how do you stretch dog kibble

[skeeter03]

phone your local butchers and ask them if they have scrap meats - some will sell it cheap just to get rid of it
and scrap bones and some sell like liquidfied organ meats that you could add to a home made dog food (do this outside cause it reeks to highheavens cooking it up)
ask on your local "freecycle" for any meat be sure to clarify its for your dog.
I give my dog a medium dog food by presidents choice - first few ingrediants are meat and its one of the cheaper brands out there
its like 24$ for 16kg bag.
but I also give my do all the table leftovers that dont go the chickens.
you could also ask freinds and family to keep any left over beef bones for you -my family does this they just keep them in the freezer for me until
egg delivery day and I get a bag full.
I have also made my own dog food with cheap kibble/organ meats/eggs/rice/veges/and any other meat I could get for cheap or free - then used that for one meal and then
regular dog food for the other.

 

[doubled]

Quote:
the coyotes here do a fine job of it...they eat apples from our orchards, juniper berries, grapes, russian olives, currants, you look at any pile of canine feces (besides the ranch dog's) around here and it is a majority vegies and fruits.

also, both of my dogs can often be caught eating grass...

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Honestly, whatever you do, don't switch to a cheaper food. Cheaper food actually costs more in the long run if you do the math. Many cheaper foods are full of fillers that the dog can't digest. Basically you're paying for something that is going to pass through your dog unharmed. Because the dogs can't digest most of the ingrediants you have to feed more of the cheaper stuff to get the same nutrition of a premium food. Switching to a cheaper food, is taking a step backward.

What brand of feed are you feeding? Some "premium" foods are actually money wasters as well.

How much are you feeding your dogs? Are you measuring it out according to each individual or are you free-feeding?

Check your food provider for bulk discounts. Many places like Tractor supply will give discounts if food is bought in quantities of 5-10 bags or more. I think our Tractor Supply offers, buy 10 bags and get 5% off. If you can't use that much before it goes bad, go in with someone and split the discounts.

-Kim

 

[Bare bottom farm]

I have worked for a vet for over 5 years and they tell people to use a filler like greens, carrots, just NO onions or chocolate. But what you are doing is in stead of buying a dog food with fillers like corn you are adding your own so the amount of poo will increase.

Also to much protein in any liveing thing is hard on there kidneys.

Wishing you the best!

 

[Hoosiermomma]

Quote:
We use old yeller for our dogs...we have 9. I usually add brown rice, green beans, some olive oil, a sprinkling of ground flax and a few other things when we have them (canned pumpkin, carrots etc.) on hand, to their food.

 

[jerseygirl1]

Honestly, we give our dogs a a can of day of veggies - it adds bulk to an otherwise all-kibble diet, and yes, they are carnivores and need meat, but that is what kibble does, so adding a can of veggies is what our vets (more thanone) suggested doing to help with overall health. And it does help filling their bellies up.

 

[onthespot]

you could also make sure the wild birds (or other animals) don't have access to it. when i fed my dogs outside in the morning, the sparrows knew my schedule and at feeding time they would swoop down and seemed like they would eat as fast as the dogs, especially during the nesting season. they ate a lot MORE when i would moisten the dry food to make it easier for the dogs to eat THEIRS faster. No way to out maneuver those sparrows, so I just went back to feeding everyone in the kitchen. A little bit more mess to clean up but worth it in the food i saved. When I lived in the Virgin Isands, the big cane toads would just belly crawl up to the dog dish and eat as much as they wanted also. So, birds, toads, rodents, cats, other dogs, coons, possums, weasles, nosey pet livestock, ducks, chickens, you name it. Anything that figures out dog food is good to eat will cut into your bottome line.

 

[HEChicken]

Quote:
Dogs are not all carnivore - they need some vegie matter in their diet. In the wild they obtain it mostly by eating the intestines of the vegetarian animals they kill, but will sometimes voluntarily eat some vegie matter when they need it. Even cats who are more carnivorous than dogs, need some vegie matter in their diet.

 

[lorieMN]

Quote:
I used to work at a vet clinic where one of my main duties was performing dental cleanings on cats and dogs, so I do know how much an animal can need one. That said, I've owned dogs for the last 20 years and fed nothing but kibble, and none of my dogs has ever needed a dental cleaning. I associate dentals with feeding canned food. The kibble is hard enough to help the dogs teeth stay clean so does not cause the buildup of plaque and tartar that canned food does. I've never tried a raw diet so can't compare it, but on kibble, there is something wrong if you are doing 6 dental cleanings a year.

I meant the 6 dentals/year are because she owns 6 dogs..each dog once a year..I fed kibble for ever until a few months ago,,all dogs needed cleanings,,in fact my 9 year old aussie needed one bad,but I was holding off until I get him neutered (dont want GSD/aussie cross puppies) he has been on raw for 6 weeks now and his teeth are near perfect,dont need the cleaining anymore..I actually think the water has more to do with tarter build up on pets then the feed,we are on well water,always have been,and I think the raw helps clean these deposits off better then kibble.I know friends in town dont get mineral deposits on the sinks and toilet like I do.

 

[lorieMN]

Quote:
the coyotes here do a fine job of it...they eat apples from our orchards, juniper berries, grapes, russian olives, currants, you look at any pile of canine feces (besides the ranch dog's) around here and it is a majority vegies and fruits.

also, both of my dogs can often be caught eating grass...

yes,because they are opportunistic eaters,,if its edible they will eat it,doesnt mean they need it,,like chocolate cake for us..usually they eat grass to sooth the stomache or to make themselves up-chuck.