[VIC] Cheapest way to feed dog raw diet?

Dotaguy on 29/03/2019 - 15:08

Hi everyone,

Wanted to see if anyone had experience feeding their dog entirely raw, at a price either the same or cheaper than pet food.

At the moment pupper is about 26kg, and on Royal Canin Golden Retriever Junior. Bag is good for 36 meals, approx $100 per bag. It's often listed as more but there are deals that come up.
That equals $2.80 per meal. Not that bad.

However, I think a raw diet is probably better in the long run for the dogs health but unfortunately I struggle to get close in price.

This dog would be about 750gms a day of raw feed. 80% meat, 10% bones, 10% offal.

Cheapest pure meat I can find: Chicken breast fillet at $7 a kg.
Cheapest offal: Liver/Kidney, often $5 a kg.
Bones: Minced Chicken Frame, approx $2 for a kg box.

This gives me: at the ratio above: 7.8+5.1+2*.1= $6.40 a day in meals.

Is it possible to come to a number thats under $4 a day with relatively the same level of nutrition?
I think the chicken breast is probably the easiest way to reduce this, but unfortunately its difficult to find good alternatives.
Beef mince can be cheaper but is way too high in fat unless you pick up the more expensive premium stuff.
Other parts of chicken are cheap but also high in fat - wings often $3/kg but I'd be concerned about the fat content.

Thoughts, experiences?

Pets

Comments

  • Dean29 on 29/03/2019 - 15:36

    Get your meat from a dedicated pet store. I'm not in VIC so cant make any suggestions but i get mince as low as $2 per kg when on special and cheap deals on offal depending on what they have. Check Facebook there is quite a few raw feeding groups which can provide you with more info

    • ShortyX on 29/03/2019 - 15:43
      +1

      What's in the mince though?

    • Dotaguy on 29/03/2019 - 15:53

      $2 mince from pet stores? I'll have to check but last time I visited a pet stock they only had the branded boxed stuff which happens to be pretty expensive per serve

  • [Deactivated] on 29/03/2019 - 15:37
    +1

    Vegans.

  • ShortyX on 29/03/2019 - 15:45

    Add veggies ($1.60/kg from Coles) and we get our mince (kangaroo mince @ $5/kg), liver ($2/kg) and brisket bones ($4/kg)from a pet food store.

    Go with 4 parts mince, 1 part liver, 1 part veggies and 1 part bone. For 750g, that will be $2.96 per meal.

    Good luck - I'm sure your dog will enjoy the switch if you go ahead! FWIW, Royal Canin isn't great food

    • Dotaguy on 29/03/2019 - 15:52

      Where do you get kangaroo mince and liver from?

      I get that a lot of pet foods aren't great, but unfortunately since I've had my dog first dog food I had (ivory coat) was terrible, and hes done well on royal canin for now but from the few times I've fed entirely raw I can see that it is better.

      Also, do you have a separate freezer? I'm thinking I could make savings if I had a dedicated freezer for dog food, current one doesn't have the space to hold extra meat if I can find stuff on sale.

      • ShortyX on 29/03/2019 - 15:56

        Where do you get kangaroo mince and liver from?

        From a pet food store, but it's like a pet food butcher - hopefully you can find a similar store where you live.

        I buy in bulk and use a food processor to mix the mince, liver and veggies together then freeze off in portions. We just defrost the meals during the day and give it at night. I keep the bones frozen and just give them in the morning - keeps them busy for a little while. :)

        (I previously used to cook up the food in the frypan, but realised it was really a waste of time!)

        • jjjaar on 29/03/2019 - 22:46

          Potentially an odd question, but why a pet food butcher as opposed to a normal butcher?

          • ShortyX on 30/03/2019 - 00:14

            @jjjaar: I couldn’t find one that sold roo mince.

            • jjjaar on 30/03/2019 - 00:24
              +1

              @ShortyX: Oh sure then. I thought there was like some reason why you wouldn’t just get meat from a normal butcher, but if it’s about access to the the product all good. Thanks.

    • SydStrand on 29/03/2019 - 19:12
      -1

      First time I heard of this site but that review is awful, with no actual nutritional analysis.

      The great thing about maize (or corn to most of us) is that it’s very very cheap.

      Yes… maize is corn. But the fact it's affordable is not a negative.

      Unfortunately it can also be hard to digest and of questionable nutritional value to your dog.

      Actually, it's a very digestible fibre. And even if it wasn't, insoluble fibre is essential for healthy bowel movement.

      We also find maize flour as the third ingredient, which is corn wastage they’ve thrown in for good measure.

      Actually, it's cornmeal.

      For the main meat source we have dehydrated poultry protein. I wonder what they mean by “poultry”? If they were using chicken I’m sure they’d say that on the label, whereas “poultry” could come from a number of sources.

      All processed meat including chicken nuggets comes from multiple sources. And 'poultry' is just an umbrella term in the industry. Chicken is actually the cheapest bird protein, so Royal Canin isn't exactly mixing in duck or turkey if they can help it.

      Animal fats may sound like a decent ingredient, but we often find this is sourced cheaply from processed 4-D animals. It’s skimmed off from cooking up a load of animals in a big vat, and that would be animals that are declared unfit for human consumption.

      Animal fat is in many processed foods. Also, dogs have been eating meat that humans deemed undesirable since the first wolves approached the campfire. Why exactly is this person suddenly surprised that it's in dog food? FYI: condemned meat doesn't wind up in dog food, but rather those cuts from carcasses that pass grade but don't have a large market (offal, ears, trotters, etc.). There's nothing wrong with it, just visit a Chinese restaurant.

      I don't mean to jump down your throat, but treat anything that site says with a grain of salt. By their very admission, they have zero qualifications in pet nutrition. I don't feed commercial diet to my pets, but they're nutritionally balanced and the research shows it.

      • ShortyX on 30/03/2019 - 00:17

        All good. Should dogs be eating maize as the main ingredient though? The site still gave it 3/5, and I think they give higher ratings for food that has more meat content. I read somewhere that protein is more important for dogs than carbs.

        Which research are you referring to? I watched a YouTube video on the history on dry dog food (kibble) and it was very interesting, but I’m certainly no expert.

        The reason we switched to raw was that one of our dogs had a really bad skin condition. We tried a heap of different, expensive dry foods but the only thing that ended up working was a raw diet.

        • SydStrand on 30/03/2019 - 15:51

          There's plenty of pet food research, especially regarding novel proteins. There's nothing wrong with commercial, so long it's nutritionally balanced. I'd trust the known brands from the likes of Pet Barn over supermarket (anecdotally, I hear that the Aldi one is pretty good).

          I read somewhere that protein is more important for dogs than carbs.

          Dogs are like us, they need both. Protein is especially critical for growth and puppies, but carbs are still needed for energy throughout life. It's why the breed-specific, puppy, and geriatric commercial diets have different content.

          The reason we switched to raw was that one of our dogs had a really bad skin condition

          That's fine, I recommend the same. My dog is on a mostly raw diet too, but he gets 1/4 kibble and some bones and vegies. The notion that cats and dogs should only eat red meat is outdated, and comes from the same period that suggested rabbits only need carrots and birds can subsist on seed. These diets aren't at all natural, and causes problems like obesity and stones.

          • try2bhelpful on 30/03/2019 - 16:05

            @SydStrand: Absolutely it needs to be balanced and you can cause your pet all sorts of problems if you get it wrong. The thing to keep in mind is that a natural diet will consist of all parts of the prey and whatever else they scavenge. Cats can’t live on dog food because the nutrient isn’t correct. We give our kitty girls some chicken/beef a bit of the NZ Feline natural tins and some Ziwipeak dry food. We have vomiting problems with one of our girls so we have to balance her nutrition with what she keeps down; hence the poached chicken. Cats are pretty fussy about food, I think most dogs are easier.

  • Three on 29/03/2019 - 16:10

    I used to buy bulk pet chicken mince from a butcher. 20kg boxes at a time. Was about a third the cost of the same thing from a pet food store.

  • whooah1979 on 29/03/2019 - 16:18

    Take a trip up to the Snowy Mountains.

  • Markmathews on 29/03/2019 - 17:24
    +1

    Go to shelter. Guinea pigs are free. Breed them. Profligate breeders. It's not illegal. As long as they are killed humanely.

  • cookietime on 29/03/2019 - 17:30

    Perhaps check out these guys https://www.petfoodsdelivered.com.au/fresh-100-australian.ht…

    I personally haven't purchased from them before (wish they deliver to my city), but their prices look pretty good.

  • SydStrand on 29/03/2019 - 18:45
    +2

    However, I think a raw diet is probably better in the long run for the dogs health

    It's not a balanced diet. Dogs are omnivores, they don't just eat raw muscle in the wild; even wolves will consume plants. If you want to switch to home diet, then supplement with bone, grain and vegetables (raw carrots are excellent for the teeth too).

    • fantombloo on 29/03/2019 - 19:13
      -6

      They can indeed thrive on an all plant or mostly plant based diet. Proper planning is key. An all-flesh diet is largely irresponsible.

      • Some Human on 30/03/2019 - 00:28
        +3

        Well yeah, I guess you could do this…if you want your dog to hate you.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/05/2020 - 00:53

      We give our dogs raw carrot all the time. My lab loves them…well he'd eat just about anything so maybe love is a strong word

  • [Deactivated] on 29/03/2019 - 22:13

    My Mum used to be feed her dog raw chicken legs, they are pretty cheap. Her vet advised her to do this, there is no issues with them choking on bones he said.

    750gm seems like a lot when you consider a decent size steak for 80kg animal (human) is 250 grams.

  • try2bhelpful on 30/03/2019 - 07:38

    If you aren’t feeding cooked then make sure the dog is regularly wormed. There are websites that give recipes just need to get the balance right.

  • Quantumcat on 30/03/2019 - 12:47
    +1

    Don't feed raw human grade chicken to animals. It is full of salmonella because it is assumed we will cook it before eating. Pet food quality meat will be clean of salmonella because it is assumed it will be eaten raw. My cat got food poisoning because I gave her raw chicken breast while I was cooking. Don't quote me on this but I think chicken wings are fine since they are regularly given to animals but not things like chicken breast or thighs.

    • try2bhelpful on 30/03/2019 - 15:37

      We poach our chicken breast before giving them to the cats and then store leftovers in the fridge.

      Found a great recipe:
      Put chicken breast in saucepan with cold water,
      Bring to boil, turn down heat.
      Rolling simmer for 7 minutes
      Turn off heat and let stand for 15 minutes.

      Chicken breasts come out great every time. The cats love it.

      Yeah, I know but if you set a timer this, actually, has minimal effort.

  • nissa on 30/03/2019 - 15:29

    My Golden Retriever was raw fed a mixture of crushed vegetables with liver, hearts or whatever was available at the supermarket. Her meat was mostly chicken frames as it had a reasonable mix of bone and meat.
    This diet is great for teeth. Think the vet was always disappointed her teeth never needed cleaning
    There's a few facebook groups.
    This one uses the prey model and throws a fit if anything else is mentioned It's run by an Aussie breeder
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/rawfeedingcarnivores/
    This one more like the diet I used. It was based on BARF that was started by an Aussie vet Dr Ian Billinghurst.
    I started this diet after reading his first book but I think in the long run he got into the business of selling premade food.
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/6584536250/

  • try2bhelpful on 30/03/2019 - 16:09

    Don’t know where you are but something like this place might be worth considering as it is pre mixed.

    http://www.petlove.com.au/

  • Geekomatic on 30/03/2019 - 23:29

    Have a look at perfectlyrawsome.com

    Good guides on how to move from commercial pet foods to raw.

    Hit up a local butcher and ask what they can do for you, once you know what you need thru P-Raw what to buy.

    Good for you to do this!

    Our pets are becoming overweight & fooking diabetic eating all of the sh*t we feed them. I'm already depressed that our cats & dogs have been made prisoners in our homes.

    :(

  • truebredlabradors on 08/07/2019 - 10:12

    I don't know how old your puppy is, but if they are not mature yet, however, I would be very careful with the diet, as it can have a significant impact on their development. We use Royal Canin for our Labradors.

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