How to Feed a Dog in a Power Outage

When you have dogs, your preparations for emergencies such as sudden power outages need to include the family pet. By planning ahead, you will have food and water available so you can feed the dog its normal diet. However, if the power outage has caught you unprepared, you don't need to panic. If you have any people food in the house, then your dog will do just fine.

Things You'll Need

  • Can opener
  • Dry dog food
  • Bottled water
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Instructions

    • 1

      Open any cans of dog food with a manual can opener. If you feed your dogs only canned food, you must keep a manual opener handy. An electric can opener won't work during a power outage.

    • 2

      Keep a bag of dry dog food in case of emergencies. Dry food does not expire quickly and you can safely feed it to your dog without the need for electric appliances.

    • 3

      Give your dogs bottled water if power to the well is out and you can't get water from the sink.

    • 4

      Feed your dog leftover food from the refrigerator or freezer. Use food that is already cooked or doesn't need cooking. Dogs are omnivores and can eat almost anything that humans can eat. Food in the refrigerator will be good for about four hours, according to the USDA's "Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency" brochure. Food in the freezer will be OK for dogs and people while the temperature remains 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.