02/07/2023
So instead of sharing this I’ve chosen to copy and paste it bc I have some things to add to it. This was written by Brian Brandfas in the saving pets one pet @ a time. I’m not mad at this post. Kibble has actually been around about 100 years. I’ve done an article on it and think it’s time to boost how kibble came to be. But I support what he’s saying here. And just had this very conversation in another group. It’s too expensive to feed raw. Do you know how many times I get a call where someone is pleading for help bc they’ve just spent 30k to save their dogs life. I assure you. Feeding raw is so much cheaper. Does that mean you can feed raw do minimal to no vaxs. No flea and tick pesticides. (Let’s call them what they are. They aren’t meds they’re pesticides. Toxins. Chemicals.) Does doing all of this still prevent us from getting cancer. No. We still have environmental and genetics to deal with. But! We can lessen the chances. Max. I can’t wait to introduce this beautiful golden senior who is a true testament of how we can do everything right. Still get cancer. And bounce back like it never happened. I spend 250 to 300 a month on my 3 wild ones and 2 cats. All rescues. Granted 2 have been with me since they were 10 weeks. We go to the docs once a year. I tell my clients 2x a year bc I’m more comfortable with that. For mine we do it once. My cats have been 3 times in the past 8 years. They were vaccinated before they came to us. And that’s it. Nucky is 100% natural. That means medication free. Vax free. Has all of his moms antibodies. And is intact. He’s also 100% healthy. The last dvm we saw reveled in his health. Until I told him the truth. 🤣 now I’m unaliving him as we speak. 🙄 needless to say we don’t see that dvm. I want to teach you guys a way of raising them before we get to those stages of spending 30k. Does that mean I’ll never be in that situation. No. Does it mean that I’ve supported our immune system of the chances of bouncing back from a health issue is in our favor. Yes. The irony that I know how many body builders. How many athletes that treat their body like their temples…. Yet they feed PPP…. Enjoy this read from Brian. Happy Sunday! Do your best within your means. And think hard before you add that second or third or 5th canine to your family. Kibble is not what they are meant to eat. We invented it for ease to make our life easier.
I borrowed this prompt because I love it so much. One of the most common comments I hear about raw/fresh food diets is that they are too expensive. My question has always been, compared to what? Kibble? That's not food. Yes, a car is more expensive than a bicycle, but it does more for you than a bike. Real food does so much more for your dog than processed cardboard. Looking at it this way, you can see how invalid both comparisons are.
The cost of a fresh food diet for your pet can be viewed as the same as the cost of your diet. Sure, food is expensive these days, but what isn't? Are you sacrificing quality and nutrition for your family, or are you finding creative ways to make it work? Are dogs not family? Shouldn't we do for them all the things we're willing to do for the rest of our family?
Pet parents are unwilling to look at the cost of raw/fresh food this way because deceptive and manipulative marketing has conditioned them to believe feeding their pet should only cost a minimal amount. They do this to make a species-appropriate diet look like a fad reserved only for those with means. The reality is that when you decide to get a dog, you are bringing a carnivore into your home. Feeding a carnivore should never be considered something you can do on the cheap, and bringing one into your home should be done with careful consideration.
What is easily forgotten is that kibble is not how dogs have always eaten. Pet food manufacturers want you to think that, but kibble has been around only 67 years. Before that, dogs ate what we ate. They got table scraps, things we did not want, and things they found while exploring the world outside, in the sun, and with their paws touching things like *gasp* dirt. If we went back to feeding our dogs like we eat (provided we don't eat Mcdonald's every day), we would have a more normalized feel of what it costs to feed a dog. Owning and caring for another living creature is a costly undertaking. Many couples prepare for years before starting their families. The same level of thought and consideration should occur when adding a pet. This consideration starts with a realistic idea of what it costs to feed a dog.
While more expensive than what you're used to, feeding a species-appropriate diet is the best way to decrease the overall costs of owning a dog. What is the benefit of only spending $50 a month on food when you're also spending another $200-500 a month at the vet because of that food? I doubt most people would continue to put bad gas in their car if saving a couple of bucks a gallon meant their car was in the shop most of the month. However, people do just that with their pets and consider it normal. Or they'll ask what they can buy to add to that gas to make it a little less bad. And, when the vet costs get too much, they'll start paying an insurance company monthly premiums and think they're getting a deal because now they're only responsible for 20% of those costs. Never once are they looking at what they could spend their money on to stay out of the vet's office in the first place. If food were your primary expense for your dog, you would not be spending a lot of the other money you are currently spending on your dog.
Be more realistic about what it costs to feed a dog. Stop spending a small fortune trying to supplement a sub-standard diet and buy the real thing instead. Don't compare anything to the cost of kibble. Kibble is the outlier score that throws off the class curve. Look at feeding your dog like feeding another family member at your table. If you believe that "food is thy medicine, " spending your money on real food rather than medical care treating conditions caused by fake food will add money to your bank account and years to your dog's life.
*Disclaimer*
I know this may come across as harsh. Some things can only be said in a direct manner. I am in no way judging anyone who feeds kibble or cannot feed raw or fresh food for whatever reason. We all have to make whatever choices we think are best for our pets and what we can do financially. My goal was to help you look at the cost of feeding your dog differently from what the pet food industry has worked very hard to make the standard.
