Emergency Rations

As someone who feeds a diet that is entirely dependent on the refrigerator, I worry. What if the electricity goes off for a few days? What if we need to evacuate? What if we need to board Silas?

Maybe, eventually, we can do like other people and have an emergency bag of kibble. Right now, we can’t. The other options, freeze dried or canned foods, have really started looking up, after a few new discoveries. Turkey canned food seems to be a booming field, suddenly. Here’s our “emergency pantry” right now.

The Spring Naturals brand is new to my local store, and fairly new in general, I believe. I bought the “Turkey Stew” and “Turkey” flavors to test. I really like the ingredients list on these, so I hope Mr. Picky will eat at least one of them.

Also in the photo is Fromm’s Shredded Pork. I haven’t researched it exhaustively, but this is the only single-protein pork canned food that I’ve seen so far. This can is getting elderly; I don’t even know why I bought it. The grumpy news is that my store seems to have stopped carrying it. I couldn’t remember the brand, so I’m not sure if the clerk and I overlooked it or if the brand has been replaced. There is a dehydrated pork food on the market right now, from Grandma Lucy’s, but I wasn’t willing to pay for a full bag just yet.

The thing I didn’t get in the photo is Wellness’s 95% Turkey. It isn’t nutritionally balanced, but I can work with it. Wellness gets bonus points for being reasonably available. Even the big box pet stores have either this one or their Turkey and Sweet Potato flavor, which Silas will grudgingly eat.

Tripett you’ve heard me rave about before, just like you’ve heard me pout over Silas’s rejection of the Honest Kitchen Embark. These two would make a fantastic emergency diet on their own, but Silas would rather eat rocks than Embark. The company also sent me a sample of Keen (because I’m apparently on their mailing list now, not because I’m a famous blogger), which is basically Embark with oats. We need to try it–I wonder if the oats would cut down on the “too green” flavor.

Canned pumpkin is a great mixer, either to get some veggies in something like the Wellness food or to tempt an anxious appetite. Also good to have on hand in case of digestive emergency.

That little purple packet to the left is Stella and Chewy’s Freeze Dried Cat Food, in the turkey flavor. Silas adores Stella and Chewy’s, but the dog version doesn’t come in a flavor Silas can eat right now. There’s no way Silas could actually eat the cat food for more than just the most extreme emergency. Not only is it staggeringly expensive–12 oz of “Tummy Tickling Turkey” is $26 and would last two and a half days–but it’s also very rich, with both a higher meat and higher fat content than their dog food. I would do my best to at least mix it with some canned pumpkin. What I’m really excited about is that, historically, Silas will eat anything if I sprinkle Stella and Chewy’s on top. Hopefully even the Honest Kitchen Embark.

(And with that, we’re off. In the most backwards of travel logic, we’re leaving town for the week after Thanksgiving. This isn’t a real vacation, so I should be around with at least a few photo posts. If not, you’ll know why.)