Posted: 2/12/2013 11:46:15 AM EDT
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I try to maintain at least 60 pounds of dog food (combined) for my two dogs (about a month's worth). They're stored either in original unopened bags or in sealed kibble containers. Ideally, what is considered an adequate stash? 3 months? 6 months? I realize in a real SHTF scenario I could give them game harvested from either my father's farm (120 acres) or my wife's fathers farm (800 acres) but both of properties are at least 120 miles away.
Thanks for the input. |
I noticed my dogs tend to not like the dry food towards the end of the bag...maybe its stale..maybe they like a fresh bag (they are spoiled) but i try and keep atleast 3 months dry food on hand.. However i do keep a stash of canned dog food about 6 months worth after that my furry friends might have to fend for themselves. 
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I think you’d be better off stocking a lot of food you can both eat. I've got my wife and I covered through a combination of stored goods and an heirloom garden. I'm also fortunate that my dad is a prepper. Quoted:
I noticed my dogs tend to not like the dry food towards the end of the bag...maybe its stale..maybe they like a fresh bag (they are spoiled) but i try and keep atleast 3 months dry food on hand.. However i do keep a stash of canned dog food about 6 months worth after that my furry friends might have to fend for themselves. Thanks for the input. I'll slowly move towards 3 months of storage. Do you use any type of watertight/airtight storage container? I have two of these: Vittles Vault 60-lb |
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Thanks for the input. I'll slowly move towards 3 months of storage. Do you use any type of watertight/airtight storage container? I have two of these: Vittles Vault 60-lb Look at this link, you might find some options which could save you some money. |
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I think you’d be better off stocking a lot of food you can both eat. This is pretty much my plan, my hound gets a bowl of food whenever his is empty, but it could take him 3 days sometimes to empty it. His main diet is table scraps, and with very few exceptions will eat whatever we are having, even veggies as long as they are cooked. He has a fantastic coat, great muscle structure and pretty much perfect health so far. One 60 lb bag of food will last him a month, my friends dogs from the same litter will go through 60 lbs in 2 weeks. It's funny how people perceive it really, my dog is part of my family and I treat him as such, I will even cook a little bit extra for supper to make sure he has enough scraps to eat. He also gets raw meat from deer carcasses in deer season and I let him clean the bones up good too. If the shit goes south he will be part of my lifeblood since he can track and tree, and until the point I absolutely can not do it anymore he will get a share of the food, luckily since he is a dog his share might include chopped and boiled intestines and rib meat, as long as its parasite free and made of meat he will happily chow it down. |
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I think you’d be better off stocking a lot of food you can both eat. I've got my wife and I covered through a combination of stored goods and an heirloom garden. I'm also fortunate that my dad is a prepper. Quoted:
I noticed my dogs tend to not like the dry food towards the end of the bag...maybe its stale..maybe they like a fresh bag (they are spoiled) but i try and keep atleast 3 months dry food on hand.. However i do keep a stash of canned dog food about 6 months worth after that my furry friends might have to fend for themselves. Thanks for the input. I'll slowly move towards 3 months of storage. Do you use any type of watertight/airtight storage container? I have two of these: Vittles Vault 60-lb I use the same containers. I have 2 of them. My dogs eat different types of food. I keep a extra bag each, about 2 months of food. I also keep extra meds for the needy pup. I treat my pups like family. |
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I try to maintain at least 60 pounds of dog food (combined) for my two dogs (about a month's worth). They're stored either in original unopened bags or in sealed kibble containers. Ideally, what is considered an adequate stash? 3 months? 6 months? I realize in a real SHTF scenario I could give them game harvested from either my father's farm (120 acres) or my wife's fathers farm (800 acres) but both of properties are at least 120 miles away. Thanks for the input. I do NOT have any problems here with bugs or rodents so I do not worry about a container with an airtight seal. My large container holds about 66 lbs worth of kibble (has a lid but not airtight) and I try to keep an extra bag on top of that. Total of @ 100 lbs of kibble + all the extras will last both my Dobies a few months. If their brand of kibble happens to be on sale I stock up and buy more when it is cheap. I have never had a dog get 'upset' because the kibble was not so 'fresh' anymore and most modern kibbles have been processed (heated / dried out) to the point that they are not going to go 'bad' in any kind of hurry if stored in a cool and dry place like inside the home... To help suppliment the kibble I buy the cases of canned Pedigree dog food by the case and stack it high as well. I try to buy that in bulk when it is on sale / have coupons etc. Mine usually get to split a can between them when I do add that to their kibble. Keeps them from getting spoiled on the canned food. Any sort of canned people food that is past expiration date gets split between the dogs. Any sort of freezerburned meat gets tossed into the kibble at mealtimes as well. Freezerburned meat may taste bad to us but it is not poisonous or harmful in any way. Dogs dont bitch about the 'flavor' of freezerburned ground beef. They will go NUTS for it. Last week my girls both had a few meals supplimented with some ground deer beef well over a year old that I found hiding in back of freezer. Dogs LOVED it!  I keep an eye out at the grocery for stuff that has been reduced in price because it is near the 'sell by' date and try to buy that up. What does not get ate by humans is dog food and stored in freezer for later. This last Thanksgiving when all the stores had turkeys on sale - I stocked up! LOL! At only 88 cents per pound the Turkey was cheaper than their regular kibble. When I cook a Turkey here NOTHING is wasted (except for cooked bones). People grade meat goes in one or more freezer bags - Dog grade scraps go into a few other freezer bags... Only thing tossed is the cooked bones. 
Rice is also good to stockpile. When on sale or at the right price in bulk I buy a lot of rice. Can never have too much rice around in my opinion. If you get to the point where you have too much rice and need to start getting rid of some - Dogs get the oldest you have stored. Cooked rice, Chicken, and Turkey are all relatively easy on a dogs tummy and will help get them 'excited' about their mealtime kibble if added to it. If you buy at the right time and stock up all of these can usually be found cheaper per pound than many kibbles as well. 
I stock kibble for the dogs but also stock cheap 'people foods' that get rotated out as kibble suppliments if they start getting old sitting in the freezer or pantry. |
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I can tell you a few things about it. If your dog provides security, keep him happy. Dont change up your dogs food for shtf. He will not be happy and wont do his job as well. If you currently feed him a high end food, and you switch to Ol' Roy, he wont have the energy he used to, and he will crap all over. He wont be worth his weight in gold anymore to your security detail. Same goes if he is your huntin buddy. I dont have dog right now, but one is in my plan soon. I am planning to build a garage out back, when thats done, I will have a fence between the two and thats where the doggies will play. |
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If you currently feed him a high end food, and you switch to Ol' Roy, he wont have the energy he used to, and he will crap all over. He wont be worth his weight in gold anymore to your security detail. Same goes if he is your huntin buddy. What are some of the difference between dried dog food? How can they be compared? |
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If you currently feed him a high end food, and you switch to Ol' Roy, he wont have the energy he used to, and he will crap all over. He wont be worth his weight in gold anymore to your security detail. Same goes if he is your huntin buddy. What are some of the difference between dried dog food? How can they be compared? I kind of spoil my dogs, so take it for what it's worth. If you want to take care of you dog, don’t skimp on dog food. You really do get what you pay for with most dog food. Good brands that I have fed my dogs with good success, and a family friend (who is a breeder/trainer/vet) recommend: -Blue Buffalo -Science Diet -ProPlan -Pedigree Most of these have higher concentrations of meat (Chicken, salmon, lamb, duck, etc...) proteins and animal fat. Most try to avoid corn, soy, and whey which have no nutritional value for most dogs. Dogs on good dog food brands tend to have to eat less due to getting more 'bang for your buck'. I’m not going to go through a list of what to avoid, but I will say that I would strongly advise again Ol'Roy. It is notorious for making dogs sick, causing liver/kidney failure and our breeder has had people who have lost their dogs; which she believes was caused by their dog food. If you want the simplest way to tell if what you are getting is worth what you are paying check the back of the bag, and if the primary ingredient isn't an animal protein then you likely should pick something else. |
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If you currently feed him a high end food, and you switch to Ol' Roy, he wont have the energy he used to, and he will crap all over. He wont be worth his weight in gold anymore to your security detail. Same goes if he is your huntin buddy. What are some of the difference between dried dog food? How can they be compared? Basically the more you pay the less filler is in them. There are lots of different high end brands with different protien and fat ratios, made for different types of working dogs and breeds. If you look at your dogs poop you can usually tell the quality of the diiet, feeding cheap food make nasty yellow looking poop with a grainy look to it. A proper diet will make very solid very dark poop. |
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I'm new to dogs. Had one years ago, and just recently brought another one into the home. I can remember that my old dog used to suddenyl get fussy about a bag of food. I long suspected it wnet rancid or otherwise was 'off'.
I've been buying 50 lb bags. Given that the current hosehold pet eats but a cup a day, that bag wil go far. I snapped a gamma seal lid on a five gallon bucket to make a relatively airtight and secure food storage bin. If these seals will keep human food fresh, I see no reason why it won't work for kibble. fro |
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I think you’d be better off stocking a lot of food you can both eat. I've got my wife and I covered through a combination of stored goods and an heirloom garden. I'm also fortunate that my dad is a prepper. Quoted:
I noticed my dogs tend to not like the dry food towards the end of the bag...maybe its stale..maybe they like a fresh bag (they are spoiled) but i try and keep atleast 3 months dry food on hand.. However i do keep a stash of canned dog food about 6 months worth after that my furry friends might have to fend for themselves. Thanks for the input. I'll slowly move towards 3 months of storage. Do you use any type of watertight/airtight storage container? I have two of these: Vittles Vault 60-lb I use a huge pelican case I got from work. It had some electrical equipment in it I got rid of that and turned it into my dog food storage. I hit up the sales at Petco...They have canned good sales all the time. like .50 a can with pet perks card..i usually buy like 20 cans at a time. |
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I can tell you a few things about it. If your dog provides security, keep him happy. Dont change up your dogs food for shtf. He will not be happy and wont do his job as well. If you currently feed him a high end food, and you switch to Ol' Roy, he wont have the energy he used to, and he will crap all over. He wont be worth his weight in gold anymore to your security detail. Same goes if he is your huntin buddy. I dont have dog right now, but one is in my plan soon. I am planning to build a garage out back, when thats done, I will have a fence between the two and thats where the doggies will play. Very true...dogs get upset stomach real fast next thing you know they have the runs and not doing their job. Like ^he^ said keep them happy as long as you can. |
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Quoted: Quoted: If you currently feed him a high end food, and you switch to Ol' Roy, he wont have the energy he used to, and he will crap all over. He wont be worth his weight in gold anymore to your security detail. Same goes if he is your huntin buddy. What are some of the difference between dried dog food? How can they be compared? http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/dry/ Honestly, I think a dog can live just fine on whatever.  The benefits of good food for the dog are an absence of the hyperactivity, or sluggishness that a diet full of cheap fillers might give a dog. The benefits for the owner are less poop, firmer poop that's easier to clean, and less food consumed. When we got our puppy, we fed her Beneful. She got sick of it real quick, and I was getting sick of cleaning up soft poop 4-5x's a day  We tried out some of the higher end brands...they cost much more, but we feed her much less. She poops 2x's a day and the poop is firm (good for their anal glands) and doesn't leave a mess in the grass. For instance, if we were still buying her Beneful, for her weight, we're supposed to feed her something like 3.25-4 cups per day  I've been buying Blue Buffalo wilderness and I feed her 1.5-1.75 cups per day. No issues, hell she's getting a little fat w/ the winter and all You have to piss away some money on the smaller bags and try them out though. I really wanted to giver her Taste of the Wild, but it makes her constipated I had her on Chicken Soup for the Dog lover's soul, but she got tired of the flavors and wouldn't eat. She wouldn't even touch the Blue Buffalo longevity stuff...I had to sprinkle cheese on it to finish the bag. So, I just rotate flavors of Blue Buffalo Wilderness. Speed |
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We buy about one months worth of food for our dogs at a time, not because of prepping, but its simply better economics.
I love my dogs however I do absolutely no long-term food planning for them. Come some sort of long-term event, they can eat left overs and though not as healthy, they sure would be a lot happier eating people food. Even then, its not that hard to learn what's not good for them. Tj |
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I've been in the dog business for the past 20+ years. The best bang-for-the-buck right now is the Costco Kirkland dog food. Highly quality, low price. But the thing is: You need to make sure that your dog likes it and does well on it before stocking up. One of our Goldens did terrible on the lamb and rice, but is fantastic on the chicken formula.
Canned dog food is mostly water. I don't store it. |
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Kibble will not store long ( 6 months+) because of the fat in the food. Will last a bit longer if in air tight ( vacuum sealed) container or frozen but not much ( 7-8 months). I have tried. We have a vet hospital, so I have tried cheap food and expensive food. I does not matter toward the storing length. Low fat food last a little longer.
Canned dog food will last a lot longer. Low fat does best. Cost is higher for each meal and takes up more space. What works best is storing rice and wheat, freeze dried meat and veggies, Same thing that you will eat. When the SHTF and it looks like it will be long enough to go past the dog food you have on hand, start mixing it with cooked rice/ wheat and what ever table scraps you may have. It needs to be a slow change over, 1-2 weeks. This will keep the pet from getting the runs bad. DO NOT GIVE FATS, GREASE, CHICKEN BONES unless as a last resort. They can all cause problems that will need meds, iv, and/or surgery to fix. |
| Buy your dry food, hit the LDS cannery, borrow their can sealer: http://troopersgal.blogspot.com/2012/11/apocalyptic-dog-food.html |
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I can tell you a few things about it. If your dog provides security, keep him happy. Dont change up your dogs food for shtf. He will not be happy and wont do his job as well. If you currently feed him a high end food, and you switch to Ol' Roy, he wont have the energy he used to, and he will crap all over. He wont be worth his weight in gold anymore to your security detail. Same goes if he is your huntin buddy. I dont have dog right now, but one is in my plan soon. I am planning to build a garage out back, when thats done, I will have a fence between the two and thats where the doggies will play. Couldn't agree more. I have a GSD pup and an Australian Shepherd. I gradually switched to Blue Buffalo last month and I've noticed an increase in energy, regular poop schedules, and they actually seem to eat a little less (possibly better food=more filling?). I think I'm going to just store an extra bag per dog and cycle them regularly. That will give me at least 120-150 lbs on hand at any time. |
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Buy your dry food, hit the LDS cannery, borrow their can sealer: http://troopersgal.blogspot.com/2012/11/apocalyptic-dog-food.html We tried it. Will last about 8-9 months before it starts to turn. Still might be safe for them to eat, but we did not risk it. |