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When I was new to raw feeding, I ordered every supplement that was recommended to me. My mistake was joining every raw feeding group that would have me and believing that the members were experts in dog nutrition.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
While I have met a lot of people who have decades of experience, certifications in animal nutrition (or just nutrition), as well as people who can talk a good game, I have yet to find anyone who is an expert in my four dogs. So, when I pulled all of the supplements out of the cupboard and tried to explain what each one was for – I realized that I had wasted hundreds of dollars.
Today, I focus on what each of my dogs needs that isn't already covered in their diet. And if I can't fill that need with whole foods, then I'll reach for a supplement. This mindset has saved me a lot of time and money, especially since I began using auto-ship.
What's Autoship?
Auto-ship is when you allow a vendor to automatically ship a set order on a scheduled date. Auto-ship takes away the risk of forgetting to place an order and running out of a product while offering shoppers a discount on their recurring orders.
If you need to change, delay, or cancel your auto-ship, no problem. Many vendors make it easy; sending you a reminder email a few days prior to shipment, allowing you time to add, delete, postpone, or cancel the purchase. If my cat changes his mind about his food, no problem – I can adjust the auto-ship. If I receive the reminder email but don't need the supplements yet, I can postpone or skip the auto-ship delivery.
It's easy!
3 Reasons Raw Feeders Should Utilize Auto-Ship
I was hesitant to use auto-ship at first because I worried that I'd forget, ending up with piles of boxes on my porch. Plus I thought I could save more money through my local raw food co-op. But not everything is available through the co-op, so I began sniffing around Chewy.com and other vendors and now see that auto-ship is the way to go.
1 – Auto-Ship Takes One Thing (or a few) Off Your Plate
I'm busy. I have a full-time job, a part-time business (that feels full-time), four dogs, five acres, a house to clean, a garden to weed, blah blah blah blah blah. I'm busy. And no matter how many times I tell myself “I gotta remember to order….,” I forget each time. Adding items that I order regularly to an auto-ship takes one thing off my plate. I don't have to leave the house, I don't have to call anyone, I just have to open the door and bring a box inside. EASY!
2 – Auto-Ship Helps Me Save Money on Pet Supplies
Even if you only plan to place an order once, chose auto-ship and set the next delivery for three months later, and then go in and cancel when the order arrives. Yeah, that's kind of shady, but things are expensive and they're only going up – so take advantage of every discount available to you.
Despite Amazon's attempt to spoil me into wanting everything RIGHT NOW with their sneaky same-day shipping, I know that I can wait on most things. So, I've added a product to an existing auto-ship order that is coming up to grab that 5% discount, removing it after I receive my package. Yep, shady AF.
Raising dogs is expensive.
And, thanks to auto-ship, I'm no longer impulse shopping.
I have an auto-ship set up with a local pet store and I get an email when my order is ready and I swing by, pick it up, and go home. I no longer find myself walking around “just to see” what they have in, and coming home with two big bags of things my dogs don't need.
3 – With Auto-Ship, I Never Run Out of What I Need for My Pets
My cat loves Vital Essentials Minnows. There are other brands that offer minnows (Northwest Naturals, Two Crazy Cat Ladies, Raw Paws Pet Food, to name a few), but Cosmo demands the ones from Vital Essentials. And before auto-ship, I would remember that I was out of minnows when Cosmo was meowing loudly in protest at 7 pm (BRING ME MY DAMN MINNOWS!!!!) when the local pet stores were closed.
Organizing My Auto-Ship Orders
I currently have two auto-ship orders with Chewy.com. One for my dogs and one for my cat. In the past, I've broken up the dog's order by frequency, noting how quickly we go through various products and scheduling accordingly.
I strongly believe in variety and feeding whole foods whenever possible when it comes to my dogs' diet. I also think it's important to have a backup plan. For instance, if I can't feed whole fish, then I can reach for canned sardines, fermented fish stock, salmon oil, and so on. This allows me to spread out my auto-ship orders; setting them up to ship every two to four months.
My Top 3 Auto-Ship Vendors
I order 90% of the products I get for my pets through the local raw food co-op; the rest I purchase online, at local independent pet stores, and grocery stores. The two vendors that I have an auto-ship with are:
- Chewy.com – I order supplements and cat food and treats.
- Earthwise Pet – a local, independent pet store (and chain, so look them up in your area).
I used to have one with Darwin's Natural Pet Products too. I love that we can now manage our orders on their website.
My Chewy.com Autoship Orders for My Dogs
I prefer to order supplements from Chewy.com because I don't have to worry about counterfeit products, which have been sold on Amazon in the past. Chewy.com makes the auto-ship process easy to manage so I can set it and forget it (until the reminder email comes through) and they discount all auto-ship orders by 5% (every little bit counts).
I have several Chewy.com auto-ship orders which ship every 8 – 12 weeks and include the following:
- Rx Vitamins Hepato Capsules Liver Supplement – promotes liver health, adds additional Vitamin B to the diet which helps with liver regeneration, and normalizes liver values.
- Rx Vitamins Amino B-Plex Liquid Nutritional Supplement – the first time I had my dogs nutrient tested, the report came back showing that all of my dogs were slightly deficient in Vitamin B and Dr. Laurie Coger, who consults with ParsleyPet, recommended this supplement. I've been giving it to my dogs ever since.
- Dr. Mercola Organic Mushroom Complex – medicinal mushrooms help prevent cancer in dogs and I alternate this supplement with Turkey Tail and Chaga mushrooms.
- Herbsmith Milk Thistle – another supplement that supports liver health; milk thistle is also great for dogs with allergies, digestive issues, and senior dogs.
My Chewy.com Auto-Ship Orders for My Cat
I rarely talk about my cat, but – HEY, I HAVE A CAT TOO – and after years of trying to get him off of kibble, I finally have him on a healthy diet of freeze-dried raw. I order some of his food from a local raw food co-op and I order his supplements from The Two Crazy Cat Ladies. Last year, I started ordering his food through Chewy.com because it's hard to keep up with his orders because I don't need to order in bulk for one cat.
My cat's auto-ship order includes:
- Stella & Chewy's freeze dried cat food
- Vital Essentials Minnows (the dog treats are the better deal – it's the same as the cat treats, but we get more in a bag)
My cat also enjoys Small Batch and Feline Naturals, but I pick those up at a local pet store. It's good to shake things up with Cosmo because he gets bored easily.
If you're looking for ways to shave money off your raw feeding bill and save time, look into auto-ship. And if you're looking for money-saving tips, check out the following:
