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Frugal ways to feed your pets/livestock

Submitted by smo65d11 on Thu, 10/30/2008 - 06:55
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Anyone have any tips on how to frugally feed your pets and/or livestock? I know what I do, but am curious about other folks out there who are feeling the financial pinch like me!


we have hunting dogs (quite a few of them) and feed flesh to ours. We have a small deer processing / farm slaughterhouse near us and are able to pick up (for free) all of the carcases that we want. Rib cages, spinal collumns, heads, legs, feet, etc. We were feeding kibble during the summer when the dogs are "off" during the non-hunting season and had started excercising them and they were dragging their feet. A few days back on flesh and they are raring to go. We feed Vegetables twice a week and they get bread periodically. All of this is free or very cheap from markets and farmers in the area. Yes, it takes some work but cheap and free is good enough reason for me!


Submitted by smo65d11 on Fri, 10/31/2008 - 07:39

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I have seen people requesting freezer burned meats on freecycle for their dogs. That sent me looking in the bowels of my freezer and low and behold!!...freezer burned beef. Cooked it up for my dog and he loved it! I have let friends know and I couple of times I have been gifted with old meat! Hey...my dog loves it11


Submitted by SOAPLADY on Fri, 11/21/2008 - 07:14

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i wanted to bump this. i recently started feeding my dog a raw diet, all uncooked meat and some veggies. his allergies have gotten unbearable and vet bills went through the roof! some have asked if this is healthy and after my research on dog food I feel 100% confident this is the best thing for me to do. His ears itch less, he chews on his paws less, and if you ask a butcher, etc. it is cheaper - especially if your dog needs food without grain, which many dogs are allergic to.


Submitted by bea2ls on Wed, 10/28/2009 - 13:33

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thanks for having my back, paul :) i love my dog and would never harm him. to anyone else whose dog has allergies, this is something me and my vet worked out and it does seem to be working. i do not cook the food, so the raw meat is a bit gross but i get left overs from the butcher and it is so much cheaper than the food the vet originally recommended for allergies.


Submitted by bea2ls on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 06:58

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A few years back when there was the huge dog food scare I started feeding my basset boiled chicken and rice, and then feeding him veggies a few times a week. After that he refused to go back to eating regular dog food. So now that's what I feed him.

My cat however, refuses to eat anything other than his Purina cat food. So, I'm stuck on that one.

Try getting a membership to BJ's if you have one near you. I always see they have Pedigree dog food on sale. 50lb bag for $25.


Submitted by anc526 on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 09:56

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$25 for a 50 lb bag is a good deal :) for my dog's meat diet i was also told to check out aldi's (i know it is also mentioned on a thread in this board). i usually use canned veggies, which are really cheap at wal mart.
i know my aunt's cat is pretty fussy with food, too but she's all drama anyway :) i do know one of my neighbors feeds her cats non-commercial food but am not sure exactly what she feeds them.


Submitted by bea2ls on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 11:19

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im lucky enough to not have any pets that have allergies but i have VERY active dogs that are on a left overs diet and whatever they kill in the yard!LOL seriously they kill anything that enters this yard and not because they are hungry but they are extremely territorial. Even though i do have a automatic dog food feeder outside they rarely eat from it scince they usually get whats left over between my house and my parents next door. They have a indoor cat that eats alot of rice and chicken everynow and then they cook it up and freeze it for her. she also gets fish on a regular basis in the summer they save it for her when they go.

My son also has a hamster and to save on the hamster food (even though its pretty cheap)when we have salad in the evenings he LOVES lettuce and carrots. He escaped last week only for me to find him nibbling on a tomato in my kitchen.


Submitted by love_my_things on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 12:02

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Quote:

Originally Posted by anc526
A few years back when there was the huge dog food scare I started feeding my basset boiled chicken and rice, and then feeding him veggies a few times a week. After that he refused to go back to eating regular dog food. So now that's what I feed him.



I think he's smarter than he looks... :)


Submitted by unclewulf on Sat, 11/07/2009 - 11:00

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