Ol' Roy

While coats and general health are good indicators of how well your dogs are doing on their current food, don't forget that truly evaluating a food is difficult because many problems with kibble don't come up until 5-10 years down the road when suddenly your dog gets kidney or liver disease, or some other problem that is due to years of poor diet.

That being said, we all do what we can. My sister can't afford to feed expensive food, but her animals are in a very loving home. They could do worse.

 

That was my point in a nutshell...LOL

But if you're going to go to the top go raw it'll be the same cost generally as the highest quality food and it's species appropriate etc...

 

Yes, my dogs are raw fed. It doesn't have to be expensive if you look for good sources of meat.

 

Do you use a Co-op???

 

I wish. I live in Kansas City and people here look at you like you're nuts when you say you feed your dogs raw food. They say, "Like what kind of food?" And I say, "Raw meat and bones." And they say, "Like what?" Ugh.

You'd think being in the farm belt I would have better luck. But new things tend to start on the coasts and gradually work their way in to the heart of the country. Everyone here is so conservative it's infuriating.

I pay way more than I have to for food at this point, because I am lazy. I need to pick up the phone and call the butcher guy who does all the hunter's kills. I do get some stuff from local farms, but it is expensive. Mostly I shop at Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market. They have chicken leg quarters for 37 cents per pound and they are HUGE. I also buy whole tilapia (fish) and pork ribs there on a regular basis, and whatever else is cheap enough. And I just got a pile of deer legs from one of my husband's hunter friends. I'm sorta afraid to unwrap them and look at them....

Someone I found who feeds his cat raw has sources for buffalo meat, but the farm is way out and it is VERY expensive. His cat doesn't eat much, LOL.

My dream is to get some land and have a few horses and open a dog boarding kennel or possibly doggie daycare at a REASONABLE price. Then I could start a co-op or become a distributor for one of the raw food companies or something.

 

Ahhhh to dream eh? I live in Wyoming so it's the same about new ideas...HOWEVER I'm on the Colorado boarder and they're like an extension of Cal. so they have a co-op up there... With as many LARGE dogs as I have though...I just can't do it right now... Perhaps when I no longer have to work (ya right) or become rich I can feed them ALL RAW... My BF is absolutely disgusted by the idea and my grandma swears that it'll make them mean... How funny...my grandma... Wonder what her parents dogs ate before they had dog food??? Cooked meat likely???

 

I get my raw free fromt he butcher. He gives me all kinds of good stuff. Neck and heart. liver, and trechia, I get big bones with large chuncks of meat on them. ribs, and stuff..... So I'm lucky there.

Like Sara said, I wish I could feed all the dogs raw, but its just not an option here..... The only reason I'm getting it free isbecause its for one dog and I don't get much at a time. only the parts they can't sell. If I start getting whole carcases, then that might become a problem and he'll charge me. So I don't ask for much, just whatever he throws in the bag. He feeds his dogs raw too!

but for allthe other rescue's and such they get bones and stuff and then kibble. Mianly Ol' Roy which now I know is bad. I'll be looking into something a little diffrent now.

I'm pricing CHicken Soup but man, I have to go WAY out of town to find it! I've got to go all the way to Katy to buy it in the 50lb bags....thats over 65 miles away!

 

At least try Diamond over Ol'Roy. I haven't looked at it, but my sister's Golden breeder told her to feed it.

Raw can be even cheaper than kibble if you persist in looking for sources. Here is a list devoted to helping you: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CarnivoreFeed-Supplier/

 

I agree even Diamond MAintenence is better than Ol'Roy. Likely cheaper if you can find it... Ordering it is possible by the palat but I'm not sure where you can go to do that...with a rescue op that might be the best idea yet.

 

For Luther I think it is about the same price to feed him raw food, but I have no refrigerator or freezer space, so my big problem is going every few days to the grocery store to buy a new pack of meat. For the really cheap raw food it is 2-3kilos for 1euro(which is like meaty bones) and the ribs are only 2euros for 2-3kilos and then liver is 1euro for1 kilo. All that stuff like the hearts liver brains lungs, the gross stuff, people here eat and like it, so that costs a little more.
I have also had the reaction, what food? oh what pet store do you get that? What brand name? then they say normal meat?
Last week I had a friends dog stay the night, and after she got him back, she said what did you feed him, (I was so worried he was getting sick, but she said if he is hungry feed him what Luther eats) I told her raw meat, and she his breath smells so good, usually I don"t like his breath at all, but now it has no smell, so she turned over to meat too! I converted one!

 

Just make sure she is not feeding only meat! A diet consisting of ONLY MEAT is very DANGEROUS! It does not contain the nutrients a dog needs. You MUST include bones and organs - try to make it as close to the composition of a prey animal as you can.