What to Do When You Are Out of Dog Food
It’s happened to us all — and it is happening more frequently now with supply chain shortages. We suddenly find ourselves out of our dog’s food. Whether you feed raw, freeze dried, kibble, or canned, there are empty spaces in pet stores where those products used to be sold. Raw feeding co-ops are out of stock of many items. Product lines or certain formulations are in short supply, or significantly more costly. So the question on everyone’s mind is, “What do I feed when I can’t find or am short on what usually use?”
I used to run into this situation frequently at the veterinary hospital in the past, usually when an owner found himself out of food, and the pet store was closed. He would head over to the grocery store and grab a product that seemed similar — but as many of you will know, it likely isn’t. Within the next 48 hours he would be calling for an appointment for the resulting vomiting and/or diarrhea.
To solve your dilemma, I’m sharing my top 5 strategies for the times you run short of your dog’s regular commercial food.
Buy in bulk and ahead of time
This is the simplest solution — don’t let yourself run out. It’s a no-brainer to try to avoid the situation. Within reason, buy extra of your favorite products. When your supplier gets fresh product in, grab some. Of course, this assumes you have storage space to keep extra food on hand. You may find yourself making extra trips to your favorite store more often to check for products, but imagine the peace of mind of knowing you have what you need for 2-3 months on hand at all times.
Condition your dog to a variety of commercial foods
Another obvious option is to have a few brands or products that your dog does well on. Consider choosing different companies and proteins. Feed them in rotation or even mixed, acclimating your dog’s digestive tract to say turkey and fish based products. If you plan on mixing, be sure to choose smaller bags, as kibble experiences serious nutrient breakdown 3 – 4 weeks after opening. Always store in a tightly closed bag.
If you decide to start this plan, and your dog has a history of a sensitive stomach or has never had a variety of foods, consider digestive support. Probiotics and/or digestive enzymes can smooth the transition phase. They can also be helpful in times of stress.
Acclimate your dog to “extender” foods
Extender foods are fresh foods added to your dog’s commercial product meals. These could include up to 20% fresh meats, fruits, and veggies, eggs, healthy fats such as coconut oil, and even canned sardines, salmon, and oysters. Bone broth, which you can make yourself, is also an excellent extender with nutritional and digestive benefits. This plan, thoughtfully done, can actually boost the nutritional value of kibble especially with regards to fats and vitamins. It also enables you to stretch your budget, as you take advantage of sales, farmers, and even your own garden.
Condition your dog to a half day fast
Many experts feel fasting has benefits for both dogs and humans. And many advocate for fasting dogs, especially those on raw diets, once a week, including one of the pioneers of raw diets, the Wendy Volhard. For healthy adult dogs, acclimation to eating one meal a day just once a week can help in the event you unexpectedly run short of food for a day. And if you feel a bit uncertain doing this, you could always do a serving of bone broth, with or without some small bits of chicken or other lean protein. For most dogs, I recommend against fasting more than 24 hours without prior acclimation and veterinary clearance.
Have a DIY recipe plan with easily available ingredients
Having a DIY recipe to make a nutritionally complete meal from common ingredients is a great way to keep food quality high while using your regular market or other food supplier. While often people will use what many vets call a “bland diet” for digestive upsets in a pinch (my version here), these plans are nutritionally incomplete and only suitable for short term use. A super solution is to make a batch of my Basic Beef Recipe, which is a nutritionally complete cooked meal. You can make a batch and freeze in individual meal sized portions, for a defrost and serve solution to your dog’s dinner.
I hope these ideas are helpful to you, and inspire you to develop your own hacks for navigating shortages in commercial products you feed your dog. Share your thoughts over on my Facebook page!