OK here are the basics (bringing it down to KISS)
-have enough freezer space to store bulk stuff, ideally a small chest freezer bought 2nd hand or found on freecycle.org (hey it's christmas soon, what a nice gift, LOL! can cost $200 if you shop around)
-AMGA on Jeanne-Mance sells you a 35 pound case of meaty chicken backs for $8, that will go a long way!
-call around for butchers to find a good souce of beef hearts, muscle meats & organs. i have one where the hearts and kidneys are $1/pound.
-watch the flyers for store sales and buy when it's cheap (.69/pound chicken legs at IGA, for example, or whole grain-fed turkeys for .99/pound, nice pork roasts for .89/pound...)
-a dog will typically eat 2-3% of its body weight of food per day. So a 50 pound dog would eat between 1-1.5 pounds, which is about 2 chicken legs on the high end. or 2-3 chicken frames + some beef heart, for example.
-the dollar store has great sardines packed in water 2 for $1, and buy tuna when it's 2 or 3 for $1 (stock up!) and pay max .99 for a can of salmon.
-feed eggs! cheap 100% assimilable tasty protein!
-feed only what is on sale and you have a bargain. Our 110 lbs dog costs us about $80/month to feed and i supplement with a lot of canned fish & some holistic kibble. I could pare it down to $60 if i was very careful.
-the only supplement you will need is Fish Body Oil for Omega-3's, you can get a big bottle of that on sale at Walmart or pharmacies for like $6, give a capsule about 3 times/week for lustrous coat.
-if budget is tight, supplement the bones, meats & organs with oatmeal, brown rice, pasta, human meal leftovers when you have them... whatever is on hand at the moment.
-balance over time is the key to this diet's success, and remember that vets bills are usually non-existant over the life of the dog... less or non-existant allergies, no dental cleanings, strong immune system, less baths needed, a LOT less poop cleanup, etc...
-it takes a little practice to get into a routine and you will have to spend some time preparing once or twice per month (for example, deboning a big turkey & bagging for freezer... the wings & leg bones can be too hard for dogs but the neck & back/ribs are fine... the meat goes to the dog & the bones go for soup stock, LOL)
-dogs do NOT need fruits or veggies, so no pulping and cooking and messy stuff.
-open fridge, take chicken, hand to dog... yep, really easy for us busy people, LOL!
i'll be happy to guide you along the way. i'm a phone call away and it's not even long distance, ha ha!
