Most dogs are happy to eat at every opportunity. That said, scheduled meals are important to ensure your dog gets the nutrition and energy they need to be at their best. But what if dinner time rolls around and you discover the food bag is empty?
When you’ve run out of dog food and you’re panicking about what you can feed your dog, take a deep breath. Your dog won’t starve for missing a meal or two. More importantly, you probably have the ingredients to put together an acceptable emergency meal replacement.
We spoke to Dr Nell Ostermeier, DVM, a licensed veterinarian and veterinary adviser at Figo Pet Insurance, to learn what pet parents can safely feed their dogs when regular dog food is temporarily unavailable. Here’s what you need to know.
What To Feed Your Dog if You Ran Out of Dog Food
Your dog’s bowl doesn’t have to remain empty just because your last bag of dog food is. Chances are good that your fridge or pantry holds the key to satisfying your dog’s hunger until you’re able to restock their food supply. Here are some safe dog food alternatives:
Pantry Items
- canned chicken or tuna in water
- canned vegetables (rinsed or salt-free)
- peanut butter (xylitol-free)
- plain Irish oats (also known as pinhead or steel-cut oats) or rolled (old-fashioned) oats
- whole grains like brown rice and barley
- whole-wheat or gluten-free pasta
- gluten-free grain alternatives like millet and quinoa
Refrigerated Foods
- cooked eggs
- cottage cheese
- lean meats like chicken, turkey, or beef
- mild, aged cheeses like parmesan or cheddar
- plain, low-fat Greek yoghurt
Fresh Produce
- chopped fresh veggies like carrots, celery, and cucumber
- cooked green vegetables like broccoli and green beans
- cooked potatoes and sweet potatoes
- cooked squash like pumpkin and butternut squash
- fresh chopped or sliced melon
- peeled, sliced bananas
- peeled, cored apples, and pears
- washed berries like blueberries and strawberries
Unsafe Foods To Avoid
When preparing a dog food substitute, be sure to avoid any ingredients that are toxic or harmful to dogs. Some foods may be safe in small amounts—like high-fat proteins and refined grains—but the following ingredients should be avoided entirely.
- artificial sweeteners
- avocado
- blue cheese
- chocolate
- corn on the cob
- cooked bones
- dried fruit like raisins
- fruit pits and seeds
- garlic
- grapes
- macadamia nuts
- wild mushrooms
- onions and chives
- potato peels and raw potato
- yeast dough and bread
- xylitol
Meal Replacement Ideas for Your Dog When You’re in a Pinch
A meal replacement for dogs you throw together from leftovers isn’t going to match the nutritional balance of a high-quality canned food or kibble. But that’s no reason not to try. Being mindful of ingredients and proportions can help minimise any risk associated with a significant departure from your dog’s typical diet.
“A basic way to provide some level of balance with a temporary diet,” says Dr Ostermeier, “is to feed two parts meat or protein to one part grain and/or vegetables.” For example, two cups of cooked lean meat with one cup of cooked sweet potatoes. Or one cup of scrambled eggs with a half cup of canned green beans.
Dr Ostermeier offers the following tips for deciding what to feed your dog when you run out of dog food:
- Avoid ingredients your dog is allergic to and anything your vet recommends limiting based on your dog’s health status.
- Cook all the ingredients separately so you can keep the proportions in check when mixing up individual meals.
- Keep added fat to a minimum, especially when cooking ingredients—excess fat can trigger stomach upset and increase your dog’s risk for pancreatitis.
- Opt for salt-free or low-sodium pantry items when possible and rinse canned vegetables to remove excess sodium.
- Let the ingredients cool before mixing up your dog’s meal and store the leftovers in the refrigerator to keep the food fresh.
Putting together a substitute meal for your dog is only half the battle—there’s also the question of how much to offer. If you’re up for the challenge, you can insert the ingredients into a calorie-counting app and estimate the caloric density of your meal replacement. Otherwise, it’s easiest to go by volume.
Dr Ostermeier recommends matching the volume of your dog food substitute with that of your dog’s regular meal. “If you’re feeding two cups twice per day,” she says, “feed two cups of the temporary prepared diet twice per day.”
Your homemade diet is unlikely to be an exact match for your dog’s current food, however, so be prepared to make adjustments. For example, a fresh food diet will likely be less calorically dense than a commercial diet. “If your dog seems hungry after the meal,” says Dr Ostermeier, “you might need to offer a bit more or an extra meal.”
Transitioning Back to Your Dog’s Normal Food
You ran out of dog food but managed to put together a reasonably balanced meal replacement to get your pup through the day. Now what?
At this point, you may be wondering if you can just feed your dog chicken and rice every day. Or even stick with a diet of homemade food instead of dog food. While it’s better to feed your dog a substitute meal made up of dog-safe human foods than to let them go hungry, Dr Ostermeier cautions against feeding a temporary diet longer than a week without veterinary guidance.
If you make a habit of feeding your dog from the fridge, you could put their health at risk. Commercial dog food products are formulated according to specific nutrient levels established through extensive research.
It’s difficult to achieve the same nutritional balance with homemade diets, even when using a veterinarian-formulated recipe. Malnutrition is a serious risk, not to mention the challenge of determining exactly how much to feed your dog when making your own dog food. Excesses of calories and specific nutrients can be just as damaging over the long term.
In short, it’s best to get back to your dog’s normal diet as soon as possible. But if you’ve been feeding the temporary diet for a few days—or if your dog has a sensitive stomach—mixing some of your dog’s regular food into their substitute meals for a few days may reduce the potential for stomach upset.
If you find yourself having to rely on dog food alternatives, even temporarily, consult your vet to make sure your dog’s health doesn’t suffer. Most importantly, learn from the experience and keep at least a week’s worth of your dog’s food on hand going forward.
