Cost Cutting Tips for Budgeting

Taking care of your dog’s nutrition while sticking to a budget can feel challenging, but with a few strategic moves, you can ensure they eat well without breaking the bank. Here are some cost cutting tips while feeding your pup a healthy raw diet.

💰 Hunt for Deals & Discounts

• Shop smart: Plan purchases around big sales like Black Friday.

• Bundle up: Look for box deals and bulk discounts from suppliers.

• Join the community: The Raw Feeding for Dogs Made Simple (UK) Facebook group shares codes for discounts regularly.

  
  

🥩 Budget-Friendly Raw Feeding

• Mix & match: Use a lower-cost base brand and supplement with premium options to balance quality and affordability.

• Skip “complete” meals: Instead, add Paleo Ridge Berry Good or Naturaw Forage Pure to an 80/10/10 ratio (80% meat, 10% bone, 10% offal).

• Boost nutrition with produce: Incorporate dog-safe veggies like dark leafy greens—usually up to 10% of their diet, but if finances are tight, you can push this to 20-30%.

  
  

🏪 Smart Shopping Tips

• Look for yellow-sticker deals: Discounted lamb bones or offal can be great finds, but always compare prices per kg with your regular supplier!

• Follow suppliers online: Many raw suppliers offer flash sales and exclusive discounts on social media—stay updated.

• Ask for bargains: Some suppliers have “bargain bins” or personalized discounts if you ask.

• Buy bigger portions: Larger quantities tend to be more cost-effective. Defrost partially, portion out what you need, and freeze the rest.

  
  

🦴 Enrichment on a Budget

Feeding isn’t just about nutrition—it’s also a great opportunity for mental enrichment! Try these low-cost ideas:

• Lick mats: Spread raw food or bone broth over a mat for slow, engaging licking fun.

• Stuffed trachea: Fill a raw trachea with food to keep your dog occupied.

• DIY puzzle feeders: Use ice cube trays or muffin tins to create mini food challenges.

  
  

🥩 Alternative Sourcing

• Game producers: Join Facebook groups like Giving Up The Game for discounted raw products.

• Local butcher connections: Building relationships with butchers can unlock low-cost surplus bones and other supplies.

🍲 Homemade Bone Broth

Using low-cost raw bones, apple cider vinegar, and water, you can easily create nutritious bone broth using a slow cooker or pressure cooker. Check our [Bone Broth Blog] for full instructions.

⚖️ Weigh & Adjust for Savings

• Check your dog’s weight: Overfeeding adds unnecessary costs. Studies show many dogs are heavier than their owners think!

• Measure every meal: Just 10g extra daily adds up to 3.65kg of excess food per year. A digital scale will help avoid waste.

• Swap whole oily fish for oily fish-based minces: This lowers costs while still ensuring essential nutrients.

  
  

🛠 DIY Raw Feeding

• Consider homemade meals: DIY feeding using meat chunks and raw meaty bones is often cheaper than pre-made minces.

• Alternative bone sources: If your dog can’t handle raw bones, opt for safe substitutes like Aniforte Ground Beef or Horse Bones.

  
  

📍 Local Sources & Apps

• Talk to your butcher: Many butchers offer free or low-cost bones, perfect for making bone broth.

• Explore farm shops & allotments: Local produce outlets often have great cost-saving opportunities.

• Use discount apps: Free apps like Too Good To Go can help you find discounted grocery bags with raw feeding-friendly items.

  
  

🔎 Bargain Hunting

• Visit RFFDMSUK for discount codes and deals.

• Check out relevant Facebook groups for cost-saving discussions and exclusive offers.

• Compare prices: Always cross-reference supermarket and game supplier costs with raw feeding suppliers to get the best deal.

  
  

🥦 Balanced Diet on a Budget

• Plant matter for nutrition: While dogs primarily derive nutrients from a raw diet, incorporating up to 10% plant matter or supplementation is beneficial. Dark leafy greens and limited berries are great options but avoid fruits for puppies under 6 months—except blueberries.

• Adjust proportions if needed: In cases of extreme budget constraints, consider reducing animal content and increasing plant matter to 20-30% while still maintaining a balanced diet.

• Affordable quality: With an estimated 8.3 million dogs in the UK, competition among suppliers is high, providing many opportunities to find budget-friendly raw feeding options.

• Prioritising health: Affordability doesn’t mean compromising on your dog's well-being. With these cost-saving strategies, you can keep your pet healthy and happy without straining your budget.

  
  

❄️ Freezing Guidelines

• Always freeze fresh raw food if it wasn’t purchased frozen to extend shelf life and prevent bacterial growth.

• Bacteria cause food spoilage, which could lead to illness if food isn’t properly stored.

• Freezing won’t kill parasites, except in pork and fish—but it will disable them.

• Example: If you purchase venison in fur with ticks, freezing it may loosen their grip so they fall off more easily.

  
  

Recommended Freezing Times

• Fresh fish: Freeze for 3 weeks.

• Mussels: Must be cooked and de-shelled; frozen mussels should state "cooked and frozen."

• Crab sticks: Never feed—they aren’t real crab meat!

• Fresh beef/pork/lamb: Freeze for 3 weeks.

• Fresh poultry: Freeze for 1 week.

• Fresh game: Freeze for 3 weeks.

• Shellfish (prawns, squid, mussels, shrimp): Freeze for 3 weeks or cook first.

• Bones for broth: Can be used fresh or frozen, but bones for eating must follow freezing guidelines.

Please note: The freezing recommendations above are a recommendation only, and are to be taken as a precautionary measure.

Pet guardians should use this information to help them to make an informed decision as to whether or not they wish to follow the same guidelines that manufacturers do, allowing time for any fresh animal produce to be recalled if necessary.

If you choose to feed fresh animal produce without freezing it first and your dog does become ill (rare but can happen), please immediately contact your vet to advise them you have fed fresh raw animal products without freezing it first so that they can assess whether or not they need to follow any set testing procedures

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