I wanted to share a raw food source that I recently was recommended by another husky owner at a dog park. I started Sita on Darwin's 1 month ago now and I can't speak highly enough of it. It's not really cheap, it is about $3/lb. But if you are not making your own raw diet I think it is a pretty cheap option, most pet store raw options range from $4.50-$7/lb.

www.darwinspet.com

They deliver all of their food directly to you which makes the meat way fresher. Sita transitioned between several pet-store varieties of raw frozen patties before we heard about Darwin's, and I can say that the difference in freshness is really obvious. If you live in Seattle or Portland you get free home delivery, which is really what makes it amazingly convenient and affordable. Anywhere else in the country and you pay a shipping fee for your monthly deliveries that varies depending where in the country you live. I suppose it starts to be about the same price as store-bought raw food when you have to pay shipping, but then you are still getting better quality and the convenience of delivery.

They also carry raw bones, duck necks, green tripe, and raw for cats. (my cat is picky and he loves it!)

Check it out. I wanted to share because I have found it to be a really wonderful option for us. Then again, I am comparing it to the price for meat and pet-store options in Seattle, so it may not compare in the same way for you. But either way, this is a company making a great product and has great service.

Holy lord - I pay that for whole prey rabbits. I can't imagine that price. Our meat is usually less than 1/lb - I feed turkey hearts exclusivley at .69/lb

I wish I could afford that!!!

Wow, I don't think we could ever get rabbit for that price here! It's easy to forget the difference in living costs across the country. Darwin's is certainly not cheap, but I'm comparing it to pet store raw options, not making your own food from scratch.

It's a godo option for you too, because you are so close! Shipping is super expensive for me

Yes, the free delivery is amazing. It's really a suggestion for people in Seattle or Portland. It makes the most sense to buy local. I'm still confused why there are not more people in Seattle on this forum, it is after all the city of the UW Huskies. Seattle doesn't even have a Husky meet-up...

I know! Husky meet up seattle gogog! As for rabbits, you can get them pretty cheap at the asian store. About 5-6 dollars for a whole skinned gutted one.

They're all in CO for some strange and unknown reason!

We used to live in Mukilteo, WA and were asked ALL the time if we got our sibe because of UW. (Of course not!)

I never found a meet up group in Seattle or the surrounding areas when we lived there but I am sure there's got to be some (we moved to the east coast in Sept 2008) I know the sheer amount of siberians in rescues and shelters in WA are pretty daunting so there is no shortage of husky owners out there. We rescued our sibe while we were living in WA. I used to run into other huskies and husky owners while out walking in Harbor Pointe (Mukilteo) all the time.

There are raw feeding co-ops in Seattle which would save you a lot of money on the raw feeding. It is an option if you want to save and don't mind not being on a pre-made. Sita is still young yet, but as she gets older she'll be eating more and costing a lot more to feed especially if you plan on sticking to pre-mades. If cost is no issue then by all means stick to what you prefer, I am sure Darwin's is a fantastic option for you. We might be moving back to WA next year and even if we do we wouldn't waste our money on Darwin's because pre-mades are just not worth it to me. They are good for venturing into raw though.

I shared some of the yahoo co-op groups with Zyanya and hopefully we can go in on an order It's well out of my price range and I like watching Rue tear into the meat and really work for his food. Our cat just recently decided he was ok with eating raw and he is even more fun to watch tear parts of a drumstick apart. I do think it is a good stepping stone to starting raw.

As for a meet up, haven't seen any advertised and I do meet huskies all the time! Maybe I will start one.

I really assumed that the majority of people that fed their pets raw fed pre-made store bought diets. I also assumed the high cost was just part of the deal with feeding raw. I thought that it was rare for people feeding raw to take the time to research and create the diet for their pets. I guess I'm wrong about the population of raw feeders! I started with store bought because I started raw over a year ago for only my cat. Purchasing 1 bag/month of frozen raw cat food is not such a shocking financial commitment so we went with it and I didn't look into other options. Then we got a puppy and the price quickly started climbing, I hadn't considered how much more a dog eats than a cat (silly, I know)! So finding Darwin's I've been happy with the service and quality and reduced price (compared to before!).

I'm interested in supplementing some of Sita's diet with with non-ground meat and would welcome the reduced cost, but I think I also value the convenience of Darwin's now a lot, personally. I feel more comfortable knowing that what I am purchasing is a balanced diet and I would be preoccupied that if I fed her myself I would be not providing enough or giving too much of something. I like seeing her chew her duck necks and raw bones, so it would be fun to give her more chunks of meat more often. I'm glad I looked into the raw feeding forum! I had NO idea there were groups of people purchasing meat together for their animals, it's brilliant.