ( I buy pork and beef liver and dehydrate for days I don't feel like cutting meat, it like having kibble) and spleen ( sweetbread). I haven't tried kidney yet but I probably should.
I do give fish oil for a supplement.
I've had no puking, no diahrhea. Some soft poops when I go too long without feeding bone but my dogs don't need bone too often. I'm also feeding a little kitten who's doing very well, too.
My oldest dog is a 13 year old chihuahua and, since starting raw, he can now jump up on the couch again. Today, he playfully attacked my Doberman, playing " king of the doorway", a game he used to play as a youngster and sort of stopped as he slowed down. He's been on raw for a year and in the past 6 months he's been really spunky! I think he's feeling really good and I can tell his joints feel better. He's gained weight and his dandruff went away. Also, he used to get ear gunk and hasn't had any of that.
He nearly died of hepatitis a couple of years ago from a steroid shot and now his bloodwork is totally normal.

Holy smokes, I thought you were feeding kittens to your dogs!

Oh, no! This is the cutest little kitty, ever. He is my papillon's new BFF. They play and play and play..... You'd think they were going to hurt each other as hard as they wrestle but she weighs about 6.5 lbs and he is about 2 pounds of pure sinew and muscle. He can take her down. They play chase, soccer ball with these little palm nuts. Then they fall asleep in a little cat bed together, all snuggled in a little pile. He is loaded with personality. I think he might be part Bombay, little white feet cute,sleek, very short black hair, and copper colored eyes. I found him nearly starved and dehydrated, drinking out of the chicken waterer in the backyard, about four weeks old.

Speaking of big name pet foods. IAMs just had a big recall of puppy food. Aflatoxin in the corn.
Also, there is a big brand of chicken jerky treats out there right now that was just recalled because of a bunch of deaths from a toxin. Another Chinese poison, the treats came from China. I make my own jerky treats, usually out of liver, since my dogs don't really like their raw liver that much but love it dry. Great training treats. And, the kitty loves liver jerky.

 

[watchdogps]

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So does stinky in = stinky out? I have heard that green tripe is ummmm odorous.

No! My dogs have zero gas on meals of nothing but tripe! Other stuff sometimes, particulalrly higher fat foods, but tripe is no stinky once it is consumed. The stuff itself does smell much like sewage though.