Feeding a Raw Diet Without Breaking the Bank

By Melissa Fidge
Owner of Maizu LLC
a dog-centric company
creating stylized dog jewelry.

Yesterday, I found myself elbow deep in 60 pounds of ground game meat and bone, 10 pounds of offal and 30 pounds of ground veggies. My first thought, "the things I do for my dogs!" was quickly overpowered by a sense of pride. Pride of the decisions I have made for the care of my dogs and the copious amounts of research I've done backing up those decisions. I realized that I WILL do just about anything for my dogs!

One of my choices has been to feed a grain free raw diet. I'm assuming that anyone reading this article has made a similar decision and understands the costs involved in feeding raw. Pre-made raw diets (such as Nature's Variety or Bravo) are insanely expensive... from $2.50/lb for larger quantities (10lb chubs) to upwards of $10/lb for rare meats (rabbit, etc) in small quantities. When you are feeding one or two small (toy) dogs, the cost may not be an issue, but when dealing with larger dogs and a limited budget, pre-made is not the solution. With two Italian Greyhounds and a Black Russian Terrier, I'm constantly searching for more cost effective, time saving ways to feed raw.

I'm not here to write about how to feed raw. There are numerous books and articles on the subject. I just want to talk about things I have found that make it easier to create your own balanced raw diet for large AND small dogs with a limited budget and limited time. Large dogs are easy. Chicken backs and bones are pretty easy to come by. But giving a chicken back to a small dog isn't exactly practical. I do give whole parts on occasion, but I like their main diet to consist of ground meat and bone (as well as all the other ingredients).

So how does someone go about feeding raw without breaking the budget?

Find processing plants:

The best way to save money when feeding raw is buying from the source: the animal processing plants. Depending on what state you live in, there may be meat processing plants in your area. Do an internet search and call to find if they offer the "waste" parts (necks, backs, offal, etc). I'm lucky enough to live in an area with two processing plants nearby. One commercial one that offers offal and parts at very reasonable prices. The other is a wild game processor who offers a dog meat and bone grind (that uses the leftover scraps of what the hunters have brought in for processing) for $0.60 a pound! If you do find a processing plant, you will usually have to buy in bulk, so be prepared.

Talk to your neighborhood butcher:

Whether he is an independent butcher or one at the local supermarket or mega-outlet store, a butcher can be a great ally for the raw feeder. He may have cuts of meat that are cheaper or may even have excess animal parts (from offal to necks) not fit for human consumption that he can sell to you cheap. If he is unable to help lower your costs personally, there is a VERY good chance he can point you to someone who can.

Buy in bulk:

Once you find a place to purchase meat, BUY IN BULK. If you are willing to purchase large quantities, you are guaranteed to save money. Buying in bulk does cause issues, however. Grabbing an 8oz prepared patty is much easier than handling a 40lb block of turkey necks. But once you figure out how to plan ahead, buying in bulk is well worth the slight inconvenience. The biggest planning tool is knowing what you need and when you'll need it. Having the whole parts you use split into smaller portions means all you have to do is grab a baggie every couple of days and defrost in the fridge. Defrost the bulk packages and bag them into smaller portions. 3-4 turkey necks fit well into a gallon ziploc bag. For chicken necks, turkey hearts, etc, I usually use sandwich sized bags. You'll also find that a hammer and heavy duty chisel (I use a tile chisel) will become your friends. I use them to separate frozen-together lamb necks and chicken backs before bagging them in smaller portions.

Get a freezer:

Stand up or chest, a freezer is the raw feeder's best friend. With a freezer dedicated solely to your dogs, you will be free to buy in bulk, which saves money, and prepare mixes in bulk, which saves time. Stand up freezers are easier to access and have a smaller (sometimes!) footprint. Chest freezers are MUCH more efficient, but need to be thawed out once in a while and are harder to access. Surprisingly, I have both. The stand up is near my kitchen and holds the food I will go through soon. The chest freezer is in the basement and holds things for long-term storage... I only go into my chest freezer maybe once a month.

Grind your own meat:

If you want ground meat, the cheapest way to get it is to grind it yourself. Remember, the more processed (chopped into pieces, ground, etc) the food, the more expensive it will be. The easiest things to grind (while maintaining the calcium:phosphorus ratio) are chicken necks, backs, meaty breastbones, wings and legs and turkey necks. You'll need a decent grinder - definitely an electric one (unless you have the upper body strength of the Hulk!). Do your research and buy the best you can afford. Grinders are also an excellent way to incorporate vegetable matter into your mix without buying pre-ground veggies.

Don't be afraid to get dirty:

Once you have all your ingredients, the BEST time saver is mixing large quantities at once. Once a month (or two months or whatever works for you), defrost what is needed, mix it up, bag it into daily portions and freeze. I like to do 100lb batches to make the ratios easy to figure out. I personally use 60% meat and bones, 10% offal and 30% veggies/tripe plus vitamins.

Make friends:

The old adage two heads are better than one certainly holds true with raw feeding. Go to dog shows (conformation AND performance), start frequenting natural pet stores and talk to people. Sooner or later, you will find people who share your interest in feeding raw. They may have ideas you've never thought of before or may know of novel places to get a hold of animal parts. I've made two VERY important friends through raw food. One (Jeanne Rylatt of DeSagres BRTs) pointed me to Steve's Meat Market, the wild game processor mentioned earlier. She single handedly brought my total costs to less than a dollar a pound. The other, Lori Moreland, owner of the pet boutique Pet Empawrium is a never-ending library of knowledge. Without her, I'd be lost. And it's nice to know that I always have a fantastic place to purchase prepared raw when I need it.

Create a "co-op":

Once you have friends who feed raw, you might as well harness the buying power of a large group! This is especially helpful if you live in an area where animal parts must be shipped in. The more people involved, the less bite you'll feel in shipping costs. Even if you have local ways to get parts, there are still two great advantages to buying "co-op." First, you can buy in greater bulk (with a possible discount) and split the order. Therefore, if you only want or have the space for 20lbs of turkey necks, you can buy a 40lb box and split it with a friend. The second advantage is the capability of shipping in rare meats at a reasonable price. At one point, a group of Colorado raw feeders were shipping in bulk rabbit (whole dressed) and paying only around $1.80/lb INCLUDING shipping. Compared to what you'll pay on a small scale, it was a hefty discount!

Join a Yahoo! group:

With the advent of the internet came many changes. For us raw feeders, it gave us a place to meet up and share tips, ideas and places to buy. Search Yahoo! groups to see if there is a raw feeding group in your state. Even if there aren't any for your state, a nearby state or national group could still be extremely helpful. These groups help people who normally may not meet, meet. You can set up larger group orders, find out better places to buy or even just share anecdotes.

Don't forget the veggies!:

Let's face it - vegetables aren't why our raw feeding is so expensive. But it is still possible to cut costs. Instead of buying pre-ground veggies (like the kind Bravo offers) or using dehydrated veggies (like Honest Kitchen's Preference) why not use your new grinder to grind up your own? You can buy bulk veggies at the mega-warehouses like Costco to save even more money. The upside? You get to choose what veggies to add. The downside? Some veggies, especially leafy greans can be a bit difficult to grind. Also in addition to, or in lieu of veggies, try using green tripe. If your local processing plant offers it, you're in luck. I personally believe green tripe is a much better alternative because it is a more natural way for canines to ingest veggies and also contains enzymes. The only reason I don't use tripe is the combo between tripe's pungent smell and my BRT's long beard don't make for a pleasant living experience!

I hope this article has started you on the road to more cost effective raw feeding. Remember to always keep your eyes open for new and innovative ways to save time and money! And let me know how your first foray into feeding raw goes!