Feeding Well On A Budget

[piper]

Because I do not have a large freezer and nowhere to put 1 (I want 1 though) and I am not going to go to the shops every other day whenhalf the time they don't have much suitable anyway.

I meant this as a mixer with the raw meat, now why do people feed dry food in general. Instead of buying a big bag of low quality dry just get some homebrand rice/oats and a mineral/vit mix. Skip the byproducts totally, thats all I meant

Sorry misunderstood what you meant

When people I ask I say that ideally I feed raw, unfortunately though in practice it doesn't work for us 100%. But yes a raw meal is a raw meal and kibble is for days when I haven't got any/couldn't get any bones. My local butcher used to be great but alas is not any more and I got sick of stopping in just for good meaty bones and them having none. I don't mind a special trip if I know it will be succesful but I don't have the time to check in every day in the hope they have something.

Oh another thing - get to know when your supermarket has meat reduced to clear. I know I can almost always get offal at 50% off after 2pm on a Sunday, so I do a weekend shop which works well for cold meats for work lunches anyway.

[Ons]

I feed two golden retreivers, a coolie and a coolie pup and it doesn't cost me the earth. One of the goldens is really sensitive too so I have to be careful about what I feed her and I really notice it if I'm not careful.

whether rightly or wrongly and I know some people will disagree but this is what I feed mine and this is what they do well on.

Breakfast - Four woofbix bone biscuits for the goldens, two for the coolie adult. Woofbix are from Big W, they are free from additives and preservatives - I know people who have show winning dogs and feed them the kibble but mine did not do well on that. The puppy gets supercoat puppy although I am going to change her to Optimum when the package is finished, she poops too much on Supercoat puppy.

Dinner - Supercoat biscuits for the adult - a cup each for the goldens, 1/2 cup for the coolie adult. Then as they don't like straight dry food they have

chicken wings or drumsticks - obtained on special from the supermarket or the chicken factory shop is cheap as chips. Do you have one in your area, if so go have a look? They also have chicken carcasses which you need to order in advance but I always forget too. The pup doesn't get this yet, I'm going to have to get her some chicken necks and try not to gag on them.

or

Bones - obtained again if on special from the supermarket or the butchers. I always look out for the specials. I'm lucky though I have a freezer i can store stuff in

or

Pet mince - $2.00 a kilo from the butchers. I put it in a big pot and add cheap Coles mixed vegies and cheap Coles pasta, some mixed herbs, a bit of garlic, water and boil it for about an hour. I can buy the pet mince cheaper at $1.50 but it's too fatty so I buy the more expensive stuff. I know people say I shouldn't cook the meat but to be honest I can't stomach the raw meat, it makes me gag - I'm hopeless If I cook up two kilos this lasts about five nights between the four of them.

or

sardines - I buy the pack of three No Frills Brand - one tin each and they are not expensive. They love their sardines.

[Gayle.]

Breakfast - Four woofbix bone biscuits for the goldens, two for the coolie adult. Woofbix are from Big W, they are free from additives and preservatives - I know people who have show winning dogs and feed them the kibble but mine did not do well on that. The puppy gets supercoat puppy although I am going to change her to Optimum when the package is finished, she poops too much on Supercoat puppy.

See if you can source Black Hawke kibble, it works out about the same price as Optimum, it's much better quality and they poop a LOT less.

I am paying around $35-40 a week for top quality food for 3 medium/large dogs.

[Gayle.]

My girl can't tolerate all raw for some reason, she just vomits it straight back up. So I switched from 100% raw to a combo of kibble and raw and they all look the best they ever have.

thats why I add the rice/veg/oats. My dogs never get a straight meat meal unless they're just munching on a bone whilst relaxing.

Yeah, did that. I'd make up a mix of raw pet mince (our butcher adds offal to the mince so it's not just muscle meat), cooked rice or raw oats, veges, eggs, oil......and it would come right back up. She can tolerate that mix occasionally now, and they get it for a change every now and then as I still have some in the freezer. But all the time, along with raw bones, nup, can't do it.

I liked feeding raw though. I have to admit they look a lot better on kibble, and it's easier to keep their weight consistent.

[espinay2]

I dont see the obsession with having to feed some sort of dry food. Why spend money on a bag of rubbish PLUS meat when you can go straight to the good stuff.

I have to agree. Though I don't feed as much grain - just the occasional meal which has a bit of rice or porridge in it - not a regular thing though. For example, if you feed along the lines of the 'budget meal' I posted there is really no need to add to it for the majority of dogs. The meal is only 'budget' in price, not in quality (and is higher quality than what they put in the majority of commercial foods any way).

Those of you who feed raw, do you find it's cheaper than kibble anyway??

I have fed it for a lot of years, so can't really compare. I feed quite a few large dogs though and find it very economical.

Naturally it does depend on your sources, but there was a time in the past when it was me, two large dogs and one very small fridge top freezer and I still managed very well with a weekly shop (two days worth can stay in the fridge when you get home from shopping and 5 or so in the freezer - still room for my food too - it is all in how you pack it).

It is just a matter of seeing what you can buy and where. Places like Lenards often have reasonably ok prices even in smaller amounts. For example, mixed chicken pieces were $5 for 2kg in a suburban Canberra shopping centre this week. The same shop sells chicken pet mince for $1 a kg.

If you can buy in bulk it can sometimes just be a matter of asking a local supplier what price they will do for a case or 10kg lots etc. People in Canberra have lots of choice for example (Lachlan Valley Meats, High Country Meats, Mikes Meats etc etc or any of the chicken shops in the Markets (Fyshwick, Belconnen etc) can do bulk lots if asked. Don't forget your local butcher either as they can sometimes do good deals. I am sure it is the same in other cities etc. there are also suppliers like one offering fresh food for dogs that advertises on this site. Don't discount them as often the quality is the same as what you would be getting from your local butcher.

In addition to 'cold foods', it is very easy to keep a couple of meals in the cupboard without it being dry food. A can of fish, an egg or two and maybe some rice etc makes a good 'oh dear I have forgotten to thaw/the freezer is empty' style meal. I feed this type of meal occasionally anyway even if I do have meat to feed.

Yeah, did that. I'd make up a mix of raw pet mince (our butcher adds offal to the mince so it's not just muscle meat), cooked rice or raw oats, veges, eggs, oil......and it would come right back up.

Some dogs find this sort of thing 'too rich' and prefer things simple. I rarely - if ever - feed anything that complicated. A few small pieces of heart with a chicken frame, just half a cup of the mince on its own with something else - either a bone or mixed with extra chicken mince etc (it may have too much organ meat in it - some butchers put too much in it to feed it in big lots), but probably never as a whole meal on its own.

Edited February 1, 2011 by espinay2

[rivergem]

My 3 are a few weeks through a bag of Coprice - before that they were getting Eagle Pack.

Brekky is the biscuits and dinner is a RMB - also get occasional eggs, yoghurt and supp with Apple Cider Vinegar.

I have found that their coats are not where I want them - and the output is huge compared to what I'm used to.

I chose Coprice due to financial reasons - although found that I am needing to feed more of it to keep the weight on.

For their next bag I will definately go for Black Hawk (so many good reviews, and am interested to see how my lot go on it).

I would love to feed all raw but find that it works out more expensive for me. I will get there one day soon.

Edited: for outcome on feeding cheaply - whilst Coprice does the trick - I think if you can go for something with less fillers (ie less output) than you are feeding less anyway so doesn't work out as expensive as you would think. For example, 20kg bag coprice cost me $35 whilst a 20kg bag of Black Hawk will cost me $85 - $50 difference but over the period of a month - I think it will be well worth the increased cost :D

Edited February 2, 2011 by rivergem