Stuck on what to feed

[Kalyxa]

I've started to really consider switching the dogs' food to something good. They are pretty much at rock bottom right now, and my resent trip States-side got me thinking about good food again. We got Zita some Castor Pollux Organix Weight Loss Formula, because it was on sale and the ingredients looked really good (and Zita looked like a burrito).

So then we get back to Mexico and I realize we're low on food. The dog food selection here is AWFUL. You get Purina, Pedigree, and some generic brand called Pet Selection at grocery stores. At the vet's office you get Royal Canin and I think Science Diet. And that stuff is ridiculously expensive. Right now they are getting generic brand mixed with Purina sometimes. I cringe every time I feed them.

None of the dogs have allergies, and they are all healthy and active. It isn't like this food is having any visible negative effects, but I still really want to do the right thing and get them something nicer.

I've been thinking of alternatives to kibble lately. What are some things to think about considering our terrible selection? We're on a limited budget too. We have 5 dogs, 2 weighing 50 lbs., 1 weighing 15 lbs., and 2 weighing 5 lbs. Whatever we decide, it'd have to be relatively economical. Right now I think we spend $30 a month on the crap we buy, but I doubt my parents would object to stepping that up a bit. My dad was even considering buying 10-12 big bags States-side and driving them down, as that would last us a year. My mom and I have been talking about making them food ourselves; she said that's what she used to do with her German Shepherd when she was younger.

Help me! I feel so guilty, and I am so fed up with looking over countless bags of food at the stores to find the LEAST crappy variety.

 

[Lizmo]

Making the food your self (like homecooked) isn't hard at all. When I was doing it, I cooked a huuge batch up on Sundays and then bagged everything up and froze it for meals during the week.

Raw is pretty simple, too. It last forever in the freezer.

If you do decide to go with Kibble, and purchase many at one time, many of the companies offer 'buy so many bags, get one free' deals. Also look into breeder's packages as some comapies do it that way.

 

[Renee750il]

If your dad were going to buy that many bags at a time he'd probably be able to negotiate a good deal. The only problem might be keeping them fresh for that long. Unless you've got a big freezer

 

[Kalyxa]

Making the food your self (like homecooked) isn't hard at all. When I was doing it, I cooked a huuge batch up on Sundays and then bagged everything up and froze it for meals during the week.

Raw is pretty simple, too. It last forever in the freezer.

If you do decide to go with Kibble, and purchase many at one time, many of the companies offer 'buy so many bags, get one free' deals. Also look into breeder's packages as some comapies do it that way.

Could you make up enough food for 125 lbs. of dog to last a week? Is it economical? Probably not as economical as what we've been doing, but in general? And is there a portion sizing guide somewhere?

I'd be pretty hesitant to start feeding raw for a few reasons. One is that we'd have to lock the dogs up to eat and probably do a sweep of the premises each time they ate because Chewy hides high-value stuff then flips out on any dog that enters the perimeter. Oh, and the bacteria you always hear about in raw meat would bother me too.

If your dad were going to buy that many bags at a time he'd probably be able to negotiate a good deal. The only problem might be keeping them fresh for that long. Unless you've got a big freezer

We do have a big freezer chest that is half-claimed during the season for coffee beans and muffins for our espresso bar, but I could just forcibly claim a portion of it for their food. I couldn't keep 10 bags of kibble in there though. I'm sure someone in "upper management" would protest *cough*parents*cough* Sorry for all of the questions!

 

[Greenmagick]

I feed raw so, yes, will suggest raw for sure

I always feed dogs separately and yes, I do a quick sweep of the area, but it only takes a second. THe bacteria in raw meat...not a concern to me at all.

 

[Lizmo]

With raw and homecooked, you feed 2-4% of the dog's body weight. Which would be about 4lbs of food each day.

To me, that's not that bad.

 

[monkeys23]

Could you make up enough food for 125 lbs. of dog to last a week? Is it economical? Probably not as economical as what we've been doing, but in general? And is there a portion sizing guide somewhere?

I'd be pretty hesitant to start feeding raw for a few reasons. One is that we'd have to lock the dogs up to eat and probably do a sweep of the premises each time they ate because Chewy hides high-value stuff then flips out on any dog that enters the perimeter. Oh, and the bacteria you always hear about in raw meat would bother me too.



We do have a big freezer chest that is half-claimed during the season for coffee beans and muffins for our espresso bar, but I could just forcibly claim a portion of it for their food. I couldn't keep 10 bags of kibble in there though. I'm sure someone in "upper management" would protest *cough*parents*cough* Sorry for all of the questions!

I can keep a maximum of two months worth of raw food for 110lbs of dog (two dogs, 50lbs & 60lbs respectively) in the little freezer above my fridge in my apt... so I'd say yes!

Homecooking would be a good alternative too, but I guaruntee offal variety with properly done prey model raw will probably be cheaper than home cooking...

I have my monthly dog food bill down to about $30 something... but I get free beef because my family raises natural beef (I use heart, tongue, liver, kidneys, oxtail).... I did the math and that tacks on about $20 more bucks a month.

One of the reasons I changed was because of the free meat access I have and $60-70 every three weeks for Acana was pretty sucky. My own dog is really thrifty, but my foster was very NOT thrifty on kibble... luckily she seems to be more so and healthier on PMR.

I really think sourcing home cooked or prey model raw would be a lot easier for you than lugging a kajillion bags of kibble back. There are lots of resources out there on how to go about doing it.

Or you could get a shrink wrapped pallet of TOTW or something to haul back... I dunno where you'd put it though.

 

[Kalyxa]

Okay, now I'm intrigued. There is a butcher in our town, and a lot more in La Paz (30 minutes away). 4 lbs. a day doesn't sound like it would take up a ton of space, or be out of our budget. So the bacteria isn't an issue? I've got a (albeit brief) lifetime's worth of people telling me to cook meat thoroughly and disinfect any surface it touches. What about all of the vitamins and minerals that are supposed to be perfectly balanced in kibble? Does feeding a variety of meat make up for that?

As for homemade, are there some online sites or books that have good recipes? I get the feeling that if I talk to my vet he's going to think I'm crazy and tell me to buy whatever food he's selling. That's the thing with only having 1 licensed veterinarian within a 100 mile radius: you can't really ask around.

 

[Greenmagick]

Homecooked is harder to get the exact nutrients they need....not impossible or anything, but you do have to measure and supplement the food. RAW, well read up on it, but basically you feed a variety of meats, meaty bones, and organs...and yep, thats it. All the nutrients they need

 

[Lizmo]

Okay, now I'm intrigued. There is a butcher in our town, and a lot more in La Paz (30 minutes away). 4 lbs. a day doesn't sound like it would take up a ton of space, or be out of our budget. So the bacteria isn't an issue? I've got a (albeit brief) lifetime's worth of people telling me to cook meat thoroughly and disinfect any surface it touches. What about all of the vitamins and minerals that are supposed to be perfectly balanced in kibble? Does feeding a variety of meat make up for that?

As for homemade, are there some online sites or books that have good recipes? I get the feeling that if I talk to my vet he's going to think I'm crazy and tell me to buy whatever food he's selling. That's the thing with only having 1 licensed veterinarian within a 100 mile radius: you can't really ask around.

I started a thread a while back on homecooked diets. You're welcome to dig through my threads and find it (I'm lazy and don't feel like doing it right now, lol).

I think some members gave website and yahoo list suggestions in that thread.

 

[Saeleofu]

If you go the kibble route, TOTW is probably the cheapest for the quality. Grain-free and nutrient-dense, so you feed less. I have 126 pounds of dog (one 53 the other 73) and go through about a bag a month. A bag costs anywhere from $40 to $45 depending on where I get it. I also supplement with cheap cans (found Before Grain 96% chicken cans on sale for 20 cents at Petco), cheap yogurt (can usually find individual cups on clearance for 10 or 20 cents or multi-serving cups for 59 cents to $1.59), and eggs (sometimes as cheap as 20 cents a dozen, soon to be free since my dad is raising chickens). This makes the bag last even longer.

If you can swing it, I'd definitely go for raw. I'm impatiently wating to start Gavroche on prey model raw, but I need freezer space first, somethign that I have absolutely none of.

 

[Greenmagick]

If you have a good source of meat close, you dont need a ton of freezer space. I fed raw for oh, 7 years or so with just using my regular freezer. The butcher was next door to DHs work so he just picked up meat 2 times a week or so. We didnt order in bulk but the pricing was still pretty good as they saved all their trim scraps etc.

 

[Kalyxa]

Raw sounds like a good option for us, but some concerns: How many different kinds of meat do you have to feed? We can get chicken, pork and beef, possibly rabbit, probably turkey, and maybe goat? Definitely no wild game like elk or deer. No lamb, and when it is available it's be crazy expensive.

Also, the chihuahuas. When I think of a "natural" diet for dogs, I don't see a chihuahua stalking prey. (I don't really see any of my dogs stalking anything, but that's not my point, haha). My mom's argument is that she heard somewhere that this kind of diet leads to increased aggression or restlessness, especially in small dogs. Is a raw diet alright for small dogs? They're both 5 lbs.

And lastly, supplements and vegetables. Veggies would be no problem to mash up and add, but what sort of supplements are required? Currently the only dog getting supplements is Chewy (glucosamine + fish oil).

 

[Greenmagick]

That is a nice variety of meats

I dont do vegetables.

Only supplements I do are fish oil or a tin of sardines if I dont have fish for them to eat raw. I also use a green tripe blend with organ meat as Ivy refuses to eat organs otherwise. Other than that, no supplements for nutritional purposes.

 

[Kat09Tails]

I would go home cooked if I lived in your neck of the woods over raw if it were me and I couldn't find what I was feeding on the hoof.

 

[Kalyxa]

Thanks so much for all of the responses, advice and answers! I'm going to do my research and see what's available, where, and how much, etc., before committing to anything. At this point my mom is more in favor of home cooked, and I'm more in favor of raw. I'm just worried about being able to give them a balanced diet on home cooked.

 

[Romy]

I feed my dogs a combo of home cooked, kibble, and raw depending on what's available. These folks have been doing a fresh food diet with their dogs for decades, and raised a lot of healthy litters on it. It's what my dog's food is based off of.

fresh-food-diet by Valeska Borzoi

They've got tons of links to peer reviewed articles about nutrition studies and things. It's a pretty good starting point for research.

Also, don't forget about eggs. We use a lot of eggs here because it's very economical. I can get 5 dozen for $6. Each dog gets two a day.

 

[goosey]

We make our dogs food up and it so easy, and cheap.
I don't know about the States, Canada and Mexico, but here a pack of cheap mince from wooly's is like $5. We cook it up with so frozen vege ($4) and that lasts our 3 dogs 2 or 3 feeds.
Plus theres always raw foods which we try to stick to (which have far greater nutritional value than any processed dog foods) like chicken wings, frames, necks, lamb off cuts, organs, ect. They normally have them on sale and cheap, they freeze great, are really good for them and do wonders for their teeth.
We also buy glucosamine powder and mix a bit of that into there food, it helps their joints build cartilage. A big bottle costs a bit but lasts ages and will help fight future problems they may encounter (arthritis).