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Old October 19th, 2009, 04:53 PM
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Decent food, reasonable price.

I was lecturing my mother today about what she feeds her cats and dog and I was telling her what all the bad ingredients are. So I wen't to my dog food bag to give her a reference of what is good, turns out I couldn't give her a reference. A year ago I thought nutram was a pretty decent food for the price, I was almost positive it didn't have any corn in it. So maybe they changed the ingredients or I couldn't read a year ago

I'm wondering what are some good foods that are not TOO expensive. I know what most of the good foods are like eagle pack, wellness, orijen (which i've only ever seen once in a store and the price was outrageous).

I currently feed my cats soup for the cat lovers soul, or somthing along those lines and it's a pretty good food and isn't to crazily priced. Is the soup for the soul dog food good? Is there any other good foods around $65 for a big bag? The two good stores I have around me are pet valu and global pet foods.

Thanks!
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Last edited by Ford; October 20th, 2009 at 08:20 AM.
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Old October 19th, 2009, 06:00 PM
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check this site for ratings http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ then compare prices on at your local stores, prices very some between retailers. Orijen seems to be a current popular choice and is one of the top rated.
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Old October 19th, 2009, 06:03 PM
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Feeding a quality food may result in her dogs needing less food daily so it may work out in the end .

Buying Wellness, grain free in the large cans can be a real saver for cat food.

Of course the cheapest is making your own raw but not sure if she would consider that.
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Old October 19th, 2009, 06:31 PM
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RAW IS CHEAPER? I've ALWAYS wanted to go on raw but thought it would be extremely expensive.
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Old October 19th, 2009, 06:50 PM
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Quote:
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RAW IS CHEAPER? I've ALWAYS wanted to go on raw but thought it would be extremely expensive.
I think it comes down to availability in bulk and your ability to handle bulk quantities (enough freezer space) ?
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Old October 19th, 2009, 06:52 PM
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I think RAW is cheaper. After buying a $74.00 bag of kibble today- RAW is cheaper
I don't buy anything over 2/lb and most meat I get at far less than that. I buy turkey necks and backs for less than 1/lb and I just bought whole chickens at that same price for my guys.
RAW is time consuming, but if you enjoy shopping, or are ready to do the footwork I think it can be far less expensive (and really good for your puppy!)
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Old October 19th, 2009, 06:52 PM
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I've got a huge freezer so I can store a lot.
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Old October 19th, 2009, 07:05 PM
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I have 3 dogs over 50lbs, and 2 cats that are around 16 pounds. How much would it aprox. cost me to feed them all raw, monthly. I know you just grind it all up in the blender or processor, but what do I need? Meat, obviously. But I don't know exactly what veggies and fruits I need.
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Old October 19th, 2009, 07:14 PM
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Fruits and veggies is entirely optional. I only feed dogs, but I have 4 large breed dogs to feed. I haven't figured it out on a monthly cost scale yet I will crunch some numbers and get back to you.
We feed them any good quality meat- though I don't grind it at all- not worth the time investment for me. I feed them meat on bone, cuts without bone, and organ meat. I also add in unsweetened yogurt (optional), omega oils (hemp), eggs and the shell as well as any fruit or veg that I have in season, and in stock. They get fruit and veg maybe twice a week?
I also add acidepholeus myself, and sometimes I give them fish.
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Old October 19th, 2009, 08:53 PM
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Fruit and veggies are optional? So I can feed them solely meat, egg, and fish?
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Old October 19th, 2009, 09:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Akira View Post
Fruit and veggies are optional? So I can feed them solely meat, egg, and fish?
exactly! and don't grind it up. waste of your time. you have the best grinders of nature just waiting to get their chance to prove it to you

you want to do for cats : 80% meat/fish, 10%raw never cooked bone and 10% organ and eggwith about 1/2 of that being liver
and for dogs I do the same but you can add some veggies if you want too, I personally don't.

each animal will eat approx 2-3% of their ideal adult body weight each day. I have been told that dogs should be fasted 1 day/week, but I found if I did that, my little pup got thin. cats should never go more then 24hrs without eating.
so...for a 16lb cat would eat .3 to .5 lbs/day and a 50lb dog would eat 1 to 1.5 lbs /day. so you would need probably a maximum of 6 lbs of food a day. That would be an extreme top end weight though for 5 very active animals, and that includes bone, meat, fish, eggs, organ and treats.
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Last edited by Melei'sMom; October 19th, 2009 at 09:50 PM. Reason: forgot to add important word!
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  #12  
Old October 19th, 2009, 10:07 PM
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As far as the cats go, it's all about the meat, no fruit or veggies required (although you could add some low-glycemic veggies like cooked zucchini or green beans for the soluble fibre if they have digestive issues transitioning from a high fibre kibble. But not more than 5%). I wouldn't feed them much fish either, if at all. The occasional nibble of sardines or salmon for a treat is okay, but there are too many problems associated with feeding fish to make it a regular menu item.

The issue of to grind or not to grind can be a little complicated. While it would certainly be easier if your cats took to a whole prey model right away and were cool with chowing down on bones and organs in the appropriate proportions, that is rarely the case with cats raised on commercial kibble. Have you ever offered them some fresh raw muscle meat before? If so, did they like it? That would the first step. Then soft bones like chicken necks and wings, along with organs. It can be a slow process to convince some cats that raw meat is actually food. Might be easier to start with a good canned food and gradually work up to a balanced raw diet.

There is a little more flexibility when feeding dogs than there is with cats. It's especially important to get the calcium/phosphorus ratio correct, and to make sure there's enough taurine being consumed. Grinding helps ensure that the meals are indeed balanced, especially if you have a finicky cat who refuses to eat bones and/or organs. If you haven't seen this site, I recommend checking it out for some detailed info on making your own cat food: http://www.catinfo.org/makingcatfood.htm There are also tips here on how to transition a cat off of kibble: http://www.catinfo.org/#Transitionin...o_Canned_Food_
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Old October 20th, 2009, 04:26 PM
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I started the dogs today, and the two boys love it. But kira is too dainty, I don't think she likes the texture, cause she'll lick it and put it in her mouth but she won't eat it. I gave them pork button and salmon steak, she didn't like either of them. I've given her raw hamburger before and she liked that, so im assuming it's the texture. Am I gonna have to cook it a little bit until she gets used to it? or..
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Old October 20th, 2009, 06:02 PM
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No raw egg whites for cats. It has a toxin in it that is killed when partially cooked. I only add the yolks for their vit B. Egg whites are an important protein component for cats who need low phosporus, though.

I average about 50-60 cents for 5.5 oz made with bulk buying of pork chops, chicken legs with thighs attached and chicken breasts when on sale at no frills. I add chicken liver/hearts. I pay $2.30 to $2.70 for a can of Instinct (plus tax) for 5.5 oz can. I do buy lots of chicken breasts when on sale, I never pay regular price for those. Ask your local butcher for saved pieces that fall on the floor and buy at a reduced rate .

I grind by hand (well DH does) and Jasper and Rose eat chicken breast bones for their teeth, Puddles will never eat the bones, and still trying to get Sweet Pea to eat them.
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Old October 20th, 2009, 07:32 PM
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I needed to hold the food to get my Rottie to eat it. AlIf most like hand feeding her...
If I didn't she would just lick it and move it around..
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Old October 20th, 2009, 07:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Love4himies View Post
No raw egg whites for cats. It has a toxin in it that is killed when partially cooked. I only add the yolks for their vit B. Egg whites are an important protein component for cats who need low phosporus, though.
It's not actually a toxin in the egg whites, it's a glycoprotein called avidin, which binds to biotin (vitamin B7) and can result in a deficiency if an excessive amount of raw egg whites are consumed. However, egg yolks are a plentiful source of biotin and counteract the avidin, so as long as whole raw eggs are fed, it isn't typically a problem. But you're right, cooking the whites deactivates the avidin, so that would be the way to go if you wanted to be extra sure. Here's more info: http://www.provet.co.uk/health/diseases/eggwhite.htm
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Last edited by sugarcatmom; October 21st, 2009 at 01:08 PM. Reason: forgot a word
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  #17  
Old October 21st, 2009, 12:58 PM
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Holy cat food, how do you guys know all this stuff! I am impressed, and now informed.
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  #18  
Old October 22nd, 2009, 01:28 AM
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so soft boiling the eggs would be a solution. I think I am going to soft boil from now on. better safe then sorry!
That is one of the many things I love about this forum, no matter how much I think I know, there is always someone here who can teach me something new
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  #19  
Old October 25th, 2009, 05:06 PM
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Update!

So I did some serious searching, and found somthing awesome.

About 15 minutes from here there is a meat packing factory. They actualy sell a "dog food" It's green tripe, cow lungs, stomach. All kinds of good stuff, grinded, frozen and cut into 1lb blocks. $35 for 50lbs! I think thats a steal.
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  #20  
Old October 25th, 2009, 05:53 PM
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Yes, it is a real steal.....would you share your source..it would be a drive for me but the savings would be worth it.
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Old October 25th, 2009, 06:59 PM
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Stayner Meat Packers. Look them up on google maps. They have lots of good stuff, no chicken though.
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  #22  
Old October 25th, 2009, 07:00 PM
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Didnt read the whole thread but that food that cosco sells (OMG, cant remember the name for the life of me) is reasonably priced and not half bad


EDIT: Kirklands best.. yep thats it!
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  #23  
Old November 4th, 2009, 07:22 AM
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WoW, a lot of advice! I think doing raw for the cats would be cheaper then the wellness core, esp the cans. And better for them.

Rm
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