I have several dogs and cats that I have rescued, to save money on dog food I cook a lot for them. Kidney is cheap and they love it with rice and some veggies. I buy chicken when it is on sale. I save all the bones in the freezer all summer. I crush them with a big hammer and stew them on the wood stove in the winter. I use the nutritious broth when I have to resort to storebought dog food. If you cook the bones for 2 days, they become soft as rubber and then can be fed also. There are a lot of minerals in the bones and they should not be discarded.
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I have a Vita Mix blender, and the Vita Mix spokesman told me that it can grind chicken or turkey bones to make dog or cat food, just like commercial pet food companies do. I cook the bones to make some stock, add it to the blender canister with the bones, and grind them into a slurry. I pour it into a container and add a cooked grain, like rice or barley, and some cooked veggies, like celery, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, etc. My pets think it's a real treat, and get a scoop on top of their dry food every day. I make lots and keep it in a large container in the fridge. It gels as it cools.
I lost the site I was reading about someone feeding their outside cats free dry dog food they got with coupons. My only concern was that dog food does not have the correct ingredients that cats need to remain healthy. The protein levels differ and the very important taurine is a must for kitties.
I have a dozen kitties.....all sad sad stories and I am always on the lookout on how to stretch the budget for them.
Keep up the good tips, I think this site is wonderful.
Mary
well this may sound a lil gross to some but I also save my fish heads and mk a broth...sometimes wth chicken bones...a pressure cooker helps...throw in some oatmeal and/or rice....veggies...they scarf it up....i discard the fish heads after boiling the good stuff out though...when i was on the coast i did the same wth shrimp and craw dad heads....both dogs and cats like it.....any bones wrk...if u cut up beef and pork bones then u can really mk some good food....if u don't hav a electric saw a meat hack saw is a good investment...pets don't really need salt but a pinch in the water helps draw the minerals out of the bones....
Bless your heart for rescuing those animals! I know there are some veggies that are good for dogs and you might want to add to their food. Mine love raw green beans, but pumpkin is good for them also, probably raw, and some others.
well the shelters are full here like every where... i even rescued 2 mini pigs...they seem to eat anything the rest won't...mentioning pumpkins...in the fall there are alot of pumpkins discarded after halloween, i just stop and ask if peops want them hauled off and most are tickled wth it...i worm wth the seeds and feed them to small animals...degu's and hamsters,chipmunks love them..i like that idea of grinding the bones ...
I have four farm dogs that LOVE bones. Only one of these dogs actually knows how to eat bones, so I use a pressure cooker to make the bones soft. Even when they've dried, they fall apart when you pick them up. I also save up food scraps - biscuits, meat, fats, a few veggies - and divide it up among the dog bowls. However, the dogs do get dry dog food in the morning and afternoon when they come in from the fields.
Chicken hearts are cheap and they count as meat. Taurine is important to the cats to keep from going blind. This sounds wonderful, I haven't thought of crock potting the chicken with the bones and such. Also a very successful kitty rescuer I know from here suggests giving them krill oil as a supplement.
I am going to start doing this as well. I love the many ideas I got on here.
Yaay~ and as un update to all who may remember how my cats were in an uproar from Mick, who was the new cat in town...he has been neutered, and all is well that ends well. =^..^=
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