mumtoshelley Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Hi everyone with 4 dogs 1 13 year old male golden retriever,1 3 year old female golden retriever,1 7 month old female whippet and 1 6 year old male chihuahu. I'm thinking of trying raw feeding, I have tryed raw with Shelley and she did pretty well on it, she did put on weight tho mainly cause I think I was feeding her too much, She was getting 560grams a day. My question is would it be cheaper to buy the ingredients and make raw myself or would it be cheaper to buy it already made dr Bs aussie raw barf patties? Also would I need any supplements eg kelp,flax seed oil? With 4 dogs I would need 5 boxs of dr Bs aussie raw patties every fornight, For 5 boxes I'm looking at $120 per fortnight. Then theres RMBS on top of that for the fortnight. What I was thinking of doing is buying a meat grinder to grind up my own musscle meat,bone and organs. I'm planing on ringing butchers etc and see how much they would want for off cuts of meat anything else I should ask about? The way I am thinking is buy time I go through buying the grinder,all the different meats and organs etc it will probably cost about the same as dr Bs aussie raw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 (edited) Defintiely cheaper to do your own. Particularly if you have a big enough freezer to buy in bulk. No need to grind meat though. Keep it simple. There is a pinned thread here on where to buy raw: http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/156406-where-to-buy-raw/ The only supplement I use for most dogs is fish oil capsules (400 caps for around $20 from a discount chemist) Some info on feeding raw on my website here: http://www.espinay.c...dingourdogs.cfm Edited February 6, 2012 by espinay2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeyjangels Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 I have fed both ways - BARF Patties & homemade with my 2 Labs. Definitely cheaper making your own. It is a bit of work so you will need time, freezer space & to be able to source human grade meat at reasonable prices. I didn't use a grinder as I used beef mince, all ready minced up chicken frames, cut up organ meat, whole fresh sardines or any small fish & over ripe fruit & veg from the discount section at the local fruit & veg shop or markets that i put in a domestic food processor. To this I added eggs - shells & all, kelp, brewers yeast, fresh herbs from the garden, flaxseed oil or cod liver oil. I made enough for about a month's supply for evening meals. I always ensured I froze all meat for at least 12 hrs to kill any bacteria before making the mix. I froze in portions enough for a couple of days in ice-cream containers. I also fed RMB's daily - breakfast - chicken or turkey necks, chicken wings or legs. Easy (& very rewarding) once you get into a routine :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlc Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Not happy with the black hawk any more? I found it a lot more expensive to feed raw. And I always worried I wasn't giving them enough if something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumtoshelley Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 Not happy with the black hawk any more? I found it a lot more expensive to feed raw. And I always worried I wasn't giving them enough if something. I'm happy with the black hawk it just my dogs seem to be packing on the weight even when feed very little, execpt Missy the whippet she is great weight wise. Rascal my chihuahua is on hills science prescription w/d and still he isn't lossing much weight, His been on this food for a month and half hos weight was 4.9kgs now it is 4.3kgs. My guys absolutely love raw food, I also can't believe how much my dogs are pooing I keep saying there got 12 bottoms lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karly101 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Not happy with the black hawk any more? I found it a lot more expensive to feed raw. And I always worried I wasn't giving them enough if something. I'm happy with the black hawk it just my dogs seem to be packing on the weight even when feed very little, execpt Missy the whippet she is great weight wise. Rascal my chihuahua is on hills science prescription w/d and still he isn't lossing much weight, His been on this food for a month and half hos weight was 4.9kgs now it is 4.3kgs. My guys absolutely love raw food, I also can't believe how much my dogs are pooing I keep saying there got 12 bottoms lol. 4.9 to 4.3 is quite a good weight loss.... but is he getting anything at all extra to the dry food (by you or other family members) usually that is the cause of slow weight loss on the w/d. Raw is more expensive and time consuming and you need to do a bit of research to ensure you are providing them with all their needs. IMO mincing the meat is not going to be the best form as there is no work involved for the animal to eat it, I would mince your veggies but provide the meat on the bone or in chunks. For me since I don't have the time and only 1 dog to feed I do buy the BARF patties for an occasional meal but mainly choose to feed raw meaty bones + dry food, egg or sardines and I find this more cost effective for me as well and since I have little freezer space I can't really store large amounts of home made food. If you have a good butcher, some time + space then over the long term raw would be cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumtoshelley Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 Well I rang around the butchers well here in this town I get beef pieces $6 a kg lamb flaps cut up $5 a kg ox heart $3 a kg ox cheek in pieces $2 a kg ox kidney $5 a kg ox liver $2 a kg lamb heart $5 a kg lamb kidney $3 for 8 beef kidney $4 a kg mutton $6 a kg If I want chicken or pork pieces I'll be looking at around $15 a kg. I haven't checked out supermarkets yet but I'm guessing they will be more expensive. The only meat there that is lean not much fat is the beef. But then I can't cut out all fat from there diet. They say to feed variety well in this town that will be difficult. I do feed them turkey wings/necks, chicken frames,wings and necks for rascal. In this town its hard to get pork unless you want to pay $15 or more per kg. I understand I only need to feed 80% musscle meat 10% bone 10% organ but it has to be a variety. I have seen chicken hearts,liver and kidney in supermarkets. But pork and turkey forget it can only buy diced or minced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumtoshelley Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 Not happy with the black hawk any more? I found it a lot more expensive to feed raw. And I always worried I wasn't giving them enough if something. I'm happy with the black hawk it just my dogs seem to be packing on the weight even when feed very little, execpt Missy the whippet she is great weight wise. Rascal my chihuahua is on hills science prescription w/d and still he isn't lossing much weight, His been on this food for a month and half hos weight was 4.9kgs now it is 4.3kgs. My guys absolutely love raw food, I also can't believe how much my dogs are pooing I keep saying there got 12 bottoms lol. 4.9 to 4.3 is quite a good weight loss.... but is he getting anything at all extra to the dry food (by you or other family members) usually that is the cause of slow weight loss on the w/d. Raw is more expensive and time consuming and you need to do a bit of research to ensure you are providing them with all their needs. IMO mincing the meat is not going to be the best form as there is no work involved for the animal to eat it, I would mince your veggies but provide the meat on the bone or in chunks. For me since I don't have the time and only 1 dog to feed I do buy the BARF patties for an occasional meal but mainly choose to feed raw meaty bones + dry food, egg or sardines and I find this more cost effective for me as well and since I have little freezer space I can't really store large amounts of home made food. If you have a good butcher, some time + space then over the long term raw would be cheaper. Nope nothing extra unless you call eating his poo extra lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 (edited) Do you have a Lenards or other Poultry shop near you? They will generally sell chicken frames and chicken pet mince (minced up frames) - average around $1.50 a kg (often less if you find somewhere to buy in bulk by the 10kg case) Then find a butcher that does a reasonable pet mince (with not too much 'rubbish' in it like sausage filler). Most of these will include a range of things including organ meats. They provide good variety for a cheap price. With the chicken RMB and the pet mince you have a good quality and cheap basis for feeding a raw diet. (for each frame, through a glob of pet mince in it. Or you can feed it on different days as a meal - remember balance is over time.) Now the 'added extras': Every now and then, feed other RMB as available depending on price. i.e. Lamb flaps, offcuts or necks, turkey necks (sold at most Woolworths here in NSW - don't know about Vic), pork trotters, rabbit etc. Just buy something when you see it on special or get a good deal. Once a week feed a fish meal. Home brand canned salmon or mackeral or sardines. Combine with an egg or two etc. Feed healthy leftovers such as veg/rice/pasta when available - no need to fuss about these bits as they are not essential for a carnivore and are more occasional nice to haves. Throw in a fish oil capsule or two a few times a week. Put in the dogs meal, squeeze on food or give it to them as treats (mine come running when they hear the bottle). And there you go. Quick, easy, cheap and healthy. Feeding raw doesn't have to be hard. Well I rang around the butchers well here in this town I get beef pieces $6 a kg lamb flaps cut up $5 a kg ox heart $3 a kg ox cheek in pieces $2 a kg ox kidney $5 a kg ox liver $2 a kg lamb heart $5 a kg lamb kidney $3 for 8 beef kidney $4 a kg mutton $6 a kg If I want chicken or pork pieces I'll be looking at around $15 a kg. I haven't checked out supermarkets yet but I'm guessing they will be more expensive. The only meat there that is lean not much fat is the beef. But then I can't cut out all fat from there diet. They say to feed variety well in this town that will be difficult. I do feed them turkey wings/necks, chicken frames,wings and necks for rascal. In this town its hard to get pork unless you want to pay $15 or more per kg. I understand I only need to feed 80% musscle meat 10% bone 10% organ but it has to be a variety. I have seen chicken hearts,liver and kidney in supermarkets. But pork and turkey forget it can only buy diced or minced. Edited February 7, 2012 by espinay2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karly101 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Can you get roo meat? That is a very lean meat and generally cheaper priced. Some dogs don't do well on it though. I think a frame + pet mince will be way too fatty for your dogs if you are struggling with their weight as all the pet minces I've seen are very fatty and the frames we get in at work are covered in fat as well. It's much better if you can control what goes in... your whippet may do fine on the pet mince but I don't think your other dogs will. Our local Safeway/Woolworths also stocks turkey drums etc which would also be good and there's a lot of meat on them. Also if you check their reduced pile you can often get large portions of meat for roasts that you can chop up yourself for a very good price and generally there's heaps of meat on them and not much fat. I also get meats for casseroles etc as they are nice and tough and require chewing :) They also sell 'lamb offcuts' that actually have heaps of meat on them and bone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvsdogs Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Try this from Tom Lonsdale's site. http://www.rawmeatybones.com/diet/exp-diet-guide.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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