Gotta be a cheaper way!

[LILYLARUE]

I need some help here. I have three 50lb dogs. Some controllable allergies to food. What my issue is ~ the $500+ food bill I have every month.

I feed one bag of kibble a month to two of them at $37.
The other gets a little smaller bag once a month at $18. (potatoe allergy)
Each gets two cans of food a day=6 cans at $2.24 a can=$403.20/mo.
Add various healthy choice treats = $75/mo.

I have a butcher willing to bag the sawdust and the scraps and ofel left over. Will that remove the cans from their diet?

They will NOT eat just kibble. I think they get bored with it. I added the cans for the protein and variety and mostly to control when they eat, how much and in turns controlls when they poop.

Ok, back to the butcher left overs. Do I have to worry about bacteria in that sawdust? Is there anything I should tell them about how they handle it to make it easier for me? So many questions on sawdust alone.

Can I also add veggies or is that not necessary? I can go to market and get their un-sold produce left-overs.

Is RAW the way to go for me or just homecooking, which I will glady do. (though my daughter will be upset cause she didn't get the same treatment growing up. lol) I just need an alternative, reasonably costing method. And you all here certainly would know!!

Thanks for your help!

I understand I won't be able to feed my dogs for free, but I think I am spending wayyyyy tooo much here.

[bayleighmom]

Wow, that is a lot! I have no experience with Raw but I do homecook. You could substitute homecooked for the canned. Or completely eliminate kibble and canned.

Here is what I feed and the approximate cost.

I buy 10 pound bags of chicken leg quarters at Walmart. I have a huge pressure cooker and I put in (2) 10 pound bags of chicken, 5 pounds of potatoes, some carrots, celery, spinach, green beans and tomatoes or any other veggies I have that are getting a little wilted. I add 2 quarts of water and cook for 2 hours at 15 pounds of pressure. When done, the bones mash up and then I add cooked rice or pasta. I store in 9 cup Gladware containers and freeze. I feed Bayleigh 1 cup of stew in the morning and 2 cups in the evening. This will last approximately 2-3 weeks.

(2) 10 pound leg quarters $15
5 pounds of potatoes 2
2 cans green beans 1
2 cans carrots 1
1 can diced tomatoes 1
1 can spinach 1
Rice 2

For me to feed one dog for a month homecooked(chicken only) it runs about $50-60 a month. I also feed a can of canned mackerel a week. I feed pork and beef when I can find it reduced or on sale.

For your dogs with food allergies, just omit the allergen when cooking. I have added all kinds of different veggies, depending on the season! I have also added apples and blueberries.

[LILYLARUE]

Well gosh, that sure sounds easy enough. I certainly can afford that!

Anyone into RAW that can answer this ~ If I do the homecooking cause it does sound so much easier and cheaper ~ can I still use the sawdust every other day or so? Its free so I would love to give them the nutrients and such.

[gmacleod]

Yes, you could still give the raw food. The simplest (and probably best) way would be to feed this separately from the rest (especially from kibble). So that might mean one meal per day, or two meals per week (or whatever) that are comprised solely of the raw food.

[LILYLARUE]

You guys are awesome! I am off right now to see the butcher and see what else I can get. It's an amish butcher, so they do everything, even venison which is in season right now.

Maybe with all this money I will be saving, I may have to take them all to the beach for a weekend!

[bayleighmom]

If you decide to go RAW, Kaybie'smom places an ad on craigslist for freezerburned meat and feeds her 3 for free! You could also cook the freezerburned meat.

[LILYLARUE]

I just picked up about 4lbs of beef/venison mix. I think I read not to give venison right away. Is this true?

He said if I come after 5, he could give me about 20lbs. of beef/mix every day. Now that sounds incredible! I could feed them forever if this stuff is sufficient as a raw.

I already placed the craigslist ad. I figured now is the perfect time since it is deer season and the hunters will clean out the freezer making room for the latest kill. I hope my theory is right.

I am liking the RAW/homecooking method. I feel like they get more variety that way. But they are only dogs and I have no idea if eating a cow then a chicken, if it tastes any different to them. Just don't want them getting bored with it.

Ok, Miss Chatty, get to the point........

So, can I use the sawdust only with the homecooking and throwing in a hunk of meat (like a chicken leg or hunk of steak) with the sawdust? I can't help it, I'm a texture eater. The blob of sawdust seems boring. LOL

[bayleighmom]

Bayleigh would stand on her head(if she could!) for mackerel!! She also drools over beef. I don't know if it tastes better to her or it's just something different than the regular pork and chicken!

Also be prepared for less poop! And they don't seem to drink as much water.

Is the sawdust just bone dust? If it is, I would think you could add it to homecooked for calcium.

Good luck!

[LILYLARUE]

The sawdust looks more like bloody ground up chicken. LOL Feels like it too. Not very gritty like I expected. It is mostly venison though. I will have to see if the bone is most or least in the stuff. I'm sure it varies too from game to game. Should I use the 20% bone to meat theory?

I am very excited to treat them. I told my Dad I wanted a 12 quart pressure cooker for x-mas. Tonight, going grocery shopping for me and the pups. Gonna make the stew less the bones for them. And give them their first chicken leg tonight for dinner. They gonna be beaning from helm to stern!!!

Thanks for all your help. You made 3 dogs and a wallet very happy!

[ehayes21]

You might want to join the yahoo raw feeding group and their carnivore feed supplier group - I found my raw food supplier through them. I get great cuts for pennies. I can feed two dogs for around 60-75 bucks a month, which is nothing compared to what I was feeding with premium kibble.
I have also been able to score some pretty good free meat off of craigslist, too.

Good luck.

[bayleighmom]

In a 12 quart cooker, you will only want to use 10 pounds of chicken. I think my cooker is 22 quart, it's huge! You can also throw the meat in a crockpot and cook overnight.

Good luck!

[LILYLARUE]

I have used your idea from before to use graigslist and I have two people giving me meat in two weeks.

The yahoo group is a great idea. I will search it out.

Thanks!!!

I gave them their first meal last night. The two rescues couldn't wait til I put their bowls down. Lily, my boxer, she sniffed it then went to see if Buster had anything better in his bowl. She discovered it was the same and he was chowing down on it so back to her bowl and off she went! She ate the sawdust first. The I had a 1 oz steak cut in halp for her. Each went down whole!!! Ok, so she needs hers cut up. LOL What a diva!

This morning, very "meaty" looking poops. Which I assume are what they should look like. Very little bone from the sawdust. Solid but not too hard. And not a very big one either! I am ecstatic the poops will be fewer and smaller.

This morning tho, they were starvin! I had to give them two cans for breakfast. They at 3 3/4 of it. I'm sure the more meat I give them at dinner will adjust then to the breakfast portion.

I will be homecooking soon. Still have kibble to get rid of. Once on homecooking and RAW, my babes will be dancing around like silly monkeys! Hehehe

I am just too dang excited here! Look what you all have done to me!