Canine Raw Diet
- The Search for Meat -
Like most people who provide the canine raw diet, you want * BARF dog food for a sensible price. Raw meat can be pricey, so here are some ideas.Shopping the internet, I found ground organic chicken or beef, or beef bones pieces, prepackaged for $4.41 to $6.28 per pound before shipping but that doesn’t work for my pack. Although nicely packaged, it would cost me $55.00 a day! I need bulk! While organic meats in the canine raw diet are definitely superior, holy cow, that’s a lot of money. There must be a better way. My son visits a dog deli where he lives and spends $2.00 - $4.00 a pound for organic meats but he has only one dog and can get veggies and supplements added if he wants.
WHAT I DO I shop my local grocery stores for meats on sale. I often find 10 lb. bags of chicken leg quarters for between $4.00 and $6.00 a bag. That’s 40-60 cents per pound. It’s not organic but $5.00 a day beats $55.00 by a long shot. I was also finding raw meaty bones from beef for 50 cents a pound until I cleaned out one of the stores and the price jumped to $2.00 a pound after that. If I’m going to pay $2.00 a pound, I’d rather buy a twelve pound roast on sale and divvy it up. (I tried that once, but it looked so good after I divided it, that I stuck one in the oven and roasted it for me! Then I didn’t have enough for the dogs so I froze the rest and I’ve had many wonderful roast beef sandwiches since that purchase.) The chicken leg quarters are a good price but they need more bone than that. I found a butcher to order raw free range chicken backs (the perfect muscle meat/organ meat ratio) for 65 cents a pound if I order a 40 pound box frozen. I was so excited, I ordered two boxes. When my order came in, they were not what he showed me.
They were more like chicken breast bones with a few necks thrown in. Still, my dogs loved them, the price wasn’t bad. It was also entertaining for my daughter to see me breaking up frozen chicken parts with a big screwdriver. I wouldn't have minded if the man had been truthful. I called the supplier listed on the box and it turned out they don't sell free range chicken meat. I’m still working on sources for my crew’s canine raw diet and I often prefer a 50/50 meat/bone ratio. I’ve heard there are food co-ops around the United States where you can buy cheaper, in bulk, but I haven’t looked for one in my area yet.
NEW POSSIBILITIES My son hunts mainly waterfowl and pheasant, but he can’t give me his leftovers because he lives in another state (rules). However, he came up with the idea that I contact the Dept. of Natural Resources in my state to check hunting seasons and then find local places like deer meat processors and contact them in the right season to get any leftovers, like small pieces of meat and raw meaty bones. I’m not a hunter by any stretch of the imagination (I even put spiders outside instead of killing them) but I’m kind of excited about the prospect of getting a new variety of meat; not full of growth hormones and antibiotics; and especially if its going to be thrown out. I’m a firm believer that if you kill an animal, you should use it all. A win-win situation for everyone. However you do it, remember there are lots of choices for the canine raw diet. Pheasant, duck, goose, rabbit, emu, ostrich, turkey, lamb, venison and elk. Be creative, and don't be shy if you know anyone who hunts, to ask for any extras or leftovers. Who knows, they might be happy to have more freezer space for the next hunt. *BARF has a few definitions but my favorite is: biologically appropriate raw food
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