how well could one live off of dog food?

from what i have heard, dog food is just meat, with some veggies mashed in, in jelly.

of course, looking at the sludge that you pour into the bowl it doesn't look appetizing, but hey at least its better than wood

as stated before, dog food doesn't contain any vitamin C but couldn't you just get some pure citric acid in a bag? it would implode your face but i think it would give you plenty of C and im sure it would come cheap, and seeing as fresh fruit would be scarce and all...

[edit on 6-6-2007 by funny_pom]

why eat the dog food?

lets eat the dog

hot dogs for everyone

I don't think you are stupid at all. I think it is absolute genious! That is a very reliable non-perishable food source. My only question is: What would your dog eat? Just kidding. But in all seriousness. That is a very smart idea. Another item that could be handy is the non-perishable milk or soy-milk in the boxed liter forms. No refrigeration required.

Good idea on the dog food. It definitely beats the alternative!

Originally posted by Yarcofin
Two words:

Animal By-products.

You could eat it if you had to, but you don't want to know what it's made of. And it is also nutritionally formulated for dogs, not humans, so it isn't that good for long-term consumption.

There are some higher quality dog foods that do not have by-product - California Natural, Innova are just a few.

I work at a pet store part time and at one of our fund raisers the rep for a dog treat company was eating the biscuits. He said they were a little dry.

Haven't had the nerve to try it yet!

dog food is not that bad guys....it's a done deal for me...i'm going to stock up on water and dog food

Its definitely edible and, with luck, will sustain a person for quite some time, but you do need to consider that the standards for the production of food for domesticated animals and pets tends to be significantly lower than that which is intended for humans. You are probably going to be exposing yourself to a higher level of bacteria, bugs, rat droppings, and other contaminants as opposed to human food. Granted, it probably isn't going to kill you or make you too terribly ill, but it could very easily make your life miserable for a few days at a time.

In other words, I'd use it if I had to, but would not actively plan to rely upon it.

what else though can be compared? something that is cheap, you can buy in bulk, don't need to prepare, can eat on the fly??

of course it's less than wonderful but we are talking survival. you have to bounce and say you and the misses can only take a backpack each...mama will be carrying a pack full of dogfood

Originally posted by Boondock78
what else though can be compared? something that is cheap, you can buy in bulk, don't need to prepare, can eat on the fly??

I think Dinty Moore Beef Stew, Sweet Sue Chicken & Dumplings, and a bunch of other similar things would be just as nutritious and be of a higher quality.

I know what goes into dog food, and frankly it would be healthier to starve to death. The meat is the lowest grade you can get, innards, etc. It is laden with chemicals so it will never spoil, and also any protien value is shot instantly because of the low grade of the crud they put in it. Here is my suggestion: feed this crud to a dog, then eat that dog, the dog is better food than the canned dog food.

Survival on dog food=one very miserable life, and your body is going to have all kinds of problems with digestion, also pray your taste buds are shot considering how bad that stuff smells, I would hate to know what it tastes like.

Even bigger: you will have no teeth left, at all. Why? Scurvy. You need fruit in your diet or else your teeth fall out, dog food will not help you AT ALL. Thats all meat and potatoes, not apples and pears. So no you could not "survive" off of dog food. After a few months your teeth will rot out, fall out and then our screwed. Teeth are a valuable commodity when trying to survive.

if i HAD to i guess i would. but gross! it would take me a while to get used to it. although one time i ate one of those doggie beef jerky things (i was tipsy and i thought it was real beef jerky) hahaha and it wasnt that bad! but the thing i dont dig about dog food is the chalkyness to it. its jut bleh. interesting question though.

Originally posted by Boondock78
what else though can be compared? something that is cheap, you can buy in bulk, don't need to prepare, can eat on the fly??

of course it's less than wonderful but we are talking survival. you have to bounce and say you and the misses can only take a backpack each...mama will be carrying a pack full of dogfood

If cost is your primary basis of comparison, I do not believe that there is a better alternative. Its cheap, no question. That said, there is a higher risk of illness and this would be a big issue for me, especially if I planned to be on foot. I don't know about the nutritional value of dog food when considered for human consumption, either. The worst junk food might be far better for you, for all I know.

IMO, you'd be better off buying a lesser amount of a higher quality food if cost is an overwhelming factor and plan on using the local plants and wildlife for longer-term needs.

[edit on 6-6-2007 by vor78]

About two weeks...is all I give you on dog food. Not that you would keel over and die after two weeks. But you would have a really bad case of running to the bath room. After two weeks you would start to show some other signs that could lead to liver and kidney damage on a daily diet. It would be that same as going on an all fast food diet. High blood pressure,etc. but you could survive a couple of weeks without any un reversable damage. Your colon may never forgive you...?

I see members are looking for a means of vitamin C to prevent scurvy.Boil the needles of an evergreen tree to make a tea. Very high in vitamin C. No scurvy.Simple enough?

I use to have a comics book - Underground...It was called..

Where Fat freddy saw a comercial on TV about cat food..Fat Freddy had a cat that was also watching the same TV comercial.

It ends up with Fat Freddy runs out in he's kitchen and happily the cat follows - With one goal - The cat food..

But to the cats surprise - Freddy eats the cat food himself after opening the can..
-
I think one of the benefits of eating Dog food would be your fur gets more healthy and you can jump fences and hunt rabbits
Jumping fences might be good if you end up in a FEMA detention camp one day....


[edit on 6-6-2007 by Ram]

Not everyone has access to nettles for tea, also it brings into effect the need for other materials to actually MAKE the tea. Thus I suggest that you should not even attempt to survive on dogfood, it would be safer to eat dintymoore and hormel canned junk. Also if your actually in a survival situation, dog food is never an option, you need something to last you, not a short term fix. So spend energy getting high energy based foods: go kill a deer, rabbit, forage for plants, etc.

I won't even give commercial pet food to my dog, much less eat it myself. According to a lawsuit against pet food companies and retailers here in South Florida, the pet food isn't even safe for pets.

...a lawsuit recently filed in Miami federal court is now questioning what unexpected ingredients may make it into your pet's food.

The 150-page lawsuit targets more than a dozen major pet food companies and retailers, and claims that the companies have used false and misleading advertising.

Photos found in the lawsuit filings are graphic. They show dead cats dumped into trash cans and bones of dead animals at a rendering plant.

Attorneys claim that many companies try to save money by intentionally putting dead and diseased animals into your pet's food. MacIvor showed the CBS4 I-team a photo of dog food containing hair and sutures.

But MacIvor said she found also found evidence of, "Hair, hooves, spine, hair, fetuses of cows, dead and diseased animals."

MacIvor cited an investigative report from a television station in St. Louis in which a truck is followed as it takes euthanized cats and dogs from a Missouri humane society. The animals are allegedly ground up at a rendering plant, and then used as additives for pet food.

The truck allegedly carrying the animal parts reads "serving the pet food industry."

According to the FDA, there are traces of pentobarbitol, a chemical used to euthanize cats and dogs, in pet food. MacIvor explained the FDA has not outlawed the practice, and said it's common.

The lawsuit also claims that when many animals eat commercial pet
foods, they can get allergies, kidney problems and illnesses. It also raises the claim that if pet food was better regulated, there wouldn't be as many sick pets and deadly product recalls.

Source: Special Report: What's In Your Pet Food?

Annestacey: word, that is another DARN good reason to NEVER touch such animal food, so far the only "animal food" I would touch would be a salt lick block ment for cattle. Its a giant block of salt, thats it. Safe. Other than that, never would I touch anything that is fed to animals that comes from a store.

It doesn't matter whats in dog food etc it has to be fit for human consumption by law aperntly they ever have dog food taster "human" so to answer your question yes you can eat it and yes could live of it for a long time.

In an all out survival situation, you do what you need to do to survive Period.

Dog food is just that food. Its best use would be as a suppliment to your food supply. Lets face it if you can find the stuff you should be able to find other things as well.

Wet versus dry? I would have to see what the relative life of each would be. It stands to reason the dry would last longer and some dry dog food is made to add water too.

Originally posted by djohnsto77
I think Dinty Moore Beef Stew, Sweet Sue Chicken & Dumplings, and a bunch of other similar things would be just as nutritious and be of a higher quality.

and they would be of higher money too. i think pricewise, as far as how much you get per pound, the dog fod might be the cheapest.

i know i have been stocking up on things like potted meat and spam and such but that is just as bad as dog food, which ain't that bad