Raw food - more expensive than kibble?

[Hormonal Filly]

Both of our dogs are currently fed Eden dry food, at £50 per 15kg and costs around £1.80-2 per day to feed both. Ones 17kg the other 21kg.

I am considering raw, ideally the complete mince. My spaniel is always itchy and poos a lot, runny quite often and I am sure its allergy related.

Can anyone recommend any brands that are fair priced? I've seen some 1kg raw complete packs for £3.70 per kg but thats nearly twice the daily cost I pay now!

 

[AmyMay]

I was feeding Daisy a ‘complete’ raw for about 50p a day - the pack sizes of 500g were between 75p and £1.20 a day. The brand was Raw Treat Petfood. Possibly not the best on the market, and I added to it in the form of additional meats and vege. Some brands seem hugely expensive, but I’m not sure whether it really is about getting what you pay for or not.

She stopped itching completely on a raw diet. But I was worried about the nutritional value so stopped.

Eden made her very itchy.

 

[{97702}]

With four large dogs I found feeding raw to be prohibitively expensive sadly ☹️ They seem to survive quite well being fed Arden Grange however, they look fabulous on it (still costs me £130 a month, but then I will have four of them!)

When I did feed raw I always fed Manifold Valley Meats - I tried a few other brands but the quality just wasn’t as good, they aren’t the cheapest but they are the best IMO 😊

 

[sbloom]

Ask around with local dog owners, Google etc, we use a manufacturer who we're quite sure supplies most of the local pet shops and some brands too, but they have van deliveries to individual customers too, some of it is only 50p/lb or thereabouts. We've only ever fed unbranded but this one is definitely his favourite and looks the best (company is in Needham Market in Suffolk, so only relevant if you're local!)

 

[Roxylola]

I am paying £12 for a box of 14 454g of DAF at the moment. My dogs are smaller than yours and I feed about 1.5 packs per day so around £36 per month. DAF isn't the cheapest - Bulmers is about the best price wise if you are able to get it delivered, or live close enough to collect. I find the more freezer space you have the cheaper you can do it.
I am spending considerably more than I did on kibble but my dogs are definitely better on it - spaniel never really looked fab on kibble. My dogs are 10kg and 13kg - I could scout about for cheaper but not as conveniently for me so it's a compromise

 

[Leo Walker]

Mine are both 17kgs and both get more than the recommended amount of raw so would probably work out about the same. We spend £30 a month. That gets us lots of minces, some chicken feet/carcasses, and some chunks of meat/offal. We are very lucky to have a bulmers stockist near us which starts at 40p for 500gms and is not only good quality but the dogs love it and look great on it.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Ask around with local dog owners, Google etc, we use a manufacturer who we're quite sure supplies most of the local pet shops and some brands too, but they have van deliveries to individual customers too, some of it is only 50p/lb or thereabouts. We've only ever fed unbranded but this one is definitely his favourite and looks the best (company is in Needham Market in Suffolk, so only relevant if you're local!)

I've gone through so many raw companies now. Some cheaper than others, I am surprised so many say its cheaper than kibble, but after looking into it.. it really isn't which I am surprised at.
It seems we'll need a minimum of 28kg of raw a month for both dogs, more during the shooting season. Cheapest I've found yet still works out a lot more expensive.
I'd mix it myself, with so much bone, offal etc but not sure how its done and sounds complicated.

Going to go and speak to the local butcher.. they get raw treats regularly, but have the freezer space for complete raw now. Think its going to work out £35 every 6 weeks more expensive than Eden..

 

[CorvusCorax]

When I fed raw I used a guy that supplied the greyhound tracks and it worked out at very good value. Whole human grade minced chicken, bone in, tripe, ox tails, heart, lung, whatever he had in, really.
It was just in plastic bags so I had to decant it myself into ice cream or sweetie tubs, but it was worth it. Much cheaper than the pre-packaged stuff.
I'd say they'll be a gap in the market for those guys soon....

 

[Hormonal Filly]

When I fed raw I used a guy that supplied the greyhound tracks and it worked out at very good value. Whole human grade minced chicken, bone in, tripe, ox tails, heart, lung, whatever he had in, really.
It was just in plastic bags so I had to decant it myself into ice cream or sweetie tubs, but it was worth it. Much cheaper than the pre-packaged stuff.
I'd say they'll be a gap in the market for those guys soon....

Thats what I'm looking for, but I'm struggling to find anything like that, so must be the minority! Its all branded 500g or 1kg bags, selling at £2-4 each.
Our local butcher can help but its just minced meat, no bone or offal which they need.

 

[ponyparty]

Whereabouts are you? I get 500g bags from a local wholesaler for 72p each. Minced chicken carcasses (so including bone) and minced lamb (no bone, so I alternate what they get). I won't buy the ones with tripe as we don't have a separate fridge for dog food at the moment, lots more choice if you don't mind tripe though. They do bones, duck necks etc too for much cheaper than any of the ones you'd find in a pet shop or feed merchant, you buy by the 5kg bag IIRC.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Thats what I'm looking for, but I'm struggling to find anything like that, so must be the minority! Its all branded 500g or 1kg bags, selling at £2-4 each.
Our local butcher can help but its just minced meat, no bone or offal which they need.

This guy had his own place and also met people at tracks or on roundabouts/laybys etc. I just found him by word of mouth as he didn't advertise or anything. He also sold branded dry stuff to gundog peeps. It wouldn't hurt to ask around.
My butcher was quite good but you had to time it right.

 

[ester]

I was feeding Daisy a ‘complete’ raw for about 50p a day - the pack sizes of 500g were between 75p and £1.20 a day. The brand was Raw Treat Petfood. Possibly not the best on the market, and I added to it in the form of additional meats and vege.

Maybe worth mentioning they have just had a recall on multiple products for L.mono

 

[AmyMay]

Maybe worth mentioning they have just had a recall on multiple products for L.mono

Yep, saw that yesterday.

 

[paddy555]

I use The dog's butcher, which is the best quality I could find. It is good quality and is approx £3 per kg taking one protein with another and that is for completes. If I run out I sometimes use Nature's Menu which is in every pet shop for around £1.20 for 400kg. I bought DAF once and never again, it was rubbish. I also tried Bulmers which was good quality and cheaper than TDB however I have to travel quite a distance for it and the stocking levels were hopeless so it was an hour's wasted journey.

Have you considered just buying the mince from your butcher and adding offal and bone yourself? Morrisons have liver, heart and that sort of thing pretty cheaply and also packs of meaty bones. Your local butcher may be able to let you have bones. Nature's Menu do packs of duck necks, ribs, chicken legs.
I also buy raw mackeral from Tesco's fish counter so you could add that as well, or sprats, or cornish sardines. I tried to buy bones from Tesco once. Absolutely no way.
If you have a local butcher raw may be comparable or even cheaper but if you use branded products it is more expensive. However with places like TDB you can buy whole raw tripe. Nothing my dog likes better than a 500g piece of raw tripe thrown at him.

 

[Leo Walker]

There must be a Bulmers stockist near you:

http://www.bulmerdogfood.co.uk/frozen-meat-products/

And what are you shooting? Can you feed that alongside minces?

 

[maisie06]

Bulmers or Albion are very cost effective, do you have a Morrison's nearby? The amount of cheap bones and offal you can find in there is amazing! Especially at the end of the day, I have picked up over £30 of meat and offal for about £8!!

 

[{97702}]

The other option is to do what I used to do and buy direct from an abattoir- you get all sorts of interesting stuff to feed 😳 😂

It’s still always going to be more expensive than kibble though whatever route you use, it’s whether you can afford that? I’d be feeding 4kg of meat a day....

 

[Cinnamontoast]

I'm trying to post a picture of the price list from the Dog Food Company,based in Ipswich, they deliver as far as Dover, don't know how far up or west they go. You can find them on Facebook. Chicken mince with bone is 53p a lb. I've used them for years. I order a job lot every few months. Sainsbury has cheaper chicken bits in the freezer, Morrisons as mentioned is often full of bargains. It's not complicated, there are lots of Facebook raw feeding groups.

 

[Clodagh]

When I had a foxhound here to whelp the huntsman used to bring me a bucket of horse meat every couple of days. It was before things got so complicated about offal, bone etc, but the bitch did well on it.
My larder did smell pretty amazing though!

 

[Bosworth]

I feed my two raw, and I spend about £12 every 2 weeks, so £3 week per dog the butcher has chicken necks or chicken carcasses, plus minced meat and cartlidge and offal, plus I can have many raw bones as I want free of charge. I have a 10kg Bedlington and an 20kg whippet, Its cheaper for me to feed raw than it is to feed a good quality kibble as that works out about £11 a week for 2.

Mines a fantastic butcher

 

[{97702}]

I feed my two raw, and I spend about £12 every 2 weeks, so £3 week per dog the butcher has chicken necks or chicken carcasses, plus minced meat and cartlidge and offal, plus I can have many raw bones as I want free of charge. I have a 10kg Bedlington and an 20kg whippet, Its cheaper for me to feed raw than it is to feed a good quality kibble as that works out about £11 a week for 2.

Mines a fantastic butcher

Tiny dog owner 😂😂

 

[Hormonal Filly]

There must be a Bulmers stockist near you:

http://www.bulmerdogfood.co.uk/frozen-meat-products/

And what are you shooting? Can you feed that alongside minces?

Pheasant, duck and partridge. I understand game should be frozen before feeding?

I use The dog's butcher, which is the best quality I could find. It is good quality and is approx £3 per kg

£3 per kg would mean I would be spending £3 per day, just slightly to costly.

I have left a message with our local butcher. They do 'pet minces' which is a mixture of offal and off cuts of lamb, beef and chicken. They come in 1kg frozen bags at £1.50 each, which isn't to bad! Although it isn't available all the time, and isn't able to be ordered..

 

[Leo Walker]

I would freeze it. You will need to freeze it to store it anyway. You could make up a huge part of their diet with those 3 things and just top up with bits and pieces from the butcher/Morrisons etc. Or do a bulk order from Bulmers every couple of months. They start from 80p ish a kilo.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

I would freeze it. You will need to freeze it to store it anyway. You could make up a huge part of their diet with those 3 things and just top up with bits and pieces from the butcher/Morrisons etc. Or do a bulk order from Bulmers every couple of months. They start from 80p ish a kilo.

Well I'd have access to however many duck, pheasant and partridge I'd want. Can they be the majority of the dogs diet?

I have access to frozen lamb as well as beef from the farm too.. if I wanted to do DIY, BUT.. the entire they must have x amount of bone, x amount of offal is really confusing me. I don't want to measure out every single meal?

Bulmers have a stocklist near me, but it doesn't work out very cheap as Bulmers don't deliver themselves to my area which is such a shame!

 

[Leo Walker]

Yup, they could make up nearly all of it. Its really easy, you are aiming for the ratios but it doesnt have to be exact and it can be spread out over a couple of days. For example mine had chicken carcass for breakfast, thats probably 80% bone, 20% meat, for tea they will get a mince with no bone in, so 100% meat, and probably some sort of offal mince for breakfast tomorrow, so 50% offal, 50% meat. It evens out over time.

We just aim to have a variety of stuff in and keep an eye on their poo and adjust as needed. I do remember in the beginning finding it a bit stressful and wanting it to be exactly right at every meal, but it really doesnt need to be. I'm also not insanely strict anymore. They had pizza crusts for a snack yesterday as we had some left over. The oldest will do anything for a slice of buttered toast, so quite often gets one as a treat.

If you can get them to eat whole birds then the meal is already balanced. I wouldnt want to just feed one type of meat, ie duck as the sole food, but if you have duck, partridge, pheasant and access to lamb and beef thats going to be a pretty good diet

 

[Hormonal Filly]

do remember in the beginning finding it a bit stressful and wanting it to be exactly right at every meal, but it really doesnt need to be. I'm also not insanely strict anymore. They had pizza crusts for a snack yesterday as we had some left over. The oldest will do anything for a slice of buttered toast, so quite often gets one as a treat.

This is the thing, I think it can be so easily over thought about! Without sounding thick, what is offal? Am I right in thinking liver, heart?
In the wild they'd eat it like you feed it, rather than x about of meat, x amount of bone and x offal everyday.

I mean I could get minced meat from the butchers but I'd have to add the offal myself. I could get duck heart and liver online quite cheap, or from Morrisons as you said.

 

[Roxylola]

What is offal - secreting organs basically, heart is muscle really but liver kidneys, pancreas spleen are all offal.

In the wild they would generally be eating whole prey such as rabbits which is where the ratio comes from I think

 

[Leo Walker]

In the wild they would generally be eating whole prey such as rabbits which is where the ratio comes from I think

Which is why the ducks etc would be perfect if you can feed them whole. I know a few people who feed them feathers on the lot, but that depends on your dog and you. I know mine absolutely love duck feet, so its not like prepping for people, they will eat almost all of it even if you do pluck and prep.

I'm now sitting here wondering if its worth taking up shooting so I can get my hands on whole birds!

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Which is why the ducks etc would be perfect if you can feed them whole. I know a few people who feed them feathers on the lot, but that depends on your dog and you. I know mine absolutely love duck feet, so its not like prepping for people, they will eat almost all of it even if you do pluck and prep.

I'm now sitting here wondering if its worth taking up shooting so I can get my hands on whole birds!

Where are you based? Are you on Facebook? We are South west, more than happy to give you some if you are local. We always have a lot, mostly pheasant and partridge.

If you're on Facebook join the Beaters and Pickers up group, I am sure there is a shoot in your area that would appreciate you taking some birds off their hands!

 

[Clodagh]

ForbiddenHorse there is a group on FB called 'Giving up the Game' which is a good way to move on excess birds.
A friend feeds her spaniel whole carcass raw and he picks up and beats with no issues. Some people do say it can lead to them eating retrieves. I don't know, I have never tried it.