BARF Tips & Tricks: Shopping
"Don't pass up the canned mackeral in the supermarket! You can get it from 69-99 cents and it is 16 ounces of solid fish meat with a digestible (soft) spine, like sardines but much bigger!"
"Don't invest in a juicer/processor at first. I am using a plain old Waring Blender and it works fine. I toss in apple chunks, garlic cloves, salad greens, eggs with shells and raw carrots...add no more than l/2 cup of liquid....and it pulps up to a nice thick consistency. Don't blend too much."
"A must-have appliance is a freezer, especially if you own 2 or more medium/large-size dogs and you buy in bulk. If you're going to purchase a freezer, I would suggest an upright one rather than a chest freezer. Everytime I put newer items in my 'dog' chest freezer, I have to take everything out first, put the new stuff in, then the older stuff back on top. Chest freezers are also a pain if you're looking for something specific. I'm on the look-out for a reasonably-priced upright freezer, where I can see everything when I open the door!"
"Just a little thing, I use Gladware containers to freeze my chicken backs and necks in 1 pound portions (not ground). A package of 5 runs $2.00-$2.50, and of course I have been washing them after use. But I no longer throw away tin foil or baggies. And it only took me approx. an
hour to weigh and package and in the freezer 70 lbs tonight. It may sound expensive to start, but I have found that at 70 lbs a week, I am actually saving money."
"For freezing turkey necks/chicken backs, we use produce bags. My husband bought them from the produce manager. Look for the heavier bags (may have to try the bakery section). They come in rolls of 1,000. MUCH cheaper than Ziplocs, and they don't leak any more than Ziplocs do!"
"Try finding an Asian food market as you can find whole, fresh or frozen sardines there to give your dogs for their fish meal. You will probably find that they cost less and you will be able to feed your dogs a whole fish with all the different nutrients a raw fish would contain."
"I shop for all my RMBs, chicken parts, fish, organ meats and fruits and vegtables in Chinatown. I can get 5 chicken carcasses for 1.00$, packaged as kitchen bones. The same with beef bones at 1.00$ a bag."
"Costco has various chicken items (thighs, wings...) for $1/lb."
Submitted by Eve P.
"Don't invest in a juicer/processor at first. I am using a plain old Waring Blender and it works fine. I toss in apple chunks, garlic cloves, salad greens, eggs with shells and raw carrots...add no more than l/2 cup of liquid....and it pulps up to a nice thick consistency. Don't blend too much."
"A must-have appliance is a freezer, especially if you own 2 or more medium/large-size dogs and you buy in bulk. If you're going to purchase a freezer, I would suggest an upright one rather than a chest freezer. Everytime I put newer items in my 'dog' chest freezer, I have to take everything out first, put the new stuff in, then the older stuff back on top. Chest freezers are also a pain if you're looking for something specific. I'm on the look-out for a reasonably-priced upright freezer, where I can see everything when I open the door!"
"Just a little thing, I use Gladware containers to freeze my chicken backs and necks in 1 pound portions (not ground). A package of 5 runs $2.00-$2.50, and of course I have been washing them after use. But I no longer throw away tin foil or baggies. And it only took me approx. an
hour to weigh and package and in the freezer 70 lbs tonight. It may sound expensive to start, but I have found that at 70 lbs a week, I am actually saving money."
"For freezing turkey necks/chicken backs, we use produce bags. My husband bought them from the produce manager. Look for the heavier bags (may have to try the bakery section). They come in rolls of 1,000. MUCH cheaper than Ziplocs, and they don't leak any more than Ziplocs do!"
"Try finding an Asian food market as you can find whole, fresh or frozen sardines there to give your dogs for their fish meal. You will probably find that they cost less and you will be able to feed your dogs a whole fish with all the different nutrients a raw fish would contain."
"I shop for all my RMBs, chicken parts, fish, organ meats and fruits and vegtables in Chinatown. I can get 5 chicken carcasses for 1.00$, packaged as kitchen bones. The same with beef bones at 1.00$ a bag."
"Costco has various chicken items (thighs, wings...) for $1/lb."
Submitted by Eve P.
