Store-bought pet food isn’t necessarily the healthiest. Make your own dog food and you can realize substantial savings, depending on the size of your pet, the caliber of food you currently serve up and whether you buy in bulk or smaller allotments.
Dry dog food costs $100 to $250 annually for dry food, based on purchasing a 30-pound bag every month or two. Premium or holistic dry food costs about $200 to $400 annually, based on that same rate of consumption.
Canned or frozen raw food costs $400 to $1,000 a year for one to three cases of 13-ounce cans or three 10-pound bags of frozen raw food every month.
Home-Made Dog Food
One approach to saving on store-bought dog food: Serve your pooch what you are eating — so instead of putting leftovers in the refrigerator, serve them to your pet.
Most of the time this works out well, especially if your diet consists of meat, vegetables, fruit and whole grains, without additives.
Don’t Share All Human Food
However, don’t assume that you can give your dog anything you eat. Some human cuisine is practically poison for your pet — or at least, you’re better off assuming that it is so you’ll never give your pooch any: chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, fatty tissue from meats like bacon or ham, dairy, and anything sweetened with xylitol.
Go easy on the salt and other spices — or make a portion of your meal without spices so you can give it to your dog. And don’t give your pet raw meat.
Talk to your veterinarian before you start feeding your dog home-made food — you might get a veto if your pooch is still a puppy or is in his or her twilight years.
And assuming you get his or her blessing, you’ll want to make the change gradually. Phase in the new cuisine while simultaneously tapering off what you had been giving your pet up until now.
Should You Make Your Own Dog Food?
Some people prefer to make meals for the dogs that are distinct unto themselves, as you can see from the recipe video toward the top of this post;.
If putting extra effort into cooking for your dog seems like a hassle, you could simply include portions for your pet in whatever you cook for yourself, and resolve to eat healthier — which you really should do anyway.
Readers, what do you currently feed your pets?
Jackie Cohen
Jackie Cohen is an award winning financial journalist turned turned financial advisor obsessed with climate change risk, data and business. Jackie holds a B.A. Degree from Macalester College and an M.A. in English from Claremont Graduate University.
No Comments yet!