Whether it’s hurricane season, winter ice storm season, or you have concerns about food shortages, pet owners don’t have to be preppers to be ready for contingency-type situations. The prepared pet owner will be intentional about making sure their pet has what they need, should stores be unable to open for any period of time.

 

While I’m an advocate of feeding pets a whole and varied diet all the time, having your favorite pet food supply interrupted by unexpected mail delays or shutdowns for any reason can be a great excuse to experiment with simple recipes your pet will love.

 

One of my clients recently sent in a picture of her most recent pet food “experiment” made with ingredients that most people are likely to have on-hand in their pantry. She started with a base of 15-bean soup (her version of people emergency food) and modified her usual recipe for her pups and cats. This is great because the dogs will love it and most people have some form of beans gathering dust in their pantry. Beans are great fiber, provide quality nutrition, are inexpensive, and also make a convenient base for an in-a-pinch pet food recipe. 

 

To prepare, my client soaked the beans overnight, drained, then cooked them in the crockpot on the “beans” setting. At the last hour of cooking, she added some cut-up chicken because that’s what she had, and threw in vegetables. Because she has a garden, she added a squash and zucchini to round out the meal, finished with a pinch of Himalayan salt and a little oregano. The veggies only needed a few minutes of cook time in the hot stew mixture. This meal is shaping up to be drool-worthy for people and pets alike! She could have also used canned tuna or ground beef for the protein, or added additional vegetables such as tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, kale or pumpkin. As an everyday meal, I would recommend adding a pinch of ground eggshell.

 

Now you know, for those days when you’re waiting for your regular pet food to come in the mail or you can’t get to the store for whatever reason, this meal is a great alternative your pets will love!