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  #1  
Old January 21st, 2007, 10:26 PM
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REAL raw-feeding costs

So for the past 30 days, i've been writing down how much it cost to feed the kids every day. this includes all whole meats, home-made ground mixes (on a cost-per-pound), canned fish, green tripe, yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, etc. I did not include any "table scraps", treats or supplements though.

the first 2 weeks, our home-mixes were expensive since i couldn't find anything on sale, and the last two weeks have been much better, the freezer is stocked with good affordable stuff now.

Total was $160, so $80 lbs per dog for a month (remember i have 210 lbs of active dog to feed) My aim for the next month is to knock about $25 off that bill, it's looking reasonable to achieve this without compromising their diet.

It's been a fun exercise, to say the least
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Old January 21st, 2007, 10:32 PM
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Ummm...you should also factor in transportation costs to be fair Techno. It's one thing if you are shopping in one place and getting all your own groceries at the same time but, if you are driving (or in my case transiting or cabbing) around to various sales it adds up compared to a one-stop-shop at the pet store for ready-made.
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Old January 21st, 2007, 10:36 PM
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not a consideration, since i buy everything locally while doing my own groceries. i'm not adding cost for dishsoap and hot water either for when i wash the feeding bowls, LOL!

i guess if others drive for hours to get some cheap meat, that could be factored in. but i also know of people who drive for hours to buy a specific brand of kibble or to see a specific vet
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Old January 21st, 2007, 10:50 PM
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Dishsoap ? You use dishsoap ? Wowwww...spoiled doggies .

I'm just remembering the days of $20.00 cab rides back from the St. Lawrence Market with my cabby absolutely aghast at my bags and bags and bags and bags of raw meat and me explaining, "No, really I'm a vegetarian just like you are...".

Ahhh...I miss the days of raw. The butcher's all loved to see me coming
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Old January 21st, 2007, 10:57 PM
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LOL!! i don't think i would have half the dedication you did, mummummum how could you keep that up without going crazy, broke and exhausted?

speaking of dishsoap, for some unknown reason today my hands were in the sink for such a long time, i swear my skin is too sizes too small for my hands been putting hand cream on twice per hour, with no relief. and it's not like i've been cooking like a fiend, either - WHERE do all those dishes COME from?

ok off to bed now... dreaming of cabbing with bags of meat... he he he!
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Old January 21st, 2007, 11:15 PM
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Originally Posted by technodoll View Post
how could you keep that up without going crazy, broke and exhausted?
...you mean I'm not ?

When I found canned fish and meats at a really good price I bought it by the truckload so that I would have it on hand for a few months. Over the course of a month or two practically everything went on sale at one time or another. It means alot of shopping though (and shocked cabbies !).

I always wished I knew someone else who was feeding raw (or a large family of eager carnivores) so that we could have bought a cow or a half cow together and had it butchered to "spec" ~ would have been much less $$$ and less of a hassle. Of course you need the BIG freezer to accommodate that much moooo.

Last edited by mummummum; January 21st, 2007 at 11:26 PM.
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Old January 22nd, 2007, 03:43 AM
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When that two sizes thingy happens to me, I always rince my hands in lukewarm water, dab lightly with a towel and cream with really thick cream right away.. that way some of the water gets trapped under the cream...

As for the costs $160 is pretty good, IMO.
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Old January 22nd, 2007, 06:40 AM
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Wow, that isn't bad at all!!! I give my 12 1/2 year old shepherd already prepared raw foods such as healthy paws. It amounts to over $200 a month for a 75 lbs dog and needless to say at her age, the activity level is quite minimal.....

So looks like we should be able to carry on with the raw diet once we add more doggies to our family in the future so long as I prepare it myself! Don't miss those days though, I used to cook my dogs food for about 7 years, a LOT of work.
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Old January 22nd, 2007, 09:47 AM
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Pretty Close

That's pretty close to me. About $3-4 per dog...depending on the 'sale' component.

for anyone in the Stouffville, ON area; I've been going to the Stouffville Sales barn on Sat.s, where there are ladies that sell 'stewing' chickens and roosters for $5.00 each. And, they are BIG. Enough to feed a Bernese and a Newf for a whole day...and more.

Angie J
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Old January 22nd, 2007, 10:06 AM
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the trick really is to take advantage of sales and stock up. We invested in a small chest freezer 2.5 years ago that has more than paid for itself by now (it was about $300 brand new, with taxes and delivered), we also use it to stock OUR food so that's cool, LOL It sits in a corner of our tiny livingroom and we hardly notice it.

we're lucky to live close to a few great grocery stores (Metro, IGA, Intermarché, Maxi) and we get our chicken frames from a meat-processing plant which is 5 minutes away, this allows us to cut our costs alot ($8 for 35 lbs of fresh chicken backs). we also scout the Jean Coutu and Pharmaprix for sales on canned fish and other stuff.

i can't wait for the Saturday-morning sales flyers to see what's coming up for cheap, hubby used to laugh at me but now he always proudly brings me the "goodie bag" after taking the dogs out

PS: when yogurt tubs come on sale for $2 or less, i buy a few and freeze them. the texture is not as perfect after thawing but the taste & smell are fine, the dogs don't mind! there are alot of tricks to saving money and feeding a fresh natural diet
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Old January 22nd, 2007, 10:36 AM
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I don't want to know how much I spend on my gang,I'm afraid!I don't really find feeding raw is more expensive than feeding a good quality dry.
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Old January 22nd, 2007, 10:42 AM
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wow..I thought it'd be alot more pricey...
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Old January 22nd, 2007, 10:55 AM
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yeah me too, i was surprised at the monthly total. and i've been VERY vigilant, i have a "dry erase" calendar and after every meal, i write the total cost so i don't forget anything. kinda fun actually... now is a challenge to make it less per month, while keeping the quality the same - goal is to bring it down to $70 per dog, all inclusive
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Old January 22nd, 2007, 11:28 AM
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Holy smokes that seemed expensive to me at first but after some thought, it does seem pretty good... Although, for me, supplements are pretty costly, so I wonder what that adds to your estimates???

I buy Dodger's food in bulk from a butcher so its not exactly a monthly cost but it does work out to $50 a month. Dodger doesn't need as much raw food as he should so it really helps to keep expenses down.
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Old January 22nd, 2007, 11:44 AM
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hmm supplements... hard to track that one. i give them about 4 times per week: Fish Oil capsules, Vitamin E and Ester-C. Always buy on sale so they're not expensive (got 200 fish oil capsules at walmart for $8, a bottle of 120 capsuples Vit E for $4, etc: love the Jean-Coutu liquidation sales!) about once or twice per week i'll throw in a super-garlic tablet and some Kelp, they're cheap and i buy the big doses, and split the tablet in two. So a bottle of anything will last me months.

just started the Glucosamine/Chondroitin this morning for maika, it was $9 for 6 weeks (bottle marked down from $21).
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Last edited by technodoll; January 22nd, 2007 at 11:47 AM.
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