Skip to content

Less expensive raw food?

Basenji Feeding
  • I've been feeding my two Bs Steve's Real Food - it comes as frozen chunks in a 10-lb. bag. Both dogs love it and do very well on it. Neither of them seem to tolerate dry food, though. Anytime that one gets diarrhea, it's generally from eating a lot of kibble (Merrick's Wilderness Blend).

    I'd stick with the Steve's Real Food but it's really expensive. $30/bag, and I'm going through three bags each month.

    Any recommendations on a similar raw food that doesn't cost as much?

    Thanks in advance!

  • How about real raw food? Not sure where you're located, but there are a number of raw food groups that could help you find what you're looking for (check out Yahoo groups). I feed my boy raw for about $1/lb. He gets about 1/2 lb. a day, so he's fed for $.50 a day, pretty much.

  • My boxer is on raw because of food allergies. They kept raising the prices over 3 months so eventually it was costing me $70. per week! I bought my own grinder over the internet. It's in between a commercial and home use one and should work for me. Because she does have allergies, I have started with a base of hamburger only (her sire is allergic to chicken) and will start adding things to it. There is also a vitamin called Bio Vites that can be added to raw food for people who make their own raw. Right now it's costing me about $20 per week to feed a 65 lb dog. Just a thought you might want to keep in mind if prices keep going up. While I am limited in what I can give her, you could add your own ingredients. I believe it's about 10% organ meat, 10% veggies, and whole eggs crushed in, shells and all in a base of food. I'm still working on my levels, but it's something I had to do. If I get it right, I may change the Basenji's over as well. I know they do better on raw than kibble, but it will be something to think about.

  • Well, I may try making the raw food for the Bs. Does anyone have a good recipe (including both ingredients and process - I've never done this before and can't even cook for myself!)? Do I need a food processor of some kind?

    Lori

  • I know you'll need a grinder that can grind bones, which is why I opted for one of the stronger ones. Chicken bones are fairly easy to grind up, they are light bones. I'm sure if you look on the internet, there are raw food groups that can help you. Like I said, I am limited, here's one website that had a listing: http://www.animalhomeopathy.net/id19.html.
    Here's another link on FAQ that I found interesting as well. http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html
    Hope these help.

  • Here is what Only Natural Pet carries, maybe it might give an idea of what Raw brands are out there, http://search.onlynaturalpet.com/search.aspx?searchterms=raw-pet-food

Suggested Topics

  • Raw Food Diet??!?!

    Basenji Feeding
    26
    0 Votes
    26 Posts
    29k Views
    Buddys PalB
    Ok, just had to add some more. Had a friend over yesterday (our first thanksgiving turkey, then Thursday again!) and she saw Hershey 12.8 years old and she mentioned how alert he was. Coat and eyes were clear and shiney! I was really excited to hear this as I read this about others' dogs in different forums etc. So, anyone thinking about it, it is not a fad…..it works and they all love it!
  • Raw food

    Basenji Feeding
    28
    0 Votes
    28 Posts
    16k Views
    L
    We switched our 2 boys to raw from kibble about 6 months ago. The switch came because we were simply exhausted from walking them 3 times a day because they had loose stool (we don't have fenced in yard, so we need to walk them to go to the bathroom). Our vet recommended more fiber in their diet to help with loose stool. This intuitively just didn't resonate with us. Basenji are one of the most ancient breeds of dog… why on earth would more fiber be a solution to their problem (I know the theoretical why, but logically it was counter-intuitive)? We read many sources or literature on the raw diet and thought this would be a good switch for them. Again, they are an ancient breed so moving toward raw foods seemed appropriate and logical. It took that about a month for them to get really accustomed to eating raw chicken quarters, rabbit halves or pork shoulders but now they have no problem gulping their meal right down, bone and all (for those of you who don't feed raw, gulping is a normal behavior and bone is an essential part of the diet). Their digestion issues have vanished and we've even seen marked improvement in their destructive behavior. Two super happy boys now, two super happy Basenji owners!!
  • Puppy Food

    Basenji Feeding
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    3k Views
    lvossL
    The biggest difference in most puppy foods and small breed foods is the fat and protein contents. I have one that needs the higher calories found in the small breed and puppy foods. If he has a sensitive stomach then you will need to transition very slowly to any new food and he may not transition to a new food.
  • Best Food?

    Basenji Feeding
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    6k Views
    tanzaT
    @Patty: Interesting that you had a problem with loose stools, Pat, because I had exactly the same but with a puppy who was eventually discovered to have Giardia. It did take us a very long time though and in the meantime the pup was suffering. It also happened to a friend of mine herself who for years had a stomach problem that finally was discovered to be a Giardia infection. Because of my experience with the puppy, I had jokingly suggested the problem to her as well. Yes… Giardia "hides" very well..... Many Vets will write it off to a sensitive digestive system when in fact it is not. Like I said with my OJ, once it was cleared up, he could eat anything...
  • Changing food

    Basenji Feeding
    21
    0 Votes
    21 Posts
    9k Views
    barklessk9B
    I would highly recommend the fish oil. As I stated before in a previous post, I put Zak on a grain free diet and added fish oil pills daily and a Cosequin DS (glucosamine & chondroitin) capsule sprinkled on his food each day for arthritis and he has not had a problem with arthritis since. There are foods with these supplements included, however, it is my understanding that they are just sprayed on the food. My vet had in the past suggested for my senior dogs at least 1000mg fish oil daily for cognitive health and the arthritis. For Zak and some early kidney disease he is showing she is recommending, and I have also read on line, 100mg fish oil per 10 lbs. of body weight (2500 mg daily). I don't think you're going to find the best level of fish oil supplement in a kibble. Oh, and his coat this year is sooooooooo soft! :)
  • Food recall

    Basenji Feeding
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    2k Views
    No one has replied