When we run out of kibble, Rupert gets eggs.
Rough right?
And we have an over-abundance of eggs. So, I got to thinking about making my own dog food. I did it once before, a big experiment with cost tracking and everything. And it came out to be about as much as kibble. But more work.
But I was doing something different then. First, I was buying meat, in addition to using eggs. And second, I was buying my rice and oats, at the grocery store.
So I did some more research. Mostly, on the protein requirements and caloric needs of dogs. I printed out these and scanned them: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. I used the SELF nutrition tool to figure out how much of what to get his daily needs.
We’re going to give it a shot. Rupert will now be eating:
Eggs. Eggs are a complete protein, and free/practically-free. Most often we’ll serve them hard-boiled, crumbled. Even the shells are edible for dogs.
Rolled oats. A $15 50# bag will last us nearly the entire year—.06 cents/serving. High in protein and fiber, low in fat.
Oats have anti-inflammatory and skin-soothing properties. They also have a calming effect on the nervous system. Oats are a more warming grain that helps strengthen the spleen, pancreas and immune system, and heart. Rich in silicon, oats strengthen bones.
The vegetables mainly round out the vitamin intake, antioxidants and fiber.
- Sweet Potato. Roasted and mashed. .15 cents/serving.
- Carrots. Served shredded and raw. .05 cents/serving.
- Spinach. Served chopped and raw. .05 cents/serving.
Fish/Fish-Oil. In most cases, fish the mister has brought home.
If need be, I’ll look into buying cod liver oil.
We are going to be looking at a per-meal cost of something like .25 cents – .56 cents a day. Or $15/month. And he seems to be loving it.
(And it’s one less trip to the store.)