It doesn’t have to be expensive
If you have done a price check on the commercially-prepared raw or cooked meals at your local store than you may have been a little shocked at the price. You may have changed your mind about trying it or been discouraged about this option. Well, it doesn’t have to be expensive. What you want is human-grade and possibly organic ingredients. That’s not expensive or hard to get, that’s what you eat; it’s readily available at your grocery store! So, you add a few items to your weekly shopping. Select meats such as regular ground beef, chicken thighs and chicken gizzards. See ‘Which Meats To Use’. Add some extra vegetables to your shopping cart; yams, kale, or broccoli. See ‘Which Vegetables To Use’. Buy enough to last until your next shopping and then divide into daily portions to freeze. See ‘Basic Recipe’ for proportions.
Average cost of feeding per day
An 80lb dog will eat 1lb of meat per day. That meat will cost $1.29 – $2.00/lb depending on what type of meat. The vegetables are a very nominal cost of $0.15 – $0.40 and are optional if using Better In The Raw or U-Stew supplement. The supplements, Better In The Raw or U-Stew, will cost $1.02 – $1.15.
Therefore, to feed an 80lb dog it will cost in the range of $2.31 – 3.55 per day. Remember that calculation is for high quality, fresh, human-grade food that replicates a carnivores natural diet.
Most cats will eat about 1/5 lb of meat per day. That meat will cost $0.26 – $0.40 depending on the type of meat. The vegatable cost is again nominal and is optional if using Instincts TC supplement. The supplement, Instincts TC, will cost $0.52.
Therefore, it will cost in the range of $0.78 – $0.92 per day to feed a cat a high quality, fresh, human-grade food.
*Note: the price for commercially prepared raw diets ranges from $4.25 – 6.50/lb. An 80lb. dog would then need more than a pound in order to meet their protein requirements because those diets contain bone and vegetable already mixed in. See ‘Why Exclude Bone’.
*Hint: use up vegetables that you know your family will not eat before they go bad, to feed to your dog. After grinding up in the food processor or blender they can be frozen in containers or bags. Be sure to portion into small enough sizes that they will be used up in a few days once thawed.