OK, what about my boys??

[Curmudgeon]

We have been discussing long term storage for dry dog food. I have read on a couple sights that in a Mylar bag with O2 absorbers it will keep well.

I am going to pick up buckets tomorrow, so if it's a valid way, I will grab some extras.

Anyone here put anything up for their furry friends?

 

[JustMe]

I don't remember where I seen it, but dry dog or cat food is supposed to keep pretty well on it's own.


But in worse case scenario, I've been experimenting with homemade dog food and there's tons of recipes online. In order to keep it longer term, I've been canning and dehydrating the meat & fruits/veggies components, then add whatever carb/rice and supplements at feeding time.

I'm using 1/2 protein, 1/4 carb, 1/4 fruit/veg mix, then whatever extras to supplement like some cooked egg, flax or corn oil, for fats/omegas and/or whatever I have to add a nutritional boost. Still trying to work out the details, but they sure are fat & happy.



The cat, OTOH, will only eat her dry kibble. She won't touch any people food, even tuna. So I have to stock up on hers or she's gonna starve

 

[Peanut]

@Curmudgeon Didn't Sourdough have a thread on dog food? Seems is was about a year ago.

Anyway, multiple types of food and storage were discussed. Might be some ideas worth reviewing... if you can find it.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Through more reading it appears it keeps well in the bag up to 18 months. If that's the case I will buy extra and rotate it.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

I am working on year two. I buy replacement plus one. I just keep it in the original bags. I also have my spare freezer full of meat scraps from a butcher and liver from the neighbor down the road.

 

[INresponse]

I could be wrong but...... dry dog food does have a bit of moisture in it so I think it would/could be susceptible to mold. As a kid in Michigan I remember one time we had a bag of dry dog food that got moldy and it took a few days of the dogs not wanting to eat it for the mod to become apparent enough to realize the problem.

I am not saying it will be a problem but something to keep an eye on. More people are starting to feed there dogs a meat diet as they need less food but get better nutrition. If the time comes, eggs, rabbit, squirrel, and any meat leftovers would be very nutritious for dogs. But, storing the dry food is a great idea if it can stay fresh and get rotated.

 

[dademoss]

The dog has 50 lbs as "working" and 50 lbs in "reserve", we rotate through them. Same with the cats, but dry food is 20 lbs, wet food is 60 cans in a case from costco.

 

[Neb]

We have been discussing long term storage for dry dog food. I have read on a couple sights that in a Mylar bag with O2 absorbers it will keep well.

I am going to pick up buckets tomorrow, so if it's a valid way, I will grab some extras.

Anyone here put anything up for their furry friends?

Physical security

A neighbor had dog food stored in the basement. The basement still had dirt floors. A ground hog dug under the foundation and got at the dog food.

In my digging adventures I discovered a pack rat tunnel almost 18" under ground level.

Make sure there is a physical barrier.

Ben

 

[JustMe]

Just in case anyone is interested in a homemade recipe, here is a link to BalanceIT that is a supplement to add to guard against any deficiencies, You can click to add ingredients. then click to create recipe to see if it 'passes' as a healthy recipe for different diet plans (higher protein, higher carbs, etc). I do use the calculator as a guide, but I have yet to come up with a combination that doesn't require adding their product, so I'm kind of suspicious if there is a 'perfect' recipe. But I have gotten it down to only 5 deficiencies......and of course it doesn't tell how much to use of each item, nor what those deficiencies are or how important or necessary

BalanceIT.com

 

[Morgan101]

Anyone here put anything up for their furry friends?

We certainly factor our dog into our preps. He even has his own BOB that we keep with ours. He is relatively small so the bags of dog food we buy for him last quite a while. As with most of us here, the dog is a part of the family, and he will not be forgotten or abandoned.