CBL Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Hi all, As a few of you may know I *might* be adopting one of Trivens13's grey pups. The pup will initially live with the inlaws (if he gets on with the beagle) while we sell and buy a house (which could take anywhere from 2 months to who knows? - hopefully know more than 6 months). Of course this is provided the inlaws agree! Anyway, I wanted to get an idea of expenses - buying a house is an expensive endevour and so we don't want to get over our heads with a pup which then delays us being able to buy! There is still alot of things up in the air - the big discussion is happening tonight - it is alot to ask other people to look after your dog for an unknown period of time... I honestly can't see the OH agreeing but it is nice to dream. I am basically trying to get all the facts that I can then present to him. I am sure the expenses question is a fairly common one but I was wondering if anyone has an idea about the costs to feed a pup per week on various diets (dry vs barf etc) Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 We feed Coprice which is commonly used by greyhound trainers, we feed two dogs(10kg and 35kg) on one bag per month. Due to allergies they rarely get anything else other than the odd bone and a raw egg each a few times a week. The bag is 20kg and costs us about $27. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog_Horse_Girl Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 It's kinda like asking, "How long is a piece of string?" But here are some guidelines: 1. Raw foods can be as cheap or expensive as you like. If you buy in season, buy in bulk, buy from a wholesaler, and prepare it yourself, it's more affordable than many processed foods diets. I buy in bulk, from suppliers that buy huge quantities on a wholesale basis. I buy produce at markets late in the day when everything is reduced. I buy what is in season b/c that's a lot cheaper than out of season produce/meat. 2. A higher quality kibble is cheaper in the long run than a lower quality kibble. Your dog might be OK on a cheaper one, but will thrive on a higher quality one. And some GHs have very sensitive stomachs so please be prepared for that. The reason I stopped feeding processed foods was that Lilly couldn't digest them...she had liquid poo and vomiting on all but one and that one was almost impossible to buy (this has since changed). I know many GH owners from Australia and overseas who experience the same challenges with their dogs' diets and most opt for either raw diets or something like Eagle Pack Holistic or Innova EVO. Some use kibbles not available here that are even better than EPH or EVO. This includes Organic Timberwolf...something I only heard about last week...sadly it's not available in Australia. 3. The kibble I use ATM is Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Organic Formula. It's $23.50 for a 2.2 kg bag which I think is reasonable. I use it for my tiny dog Molly, and to bait the dogs' treat balls (they get the treat balls once or twice per week). I hope this helps. Congratulations on the potential adoption but be warned! GH pups are holy terrors! :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Interesting point about GH having sensitive tums. Maybe that's why coprice is used so frequently by GH people. It is certainly one of the few including Eukanuba that we have been able to have Beau on without allergy issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog_Horse_Girl Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 GHs generally don't do well with cereals or grains, which is why many pet GH owners opt for either raw or a high end kibble that contains minimal cereal/grain ingredients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olly Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Hi CBL :rolleyes: Fingers and paws are crossed for you tonight ! I feed Eagle Pack, with chicken and lamb RMB's plus other goodies that I have in the fridge (rice, eggs, sardines, yoghurt, etc). I worked out that it costs about $2 per day per grown dog (a pup would be a bit less). I buy everything in bulk to save. The expensive things can be flea/heartworm/wormer/tick control. Plus vet vaccinations and desexing. But you've probably thought about all that. Greys only need nail clippers and some shampoo for grooming. Plus a soft brush if you like. They also need a coat for winter. Puppy School is also a great idea for socialisation. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olly Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Poppy (grey) can't stomach coprice (she gets the runs) and it made my Stafford's allergies worse! But each to their own Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Just checked, Coprice has rice and wheat but no others. Which cereals and grains are the ones that really cause trouble? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 (edited) how funny Olly. Beau gets the runs on anything but Coprice! I had Sascha on supercoat as a pup and she used to have this smell that emanated from her, I think it seeped out of her skin. Now she is on coprice and the only time she smells is when she rolls in cow manure edited cos i'm stoopid Edited January 23, 2006 by kelpiecuddles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog_Horse_Girl Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 GHs have problems with corn in all its guises, rice, barley, wheat and oats, particularly b/c they are used as "fillers"...the manufacturers use a LOT of them in the cheaper kibbles to save money. They figure that carbohydrate is a good substitute for protein which for a canine, is not right. But ppl buy their products...so they keep making them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Well it's not about cost for me, I had Beau on Advance initially as a puppy and also tried SD for a while but he would just get violently ill on them. He had a variation of the BARF diet for a while but I just didn't have the time for it unfortunately(combination of baby, job, university and dog training, etc.), we tried him on Coprice and the change was unbelievable. Not only was he no longer violently ill but he also calmed down. Even now if we have to give him a meal of something else he becomes ill and goes hyperactive and eats/digs up our backyard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olly Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Ha! My Cavalier likes to roll in rotten snails there is nothing that quite smells like it...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone Grey Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 We feed ours Natural Balance (not Dick van Pattens, it's made in WA). They love it and we've had no problem with allergies. I know that GreyhoundAngel often feeds it to her lot too! I can buy 15kg for $75 delivered, but I think you can get it slightly cheaper over the net in the eastern states. 15kg will last my 3 about 2 weeks. (I have 2 26kg girls and 1 35kg boy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 We have had 8 greys & not one had allergies or issues. The biggest thing to remember is a grey pup is a clumsy,fast growing pup & not everyone wants one.Would it be allowed in the house?How often would you visit it,Greys thrive on a routine & knowing where they belong,there extremely sensitive & if not treated in a way suitable for Greys can become very nervous & slink alot They will often get the runs on certain meats & will get the runs when alarmed or insecure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBL Posted January 23, 2006 Author Share Posted January 23, 2006 Thanks for the advice guys - still no decision unfortunately - last night got hectic and we need some time to sit down and have a long talk. Showdog - yes the dog will be allowed in the house, just as their beagle is. At least one of us would go over every day to take him for a walk and spend some time with him and in the initial settling in period I will work from their place (they are only 10mins from us). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouiseBrooks Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 What about the Big dog food that is made specially for Greys? Greytmate brought some with her and I am very impressed with it. The breeders choice is the one for pups. Hang on I think I have the container in my bag as I wish to contact them to see where I can buy it myself ML had a thread on it if you wish to do a search. All who used it were very impressed and the costs were exceedingly reasonable. Here it is DIG DOG natural racing diet Breeders choice A natural diet supplying excellent levels of vitamins and minerals required for growing active puppies. [email protected] They come in 2 kg sausage shaped packs I am giving double the quanity for Sophie at present to put the weight back. I would like to keep getting it for my dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatLek Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 What about the Big dog food that is made specially for Greys?Greytmate brought some with her and I am very impressed with it. The breeders choice is the one for pups. Hang on I think I have the container in my bag as I wish to contact them to see where I can buy it myself ML had a thread on it if you wish to do a search. All who used it were very impressed and the costs were exceedingly reasonable. Here it is DIG DOG natural racing diet Breeders choice A natural diet supplying excellent levels of vitamins and minerals required for growing active puppies. [email protected] They come in 2 kg sausage shaped packs I am giving double the quanity for Sophie at present to put the weight back. I would like to keep getting it for my dogs. How much of the Big Dog greyhound food are you feeding Sophie? We are thinking of buying them and giving them to Katie and Cindy with no kibble added. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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