Changing dog food

[Olive6001]

I'm currently feeding brands I buy at Costco. Olive gets the Natures something salmon kibble and Matty gets the small breed kibble. I'm considering switching them to something that's easier to get on the road, so I don't have to carry the huge bags. I'd rather carry smaller bags I can get more easily. Something from Walmart would be easiest, but I want very good quality. Blue Buffalo is pricey and I'd still have to find one of the chain pet stores like Pet Smart. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Nikki

[Azusateach]

Nikki, when I've traveled for weeks (only a couple of times), I've been able to store enough food to keep me going until I knew I'd be able to find a store that carried what Jed needed. I use 2-gallon ice cream tubs, and can get about a week out of one tub. There are other plastic containers that would work just as well, but I'd think about alternative ways to store your food so that you can keep your pups on what's good for them.

Laura

[Olive6001]

Thanks, Laura. Good info and something to think about. What I want to know is where the two-gallon ice cream tubs came from. Hmmm????

[Azusateach]

Thanks, Laura. Good info and something to think about. What I want to know is where the two-gallon ice cream tubs came from. Hmmm????

I teach school. And when the little kids (I'm middle school) have an event I ask for the tubs. They're great for storing all sorts of things.

[Olive6001]

I see....it's the old "I'm a teacher" ploy... I do love silly.

Now I'll be thinking about gallons of ice cream. Does Dulce de Leche come in gallons? Yeah, Hagen Daz Dulce de Leche. I'm pretty sure I destroyed the spelling.

[BirdbyBird]

Tractor Supply Stores also carry some healthy brands and are usually findable around the country....

[WickedLady]

I use one of the huge metal cans you find at Xmas full of cookies ( got mine for free at a yard sale). It holds enough to last 2-3 weeks for my big dog.

[MandysMom]

Just make sure to use a sturdy container. Mel left a bay door open one night on a trip where I had stored the spare bag of cat food because Mandy's food is hard to find and a critter got in there and ripped the bag apart and ate a lot of it! I was ticked at him since we were already 700 miles from home and I spent the rest of the trip trying to find a bag of that food as she gets tummy problems from anything but grain free. Of course now I'd just pause and order from Amazon, but it sure was a pain at he time. We were gone over 2 months and that food breakin occurred on our 3 rd night out!
Velda

[mitch5252]

..
I don't know if your pups have any issues (health), but Abby does, so I have to carry enough of her food to last an entire trip.
Her food is not easy to find and it's not good to make a sudden change.
UGH - but doggone, these 4-legged pests (no, not a typo - P E S T S) are so worth it.



PS: In case Abby gets sick on the road, I have to carry two different "emergency" meds to ease the illness until I can get her to a vet.
Something to think about if your pets have health problems.

..

[Olive6001]

I'm lucky that neither dogs have health issues. I'll have to give this some thought because I was considering months on the road rather than weeks. Thanks for all the feedback.

Nikki

[gingerK]

I take enough for my boys in an old plastic container that previously held cookies. Usually lasts long enough but I'm not going for months, just days. I like Marda's suggestion of a popcorn tin; sturdy and if little critters get in your RV they can't get into the dog food. Isn't Costco nationwide, Nikki? It shouldn't be too hard to find a store if you need to resupply.

[Olive6001]

Yes, Costco is nationwide although some states have fewer locations than others. There's only one in New Mexico. I was more concerned about storing the big bags Costco sells. They're big and heavy, especially Olive's brand. But I think you're right. Working out a way to carry so much food may be the way to go.

[gingerK]

Nikki, look for a square shaped container if you can find one. Will fit much better than a round one.

[MandysMom]

Nope, Costco is NOT nationwide. For instance Oklahoma has none and my sister I law complains about that. I can't get my iPad to do a better search but for sure none in Oklahoma. The state won't let them in, my sister in law says. If you have a laptop, go to Costco locations to see on a map where they are.
Velda

[Colliemom]

It has been mentioned on here many times about checking with Dog Food advisor and see what brands are better than others. I too don't like the high cost of some of the foods, but am a bit gun shy at some of the store brands in the light that of late, there seems to be a bunch of them getting recalled again. See http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com. for more info. At the moment I am feeding Molly on Purina Pro. But may eventually change to something else. When I took my trip west I bought and extra bad of her puppy food and carried it in my truck till I needed it. But next time I am going to do like some suggested and use the plastic ice cream pails. If you have a dairy around or a shop that sells ice cream, you can probably get some from them. The Cookie containers are good too. Other wise I usually just take te bag with me for however long I am going to be gone. I think a square small tote would work good too.