The Cost of Feeding Raw?

[heartbullies]

I think when people say "raw diets are not for everyone" it could come from a place with a little more tolerance, rather than viewing raw as an elite echelon that only The Very Best Dog Owners can attain and everyone else is sub-par.

I know I don't have the time or money or space to do a raw diet correctly so I feed my dog TOTW. He gets treats at work, too, from pizza crusts to roast beef. Does this make me an owner who isn't invested in her dog? Does it mean I don't give a hoot about my dog's health?

I believe a proper raw diet is probably the healthiest way to go, and I think other people here believe it as well. Not always doable for everyone though for a variety of reasons, and if we're going to talk about how these reasons are just "excuses" then I can go get the same conversation from my trainer at the gym, thanks.

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[Adrianne]

I think when people say "raw diets are not for everyone" it could come from a place with a little more tolerance, rather than viewing raw as an elite echelon that only The Very Best Dog Owners can attain and everyone else is sub-par.

Poor abused Booker....

My happy, slappy doggies do well on a variety of feeds. If I could afford total raw I would but I can't. Does that mean I will feed beneful? No, what an silly statement, so strange too. I supplement with raw when I can find it inexpensively. I'm pretty sure I love my dogs just as much if not more than the strict raw feeders I know.

[Team Peanut]

I am not saying its elite but it works MUCH better for MY dog. There is a reason he does better.no need to get offense. I feed kibble for the first 2 1/2 years of my dogs life he was well taken care of but want understandin why he was having digestive issues. When I was starting raw or rather before I started I thought it would be hard and over whelming but once I got started I realized how easy it was a and I am far more in tune with my dog and notice small changes that I can easily make changes to his food that you can't do on a fixed kibble diet.
In truth this diet isn't for every person and it isn't for every dog. My parents dog eats blue wilderness she is doing great. My dog can't handle processed foods

[MMSmith]

I'm just questioning cost. I would love to feed raw, but I really don't think I could save myself money.

If that's honestly how you feel, why not just feed Beneful? You'll save money and your dog will probably live to at least 10.

Really if cost is the ONLY measure in your decision-making, raw is not for you. Let's be honest, raw isn't for everyone...

Well, I keep bringing up cost because that's the NAME of the thread. The OP was questioning the cost of going raw, so I'm giving my opinion based on that.

And giving a smart ass attitude, rather than constructive advice, is much appreciated. You simply prove my point that the benefits of going raw have more of an anecdotal, rather factual basis. Instead of supporting your argument with facts, you simply try to discredit mine with trash talk. One of the oldest and least skilled persuasion tricks in the book.

Are you sitting on a gold mine? Because I'm not. I have a mortgage and bills to pay. As a matter of fact, I feed my dog better than I feed myself. I have a budget and pinch every last penny. So yes, I am going to question the blanket statement that 'feeding raw is cheaper'. His quality of life matters to me, so I try to provide the best for him in every aspect of his environment, rather than spending all my time, effort, and money on one part of his life.

Team Peanut, thank you for sharing your experience with raw and understanding where I'm coming from with wanting evidence. It sounds like Peanut does great on raw and you made the best choice for your dog. Adrienne and heartbullies, I also appreciate that you seem to understand where I'm coming from.

[Team Peanut]

Hey I understand. I went thru many foods to find what finally worked with Peanut and to understand WHY the other quality foods wetter not working with the same results. For me real life examples out weigh the papers that get written on the subjects so I can't point out documents for you.

I get my staple proteins, chicken and turkey always on sale I buy what I need my freezer space isn't huge but I do buy my variety proteins lamb and rabbit at a little more money. Since its variety and balance over time you don't have to buy alot of the more expensive proteins. My dog is allergic to beef so I still have to avoid that

[Odnarb]

Raw costs are really going to vary from place to place.

I live in the heart of farmland and raw isn't affordable. Why? Because it's all factory farms. I live 2 hours from the nearest Target, 4 hours to cities of any size. I'd love to feed my dogs raw, but I'm not going to feed my family generic mac & cheese to do it. Instead I feed kibble and supplement with raw.

[El_EmDubya]

I'm just questioning cost. I would love to feed raw, but I really don't think I could save myself money.

If that's honestly how you feel, why not just feed Beneful? You'll save money and your dog will probably live to at least 10.

Really if cost is the ONLY measure in your decision-making, raw is not for you. Let's be honest, raw isn't for everyone...

Well, I keep bringing up cost because that's the NAME of the thread. The OP was questioning the cost of going raw, so I'm giving my opinion based on that.

Yes, but when those of us who've been feeding raw for +5 years are quoting $1/lb as a reasonable cost and you say "Oh, I need it to be $0.25/lb." it is entirely understandable that some of us might get a little PO'd. THAT is why I was snarky. Welcome to the real world, you aren't going to be able to do it for $0.25/lb unless you are hunting or have access to lots of 'freebies'.

And giving a smart ass attitude, rather than constructive advice, is much appreciated. You simply prove my point that the benefits of going raw have more of an anecdotal, rather factual basis. Instead of supporting your argument with facts, you simply try to discredit mine with trash talk. One of the oldest and least skilled persuasion tricks in the book.

Well, sometimes I get REALLY tired of people giving BS excuses when they REALLY DON'T WANT TO DO IT. (Loved the Gym analogy, btw ) No one should feel "bullied" into feeding raw and a lot of thought SHOULD go into the process, but when one ONLY considers the monthly cost, one doesn't measure the true cost. The TRUE cost is a lifetime of feeding raw and the benefits of longer life, lowered meds/supplementation, medical care, etc.

While you may think "anecdotal" is not valid, it is often these real world observations that lead to the scientific research. As someone who was raised worshiping at the alter of the scientific method, I learned all too quickly how polluted and biased most research is once I started working as a pharmaceutical researcher. Don't put scientific research in an innocent and pure category because it is absolutely not. It is an industry run by humans, after all, and we are an opportunistic species.

Anyone here on Statins? On Yaz? on Prozac? Do you know the politics behind the research papers? It is truly scary that these drugs are so prevalent given the statistical maneuvering behind the scenes. Just something to think about when you downplay the importance of anecdotal "data".

Are you sitting on a gold mine? Because I'm not.

Laughs hysterically. I'm a teacher paying my way through grad school - so, yah, negative cashflow. But, I'm going to be pitching a raw feeding analysis to my advisor next week, so you may get your wish regarding scientific research. The problem is that it may be too controversial and will likely be shot down as a result. Yes, scientific research is HIGHLY political.

I have a mortgage and bills to pay. As a matter of fact, I feed my dog better than I feed myself. I have a budget and pinch every last penny. So yes, I am going to question the blanket statement that 'feeding raw is cheaper'. His quality of life matters to me, so I try to provide the best for him in every aspect of his environment, rather than spending all my time, effort, and money on one part of his life.

And that is exactly my point. YOU don't seem to value feeding raw as highly as others. This isn't a judgement and I quite honestly don't recommend raw to anyone other than those with current health issues because the passion for it fuels the process. Feeding raw is something that you must WANT to do, and where there is a will, there is a way.

[ChevellesMomma]

I've only read the OP.

I haven't started raw yet because I need to get a freezer, but it's much cheaper and MUCH better for your dog. Especially if you live in the south like me.

[starrlamia]

The holier than thou attitude from some people in this thread is really off putting.

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[MMSmith]

El_EmDubya, I would love to read your analysis, whether it gets shot down or not.

I'm well aware of the controversy surrounding certain scientific facts/research, and I know science is not infallible. Anything with a human being behind it has room for error and bias.

[El_EmDubya]

El_EmDubya, I would love to read your analysis, whether it gets shot down or not.

I'm pitching an idea, so I don't even have data at this point. We'll see what he says as I hope the broader implications into epigenetics make the idea applicable. He is kinda an asshat smartypants, too, which is why we get along. We don't take anything personally, especially conflict.

[ChevellesMomma]

Sorry for the double post, but I just sat here and crunched the numbers. Based on FransterDoo's formula, it would cost me about $150 a month to feed raw. I don't find that particularly cheap. Especially since the cost of vet visits, toys, treats, supplements, etc will not vary between a kibble fed dog and a raw fed dog. I spend maybe $75 a month on kibble, and my boy eats Nutro Ultra Holistics, TOTW, or occasionally Wellness. He prefers the Nutro but I do try to give him a bit of variety.

Just my 0.02.

I don't get it...how big is your dog? My 35 lb APBT will eat only a pound and a half a day of raw when we start. And even at $1 a lb, that's not very much per month. How are you getting $150?

Don't mean to seem rude, just wondering.

Edit: you should only feed 2-3% of ideal body weight per day.

[Team Peanut]

Sorry for the double post, but I just sat here and crunched the numbers. Based on FransterDoo's formula, it would cost me about $150 a month to feed raw. I don't find that particularly cheap. Especially since the cost of vet visits, toys, treats, supplements, etc will not vary between a kibble fed dog and a raw fed dog. I spend maybe $75 a month on kibble, and my boy eats Nutro Ultra Holistics, TOTW, or occasionally Wellness. He prefers the Nutro but I do try to give him a bit of variety.

Just my 0.02.

I don't get it...how big is your dog? My 35 lb APBT will eat only a pound and a half a day of raw when we start. And even at $1 a lb, that's not very much per month. How are you getting $150?

Don't mean to seem rude, just wondering.

Edit: you should only feed 2-3% of ideal body weight per day.

the 2-3% is what most people feed but in some cases you do go over that. Right now I am working back off of almost 5% to put on winter weight and maintain that. Once we get back to regular weight I will still likely be feeding around 3.5% to maintain Peanut at 53 lbs. His metabolism is really fast and his activity level is high.

[MMSmith]

I'm sorry, I should have clarified when I said "$150 a month to feed raw". What I should have said was "it will cost me $150 a month for my dog's upkeep". I spend that now anyway with kibble, $60-$75 a month on kibble, the other $75-$90 on supplements, toys, and medications (heartworm preventative/flea combo).

I know you're not supposed to need supplementation when on raw, but again, that's purely first hand experience from raw feeders, rather than scientific fact. I want my dog to live for a long time, so I do try hard to healthfully supplement his diet. He gets coconut oil and glucosamine, sometimes fish oil, as well as his special treats every once and awhile. I wouldn't stop doing that if he went on a raw diet.

Meat would cost me about what I'm paying now in kibble, so I was challenging the statement that 'feeding raw is cheaper' because in the short term, no, it isn't.

And in the long term, yes, my dog may be healthier and it may be cheaper, but I would still spend the same amount of money on basic upkeep and vet care.

[GoingPostal]

Honestly going just off grocery store prices isn't always going to give you a reasonable idea on price. I started off feeding my ferrets and cat raw, which is cheaper than both canned or kibble so I wasn't too concerned on price and just bought whatever I needed locally, plus ordering from hare-today for more proteins and organs. Once I decided to feed Jersey raw I talked to the butcher, chicken/turkey in bulk is cheaper, I found a way cheaper source for rabbit (was paying $4), I only buy pork/beef on sale and now have a cheaper local source for beef and organs, my family gives me venison, I tried and failed to get a deer last year but hopefully this year will be better for that. It's not cheaper than kibble for me, although I know for many it is depending on what you were feeding, size of the dog and your meat prices. I just have the one dog on raw because it was the only way I could cut her weight without starving her half to death, her metabolism is so slow, she's 45 pounds and only eats 12 oz a day.