Is it cheaper to feed dogs raw

Budget-Friendly Options for Affordable Raw Dog Food

Theres a common misconception that raw food diets for pets are impossible to create on a budget. And while its true that raw meals are typically more expensive than kibble, there are ways to feed affordable raw dog food.

Read on to learn our favorite tips and tricks for an affordable way to add raw pet food to your dogs dietits easier than you think!

Tips for a Raw Dog Food Diet on a Budget

Creating an affordable raw dog food diet is surprisingly easy when you know where to start.

Here are some ways you can feed your pet high-quality fresh foods while saving money in the long run.

Use it as a Topper or Base

You don't have to feed your dog 100% raw to see the benefits. Adding even 25% raw food to your dogs diet can have life-changing health benefits. So, adding some raw food to your dogs diet is better than none and is a great way to save money.

Consider using raw pet food as a topper or base for dry dog food to stretch it further. This can help make mealtime more nutritious and enticing for your furry friend. You can even be inspired by more affordable dog food toppers that add extra nutrients to your pets diet.

Buy in Bulk

If you want your dog to experience the benefits of a raw diet without committing to a recurring monthly expense, consider buying your raw food in bulk. At We Feed Raw, we offer 5 lb bulk patties and Essential Boxes, which people can order as needed without signing up for a subscription.

These patties are made from the same high-quality meats as our meal plan patties with all the correct ratios of muscle meat, organ, and bone, but are more cost-effective. Simply keep them frozen, thaw the meat before mealtime, and measure out each meal using a regular kitchen scale for perfect portions.

Choose Affordable Proteins

While there may be no explicit budget raw dog food brand, you can save money by choosing more affordable yet still incredibly nutritious proteins for your pup. You can find raw dog food recipes made from lamb, venison, and duck, but chicken and beef are often the most affordable recipes (and just as delicious).

Customize Your Meal Plan

When creating an affordable raw food diet for dogs, it doesnt have to be an all-or-nothing approach. You can create a custom budget-friendly raw dog food plan by aiming to feed your pet 25%, 50%, or 75% raw.

Having a goal in mind for how much raw you want to incorporate into your pets diet can help you budget better.

Think of Long-Term Benefits

Finally, we cant overlook how raw food can benefit your pets overall health in the long run. While feeding raw can be an investment, it may mean fewer vet bills down the line. Your pup is anatomically designed to derive their nutrients from raw animal protein, fat, and bone. Plus, raw foods contain naturally occurring enzymes that help protect teeth and gums.

When you feed dogs raw food, no matter the quantity, it's an investment in your pets health!

Can I Make My Own Budget Raw Dog Food?

It may be tempting for pet parents to create their own budget-friendly raw dog food at home. After all, there always seems to be ground beef and chicken for sale in bulk at the grocery store.

However, this isn't recommended. Simple ground meat found at the grocery store is not nutritionally balanced for your dog. Dogs require the correct ratios of muscle meat, organ meat, and bone, plus added vitamins and minerals. These meats are meant to be cooked for human consumption and lack the bioavailability your pet requires.

So while the chicken breasts and ground beef at the supermarket may seem like great deals, the best raw food for dogs must contain the proper balance of meaty meat (muscle meat and associated connective tissue and fat), organ meat, and raw bone. Trying to create the perfect balance at home could lead to your pup suffering from malnutrition.

Raw Diet on a Budget From We Feed Raw

Its never too late to begin investing in raw dog food on a budget. Depending on the size and needs of your dog, you can start swapping a few fresh meals into their diet for as little as $4 per day.

At We Feed Raw, we offer nutritionally balanced raw meals for your furry friend, including bulk patties and boxes perfect for your budget. Check out our bulk dog food products for a great deal.

Ready to find raw dog food on a budget? With multiple meal plans available, you can begin feeding your dog raw at a price that works for you!

FAQs

Where Can I Find the Cheapest Raw Dog Food?

There's a common misconception that raw food diets for pets are impossible to create on a budget. While raw meals are typically more expensive than kibble, there are ways to incorporate raw feeding into your pet's diet while keeping costs low. Consider using raw pet food as a topper or base for dry dog food to stretch it further. Additionally, buying in bulk and choosing more affordable proteins like chicken and beef can help you save money on raw dog food.

Is There Any Cheap Raw Dog Food That Is Also Healthy for My Pet?

Yes, you can find healthy and cheap raw dog food by opting for more affordable proteins like chicken and beef, which are still incredibly nutritious for your pup. It's also essential to choose raw dog food that has the correct ratios of muscle meat, organ, and bone. Buying in bulk, such as the 5-lb bulk patties and Essential Boxes from We Feed Raw, can be more cost-effective.

Can I Provide a Cheap Raw Diet for Dogs Without Compromising Their Health?

Definitely! By choosing more affordable proteins, buying in bulk, and even incorporating raw food into your dog's diet as a topper or base for dry dog food, you can provide a cheap raw diet for dogs that still offers numerous health benefits.

What Is the Most Affordable Raw Dog Food Option for My Pet?

The most affordable raw dog food option for your pet would be to combine budget-friendly proteins like chicken and beef with bulk purchases of raw dog food, such as the bulk patties and Essential Boxes from We Feed Raw. Additionally, using raw food as a topper or base for dry dog food can help save money.

How Can I Create the Cheapest Raw Diet for Dogs Without Sacrificing Quality?

You can create the cheapest raw diet for dogs without sacrificing quality by choosing more affordable proteins, buying your raw food in bulk, and incorporating it into your pet's diet as a topper or base for dry dog food. This way, you'll still be providing your pet with high-quality fresh foods while saving money in the long run.

Are There Any Budget Raw Dog Food Options Available That Still Offer Health Benefits?

Yes, budget raw dog food options are available that still offer health benefits. By incorporating even 25% raw food into your dog's diet, you can provide life-changing health benefits. Cheap raw food for dogs can be found by selecting affordable proteins like chicken and beef, buying in bulk, and using raw food as a topper or base for dry dog food.

Can I Find Cheap Raw Food for Dogs That Meets Their Nutritional Requirements?

Absolutely! To find cheap raw food for dogs that meets their nutritional requirements, choose options with the correct ratios of muscle meat, organ, and bone. Additionally, opting for more affordable yet nutritious proteins like chicken and beef can help you save money while still meeting your dog's dietary needs.

Is There a Way to Provide Cheap Raw Dog Food Without Compromising on Quality?

Yes, you can provide high-quality cheap raw dog food by purchasing bulk patties and Essential Boxes from suppliers like We Feed Raw. Additionally, consider adding raw food to your dog's diet as a topper or base for their dry dog food, and choosing affordable proteins like chicken and beef.

What Is the Best Cheap Raw Diet for Dogs?

The best cheap raw diet for dogs involves incorporating raw food as a topper or base for their dry food, buying bulk patties or Essential Boxes from suppliers like We Feed Raw, and choosing affordable proteins like chicken and beef.

Where Can I Find the Most Affordable Raw Dog Food Option for My Pet?

The most affordable raw dog food option can be found through bulk orders from suppliers like We Feed Raw, which offers bulk patties and Essential Boxes. Also, consider using raw food as a topper or base for your dog's dry food and opting for affordable proteins.

How Can I Provide the Cheapest Raw Diet for Dogs Without Sacrificing Health Benefits?

You can provide the cheapest raw diet for dogs by incorporating raw food into their dry food, buying in bulk from suppliers like We Feed Raw, and choosing affordable proteins like chicken and beef.

What Are the Best Budget Raw Dog Food Options?

The best budget raw dog food options include buying in bulk from suppliers like We Feed Raw, using raw food as a topper or base for your dog's dry food, and choosing affordable proteins like chicken and beef.

Can I Still Provide Cheap Raw Food for Dogs While Maintaining a Balanced Diet?

Yes, you can provide cheap raw food for dogs while maintaining a balanced diet by incorporating high-quality bulk patties and Essential Boxes from suppliers like We Feed Raw, using raw food as a topper or base for your dog's dry food, and selecting affordable proteins like chicken and beef.

Cost of Feeding Your Dog: Cooked vs. Raw vs. Kibble

The cost of feeding your dog is probably one of the first things most pet parents have to think about when they are choosing between different diets. But how do the different diets compare? And if you are considering investing in a fresh food diet for your dog how much will it cost in comparison to kibble?

Most fresh pet food companies have slogans like as little as $2 per day or the price of a coffee but is this true? And how does the price of feeding a gently cooked diet compare kibble, or raw dog food?

Well put on your math-pants because we are going to talk numbers. And dont worry Ive done the math for you.

How much will it cost to feed my dog?

Before we get into the numbers its important to understand that the cost of feeding a dog is highly dependent on your dog. There are many factors that influence how much your dog will eat weight, age (puppy, adult, senior), activity level (couch potato, sled dog), individual metabolism, and some breeds are just more prone to weight gain than others.

If you are unsure of exactly how much you should feed your dog check out my detailed blog post where I discuss all these factors and how to calculate your dogs estimated caloric needs.

Given that there are so many factors that influence the price of feeding a dog, I figured the best way to compare different dog food brands and recipes was by looking at a medium-sized dog (50 lbs), with average activity, fed 1000 calories per day. This way if you know your dogs own caloric needs you could estimate the cost of feeding your own dog.

With this equation: Cost of Food (from this post) x Calories your dog eats / 1000 = cost of feeding your dog

What Influences the Cost of Dog Food?

There are many factors that you may need to take into account when considering and comparing different dog food brands beyond cost.

Formulation Expertise:

Fresh dog food brands may or may not have invested in a specialist be that a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, or phD animal nutritionist to formulate their recipes. They also may or may not employ someone with a nutritional background to handle their day to day operations. Taking on the salary of highly qualified individuals costs money, and will increase the price of dog food.

Quality Control:

One lightly cooked dog food brand may have better quality control than another brand these quality control checks cost money, thus it would influence the overall cost of the diet. Quality control checks can be done on incoming ingredients, along the production process, and prior to shipping to pet parents for their dogs to eat.

Ingredient Sourcing:

The quality of those ingredients can also influence the cost of the recipe remember in our grocery stores there are less expensive and more expensive cuts of meat based on USDA grading systems. How those animals are raised pasture vs. caged will also influence price.

Research:

Some gently cooked dog food brands may have taken it upon themselves to do additional research on their dogs. Research such as digestibility studies, AAFCO feeding trials, palatability testing (aka taste testing), etc all cost significant money to perform.

When you are selecting and paying for a premade fresh food diet in comparison to doing a homemade diet for your dog you are also paying for these additional factors, along with work labor of putting the diet together.

Cost Comparison of Lightly Cooked Dog Food Brands:

The average cost of feeding a premade lightly cooked dog food is about $335 per month or $11 per day for a 50 lb dog who eats about 1000 calories per day. However its important to note that the cost of feeding a premade fresh food diet to your dog is highly dependent on brand. The least expensive was Cesar Fresh Chef Dog Food at $117 per month, and the most expensive on our list was EverMore at $659 per month.

Below is a list of twenty different fresh dog food brands sold in the USA listed from least to most expensive. In order to fairly compare the recipes, chicken meals were chosen to calculate monthly costs. Different proteins may or may not cost more than the number listed below as exotic meats like Venison or even Beef tend to cost more per pound than Poultry (generally speaking).

For a full breakdown of each of these brands including WASVA questions, ingredients, sourcing, quality control, formulation and nutritional breakdown make sure to check out my Lightly Cooked Dog Food List.

The Cost of Feeding a Homemade Dog Food

The price of feeding a homemade diet depends a lot on not just the ingredients you use, but also the overall composition, the sourcing of those ingredients and how large your dog is. Price of meats used for homemade dog food recipes can vary a lot with more exotic meats being very expensive (some upwards of $20/lb), and more common meats like chicken being much more cost effective (at $2/lb)

Leaner cuts of meats, like chicken breast, tend to be more expensive than fattier cuts or grinds of meats. If we consider something like ground beef, a 70% lean grind you may be able to find it for closer to $3 per pound. However for very lean grinds of meat like a 95% lean grind it may be closer to $6 per pound.

Creating a Low Cost Homemade Dog Food Recipe

The composition of the overall diet will also influence how expensive it is. Usually meats and proteins are the most expensive part of a recipe for dog food. Which means that if you use less meat, usually recipes will be more cost-effective.

In order to give a good comparison to the premade options (above) Ive created two different recipes using BalanceIT, which is a supplement and formulation software designed by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist. Both using the same ingredients, however the overall composition of the diet is different.

One is a higher carbohydrate recipe, which is lower cost, and the second is a carbohydrate restricted recipe, which is higher cost. Both are still significantly less than all of the premade diets listed above. The main difference for this comes down to costs of labor, manufacturing, testing, and additional quality control measures.

But you can feed a 50 lb dog for as little as $2.48 per day on a homemade diet for dogs.

Low Cost Chicken Thigh and Rice Recipe

• 114g (4oz) cooked chicken thighs $0.58
• 86g (3oz) cooked chicken thighs with skin $0.43
• 29g (1oz) canned pink salmon $0.24
• 2 1/2 cups (488g) cooked brown rice $0.23
• cup (28g) raw apple $0.06
• cup (28g) raw carrots $0.03
• 3 tsp BalanceIT Canine $0.91

Omega 6 to 3 Ratio: 6:1Total calories fed: 1005.5Composition: 27.5% protein, 24.3% fat, 48.2% carbsTotal Cost: $2.48 per day, $69.44 per monthFull BalanceIT Recipe Here

Higher Cost Chicken Thigh and Rice Recipe

• 341g (12oz) cooked chicken thighs $1.73
• 86g (3oz) cooked chicken thighs with skin $0.43
• 57g (2oz) canned pink salmon $0.48
• cups (98g) cooked brown rice $0.05
• cup (28g) raw apple $0.06
• cup (28g) raw carrots $0.03
• 3 7/8 tsp BalanceIT Canine $1.59

Omega 6 to 3 Ratio: 7:1Total calories fed: 1018.1Composition: 50% protein, 38.6% fat, 11.4% carbsTotal Cost: $6.10 per day. $170.80 per month Full BalanceIT Recipe Here

Notes:Chicken Thigh - $2.30 / lb at WalmartCanned Pink Salmon - $0.24 / ounce at WalmartBrown Rice - $0.64 per pound dry at Walmart (each gram of dry rice will make 3 grams cooked)Apple - $1 per poundCarrot - $0.50 per pound

The Cost of Feeding Raw vs. Lightly Cooked

When we compare the cost of feeding a raw dog food to that of feeding a lightly cooked dog food we see that on average raw frozen dog foods tend to be slightly less expensive than lightly cooked diets with the average cost per day to feed a raw frozen premade diet being around $9 per day ($2 less per day than premade lightly cooked).

However it should be noted that a majority of raw frozen dog food brands seem to not do extensive quality control testing for pathogens on final products when further investigating the raw frozen dog food companys website only Instinct Frozen Raw Food mentioned additional processing like HPP, and testing procedures for pathogens. Almost all other raw-frozen brands listed mentioned that they were not concerned about pathogens within their diets. Others advised cooking their diets to remove pathogens for very young, immunocompromised and older dogs.

The Cost of Feeding Freeze-Dried Raw vs. Lightly Cooked

When we compare the cost of lightly cooked dog foods to Freeze-Dried Raw dog foods we find that they are typically less expensive. On average freeze-dried dog foods costs about $14.73 per day to feed a 50 lb dog (about $3.50 more than the typical premade lightly cooked recipe)

Unlike in the raw frozen category, freeze-dried products tended to have more robust quality control and processing methods (some utilizing HPP) to control pathogen contamination, and some doing testing for pathogens prior to release of products to the public. Some freeze-dried raw brands had also invested in AAFCO feeding trials and digestibility trials to prove overall benefits and balance of their diets.

But if we compare all of these categories to our home cooked dog food recipes our low-cost homemade dog food recipe is significantly less expensive. Clocking in at $6 less per day than our premade raw, and almost $10 less than our raw freeze-dried categories.

The Cost of Feeding Kibble vs. Lightly Cooked Dog Food

When we compare kibble vs. raw or lightly cooked dog foods that are premade we can see pretty quickly that kibbled foods are significantly less expensive. Likely this has to do with ingredient sourcing and cost of ingredients.

Ingredient Sourcing in Kibbled Diets

All of the below brands of kibbled are considered feed grade kibbles basically what this means is that ingredients do not have to be stored in the same way as human food from the time of harvest to when they are included within these diets. It is important to note that this doesnt necessarily mean these ingredients are not nutritious they are just not the same quality of products that we eat as humans.

Cuts of meats may be left-overs from the human food industry such as chicken carcass, mealed products for easy storage, or even non-specific or open label products where many different cuts or species of animals fall within one category. This allows pet food brands to shop sales and keep costs low while still providing a nutritious and balanced final product. AAFCO has allowed public access to ingredient definitions so that the public can understand that words like chicken are actually fairly generalized allowing for many different cuts and grinds of meat.

Manufacturing Procedures that Affect Cost of Kibbled Diets

Labor costs with kibbled diets can also be kept lower as manufacturing equipment does a majority of the work where with our lightly cooked and raw diets, much of the work may still be done by hand.

All of these brands require certificates of analysis from suppliers to make sure ingredients are nutritionally consistent coming into their facility, and follow good manufacturing practices to make sure they have good quality control procedures. Though the most researched product of the three is Purina Pro Plan (with AAFCO feeding trials, digestibility trials and an extensive research department), the other two brands have invested in digestibility trials on some of their diets.

The total average cost of these more high-end kibbled products is around $1.30 per day, which is about one tenth of the cost of the average pre-made lightly or frozen raw dog food, and about one fifteenth of the average freeze-dried.

However when we compare kibbled brands to our low-cost home cooked dog food recipe the gap becomes much closer. With our low cost diy dog food recipe at $2.50 per day, this is not much more than the average cost-per-day of feeding our highest cost kibble at $2.02 per day. However in comparison to our average it is about twice the cost of feeding kibble.

If we compare the cost of a homemade dog food recipe with the lowest cost kibble it is significantly more expensive on a percentage basis. But for some individuals an extra $15 per month to feed their 50 lb dog a homemade diet may be well within their budget.

About the Author: Nikki is a Registered Veterinary Technician (Veterinary Nurse) and Dog Mom with over a decade of experience with dogs and cats. Since graduation from college (BS Biology, Dip. Animal Nutrition, AS Animal Science) she has adopted two mixed breed dogs Ranger and Ash, and has focused her time learning about pet food and nutrition.

Nikki shares information on a range of pet nutrition topics: from how to create a homemade complete and balanced dog and cat food recipes, to how to choose a pet food. Nikki strives to give dog and cat parents the information they need in order to make the best nutrition decisions for their pet!

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