Here’s a simple truth: If you don’t store food for your pets in case of an emergency, you may be forced to feed them food meant for you or your family.
If you consider your pet part of the family, you need consider the same level of emergency preparation for your pets as you do for your family.
Plenty of prepared people have at least six months of food reserved for family members, but have they thought about their pets. How much dog food do they have set aside? Is it a month or less? It is not that prepared pet owners do not care about their furry or feathered family members. Usually, it just doesn’t cross their mind.
I always recommend that people have six months or more of pet food on hand at all times. This offers a good cushion against supply chain disruptions. For example, I remember hearing from people who had difficulty finding particular brands of dog and cat food during the Covid-19 pandemic. I want to point out that these disruptions don’t care how much money you have. Even millionaires had problems finding the pet food they needed.
Dogs and Cats
If you have a dog under 20 pounds, freeze-dried dog food is a wonderful option for long-term storage in an emergency. While it is expensive compared to other dog foods, it has an exceptionally long shelf life, and dogs tend to love it because of the high-quality ingredients.
A single 10 pound box of freeze-dried food hydrates to 40 pounds of food, so just a few easy-to-lift boxes is enough for a smaller dog for six months or a year.
Freeze-drying is not a bad option for adding to emergency bug-out bags for pets, too, since it saves weight and space in your car.
My husband and I are parents to three large dogs. Dean is a 70 pound German Shepherd dog that is very active, Sadie is a 120 pound Great Pyrenees/Anatolian mix, while Leroy is a 60 pound Labrador/Mountain Feist mix that loves to eat everything if he gets the chance. Shockingly enough, we only go through about 40 pounds of high-quality dog food every two weeks. Sadie’s breed has a prolonged metabolism; she is ten years old and eats the same amount as our German Shepherd.
by pinecarr