[topdog]

As most know raw is expensive. Has anybody figured out the least expensive over all 5 star raw brand available? Thanks

[theBCnut]

That may depend on location since shipping of raw is expensive.

[topdog]

I was thinking of the brands available at local pet stores. Such as Bravo, Primal, Natures Variety, etc. Those are the ones I’m familiar with. Just started feeding raw about 2 months ago.

[Colorado huntress]

Freezer burn game meat ok to feed? It smells fine & not all of it is freezer burned…..should I trim off the grayish spots or just grind it in with the rest of the ‘good’ meat?

[theBCnut]

Don’t grind it if you don’t have to, give it in chunks. Yes, freezer burn is ok.

[Colorado huntress]

You just made my day 🙂 we just bought a 1 hp commercial grade meat grinder from Cabelas (on sale for $550 – had gift cards :)) to use on big game this year rather than drive an hour to have it processed by someone else – the thing is huge, so I bought a smaller hand grinder for the dogs, but sounds like I might not need it? I would prefer doing chunks….haven’t used it yet, what do you think?

[Colorado huntress]

See Spot Live Longer looks really good AND economical (thanks Patty!) – was surprised how inexpensive it is…

[theBCnut]

As much as you can, give your dogs one big chunk of meat. That gives your dog some chewing satisfaction and it is really good for their teeth. But you have to make sure that your dog will actually chew and gnaw on it instead of just trying to wolf it down. If they are going to insist on swallowing it whole then you have to think about whether or not grinding is the thing to do.

[pugmomsandy]

I would just use the commercial grinder and get a refund on the smaller one! I grind poultry and pork ribs in my grinder as far as bones go. I like the 10 mm grinder plate best. The stuff comes out more like chili meat size instead of mostly mush.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_5170952x1024_zpsec466d4d.jpg

[topdog]

Where did this topic take a wrong turn? Lol

[Hound Dog Mom]

I would say the least expensive pre-made commercial raw food would be Bravo Balance.

[FreeholdHound]

Topdog: it depends on where you live & what’s available in store. The only 5 star I used w/ success was Victor , & loved it. No stores carry it in the NE but found one online w/ good prices & shipping. Merrick is available in stores but my dog didn’t do well on it. Their Whole Earth Farm line was always something I wanted to use for its quality & price, but couldn’t. I’m using Natures Logic (getting online) not the cheapest but its working for us.

[topdog]

Thanks, from what I’ve found I agree. Of the 3 I have found locally Bravo seems to be the most economical but nearest store where its sold is 30 miles away. Am currently feeding the Nature’s Variety. NV and Primal are available at nearby store. Had a terrible experience with the NV duck which may have been NV or stores fault not sure which. Since it’s rated 4.5 versus Bravo 5 was wondering if the trip is worth it.

[InkedMarie]

Topdog: have you looked at Darwin’s? It gets shipped to you. I find it cheaper than any other pre made raw. They have a nice trial size, you’ll have to ign up for auto delivery but one phone call can cancel it. You can customize your orders, get any proteins you want in the mounts you want. It looks like real meat,compared to the rest, IMO.

[topdog]

Yes actually I have and did order the trial. I will be receiving it tomorrow. However after first shipment price goes to $5.25/lb which is about $1 more per lb avg than others. Thanks

[InkedMarie]

Top dog: your price depends on ow much you buy of wht protein. Chicken is the cheapest, beef most expensive (of the Zoologics). It also depends how much you buy at one time. You get a discount if you buy at least 40 pounds. If you buy 100 pounds every month, you get another discount.

For me, where I live, to buy the exact same amount of proteins from Primal, Stella & Chewys or Bravo was more by at least $15 and I had to drive to buy it.

If you buy Bravo Balance, it’s complete & balanced. If you buy the other bravo, you need to add to it, it tells you on the website what to add.

[FreeholdHound]

Oops ! Just realized I totally misread the post. My Bad – sorry

[topdog]

InkedMarie I compared the prices of Darwins Zoologics and Darwins Natural Selections to Bravo Balanced at nearest store carrying Bravo and here’s what I came up with:
Bravo Balanced Blend averaging the cost of 3 meats (turkey, chicken and beef) Price $4.64/lb
Darwins Zoologics averaging the cost of 3 meats (turkey, chicken and beef) Price $4.50/lb
Darwins Natural Selections averaging the cost of 3 meats (turkey, chicken and beef) Price $5.28/lb
Not a huge difference $ wise between Darwins NS and Bravo BB when you consider the convenience of home delivery and the gas not wasted.
Both Darwins Natural Selections and Bravo Balanced Blend are rated 5 stars at DFA but the Zoologics is not rated at all :((
The NS list of ingredients aside from the meat are: Organic Vegetables (29.3%): Squash, Yams, Beets, Zucchini, Celery, Romaine, Parsley, Apple Cider Vinegar. (Vegetables may vary based on seasonality.)
Special Nutrient Mix (2.2%): Bonemeal, Organic Hempseed Oil, Iodized Salt, Inulin (Extract of Chicory), Manganese and Zinc Amino Acid Chelates, Vitamin E.
They don’t list the ingredients for Zoologics

[topdog]

Thanks for your input guys

[InkedMarie]

TopDog: when I asked Darwins about the Zoologics ingredients, they said they were the same as the Natural Selections except the NS has the organic stuff & other meat. I feed the Zoologics and if I had to guess, I’d think it was a 5 star rating as well. I feed it for a third of my dogs meals and feel very good that I do.

[theBCnut]

That’s what I’ve been told too, that the difference is organic vs. nonorganic.

[topdog]

InkedMarie, received delivery of Darwins. Wow it looks sooo fresh I feel like eating it myself. Looks like the butcher just finished grinding it. Big difference in appearance to the NV I was feeding. Haven’t tried it yet because waiting to finish off the NV but it looks AWESOME.

[theBCnut]

Losul did try it. He fried some up in a pan. He said the bits of bone were unpleasant.

[topdog]

Now you tell me! 🙁

[InkedMarie]

TopDog: yay! Told ya, looks so much different than most other pre made raws.

[theBCnut]

There are a lot of Darwin’s fans here. Myself included, but none of us were willing to try it, except Losul. Dogs need the bits of bones in it, people don’t.

[jamie_aa]

Hey I have a question for HDM

I wanted to see if you knew anything about the calcium levels in the Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Diets. My local pet store started caring this and i wasn’t sure if the calcium level would be ok for my Saint Bernard puppy? I was originally just going to buy the BARF Raw dog food online and have it shipped but I would rather go get the food myself.

[Richard K]

Hey everyone. I have wanted to feed my dogs raw for a long time but I don’t think I can afford it. My dogs have always had 5 star rated wet and dry dog food mixed like now I feed them Wellness limited ingredient diet dry and Holistic select wet food mixed in and it costs me about 70 dollars a month but I know raw is much better for them plus I have tried many many kinds of 5 star rated dry and wet dog food an my dogs only eat it cause they are very hungry because they don’t really like any i have tried. I have 2 small dogs both weight about 15lbs. Can anyone tell me a raw or freeze dried food I can feed them that won’t cost me much more than what I’m paying now? Or is that totally impossible to feed them raw or freeze dried for around that same price per month. I am on disability so I have limited income an i cant afford to go much higher. Both my dogs are in pretty good health. My pomeranian is 11 years old and acts like he is 4 years old or less. My shi-tzu is 10 years old and he isnt as active as my pomeranian and he does have some medical issues but the vet says he believes that he was inbred at a puppy mill. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

[Jazzlover]

New to Raw

I’m seeking education from dog owners w/ thriving raw fed dogs.

We have an almost 4yr old male, black lab w/ environmental allergies (all yr around in nor Ca) – Jazz. I recently went raw, one meal (do to cost) – trying Barf World, Lamb to start. And I’m not finding it gross 🙂 Is there a prepared, balanced raw that delivers that is higher quality and ideally lower priced? Eventually I hope to be able to identify a balanced recipe & the ingredients to do it myself.

I’m also looking for wild, sustainably sourced sardines that I can buy in bulk. In hopes to avoid buying canned.

Lastly, supplements (vtms & minerals) that are necessary and have proven healthy benefits for raw feeding. Such as a great sustainably sourced krill oil (not cod), etc.

Thanks for you support!

• This reply was modified 7 years, 7 months ago by Jazzlover. Reason: grammer

[InkedMarie]

JazzLover: I buy my raw from Hare Today in PA. Other good companies are Reel Raw, My Pet Carnivore and Raw Feeding Miami. Hare has a lot of great info on the site & Tracey, the owner, is very helpful when you have questions.

[mountainhound]

there’s a brand called K9 Kraving that’s super affordable but only available in certain areas. It’s about $12.99 for 5 lbs

[Author]

Posts