Is he allergic to raw chicken? If not, consider buying 10-lb packages of chicken leg quarters, or even larger quantities. A market near my house regularly sells these bags for $7.95, and will sometimes go on sale for $5.00. At $.50/lb, it's cheaper than many high-quality dog foods. My dog has allergies as well (turns out to be flea allergies, as opposed to food), and for a while I was cutting things out. I froze the chicken leg quarters, and fed them to him as chicken-sicles. He prefers to inhale rather than chew his food, so leaving it frozen forces him to chew. He loves it! Don't worry about the bones- you probably know that it's the cooked bones which are problematic.
Some dogs love carrots, so if your dog is not allergic to them, these and other vegetables would make a good supplement to the raw meat, and they're CHEAP! Sweet potatoes/yams are more expensive than potatoes, but might be palatable to the dog, especially when cooked and mixed with the raw meat.
Another option is rabbit, but you have to be careful. My dog got tapeworms within days of my feeding him whole, raw rabbit. 1 dose of praziquantal (sp?) took care of it, but it's gross. The juvenile worms live in the gut of the rabbit, so make sure that the entrails are completely removed. The leg bones can be quite sharp, so you might want to remove those.
And what about fish- is he allergic to that? If not, sardines, anchovies, small mackerel might be something that people wouldn't immediately think of but might be willing to part with. Instead of throwing them to the gulls, maybe they'll give them to you? My dog seemed to enjoy them. Make sure they're fresh (or freshly frozen), though. My dog got an upset stomach from a mackerel that wasn't fresh, and he vomited it on the carpet.
Some of the guys here are pretty good at shooting carp with their bows, and these are usually trashed. I think filets from behind the ribs might be a good protein source.
Now, remember guys, the limit on coots is 25 per day during the season. And let's face it, some days at the refuge are pretty slow, and you know you want to shoot them. So why not let loose, and shoot some for this young dog? Did that spoony you shot have rice breast? I think we know a good home for it.
If you're ever going to be down by San Diego, shoot me a PM. I've got a gallon bag full of quality deer scraps that I saved for the dogs from last Fall's hunting trip to Wyoming, along with some frozen, meaty leg bones. Fido's teeth will be squeaky clean!
I hope some of this helps!
