[pugmomsandy]

It depends on the cuts of meat you’re using for the homemade raw and if it’s regular, free range, grass fed, antibiotic free, etc. You probably don’t want the regular chickens that have been injected but rather get some that are less processed, no antibiotics. You can find discount prices when the sell-by dates are coming up. At the health food store, I can get a package of turkey neck with giblets for around $1.49/lb. But duck necks are about $2.69/lb. Ground beef 80/20 is less than $1/lb and containers of heart and gizzard are under $2/lb. I guess it also depends on your area of the country. There is an initial investment of freezer space and a meat/bone grinder but they are well worth it. Or you can use boneless meats and supplement with bone meal or other source of calcium. The recipe book “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Karen Becker/Beth Taylor has simple recipes with and without bone. I would say my average (guessing) would be $2.20 a pound and my dog would eat 6 oz per day = 11.25 lbs per month = $24.75 per month PLUS supplements. Kibble would be $15.60 per month for me ($79 for 100 cups). I don’t ever use the $0.39/lb bag of chicken thighs!! But yes, you can get homemade to be real cheap. Let’s say a combo of ground beef 80/20 or 70/30 and chicken heart/gizzard and some supplements would be cheap, in rotation with the Core. I think it would work out. You can also join a local raw feeding group and order in bulk with them. I like to buy tripe which is $2/lb for me. I also feed raw sardines which I bought on sale for $1.19/lb. You can also add up to 20% of unbalanced raw food to his diet without having to worry about extra vit/min supplementation. Maybe give him a chicken wing, a heart and piece of gizzard a couple times a week.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by pugmomsandy.