# Blue Buffalo Life Protection questionable ingredients HELP



## Itty bitty Kitty

I'm getting a dog next year and I've been spending weeks researching about dog nutrition and good/bad ingredients. I'm still new to this and I need help with those of you who have experience.

I am considering getting Blue Buffalo Life Protection for my dog. However there are some ingredients I'm concerned about.

The ingredients are: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, whole ground brown rice, whole ground barley, oatmeal, chicken fat (naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols), rye, *tomato pomace* (natural source of lycopene), natural chicken flavor, whole potatoes, peas, whole carrots, whole sweet potatoes, blueberries, cranberries, flaxseed(natural source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids), barley grass, dried parsley, *garlic*, alfalfa meal, dried kelp, yucca schidigera extract, l-carnitine, l-lysine, glucosamine hydrochloride, turmeric, sunflower oil (natural source of omega 6 fatty acids), fish oil (natural source of omega 3 fatty acids), dried chicory root, oil of rosemary, beta carotene, vitamin a supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), d-calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), biotin (vitamin B7), folic acid (vitamin B9), vitamin B12 supplement, calcium ascorbate (source of vitamin C), vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, choline chloride, sodium selenite, calcium iodate, *salt*, *caramel,* potassium chloride, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium

* Red are the ingredients I am concerned about.

*Tomato Pomace* - I'm not so sure if this is something to be concerned about or not. 

*Garlic *- The major ingredient I'm worried about. I've been doing research everywhere trying to find answers but I keep getting mixed results. To b fair, it's pretty far down the list so I would like to think any possible bad side-effects garlic has for your dog ( such as anemia) will be close to none?

*Caramel* - Concerned about the sugar content in this, but it seems too far down the list to be a threat.

*Salt* - It's so far down the list I'm pretty sure it's not a problem. However isn't salt generally bad for your dog?

Please give me your input on these ingredients and your experience with this particular product of Blue. 

I'm thinking to help counter-balance any of the possible negative ingredients (In this or any other dog-food ) I can add/ make healthy home-cooked food for my dog like:

-Cooked, lean chicken
-Scrambled eggs
-Peanut butter
-Carrots
-Oats
-Apples
-Pumpkin

I want to do my best to take care of my future dog while still being able to budget everything. Thoughts?


----------



## whiteleo

I'd be more concerned with rice, barley and oatmeal..


----------



## Itty bitty Kitty

whiteleo said:


> I'd be more concerned with rice, barley and oatmeal..


I was pretty sure Oats were actually good for a dog. Would you be so kind to elaborate on what the dangers are in the ingredients you've mentioned? I would very much appreciate it!


----------



## whiteleo

I am one who believe that dogs do not need grains as they are carnivores...I'm surprised that with all your research in looking at dog food that grain free was not an option and some of the better quality foods that are out there like Orijen, Acana, Fromm4 Starr etc.


----------



## Unosmom

Those dont seem like particularly red flags to me. Garlic is fine in small quantities and a lot of people use it as a flea repellent. I think caramel is for natural color only, pretty common in pet food. Salt is usually a source of iodine. And tomato pomace is usually just tomato skin/pulp and pretty harmless. 

Theres no need to add extra grains to the kibble, especially if you plan on feeding a grain inclusive kibble, just stick with meat, eggs and you can also add some canned fish oil water like sardines or salmon.


----------



## xellil

"deboned chicken" - that's the raw weight. Once cooked down, it will be about 10% of that weight and would go waaaaaay down on the list of ingredients.

For dry dog food, it's not bad. Of course, I believe all dry dog food is bad. So I'm probably not one to give advice on it. rice, barley, oatmeal - not horrible if you don't mind feeding your dog grains their body isn't build to digest.


----------



## whiteleo

When you go grain free you may spend more money for the food but in the long run you feed less food...When feeding a grain inclusive food you feed more to fill up the dog as they will not utilize all the food (grains will just pass through) meaning they have much bigger poops on a grain inclusive food versus a grain free food. There are a ton of post here regarding this very subject about food and quality..

By the way welcome to the forum!


----------



## xellil

Here's a page you can look at that tell you the things that you should really never get in a dog food - 
The Dog Food Project - Ingredients to avoid

i don't really see anything on that list that's in the Blue buffalo. Except the amount of chicken is misleading, which pretty much ticks me off. So you have to wonder in what other ways they are being deceitful.


----------



## Itty bitty Kitty

whiteleo said:


> When you go grain free you may spend more money for the food but in the long run you feed less food...When feeding a grain inclusive food you feed more to fill up the dog as they will not utilize all the food (grains will just pass through) meaning they have much bigger poops on a grain inclusive food versus a grain free food. There are a ton of post here regarding this very subject about food and quality..
> 
> By the way welcome to the forum!


Thank you so much for your input. I'm still browsing forum topics and other information I can find. Unfortunately I have noticed the grain-free brands are hard to find ( I don't think I've ever seen Arcana at any store yet). However I will keep my eyes open for the ones you've recommended, thank you


----------



## whiteleo

Where are you from, we are always willing to help people find good food....These brands won't be found at Petsmart or Petco they are unique and can be found at boutique pet stores.


----------



## Itty bitty Kitty

xellil said:


> Here's a page you can look at that tell you the things that you should really never get in a dog food -
> The Dog Food Project - Ingredients to avoid
> 
> i don't really see anything on that list that's in the Blue buffalo. Except the amount of chicken is misleading, which pretty much ticks me off. So you have to wonder in what other ways they are being deceitful.


Thanks for the link! I've actually bumped into this once but couldn't find it anymore. I agree, I think all and any commercial food are misleading. I'm hoping to keep counter-balance that by adding in actual cooked chicken to it.


----------



## Itty bitty Kitty

whiteleo said:


> Where are you from, we are always willing to help people find good food....These brands won't be found at Petsmart or Petco they are unique and can be found at boutique pet stores.



I'm from North Carolina, Apex ( in the Raleigh area)


----------



## whiteleo

*US Store Locator*

_______________________________________________________________
NORTH CAROLINA
Distributed by: 
Holistic PetSource
1414 Fort Negley Blvd
Nashville, TN 37203
Phone: (615) 254-9721 
Asheville
*Lucky Dog Delivers Inc*
175 Weaverville Hwy
Asheville, NC 28804
Phone: (828) 215-9503
http://www.luckydogdelivers.com 
*Patton Avenue Pet Company*
1388 Patton Avenue
Ashville, NC 28806
Phone: (828) 505-8299 
*Tailgait Market*
328 New Leicester hwy Ste 142
Ashville, NC 28806
Phone: (828) 258-1600
http://www.thetailgaitmarket.com 
*Woof Gang Bakery*
33 Town Square Blvd., Suite 140
Ashville, NC 28803
Phone: (828) 650-9950 
Banner Elk
*My Best Friend's Barkery*
176 Shawneehaw Avenue
Banner elk, NC 28604
Phone: (828) 783-8090
http;//www.mybestfriendsbarkery.com 
Belmont
*Marley Sporting Dog Supplies*
140 North Main Street 
Belmont, NC 28012
Phone: (704) 860-8797
http://www.marleydogsupplies.com
Boone
*Mountain Dog & Friends*
126 Taylor Road
Boone, NC 28607
Phone: (828) 963-2470 
http://www.mountaindogandfriends.com 
Brevard
*Pure Pets*
31 S Broad Street
Brevard, NC 28712
Phone: (828) 884-7333
http://www.purepets.net
Burlington
*Mobile Pet Food*
Alamance and Surrounding Counties Home Delivery
Burlington, NC
Phone: (888) PET-DELV
http://www.mobilepetfood.com
Calabash
*Doggone Healthy*
9260 Beach Drive
Calabash, NC 28467
Phone: (910) 579-0555
http://www.doggonehealth.com 
*Seaside Animal Care*
9256 Beach Drive
Calabash, NC 28467
Phone: (910) 579 5550
http://www.seasidevet.com
Candler
*Moon Doggies Natural Pet Foods*
1263 Smokey Park Hwy
Candler, NC 28715
Phone: (828) 633-0900 
http://www.moondoggiesnaturalpet.com
Cary
*Animal Pet Adoption and Outreach Center*
1105 Walnut Street Suite 103
Cary, NC 27511
Phone: 919) 465-2500
http://www.animall.com
*Paws In The City*
1105 Tryon Village Drive 303
Cary, NC 27518
Phone: (919) 851-5853 
Cashiers
*Woof Gang Bakery*
11 Pillar Drive
Cashiers, NC 28717
Phone: (828) 743 WOOF (9663) 
Chapel Hill 
*Phydeaux*
400 A1 S Elliott Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27514 
Phone: (919) 960-3606 
http://www.phydeauxpets.com
Charlotte
*1 Urban Pet*
4149 Park Road
Charlotte NC 28209
Phone: (704) 644-7019

*4 Paws Holistic*
2907 Selwyn Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28209
Phone: (704) 919-0467 
*All Wags Boutique*
16640 Lancaster hwy #101
Charlotte, NC 28277
Phone: (704) 363-4531 
*Alpha Pets Resort & Spa *
16640 Hawfield Way Drive, Suite 101
Charlotte, NC 28277
Phone: (704) 544-0166 
*Boni's Paradise Pet Sitting*
4124 Old Course Drive
Charlotte, NC 28277
Phone: (704) 846-1187
http://www.bichonpetsitting.com
*Dogs All Day *
4240 South Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28209
Phone: (704) 523-3380
http;//www.dogsalldaycharlotte.com
*Pawtique Holistic Pet Shoppe *
12206 Copper Way
Charlotte, NC 28277
Phone: (704) 544-7551 
888-544-7551
http://www.pawtiquepets.com
*Paws Unleashed*
2135-C Ayrsley Town blvd
Charlotte, NC 28273
Phone: (704) 499-9655
http://www.paws-unleashed.com
*Pet Essentials*
7510 15A Pineville Matthews Road
Charlotte, NC 28226
Phone: (704) 341-9936
http://www.petessential.com
*Zoom Room Charlotte*
12239 N Community House Rd
Charlotte, NC 28277
Phone: (704) 313-9364 
Clemmons
*Prohound Pet Specialty*
2733 Lewisville-Clemmons Road
Clemmons, NC 27012
Phone: (336) 778-9007
Concord-Kannapolis
*Raw and Natural Pets*
4050 Sunrise Drive
Concord-Kannapolis, NC 28083
Phone: (704) 934-2504
http://www.rawandnaturalpets.com
Durham
*Barnes Supply Co*
774 Ninth Street
Durham, NC 27705
Phone: (919) 286-7331
http://www.barnessupplydurham.com
Fayetteville
*Naturally Unleashed*
3035 C Boone Trail 
Fayetteville, NC 28304
Phone: (910) 486-4636 
Franklin
*Noah's Ark Companion Animal Hospital*
1239 Old Murphy Road
Franklin, NC 28734
Phone: (828) 524-6121
http://www.noahsarkvet.us.
Greensboro
*All Pets Considered*
2614 Battleground Avenue
Greensboro, NC 27408
Phone: (336) 540-1400
http://www.allpetsconsidered.com
*Mobile Pet Food *
Guilford and Forsyth Counties Home Delivery
Greensboro, NC
Phone: (336) 339-4923 
http://www.mobilepetfood.com
*Pet Innovation*
1620 Highwoods Blvd # A
Greensboro, NC 27410-2072
Phone: (336) 587-7726

Hillsborough
*Paws At The Corner LLC*
250 S Nash St
Hillsborough, NC 27278
Phone: (919) 644-0729
Holly Springs
*Pet Mania*
5289 Sunset Lake Road
Holly Springs, NC 27540
Phone: (919) 362-8711
http://www.petmanianc.com
Huntersville
*Pet Mania*
9763 C Sam Furr Rd
Huntersville, NC 28078
Phone: (704) 892-6570 
Kernersville
*OMG Dog, LLC*
3535 Piney Grove Road
Kernersville, NC 27284
Phone: (336) 643-0068
http://www.omgdog.net 
Lexington
*Prohund Pet, Inc*
232 Donnell Court
Lexington, NC 27012
Phone: (336) 778-9007
http://www.prohundpet.com
Matthews
*Neighborhood Feed*
1900 Moore Road
Matthews, NC 28105
Phone: (704) 847-5324
http://www.neighborhoodfeedandtack.com 
Monroe
*Carolina Pet Pantry*
3051 Dairy Farm Drive
Monroe, NC 28110
Phone: (704) 608-2385
http://www.carolinapetpantry.com
Mooresville
*The Feed Bucket*
325 W Statesville Avenue
Mooresville, NC 28115
Phone: (704) 664-2337
http://www.thefeedbucket.com
*Triangle Pet Supply*
Product Pick-Up Location
2800-A Perimeter Park Drive
Morrisville, NC 27560
Phone: (919) 434-9663
http://www.trianglepet.com
*Village Paws and Claws* 
736 Brawley School Road, Suite C
Mooresville, NC 28117 
Phone: (704) 660-1139 
www.villagepawsandclaws.com
Murphy
*Mountain Pets*
133 Hiwassee
Murphy, NC 28906-2904
Phone: (828) 837-5501 
Pinehurst
*A Dogs Life*
111 Central Park Avenue
Pinehurst, NC 28374
Phone: (910) 295-4939 
Raleigh
*Gourmutt's Bakery & Boutique*
6675 Falls of Neuse Road, Suite 123
Falls Village Shopping Center
Raleigh, NC 27615
Phone: (919) 870-8220
www.gourmuttsbakery.com 
*La Di Dogs*
423 Daniels Street
Raleigh, NC 27605
Phone: (919) 832-9877
http://www.ladidogs.net
*Pet Mania*
7901 Falls Of Neuse Road #125
Raleigh, NC 27615-3347
Phone: (919) 676-3225 
http://www.petmanianc.com
*Phydeaux*
10 West Franklin Street Suite 100
Raleigh, NC 27604
Phone: (919) 833-9


----------



## whiteleo

Oops overload...Lol


----------



## Sprocket

You can also order the better foods online depending on where you are from.


----------



## whiteleo

Pet Mania in Raleigh seems to carry ALL the top brands of dry food...That is where I would start..


----------



## Itty bitty Kitty

I had considerations for that but I'm usually skeptical about ordering food online. I'd have to double check if the site was reliable. Have you ever had experience with online ordering pet food?


----------



## Itty bitty Kitty

You are incredible! Thank you so much! I'm still relatively new to everything, including the research I've been doing, so I definitely appreciate the recommendations you've given me. Thankfully I still have a year until I'll get my dog so I'll have more time to strengthen my learning ( and save money for dog funds). Again, thank you.


----------



## whiteleo

Your welcome, I just so happen to have the time today...Good Luck!


----------



## xellil

Itty bitty Kitty said:


> You are incredible! Thank you so much! I'm still relatively new to everything, including the research I've been doing, so I definitely appreciate the recommendations you've given me. Thankfully I still have a year until I'll get my dog so I'll have more time to strengthen my learning ( and save money for dog funds). Again, thank you.


'

Wow. I am impressed. Most people don't put that much thought into a dog.


----------



## Itty bitty Kitty

I understand getting a dog is not only a huge responsibility, but a life style change as well as a commitment. Although I've dealt and interacted with a lot of dogs, this will be the first I own. I admit and understand I lack the experience of actually owning/caring for a dog. All the more reason why it's important to me to research about dog psychology/behavior, dog training, nutrients, health and expenses. I'm trying my best to be prepared to make my dog healthy and happy.  I'm just glad I found this forum where I can talk to experienced, responsible dog owners 

P.S - Dobermans are <3


----------



## xellil

Are you getting a Doberman? I love Dobermans. They are my favorite breed. 

Plus, a year to talk you into raw feeding! 

I have a feeling you will be a very, very good dog owner.


----------



## Itty bitty Kitty

Dobermans are my second favorite breed and will most likely be my second dog. I'll actually be getting a German Sheperd 

Thank you very much. That means a lot 

I would love to hear more about the benefits of raw feeding.


----------



## Unosmom

If you can get regular BB, you should be able to get their grain free version, wilderness which is much better. I think they recently came out with a puppy formula. 

2 of my favorite sites to order Pet Food, Treats, and Toys at MrChewy.com and Greenies, Orijen, Acana, Wellness, Flossies, Natural & Organic Dog Food - DoggieFood.com


----------



## xellil

German shepherds are great dogs, for sure. Since you are doing all the research first you're sure to get the perfect dog for you.

this is a wonderful site. i have owned dogs my whole life and really don't know very much. I learn all kinds of things here.


----------



## Itty bitty Kitty

Thank you for the links!


----------



## nupe

Sorry didnt read all the posts...but if the store near you has blue buffalo....they should also have bluE wilderness...which is their grain free version....Like I said didnt read all the posts so that might have come up...but I agree with xelli...hell with that just go RAW!! LOL....P.S......Get the Dobie...and a red one at that!!


----------



## Liz

*New Pup*

HI and Welcome. Can't wait to see more puppy pics. I am so glad you are researching. I have raised Collies and Shelties for over 20 some years. I have probably fed every brand of dog food and honestly as long as I am in control my dogs will not eat anything but raw. Since switching my old dog is acting and looking young again my pups grow wonderfully. Never looking back


----------



## Itty bitty Kitty

I admit I am very new to the concept of raw food. I've actually never heard of it until I joined this site. I will be looking more into it. Do you have any useful links about it you could give me? Or any helpful comments would be very much appreciated!


----------



## xellil

I hadn't heard of it either! I was actually looking for home-cooked recipes when I found this site. Changing to raw food has been nothing short of a miracle for my dogs. 

Dogs that eat raw food never need a teeth cleaning. They don't have to process that which they are not made to digest - i.e. carbohydrates. some people here have been feeding raw for many, many years with remarkable results. 

I figured up not too long ago that I had spent close to $24,000 in vet bills on my dogs in the eight months prior to starting raw feeding. I could have bought a car. Since then? Nothing - no problems at all! Except my dachshund gets weekly laser therapy for her spinal arthritis. And I do believe had she started raw earlier, she wouldn't have the arthritis AND she would have more than four teeth AND she might not have mitral valve disease from bacteria spreading from a rotten mouth into her body.

I would just like to add that I haven't owned her all her life - if i had, she would have at least had teeth cleanings to help her teeth. Her four teeth AND her mouth are in perfect shape since we started raw, and prior to that she was on monthly antibiotics to keep the germs at bay. No more antibiotics.

here's a great site - tons of information but it's easy to read in sections:
Why PMR? | Prey Model Raw

And when you hear bad things about feeding raw, here is a list of all the myths about raw food. There is a ton of misinformation out there:
The Many Myths of Raw Feeding


----------



## Scarlett_O'

Itty bitty Kitty said:


> I admit I am very new to the concept of raw food. I've actually never heard of it until I joined this site. I will be looking more into it. Do you have any useful links about it you could give me? Or any helpful comments would be very much appreciated!


Dedicated to proper carnivore nutrition - Prey Model Raw Feeding for Dogs & Cats is run by a couple of our great people here and an AWESOME place to go learn at!!:thumb:

I, like many others including Liz, will NEVER go back to processed foods!! All 4 of my dogs, 5th will soon be with us, and both my cats are raw fed....and doing Amazing...I love it and they love it!!!!:becky:
I also have MANY people who I have helped, including my parents and their 2 French Bulldogs and 1 cat, my sister and her nearly 16 year old Lhasa Apso....and quite a few people who are now on here!!:wink:


----------



## Itty bitty Kitty

Yay thanks for the link! I'll be archiving these  

Can I ask how much do you usually spend a month when purchasing raw food for your dogs? I'm trying to get a good idea on food expenses so I know how to budget. If you could, perhaps, give me input on how much I should expect to pay when I get raw food for my dog.

Currently I have $3500 dog funds saved up for the first year of having my future dog. I'm working on trying to save up more. Any advise on how to budget for dog food?


----------



## xellil

It really depends on the dog. Vet expenses can be pricey. I am a firm believer, though, that if you feed raw you will have fewer vet bills.

Alot of people here feed their dogs for much cheaper than they would if they fed dry. I spend more than if i fed dry dog food because I'm not a very good shopper, but I do buy stuff on sale. 

That's a nice little chunk of money! I think other people can be more precise on their expenses - just on dog food for a big dog and a small dog, i probably spend $60-$100 per month depending on what I buy.


----------



## Sprocket

xellil said:


> It really depends on the dog. Vet expenses can be pricey. I am a firm believer, though, that if you feed raw you will have fewer vet bills.
> 
> Alot of people here feed their dogs for much cheaper than they would if they fed dry. I spend more than if i fed dry dog food because I'm not a very good shopper, but I do buy stuff on sale.
> 
> That's a nice little chunk of money! I think other people can be more precise on their expenses - just on dog food for a big dog and a small dog, i probably spend $60-$100 per month depending on what I buy.


Fill the freezer and you don't have monthly food bills for the pups! I haven't made a large purchase since the beginning of november and my freezer is still 75% full.


----------



## xellil

Sprocket said:


> Fill the freezer and you don't have monthly food bills for the pups! I haven't made a large purchase since the beginning of november and my freezer is still 75% full.


Yes, my freezer is pretty full. But if i spend a whole bunch of money one month and none for three months, it still averages out to X amount per month.

i have actually been trying not to buy because we are moving soon. But if I find good deals, I just can't pass them up.

Also, I'm getting a bigger freezer when we move. I have relatives who hunt, and I can get a boatload of game for free and i need the room for it.


----------



## Itty bitty Kitty

xellil said:


> It really depends on the dog. Vet expenses can be pricey. I am a firm believer, though, that if you feed raw you will have fewer vet bills.
> 
> Alot of people here feed their dogs for much cheaper than they would if they fed dry. I spend more than if i fed dry dog food because I'm not a very good shopper, but I do buy stuff on sale.
> 
> That's a nice little chunk of money! I think other people can be more precise on their expenses - just on dog food for a big dog and a small dog, i probably spend $60-$100 per month depending on what I buy.


That's what I thought. I'm trying to convince my husband that paying more money for healthy food will be worth it and save on vet costs. I'm pretty sure he'll feel better once I show him how effective and beneficial it will be. What kind of meats do you usually buy for your dogs?


----------



## xellil

Oh people buy everything - you usually start with chicken, turkey, pork, and fish. After that the sky's the limit - deer, rabbit, goat, emu, whatever meat you can get. 

It's quite fun, actually. There are companies that sell meat specifically for dogs, and co-ops where you buy with other people as a group and get really cheap prices. you can get all that information here, too. 

Dogs that don't eat raw meaty bones will have a 90% chance of having periodontal disease by the time they are three years old. That's a huge thing with raw meat - with dry dog food, you have to put your dog under anesthesia to have their teeth cleaned sometimes twice a year depending on how prone they are. If you don't, the bacteria in their mouth rots their teeth, causes them alot of pain, and can spread to other organs causing heart disease etc. 

that's just one of the ways to save money. Skin Allergies and ear infections - often food related. Digestive upsets - ditto. All that stuff just magically disappears with raw with many dogs.

i gotta say - you are one of the few people I've ever known about who saves up money for a dog. $3500 should get you a long way. But you know about GSDs with their hip problems so you need to get one that's either older so you know it doesn't have dysplasia, or get a good breeder. Those operations are extremely expensive. So many things crop up that cost money. 

since I've been feeding raw food, I just don't have those $50, $100, $500 trips to the vet any more. Now that adds up really fast in the cost savings area!


----------



## Itty bitty Kitty

xellil said:


> Oh people buy everything - you usually start with chicken, turkey, pork, and fish. After that the sky's the limit - deer, rabbit, goat, emu, whatever meat you can get.
> 
> It's quite fun, actually. There are companies that sell meat specifically for dogs, and co-ops where you buy with other people as a group and get really cheap prices. you can get all that information here, too.
> 
> Dogs that don't eat raw meaty bones will have a 90% chance of having periodontal disease by the time they are three years old. That's a huge thing with raw meat - with dry dog food, you have to put your dog under anesthesia to have their teeth cleaned sometimes twice a year depending on how prone they are. If you don't, the bacteria in their mouth rots their teeth, causes them alot of pain, and can spread to other organs causing heart disease etc.
> 
> that's just one of the ways to save money. Skin Allergies and ear infections - often food related. Digestive upsets - ditto. All that stuff just magically disappears with raw with many dogs.
> 
> i gotta say - you are one of the few people I've ever known about who saves up money for a dog. $3500 should get you a long way. But you know about GSDs with their hip problems so you need to get one that's either older so you know it doesn't have dysplasia, or get a good breeder. Those operations are extremely expensive. So many things crop up that cost money.
> 
> since I've been feeding raw food, I just don't have those $50, $100, $500 trips to the vet any more. Now that adds up really fast in the cost savings area!


Yep! I'm getting my German Sheperd puppy from a very reputable breeder who specifically ensures her dogs have good genetics to avoid hip dysplasia. Her website offers full documentations of her breeding dogs including x-rays, health documents and titles. So far she has never had anyone report any of her litters having hip dysplasia. I will be meeting with her soon to get to know her more in person before I make a deposit for her 2012 winter litter. I'll be meeting the mother dogs on this visit  

Thank you for the pointers. I'll have to start looking for near-by places that sell those types of meat. Hopefully it won't be hard to find


----------



## funshine

Itty bitty Kitty said:


> Can I ask how much do you usually spend a month when purchasing raw food for your dogs? I'm trying to get a good idea on food expenses so I know how to budget. If you could, perhaps, give me input on how much I should expect to pay when I get raw food for my dog.
> 
> Currently I have $3500 dog funds saved up for the first year of having my future dog. I'm working on trying to save up more. Any advise on how to budget for dog food?


Feeding raw is actually not expensive, unless you go crazy with exotic meats :lol:

Just to give an example let's say that your dog will weight 80lbs. 2% of this would be 1.6lbs. per day, but let's round it up to 2lbs. in case of faster metabolism. So 2*30 days is 60lbs. a month. Now, depending what kind of sources of meat you'll find or want to use we can estimate the $/lb.

Grocery stores charge $0.60-$2.00 for chicken (Houston definitely in the low end, some other cities possible more), $1.00-$2.50 for pork and $1.80-$3.00 for beef. These are all cheap cuts. So this averages somewhere around $2.00-2.50 per lb. but you can feed more chicken and pork than beef if this works better for your budget. From a grocery store; you'll pay maybe $120-$150 month.

When you buy in bulk (co-op or meat distributor) feeding raw can actually be really cheap. I pay way less than a dollar per lb. for chicken legs ($0.50), turkey necks & hearts (about $0.54-something), pork harts (lately $0.89), beef hearts ($0.85) when I get them from a distributor.
With my prices you'd pay way less than $60 a month, even when feeding a good amount of beef (heart). Throw in some lamb (breast $2) or goat (cut in some pieces $5) or beef ribs and you're still in the $60-$80 ball park.

I used to get my meat from stores when I fed one 50lbs. dog, but when I got my second one (another 50lbs. dog) it was just easier to get a big freezer (this was the second freezer of mine) and buy it bulk.

You should be easily safe if you budget $100-$120 per month if you're willing to look around and there's some room to get some rarer meats as well :smile: (at least if you don't live in Australia or Japan :wink


----------



## StellaLucyDesi

You are to be commended! I just wanted to add something to all these great posts. I see by your avatar, you may have a cat. I don't know what you are currently feeding your cat, but in doing your research for your new puppy, perhaps you can find ways to improve your cat's nutrition, as well. Their needs are a little bit different, but not by much. They need lots of meat (strict carnivores) and lots of moisture. So, a raw diet could be great for them, too, although it's sometimes hard to convert a cat to raw. They don't need grains at all in their food and a wet diet is best. If you can't do a total wet diet, then def. add some to their dry. Good luck to you and I hope I didn't overstep my bounds on this.


----------



## Itty bitty Kitty

StellaLucyDesi said:


> You are to be commended! I just wanted to add something to all these great posts. I see by your avatar, you may have a cat. I don't know what you are currently feeding your cat, but in doing your research for your new puppy, perhaps you can find ways to improve your cat's nutrition, as well. Their needs are a little bit different, but not by much. They need lots of meat (strict carnivores) and lots of moisture. So, a raw diet could be great for them, too, although it's sometimes hard to convert a cat to raw. They don't need grains at all in their food and a wet diet is best. If you can't do a total wet diet, then def. add some to their dry. Good luck to you and I hope I didn't overstep my bounds on this.


Yup! I have a kitty! Currently he's with my parents. We feed him blue but I disagree with the portions my parents keep insisting on feeding him(They just keep refilling the bowl with no set dinner time and over-feed snacks.) It's true, I am learning more about nutrition that can help improve my cat's health and when return home for a while ( I'm currently in the States and my parents in Canada) I hope to help educate them on proper care. I wonder how they would react to raw food 
Originally I wanted to take him to the States with me but my parents want to keep him an they feel I'd stress him out with the big move. 

Thanks for your thoughts


----------

