Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Waste Not Wednesday: Dog Food


  • Waste Not Wednesday: Dog Food

     Feeding my dogs on an extremely tight budget has been an area I've been thinking about lately. So my interest was sparked when I began reading about making your own dog food.  (I'm also looking for ways to fight fleas without spending so much on commercial flea products. Anyone have any ideas?)
    This week I made a pot of chicken broth. I had been saving leftover carrot peels, onions and celery in the freezer for a few months. I also used a cooked chicken carcass plus a few pieces of raw chicken.  When the broth had finished simmering for a few hours I started to throw out the veggies and meat pieces when I suddenly remember the article on making dog food. It dawned on me that I could reuse the carrots, celery and chicken pieces.
    The recipe I had my eye on called for 2 cups of cooked pasta, 2 cups of cooked rice, vegetables and a tablespoon of peanut butter boiled in a large pot of water. I had some beef broth that I also stirred into the mixture.



    I ended up with 5 meals for 2 dogs. It's not a huge amount but every little bit helps these days to stretch my budget. And the great thing is that most of the food was going to be thrown away. I'll still leave dry dog food out in a bowl in case they get hungry during the day.

    I thought this would also be a great way to use leftovers that normally go to waste. I forgot to mention that I went through my fridge and found some leftover vegetables and a small amount of Chorizo that was outdated that I put in this batch of dog food. Unfortunately, I do have leftovers that go to waste if I don't get them frozen quick enough. No more. From now on I'll use them in future batches of dog food.
    I know some dogs may have sensitive stomachs but we've been giving our dogs small amounts of scraps from the table since they were young. I just make sure I don't give them onions or Chinese food and I watch the portion size.  I also try to be careful about the amount of fat I give them and I don't give them chicken or fish bones. We've never had any problems and I think we'll be fine as long as we keep the food simple. 
    I'm thankful to find another way to stretch our budget for this coming year.
    My God IS Jehovah Jireh.. my Provider! He has proved Himself to be the best provider anyone could hope for over these past few years. I'm at rest knowing He will provide for all of our needs in the coming year while we wait for an answer from Social Security on my husband's disability. Teaching me how to stretch our food is only one of many ways He is doing so.

7 comments:

  1. Great idea to make your own dog food. It is so true that every little bit of frugal living helps to stretch the budget. Here is a link to dealing with ticks and fleas http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_InsectPrevention.php

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love reading about this because we have a dog and you inspire me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like reading that you are doing everything you can to cut back. I'm thinking I might try making our own dog food as well. Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a wonderful way to use scraps and still feed your dogs! I'll have to try that myself. Why don't you feed the dogs chicken? Just beef?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I use dry dog food too-but also supplement it with scraps. My vet advises against beef and pork-he said it could cause a dog to get pancreatitis-but says chicken is good. I don't give Mojo pieces of beef or pork--but he seems well able to tolerate bits of it that are ground and any kind of broth. Last night Hubby & I had burgers. I poured some water in the pan after I made the burgers and made a broth out of the pan drippings and water. I had a leftover bun which I ripped up and used to sop up the broth. I put that in Moj's dish and he loved it. I give him dog food twice a day--usually with a small portion of some leftover. He eats it all and I never have dog food sitting out--which is good cuz it will attract bugs and mice and such like.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That's a great way to stretch the budget AND make your dog happy. I don't have fleas or ticks where I live now - too high of an altitude - but when I lived back east I gave my dog a garlic capsule and a brewer's yeast tablet every day and I never had a single flea or tick on my dog. I hope to move back that way soon and plan on going back to the same preventive regimen. My dog thought they were treats and looked forward to getting them. In fact, he learned how to pop the garlic capsule between his teeth to get the full flavor.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Money is so tight now days and this as a good idea. I'm going to start making my own dog food now.
    Thank you for the tip

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment.