Homemade Dog Food for when TSHTF

[FarmerChick]

I agree MyKid
notes are good to have if needed and this thread had alot of good info
but if the SHTF the dog is probably the last thing you are worrying about feeding
(a true SHTF situation) he gets what ya throw him lol

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

I agree MyKid
notes are good to have if needed and this thread had alot of good info
but if the SHTF the dog is probably the last thing you are worrying about feeding
(a true SHTF situation) he gets what ya throw him lol

no problem feeding my family. taking/taken care of. but the dog will be necessary for my son and hopefully also guarding.

fc: please re-read the topic line of this thread.

 

[FarmerChick]

Homemade Dog Food for when TSHTF
that is the title right?




read what?
why? this was the topic line.

if it hits the fan I doubt anyone will trouble making dog food by the big batch for fido
(and I mean if it is a true hit the fan scenario but if you have time, I stated the info is good on this thread and taking notes to make dog chow in hit the fan scenario is a good idea if needed) (OP stated if they become more SS they want to do this on their own and I said great info on the thread to do that from other posters)

so?



of course a good dog "alive" being fed is a good thing when in bad times for guarding etc. I agree.

 

[savingdogs]

Dog are often just opportunists and will eat whatever good stuff is around. If TSHTF, I doubt all the esoteric discussion about their natural diet will go down the drain, dogs have survived for a long time on "trash". If you want to make sure you are providing for your dog, just have extra food.....most things we eat, they can eat. It doesn't have to be complicated.

Pinkfox, regarding the KBD and others being a primitive breed, I agree. However, the most impressive thing that Cesar Milan said to us when we heard him speak was this:

Americans think of their dog first as Fluffy, then as a cocker spaniel, then as a dog and finally as an animal. When in reality, it should be the other way around. First the dog is an animal. Then it is a dog, then a cocker and finally that particular dog Fluffy, and that we would do much better understanding them if we remembered that.

When I apply this concept to dogs as a general rule, I have never found it to be wrong. While my Karelian is the most primitive dog I have known, given enough hunger, I would expect any and all of my dogs to kill and consume whatever game it could possibly find, discarding only the inner parts it might find distasteful. I've seen a three week old puppy ready to kill another pup the same age because it was utterly starved. We live in an era where our pets are very pampered and spoiled. That does not mean that the animal in them cannot re-adapt.

On the bone issue, I've heard veterinarians tell clients over and over NOT to give their dogs bones and I just have to laugh (while I otherwise have huge respect for vets) because dogs are SUPPOSED to chew bones and I've never heeded that particular piece of advice. My dogs always have nice teeth too (Free is right) and don't need their teeth cleaned because I supply lots of bones. Yes, they occasionally break teeth but I look at the happiness and satisfaction they receive from a part of the animal I cannot use and that seems awful useful to me. I am careful not to choose cooked splintery bones or chicken bones however, but would feed those particular bones raw and possibly pounded crushed if I thought they were dangerously sharp, should I no longer have dog food available to me. Since I currently feed kibble, I would want a big supply so I could transition my dogs diet over a greater span of time. Usually dietary changes are better tolerated the longer you take to implement them.

Thanks for your input. You obviously care about the animals you foster, and have taken the time to learn as much as possible. (Not that you others havent, but I've been reading her blog for a while and had to comment on this). I do intend to always have an extra 50 pound bag of kibble.

If we butchered a rabbit, I assume we should skin it first, then give it to him to eat? Away from the outdoor rabbit run and goats and chickens?

Because my personal dogs have a strong prey drive for the most part, I would want to try to alter what I give to the dog so it did not look like a rabbit or a chicken or smell the same. I'd pluck a bird so the feathers were gone and I'd skin the rabbit, although I might give parts back to the animal later. I've heard dried rabbit ears could make good dog chewies, that sort of thing. But I don't doubt that our domestic dogs realize that those chickens walking around ARE food, they are just well behaved about choosing to eat it. I don't expect they have forgotten they are animals, and meat eating ones. I would not have the dog kill and eat a live animal or allow that, and if my dog did that, I would take it away and possibly cook it before giving it back, or at least take the good part for myself since in this scenario I'm probably starving too. But I don't think I would truly be "fooling" the dog, just teaching it that it can only eat the food I say it is okay. Kind of an extension of "leave it".

Dogs do need a balance and variety and you got some great examples here of a "good" dog diet on this thread already, as long as you aim for that, a small dog should not be a hard thing to consider in your SHTF supplies. I have FIVE large dogs so it is more of a concern for me. Most American dogs are much too fat and could comfortably live on much less food than they are used to.

For a dog there are a few other things you might want to think about having, such as sturdy leashes, tie down, medications your dog might need, Benedryl for bites, dog pain medication, flea treatment, peroxide to make your dog vomit should you need to, nail trimmers, and I want to get one of those wound-staplers that vets have. We have dog coats, dog seat belts and a dog crate for everyone too. I have a dog first aide kit. Since my dogs are collectively a PACK that could hunt with a leader even, I'm more concerned about these things than a long term food supply for them.

 

[FarmerChick]

during olden times dogs were disposable along with tons of all animals...one problem being meds/prevention/vets etc.

now the 'family pet' who gets chemo and every other life luxury if needed is not like it is when a true SHTF sceanrio might happen.


I worry more about the people then the pets....but of course if I have the pets taking care of them is important. You do the best of your ability of course. they add to the value of your life if they are used properly for what they are....like a bird dog for pointing etc.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

For a dog there are a few other things you might want to think about having, such as sturdy leashes, tie down, medications your dog might need, Benedryl for bites, dog pain medication, flea treatment, peroxide to make your dog vomit should you need to, nail trimmers, and I want to get one of those wound-staplers that vets have. We have dog coats, dog seat belts and a dog crate for everyone too. I have a dog first aide kit.

Oooh, good idea, SD! Thanks for being helpful.

 

[savingdogs]

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/fstaidk.html

This is a good list, I have more than this (lactated ringers and plastic hardware to administer most especially for giving fluids) and a lot more tape and such for wrapping wounds and a book about dog first aide.

Also, I realize I said I have coats for all my dogs and that isn't true, I have coats for my short haired dogs.

 

[Farmfresh]

My two JRs eat a partially raw diet (chicken wings/legs and eggs) just so they will eat raw if TSHTF. We take them hiking in the woods and they hunt/kill/eat mice and squirrels. My plan to raise meat rabbits is to feed all of us. I've never had a problem with my dogs trying to kill a small animal that they know is off limits... a solid "leave" command comes in handy.

A "leave" command works wonders on most dogs, but some breeds require SO much more. We tend to have Husky and Husky mixes around this house. The "Leave It" command works perfectly ... when you are around. These dogs are VERY predatory and need quite a bit more controls installed than the average dog. We also did the extra conditioning with the German Shepherds and I would recommend it for any prey driven wild type dog. (a dog breed that looks much like a wolf)

I understand the question perfectly. Many of us have dogs that we will be DEPENDING on in a bad situation. These are not just pets. Security dogs, livestock dogs, service dogs, herd dogs and working/drafting dogs. These will need to be provided for at least to some degree in order to keep performing their duties at top levels.

Still we must remember that a dog's ability to digest things like bone, sinew, hide and gut - that people cannot eat - is what helped to make them one of our allies in the beginning.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Thank you, FF.

Even tho if asked, my son will say the puppy is annoying and he hates him, he sneaks hugs from the fuzzy white critter AND I'll tell anyone who asks (out of his hearing) that he hasn't had a huge meltdown since we got the pup 3 (4?) weeks ago. That in itself is worth keeping him around because when my kid has an autistic meltdown, it takes an hour or two of my time, with huge tensions and blowups, protecting him and myself from scissors, knives, anything sharp, suicide and other violence, and even after its over and my son apologizes, it takes me HOURS to calm down.

I don't have that kind of time.

Keeping this dog is a necessity for the survival of this family. MENTALLY. EMOTIONALLY. Not to protect against zombies or whatever. Although once he grows up and has intense loyalty to us, I'm sure he'll guard too. So absolutely 100% this dog will be fed as good as I can with resources on hand. Even if Hubby has to go out and shoot squirrels, prairie dogs (bountiful here), hawks or deer.

Once trained, the dog will be with my son at almost every moment. Or with me. Except when on a bathroom break. So even tho we're teaching "leave it", I'm not sure I'd trust him alone in the garage with the chickens and bunnies. He is a lab, after all.

 

[pinkfox]

thats smart!

breed definatly plays a part, and labs are a hunting/retreiving breed....
sometimes instinct is stronger than training and while most wouldnt mean to hurt, play often leads to death when play is a larger dog with a flappy noisy hen!
(i feel the same way about leaving dogs of any size with kids...its jsut not smart... lol)

i also know what you mean about the dog being nessicary...
my chinese crested are not officially service dogs, my female is acting as right now, she alerts to seizures and responds as best she can she also helps defray attacks, disrupts my ocd ect...
unfortunatly shes not large enough to do many of the tasks i realy require from a service dog, but right now she is my life line. more than that though is my pets are the reason i am alive, i suffer from severe bipolar depression and on a down suicidal thoughts are not uncommon...my dogs aremy reason not to act on that, as selfish as it sounds, i love my family but know theyd survive if i wernt here...my dogs though, my male especially would fret so much that hed probably stres himself to death.

it sounds like this pup ha had a similar effect on your son...while the help isnt 100% there yet, that young pup has already made a difference. for some dogs are pets...for others they are working animals...
for people like myself, they are a tether to reality a reason to live...a nessecity in living form.

if tshf, my animals care does become a neseccity...because wthout them im not sure i could mentally survive...

as someone else pointed out, on raw and pretty much any none comercial diet, the dog will eat MUCH less,
a general rule of thumb with raw feeding (probably different for cooked but i cant see it being much different) is a normal energy level adult pet dog should be eating 2-3% of their ideal body weight a day...
so a 60lb adult lab will only be eating about 1 1/2 lbs of food a day. (now again thats raw feeding amounts so that weight includes bone in.
id say cooked for an adult lab would be mabe 2 cups a day?!

dogs working in the feild (ie farm dogs) or performance dogs will usually need more, and puppies do need alot more (as much as 10% of their current weight while growing) but once a dog hits its adult hood, the amount of GOOD food needed drops, we have to feed so much comercial kibble simply because most of it is fillers, stuff the dog cant digest, we feed more of it to get them enough good stuff...
the better the food the less they eat and the less the body wastes (youd be amazed at the difference in poop between a kibble fed dog (even the realy good kibble) and the poop of a raw fed dog lol.

so in the long run, home made cooked and home made raw tends to be cheaper than even the cheapest of the comercial kibbles, even more so if you can raise your own meat.
you asked about quail and how long untill butcher.
itll depnd on the type of quail, i like cortinux, but if done right quail is incredibly economical as a meat source.
male cortinux are ready for the table at 6-8 weeks of age and a female will typically begin laying before shes 2 months of age and lay almost daily for a year beore production grows. (and since dogs dont care if thier meat is tough or gamey, theyll happily take "retired" layers old roos and otherwse "inedible" meats lol.

i would definatly look into cortinux, they are much more efficient layers per lb of feed than even the best producion chickens (about 5 quail eggs to 1 chicken egg size wise for baking, but a chickenn needs about 3 lbs of feed to make about 1 lb of eggs...cortinux about 1 1/2 lbs of feed per 1 lb of eggs...
and they take up much less space they breed readily, typically hatch well

rabbits are also wonderfull meat animals, easy to raise (raise em in wire floored tractors so they get fresh grass for an even more economical way) they breed like crazy, VERY easy to process, and its one of the healthiest meats available!, plus use the pelts for blankets, adding fur for warmth in the winter, general craft projects and such.

http://www.essortment.com/raising-coturnix-quail-organically-eggs-meat-41676.html


in terms of serving, i always give my dogs their meat de-skinned and beheaded...its much less messy and the skins (ie rabbit) can be used for better uses than being wasted.
the guy i get my raw from donates the heads to a raptor rehab center...