Raw food on a budget.

I loved feeding my dogs a raw diet. Well, it was a modified raw diet (part kibble, veggies, raw meat, organs, and bones). I got a little out of control though and was spending WAY too much to feed my dogs. I ended up going back to kibble almost a year ago just because of the expense.

After discussion with my vet today, I decided I really need to be giving my dogs some meat! She recommended mostly beef in the summer. She says Chicken is a warming meat so it's best not to feed it during the warm months of summer. She really recommends a "mostly" moist food diet.

So the plan is, a little meat, some veggies, raw eggs, a bone here and there (or meat on the bone when I can afford it!) and some kibble of course. I gotta be careful about meat. I need to make sure I am budgeting for it and weighing it so I am not feeding too much and keeping within my budget. I need to look into feeding ground game meats because I know I can get them really cheap. I forgot to ask my vet when I was there today but I will definitely be asking her next time I am there.

I feel silly working for a pet food company and feeling like I still need to supplement but I don't buy into the idea that a single kibble can give your dog everything they need for life. I just have to stay focused at work that the people that switch to my food - are making a HUGE step up from what they are feeding. The company I work for makes a great product and I don't mind telling people that.

I bought some beef this evening for $1.98 a lb. I really would like to make the daily diet less than $2.00 a lb though. I think I am going to try to give Marley 1/4 lb a day and Dylan 1/2 lb. I am not sure I can afford that so I need to sit down and figure out how much meat is affordable once I figure out what I can feed. These rump roasts were on sale and the price is good for a big old hunk of meat.

I know I felt a lot better about the dogs health when they were on raw. I worry a lot about their teeth these days because I don't brush them as much as I should and they are starting to turn yellow. I didn't have those worries with a raw diet. My biggest concern on raw was their weight because I was feeding them way too much. That's why a scale is an absolute must for me!! I wonder if I can get a cheap one on eBay!

I really hate feeding organs. It makes me gag and I can't handle cutting them up either. I'll feed chicken livers and hearts though because they are cheap and I can Stick them with a fork and feed them whole.

I'm excited to get back into the raw feeding. I just need to be more careful about sticking to a budget while feeding it. The kibble I buy will last a lot longer and I think that Dylan could go back to a food with grains in it if I were supplementing with raw food. That would make buying dog food a lot cheaper as well (plus with employee coupons, I'd be set for a cheap kibble budget).