Sources

Woody's has a new store in my neighborhood.

Someone asked me yesterday how much it would cost to feed a raw diet to two Dalmatians.  That's a question with no definite answer because it all depends on your sources and whether or not you are willing to buy in bulk and repackage.  Chicken backs are available for as little as $12.00 for a 40# box.  40# gives you about 30# of usable meat and bone once you cut off some of the surplus fat and drain out the liquid as the backs thaw.  It takes some time to repackage and refreeze the backs, but it's an economical base for a healthy raw diet.  Chicken necks cost about the same amount and are easy to repackage and feed.  Turkey necks vary in price, but are often affordable and sold in bulk.  The trick is FINDING a supplier.   Sometimes you can order them through your own supermarket, or through a wholesaler.  Because we have so many raw feeders in the Twin Cities area, we have several wholesalers who gladly sell these products to us.

If you only have one dog or are only feeding small dogs (not Dals) there are other affordable option.  Whole Foods sells 3-packs of nice meaty chicken backs (and will order cases if you want them).   You can also buy chicken leg quarters very affordably on sale if you wish to feed larger pieces, or grind them.

We also have a Pet Food Deli  available to us.  Woody's just opened a second store, so business must be good.  They have a great selection of items, both cooked and raw, strictly meat or ground with bone (raw only).   Check out their menu.  They also have some good articles on feeding a raw or cooked diet.  I can't afford to feed 4 adult Dals with their products, but I do buy them to add variety.  The ground rabbit was well received, but the ground duck was greeted with suspicion by Argus.  He'll get his mixed with turkey today.  It often takes the dogs a few days to get used to totally new foods.