A Raw Diet is not a Financial Raw Deal

Finding quality foods for man’s best friend is a large priority for pet lovers. It has become more common for vets and pet experts to recommend raw diets for dogs to increase overall health. These raw diets may seem out of reach financially, but it’s important to take a look into the true value of feeding your dog this specialty diet.

I first began my investigation of the phenomenon when my own puppy had trouble digesting commercial dry dog food. It was causing him to vomit on a daily basis. This wasn’t even the run of the mill commercial food. I was purchasing organic food with primary ingredients like chicken breast, chicken thighs, and with little grains or filler. Both my vet and the owner of the specialty pet store in my neighborhood, Green Paws Market, offered a suggestion of feeding my puppy a raw diet instead of the kibble. My first instinct was to cringe. My main concern? The price.

When I priced out the difference between the two diets, here is what I found:

• Blue Buffalo, the all-natural food I was originally feeding my pup, cost $16.99 for a 5lb bag at PetSmart. This bag of food lasted me 2-3 weeks.
• Raw Diet, the pre-portioned brand of raw diet that was recommended to me by the owner of the Green Paws Market, cost $18.00 for enough patties to last 2 weeks. This was for the chicken variety.

There was not as large of a difference between the two as I had initially thought. Delving deeper into my research, I realized that I had to measure all of the costs involved in placing my dog on a raw food diet. In addition solving my dog’s digestion problems, a raw food diet offers shinier coats, better breath, and an overall longer life than a kibble diet. Better health, in most situations, means less trips to the vet; one of the largest expenses in owning a pet, 27 percent of a pet owner’s total expenditures according to the National Pet Owner’s Survey. By offering your pet a raw diet, you also have complete control over what types of products your pet consumes. The diet allows owners to eliminate the unwanted grains and fillers found in typical commercial dry dog food.

Outside of reduced vet visits and digestion problems, I began to notice my dog had better breath over a period of time. In the past I had been offering Greenies to help remove tartar from his teeth in addition to brushing, but found this more unnecessary once we began the raw food diet; another savings.

After beginning the diet, my dog appeared happier and more alert and energetic than before. He also looks forward to mealtimes and waits happily for his food whereas with the kibble diet, it was simply just a meal. Where I once thought it was flawed to feed your dog human food, I now realize that it can lead to a healthier life for man’s best friend without breaking the bank.

About the Author

The preceding is a post from Anessa Gross, our resident sale diva and a Certified Personal Finance Counselor who works for Consolidated Credit in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Central Florida and is a current graduate student at the Huizenga Business School at Nova Southeastern University.