On the hunt for new food.. need help

[DTS]

So with the price increase on Acana being way too much than I can handle being a broke on student loans college student i am looking to switch foods.

I looked at Victor and was interested in the GF salmon and sweet potato. But i am very interested in RAW.

here are my problems with RAW that I'm unsure of how to overcome/ if they are even problems.
- i dont have a full size freezer and live in an apartment. i would have to buy meat by the week which i know can get expensive
- my budget is $60 every 4-6 weeks
- how do i calculate all this percentages with RMB, MM, OM?
- my dog hasnt ever had raw bones, will she be ok with them?
- she is at her goal weight now and still has a waist but could probably lose 3-4 lbs is that a problem with this diet?
- how is the detox period?

im looking for a quality kibble as good as ACANA and around $60 a bag or less for atleast 30 lbs of food. she has skin issues and ever since we moved has been getting ear infections left and right.

any suggestions? is RAW right for us or should we stick to kibble?
can anyone give me a ball park estimate on how much RAW would cost for a 70lb dog a week? 2% of that would be 1.4lb a day of food.
I know of places i can get stuff fairly cheap im just new to how to portion everything and havent been able to find help in creating menus or how to portion without having to pay and i cant afford that especially since I'm not for sure im feeding RAW yet

any suggestions would be helpful

[I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO]

Where are you in Florida? There is a raw food co-op that drops off in several locations. I'm not sure if you have to buy in bulk. They have a Yahoo Group called Central Fl Raw Food Co-op (I think they have South Florida deliveries too).

For info on raw diet in general:
rawdogranch.com

[DTS]

I live in gainesville. I joined ocala raw group on yahoo because I'm from there and visit frequently. I'm just unable to buy in bulk because my freezer is so small. It isn't even the size of a regular fridge and freezer, its smaller. Our fridge isn't regular sized.
I checked out the website and read pretty much every article and feel like I might have a starting point but then I'm not sure.
I was looking at going to wards I'm gville for my meat as they are fairly cheap and in Ocala I hear CBI sells bulk and I know they have discount quality meats I just can't buy bulk so I'd have to buy meat a week at a time

[I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO]

Oh right, I forgot you lived here! In that case, UF has a meat department (the meat science students run a butcher shop-they sell the cows and pigs they raise). They sell a ground beef mix (beef neck trimmings, heart, and organ meat) for dogs-it's $1.75/lb, sold in 2-lb rolls. Pasture raised cows. It's a great deal. They are open on Fridays-located near the vet school. Wards is great for chicken parts, and so is Sam's club. I buy chicken necks at the farmers' market for $1.75/lb, but you can get them much cheaper from Wards, Sam's, or even Walmart. Wards and Publix also have pork butts that are pretty cheap. And around the holidays, whole turkeys are on sale.

And if you wanted to add some variety of meats that are typically too expensive in a grocery store, a woman sells Blue Ridge Beef products that include venison, duck, and tripe (rabbit too, but it's pricey). I buy a case of 15 2/lb rolls for $65-it's a little more to not buy a whole case.

Do you have Facebook? There is a group for raw feeders in Gainesville (not may people on there right now, but people are helpful and sometimes want to split bulk items)

[DTS]

i just read about the UF butcher but couldn't find a website.. I wonder if they give a discount for students. that would be great because I live about a mile from the vet school and across the street from the beef teaching unit, ill have to check it out. I love Wards and will check out the Farmer's market as well.

Im having a hard time finding out how exactly to start meals.
ive read i need to start with 1 protein source such as chicken and after a week or two build from there.

im trying to do my research now, i just ordered a bag of food before the price increase so i have between 4-6 weeks to research and figure out if this is going to work for us.

im hoping the ocala raw yahoo group replies to my email and hopefully can direct me to any places down there.

[I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO]

I added to my post, probably as you were typing, not sure if you saw it all.

I don't think they give a student discount, at least I haven't been getting one!

I fed a partial raw diet for a long time before I switched, so I didn't ease into it. But, from what I have read, yes you feed one protein source first to get them acclimated and then keep adding in.

http://www.animal.ufl.edu/extension/...c_center.shtml

The rawdogranch.com website I posted is great for getting started.