# Cost??



## Callalilly (Apr 30, 2007)

Living in a one-income home - our budget is a major concern. How does making our darling's food compare to buying the "off the shelves" variety. 
I suppose it would vary depending upon what ingredients go into your homemade stuff and what off the shelf food your currently buying, for instance I have been feeding Callie Innova and it's pretty pricey! Any help would be appreciated.

Lisa


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

I would think it would be less expensive to make your own food. Those little tins of Little Cesar are 89 cents each, and I can go thru 2-4 er day, plus their kibble.


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## Sunnygirl (Jun 1, 2007)

I would think that if you're feeding only kibble, the kibble will be less expensive than a decent home cooked diet. A 6 pound bag of kibble lasts Nico a couple months, so even if I choose a really pricy kibble, it's still not very expensive in the scheme of things. If you're feeding canned, that's a different story.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Hi Lisa! I don't have an answer to your question, but just wanted to let you know that it is good to see you posting again.


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

I spend $28 for a 15lb bag of Artemis kibble plus i HAVE to add a canned food because they refuse to eat kibble alone. And i have 3 dogs to feed. I probably spend approx $100 per month(at least) on food/supplements. ANd that does not include any snacks/treats. 

I am debating right now whether to go back to a raw diet or a homecooked diet. I do not want to continue to feed commercial food if possble.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Yikes! That's crazy, Shannon.

I'm sure you could probably feed your crew and save money on homecooked. Easily.

What I've noticed, is that Gucci stays "fuller" longer on homecooked, and she isn't really eating many treats. THose biscuits/cookies I made for her..were really cheap and the recipe made ALOT. Which reminds me, I need to jot down the recipe before I turn the book back to the library here in a few.

You could cook up a big crock pot full of food on the weekends and feed it through the week 

I am SO happy I made the decision to go homecooked. If you really want help deciding to do it, go check out the books that talk about commercial dog food and what REALLY goes into it! lol, I think it is on the "books" thread, written by Anne Martin, a Canadian Animal Activist.

Amazon.com: Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food: Books: Ann N. Martin

If half of what she says is true, I'm astonished!! 

I will say, the tearing has stopped, too..so no more stains 

Kara


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

When i fed raw, Tripp seemed like he was STARVED all the time. I felt so bad for him. But otherwise he did really well on it. More energy etc.. & his itching stopped. But then he stopped eating it.

I would love to go homecooked but i am a recipe gal. I need someone to already have written down what i need to make thats well balanced. Have you found a recipe book like that Kara?


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Did you freeze it?

Gucci is refusing meats that have been frozen! :frusty: So, I've altered my plan a little bit the last few weeks. I'm buying lamb and chicken strips/tenders and I Have been throwing them on a skillet and cooking it real quick while I unload the diswasher in the morning and pack lunches, etc. lol I premade some brown rice with veggies on Sunday and I am heating that up and throwing the meat on it, with various fruits.

I just bought a lamb roast and sliced it up for the next few days (I froze 1/2 of it)

Missy said her guys did the same thing (refused it once it was frozen) I have no idea why she is doing this, and better yet...why I am catering!?

BUT....I think with three, it would be easy for you to cook up the week's worth and keep it in the fridge. Maybe I need a few more dogs? lol ound: Wait! The one I have is a handful already 

I don't really use the cookbooks, I read several of them to get an idea of what to do, but I just throw it together with a ratio of about 40% meat 30% carb/starch and 30% veggie/fruit. I change the menu alot to include different vitamins/minerals. But you could create a "recipe" and stick with it and just supplement wherever the vitamins are lacking. I know some people do this.

Kara


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

Well its funny you ask about being frozen. Tripp would ONLY eat it if it is still frozen. He hated it thawed at all. I would cut it in bite size pieces for him. He actually stopped eating it when i added Angel Eyes. I dont think he trusted me after that!

I wouldnt want to make the same thing all the time either. Its just a little intimidating because you want to make sure you do it right. 

So Kara you basically make a batch of all your ingredients then add the meat at the time you feed them? If you cook it all in your crock pot(which i dont have) does it come out like mush?


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

No, mine didn't come out too mushy, I cubed or diced everything and it came out like a thick stew. I used a wee bit of corn starch to thick it up.

When I made the ground turkey, oats, and veggies, that came out real thick and kinda mushy lol, She didnt' like that one at all.

I also did a chicken, macaroni with veggies that went over pretty well.

That's funny that he would eat it frozen! Wow. I guess you don't have a problem there. 

Kara


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## Callalilly (Apr 30, 2007)

Thank you all very much for your help! I had no idea how confusing feeding my sweet lil' girl would be. My Maltese was such an easy dog, she happily ate most of what I fed her and it was usually whatever was on sale! Miss Callie on the other hand....well let's just say she's the pickiest eater in my house. 
I shouldn't say that's the only issue, I would like her to have optimum health and nutrition and any help I get with her coat would be great! So I'll start feeding her a combo of home-cooked food (along the lines of Kara's great suggestion of feeding her a blander version of what I feed the rest of the family) and a humble offering of dry dog kibble. We'll see how it goes. I'm not looking forward to the "transition" however. There's nothing like running through your day only to discover....hmm how do I put this..... it's time to stop everything and give my puppy a "butt-bath"! Y'all know what I mean! :frusty:

Kimberly thanks for the kind words you are too sweet! Life has been a little hectic lately. But I've been reading and keeping up with all of you so I know it's going around. I'll try to post more often.

Have a great day!

Lisa


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Lisa,
I think a home cooked diet,raw diet,etc.are all just alternative ways to feed your hav.I have considered some--but for us,like you,on a one-income household it would not make sense.That is just FOR US.The dogs would eat better then we do!We do not have picky eaters though either.I was told he would be(Quincy)but here,he has no other choice.I sometimes think picky eaters are created by a panic of a person who didn't see their dog eat that day.If Quincy doesn't eat.....he eventually will.A hungry dog will eat unless they are sick or something.It may sound harsh and I may get some feed back from this--but he has 1 choice.He eats his kibble or he will be hungry-period.So far,he is just perfectly fine!:biggrin1:


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Julie, that's not harsh at all to me but then again I do the same exact thing with Kubrick. He gets dry only for breakfast and dry with only 1 tbsp of wet for dinner. If he doesn't eat all of his kibble (this is very rare), then I just give it to him again at the next meal. I do feed him Fromm's, though which is on the higher end as far as price, but it takes him so long to get through a bag I can't really complain.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Well it works for us....I know originally I panicked and was switching foods and adding eggs and buying the beef rolls on-line etc.Then it just became a mission....a real job!I decided to treat him just like I do Vinnie.That has been magical.The only difference between them now is the grooming.They eat the same food,same treats etc.Thanks Lina.:hug:


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Julie,
I also agree! I do supplement in the mornings with some seal meal sprinkled on top of kibble and some water but that is it. That is also because my maltese is now at a reasonable weight for her size and that helped. Most dogs are overweight though. She just burns everything off that she eats. 

I like the idea of home cooking and raw but I can't commit so I am sticking with the kibble. I kind of think of it like at home- my mom would always say if you are truly hungry, you will eat what I made!

Amanda


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## Paige (Sep 12, 2006)

Julie and Lina I do the same thing, they get there kibble in the morning and eat on it throughout the day.


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## Sunnygirl (Jun 1, 2007)

I just did the math. Nico's kibble costs me $5.00 a month ($9.99 for a small bag of Pro Plan Selects that lasts for 2 months). On top of that 1 feed half an egg yolk daily ($.07 a day using powdered egg yolk). Lately I've been "enhancing" the kibble by adding a small meatball (20/lb) nuked in a bit of water to make a gravy every few meals ($4.00 for 1.5 lbs of ground beef on sale). So figure $11/month for Nico. From what I can tell, Desi eats about a third more kibble than Nico, so he'll probably be $13/month. So slightly enhanced dry kibble for 2 dogs is less than $25/month. If it wasn't for treats and all that on-line shopping I HAVE to do, these dogs would be downright economical.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

sunnygirl, I am so glad that the meetball thing is working for you!!! it solved a lot of problems for us. we still need to see pictures of Nico now with Desi. 

Yes I did the homecooking for a while-- but I couldn't keep it up. Or should I say I had no incentive to keep it up once Jasper refused my home made but frozen meals. I have resorted to half Natures Variety (but cooked) and half EVO kibble--And a little meatball to make real meat gravy-- you could probably do home cooked for less than the pre-made raw-- but they are both eating now and that is a good thing. If I did the raw again I would season it less. I think perhaps he got sick of the seasoning (mostly garlic, pepper, drop of salt- some basil, oregano) They love their half cooked meetball and it is just plain.


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

I buy Natural Balance Potato and Duck and Natural Balance Potato and Fish( $11.49 per bag). The kibble lasts for 2+ months. I also feed Benji homecooked meatballs made of ground beef and minced vegetables. I mix the meat balls in his kibble (total 1/2 cup per meal- 2 meals a day). Benji often regulates himself, so he doesn't always eat 2 meals. He is allergic to grains and doesn't like chicken and turkey gives him the runs. So my selection in meats is limited. 

The ground beef costs about $4-6 for 1.5lbs depending on the lean/fat ratio. I mostly buy 80/20 or 93/7. It lasts me about 3 weeks or so. So I would guess that Benji's food including his vit. supplements, vegetables is about $15 -$16/ month. The chews-Pearly Whites, Duck jerky, CET chews, Liver treats are other essentials. Benji is very picky so I don't have too many treats on hand. He LOVES Charlee Bears from Trader Joe's and I think they are about $ 2.49 per bag. Pearly Whites are the most expensive as Benji goes through them very fast and they are pricy! But I think I am saving on future dental care bills :brushteeth: 

Best,
Poornima


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

This is all very interesting! I haven't sat and calculated the costs of all the food and treats every month, but I suppose I should! I definitely do not overspend, but I like the Orijen, which is $17 for a 5.5 lb bag. I'm not really sure how long it lasts me, though I guess I should figure that out too. 

There's nothing wrong with feeding kibble only. I am still leaving bowls of kibble, with nothing added, on the floor for the boys. They'll usually leave it there until they are really hungry, but I wont' always add stuff to it. I would like them to eat their kibble alone when we go out and/or travel. It's so much easier.

Thanks for everyone's info!


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## Cosmosmom (Jan 12, 2007)

To be honest with you . I use to throw out so much food and wasted so much trying new things to get Cosmo to eat I feel like now like it is less . it is definetly managable . 
The most expensive thing is the Merrick flossies and we now cut them in half ..
The Newman's dog food is about16.99 a bag but I use a small amount each time and it lasts about a month . They do not seem to need as many treats - they are listening quite well so I do not seem to use them as much . 
I used to buy whole chickens but I find breasts and thighs are about the same price if the bone is still in and I do not have to spend as much time de boning.. 
The good news is they finish their food every time I rarely throw any food out and they never turn their noses up at it .. They are hungry and they eat it all .. 
I used to have bags & cans that were left unfinished and I had to throw them away . Finally I would only shop where i could get a sample to try.. 
As far as a can I would just buy one small can and most of the time it would be eaten once and then rejected ..


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Merrick flossies really are expensive, but I found a seller on amazon.com that sells a box of 50 8" flossies at $2.30/flossie. It's a big amount to shell out at once, but considering that I was previously paying closer to $4/flossie before, I definitely consider it worth it.


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