Preparing and family pets

[Devneck]

I'm not really sure why it hasn't really occurred to me before, but this evening I started thinking about how I've really not done anything for long term (6+ months) planning for my dogs.

Anybody have any guidance or suggestions on what to do for them? Currently we feed them somewhat expensive dog food. But I'm not going to go drop $600 on food for them all at once.

How far out would you consider planning for pets? Would you look at just increasing basic human foods (rice, beans, canned meat etc) and just do something like add on 3-6 months of supply? At what point would you cut a family pet loose for yours and your family survival?

Is there already a topic on this? (Sorry, didn't search)

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[Unka-Boo]

Phew......

Thought this was gonna be a cooking thread....

 

[Devneck]

Phew......

Thought this was gonna be a cooking thread....

And yet you still opened it. Lol

 

[RVTECH]

 

[WWShooter]

I'm not really sure why it hasn't really occurred to me before, but this evening I started thinking about how I've really not done anything for long term (6+ months) planning for my dogs.

Anybody have any guidance or suggestions on what to do for them? Currently we feed them somewhat expensive dog food. But I'm not going to go drop $600 on food for them all at once.

How far out would you consider planning for pets? Would you look at just increasing basic human foods (rice, beans, canned meat etc) and just do something like add on 3-6 months of supply? At what point would you cut a family pet loose for yours and your family survival?

Is there already a topic on this? (Sorry, didn't search)

I'm not sure you have a lot of choice. You're not going to want to use human food for your dogs, yet dogs could be incredibly useful, at a minimum as sentries, in a real SHTF event. I try to buy two bags when I need one, and put the second one up. Regrettably, at the rate my dogs eat, I'll get to a six month supply pretty quickly, then it's just a matter of figuring out where to store it.

 

[Cavedweller]

I would not store kibble (dry dog food) for 2 reasons:

1) It will go stale in a matter of months.
2) It is a notorious source of stored product insect infestation, as government inspection criteria for pet food production facilities are not as stringent as for human food and it does not come in insect resistant packaging. So not only will the food value be degraded over time, you risk infesting your other stored products if there is cross contamination.

Canned dog food is better for storage, although generally more expensive per serving. But you can extend the canned food by mixing it with cooked rice in a 1:1 (by volume) ratio, which is perfectly palatable to dogs.

 

[Unicykle]

My dogs auto immune is on a stringent med schedule that the vets always fight me over so it's hard to get more than a couple months supply and she would be miserable within 6 months without it. She's on a special food that I do stockpile several months worth. I'm loyal to a fault and I do not have an overly high-value on myself so there's no point At which I would cut my dog loose to save myself were a team.

 

[Knobgoblin]

Without the need for tags and working within seasons , I'd say venison is the new DinkyDi

 

[Camelfilter]

No pets in our house, unfortunately.

That said I'd figure gradually transitioning them to reasonably easy to source &/or store human foods would be the way to go.

Chicken/eggs, as an oversimplified example. Fresh, frozen, from your coop.

When we do get dogs, they'll be family. Family will not be turned out. I could (unfortunately/realistically) see putting dogs down, however that would solely be due to unmanageable/painful terminal illness. Not because of a food burden.

They would be far more worthwhile as family, extra eyes & ears, vs "just" extra mouths. Even more so if they are working dogs.

 

[titsonritz]

I just watched that movie.

 

[Flounder]

Dogs eat pretty much what humans eat, so simply stock more. An easy "filler" is rice that has many uses and stores very easy. Throw some eggs and veggies in there and your dog should be fine. Protein is one of the harder things to stockpile for both humans and animals, so whatever you find for yourself could work in a pinch for your pets. We are all going to have to adapt if it comes to that point anyway.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Dogs are perfectly capable of surviving on fruits, vegetables, rice, beans, and pretty much anything else! Our Dogs eat pretty much everything we do already, so a survival or long term solution is to feed them what ever you are eating, ration them the same as your self and you should be just fine! Bonus is that many of the Working Breeds are very well equipped natural hunters and could prove their worth by helping to provide food for their Pack, I.E. You! My Two Newfies would have no problem taking down a deer or even a smaller elk, and my Malinois is very adept at killing smaller critters, so, were actually prepped pretty dang well!

 

[Mike7b]

About a year ago or so, the pet food aisle was about as bare as the toilet paper aisle a year earlier. Chicken was cheap, 50¢ a lb for fryer hindquarters. Boil the meat off, pressure cook the bones in some broth, after they soften, grind them up and mix together with the meat and broth. Add some rice green beans or sweet potatoes or yams. Pressure can it for meat times, quick pet food. The local farmer I buy most of my beef and pork from also offers pet food packages. So it gets canned up the same way. If you have cats, there's a supplement you need to mix in their home canned food. Been doing it for about a year now, the pets like it and it's a bit cheaper. Having a well stocked pantry also includes stocking for the pets.

 

[P7M13]

Dog food is convenient, but unless you buy it in bulk, or you buy crappy dog food, it's ridiculously expensive.
I had a dog who had tumors on her esophagus, not many teeth left, and couldn't eat dry kibble any more. Canned food gave her horrible diarrhea, so I did a two month experiment where I boiled all the leftovers, trimmings, bones, fat, veggie scraps, and added nutritional yest, salt, onions, carrots, barley and rice. It had the consistency of wet oatmeal, but smelled good. I quit because she passed and doing it took a few hours a week. I swear, the other two dogs revolted when I put them back on Science Diet.

 

[vanlab]

Cheap kibble sealed in 5 gallon pails, dogs eat their own poop, this will suffice when I can't get the good stuff.

And as a backup... well you know...

 

[johnny bob]

Phew......

Thought this was gonna be a cooking thread....

This brings back memories from when I worked for an airline. When a kennel was in transit if it was noted that the animal needed to be fed, watered or walked we would try to accommodate that request. One of my coworkers would gleefully volunteer to wok their dog. I miss those guys.

 

[American123]

"Dog food" is a first world phenomenon. Historically dogs would eat what they were given from whatever people ate, and likely the parts of animals people didn't eat, or didn't want to. You can easily store dog food if your storage arrangement isn't rat accessible. Just put the food in a hard sided container and it will also do a good job of keeping bugs out.

I'm of the opinion, if things have gotten so bad I can't go to the grocery store and buy food, the animals are a potential food source.

My grandpa had two pet rabbits during the Great Depression that got turned into a few meals because of that same reason.

 

[Cavedweller]

"Dog food" is a first world phenomenon. Historically dogs would eat what they were given from whatever people ate, and likely the parts of animals people didn't eat, or didn't want to.

If SHTF leftovers are as good as anything.

You can easily store dog food if your storage arrangement isn't rat accessible. Just put the food in a hard sided container and it will also do a good job of keeping bugs out.

The problem with dry dog food is, it is sometimes infested with insect eggs or other stages when packaged or after warehousing. Open your sealed container after a couple of years and you may find it full of nothing but insect feces and dead moths and/or beetles..

 

[Lilhigbee]

We are down to one cat now, but he'll be with us through the duration.

"There are a lot of people who should give thanks every night that their continued survival is not based on me choosing between them and my pets."

 

[American123]

If SHTF leftovers are as good as anything.

The problem with dry dog food is, it is sometimes infested with insect eggs or other stages when packaged or after warehousing. Open your sealed container after a couple of years and you may find it full of nothing but insect feces and dead moths and/or beetles..

That's interesting. I've not noticed that personally, I've seen dry food sit a long time without having any ill effects. I suppose it just depends on what package you get.