How much will it cost to feed my dog through SFRAW? (note: the below prices are for current dues paying SFRAW members; membership is $80/yr to shop at the 30% discounted pricing)

How much it costs to feed your pup will depend a lot of how you go about it and what proteins work best for him/her, there are a lot of factors involved and each one will have an influence of the cost – the price per pound will vary significantly based on what flavors/proteins and ingredients your animal best enjoys eating, can not only well-tolerate but, indeed, thrive on.

When switching to raw, we suggest starting with one flavor/protein. Most people choose a lean white meat to such as chicken, turkey or rabbit (select a protein that you know they do well on from past experience/foods). Then, over the course of 4-6 weeks, it is important to work up to feeding a nice variety so that you are easily rotating between 4-5 different flavors/proteins.

Variety is critically important for nutritional balance and health, so you don’t want to feed just one flavor endlessly. We can’t emphasize this enough! Too many people find a thing that works, but then get into a mode of feeding that very same thing endlessly to their animals. This is “red flag” danger-zone raw feeding behavior! It will work for a while, but I guarantee you that, eventually, this way of feeding will catch up and your dog/cat will end up with either food allergies/intolerance or other nutritional imbalance problems. Yes, even with a “balanced” prepared food – the truth is that a “mono” or limited diet is never ideal for us or our carnivore companions. Please do not get complacent or stuck in a rut by feeding the same thing for too long – variety is KEY and the very best way to ensure not only that you are providing your animal with genuine nutritional balance for the long-term but also prevent food intolerances/allergies. 

Average cost when”You Make it” through SFRAW: If you decide to make your own food, buy in bulk, portioning out, and packing up meals at home (we can help you put a balanced menu together) – most people will spend around $3.50-$4.50/lb. on average. This is to feed either home-cooked, BARF, Frankenprey or Prey Model Raw; no treats/supplements; no fasting days. This will provide a nice variety of 3-4 proteins: high quality meat, bones, organs, seafood + tripe; a combination of cuts that range in price from $0.50/lb to $6-7/lb.

So, for a 50-lb dog eating the suggested 2% body weight  (1-lb/day) you can expect around $120/month. If you add  in treats, supplements, splurge items or “extras” you can expect to budget around $150/month. 

Again, this is an average and estimate for most dogs this size/average activity level,. Every dog has their own unique metabolism, and individuals may require far more or less than this to maintain an ideal body condition.

Average cost when “We Make It”: Most people start with the SFRAW Grinds, Formulas, or Prey Model Packs (basically, it’s the formula “deconstructed” and plated — so. Nothing ground up — all the various parts & pieces of a balanced meal portioned out into 8 oz or 16 oz sizes) and then move into DIY meals, as they get accustomed to this way of feeding and their dogs get adjusted, too. Of course, A LOT of people continue to feed the SFRAW pre-made options as they don’t have the ability, interest or time in preparing their own dog’s meals at home.

SFRAW Formulas are complete, ready-to-feed/fully prepared and you do not need to add anything at all — everything is included, so all you have to do is defrost and feed.  They can range in price from $14/lb (Organic Rabbit/Pheasant) down to $4.50/lb (Salmon/Flounder). Custom Meals and Prey Model Packs are $10/lb. If your dog is not limited by ingredient/food allergies or intolerance, and you can rotate between whichever flavors you’d like based on cost, but still get a nice variety of red meats, poultry and fish — most people average their cost out to around $8/lb using our prepared Formulas and/or Prey Model Packs.

SFRAW Grinds are simply whole duck, whole turkeys, whole chickens, ground up, nothing added. They have a varied but always within a safe range for a balanced ca:ph ratio. They can be used in rotation with our Formulas/prey Model Packs or fed alone in rotation between 3-4 (again, variety is important) with some supplemental additions of your choice. We suggest adding up to 10% seafood or incorporating in another food based source of EFAs and our Seaweed Blend for minerals. The average price for our Grinds is $7/lb.

Our meaty bones range in price from $0.50/lb (some duck and chicken parts) up to $8/lb (goat and a few others). If you are feeding the Formulas or Grinds, you do not need to add in the raw meaty bones, but it is a very nice option to include them. If you are comfortable with feeding consumable raw meaty bones, we strongly encourage feeding as many meals “on the bone” as possible: up to 30-40% of the diet, depending on how much meat the bones provide.

GreenTripe makes some nice ground meals that are under $5/lb. I recommend feeding GreenTripe for up to a 1/3 of the diet to enjoy the many benefits of green tripe and to help keep the overall costs down, too.

Hope this answers your question!  If you have any other questions, let us know.  Hope you can stop in soon — we’d love to give him some samples and meet you!