# What do you feed your fosters?



## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

Something mentioned in another thread made me think of this question.... what do you feed your fosters?

I struggle with this for every foster because most times they need a high calorie food to put on weight and I don't want to feed them crap but obviously can't feed premium food on the rescue's dime.

We don't usually get food donated (every once in a while) so I decide what they eat.

So, what do you feed your fosters that is OK or Good food but reasonably priced?


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Does your rescue pay for their food?

If it does, would they pay whatever they pay, and then you add another amount to put them on a better food?

If I can, I just feed what I am feeding my own dogs and so then don't notice the cost as much.  My dogs switch foods a lot so no set brand. 

I do like Nature's Logic - calorie dense and not as expensive when you break it down by serving. I have it special ordered when I am on that rotation. Lots of times I'll use a spreadsheet, where I put the first few ingredients, anything that stands out to me about the food, calories per cup, breakdown of protein, etc., pounds per bag, and cost. That way I can compare. When I see how much it takes my dogs to do well on the food, I can kind of figure out actual cost. Nature's Logic is a food I have to watch overfeeding.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

My rescue doesn't pay for food; it's on my dime. My fosters eat 4Health.


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

My rescue reimburses for food so I basically submit an expense report with receipts. They've never questioned me about the price but I thought maybe I'd get some lower priced ideas. 

Raven eats BB Wilderness and my last foster was on BB Large Breed Chicken (higher calories) but was going through a $45-50 bag every three weeks to put on the weight he needed. Feels a little excessive to me and if I can keep rescue costs down, we help more dogs. 

I have fed Nature's Logic to a foster before. I'll have to look into again when I get my next one.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I always fed TOTW but it was discussed before hand with the rescue because of the cost and to check their preferences.

I did switch one to 4Health and he did well on it. I think it's about $35?? It's at Tractor Supply.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

My rescue provides me with food. The problem is that I won't feed that crap to the puppies or the sick dogs that I get in. I do for the healthy adults as I figure they won't be here that long so it won't hurt them in the short term. I go out and buy the good stuff for the puppies and sick dogs and the rescue will occasionally reimburse me some of it, but as I know the rescue is broke most of the time, I don't expect it.


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## Dnahjj (Oct 28, 2009)

I feed the fosters the same food I feed my own dogs which is Taste of The Wild. I am *not* reimbursed by the rescue but it is much easier to use the same food for all 4.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I started with Premium Edge, as it was a step up from the blended donated food he was getting(shelter wants purina most often, but takes what they can get). I figured if he went to a new home with my advice on nutrition(I had a manila envelope filled with articles and info) he would get a good start. Well, I transitioned him to raw as my other dogs were eating it and it was just as easy to feed it to him. 
He ended up going back to the first foster after he bit my husband in the back, unprovoked. So he went cold turkey back to the blend of donation. It broke my heart when all this went down, and I don't think I'd put another foster on raw, but at least I'd do better than what they get at a shelter. After having him for 9 weeks I couldn't believe the condition of his coat, eyes, ears and skin, he looked sooo much better!
Because I didn't want to take the resources of the shelter I paid for everything out of my own pocket.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

What about Annamaet? I know one other person in GSR-SP feeds that. And they just came out with a grain free line. If you want to talk to that person about it just PM me and I'll send her name.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

I think too the reason it's good to feed what your dogs are eating is so you can compare how the foster is doing on the food with other "subjects" and get an idea of wow, none of my dogs are itchy, etc. 

But also I think it's important for rescue fosters to be able to tell new owners this is a good food (assuming they know/are into food like people here) and can help them get their current dogs off the grocery store foods they are often currently on, or start them in pet ownership on something good. It also helps with the transition to a new home. 

I understand the cost issue, but at the very least if I were feeding donated food, when I had a dog pending adoption, I would transition them to a type of food I would want them eating for life before they went to their new home.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

I wouldn't feel bad about feeding fosters a less than premium food. 
I am not made of money so the more frugal I am with my resources, the more dogs I could help.
IMHO health is the least of the dog's problems in most rescue situations. Picture telling a child, "sorry kid, the foster homes where they eat steak are full, but this orphanage is nice too."
It's admirable that people who *can* will supplement with their own money to buy premium food though. 
I have found Costco's Kirkland brand to be the best value in terms of nutrition vs. cost.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

In the past I generally fed them the same my other dogs were getting unless they were on a special diet. Most of my foster dogs in the past were stray rescues or owner give-ups so I wasn't fostering for an actual group. The GSDs I fostered for a rescue group, the rescue provided the food which was Solid Gold Wolf King. 
My most recent foster was from a shelter but they did not help with food costs. I can't remember what I fed him but it was a "middle of the road" food (something with good ingredients but not the 'top tier'.)


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## gsdmi (Apr 4, 2009)

We typically feed our fosters the same food our dogs eat. When bringing them from the shelter, if I can find what they ate there, I will get that and mix for a couple of weeks to try an avoid any intestional issues. 

Sometimes depends on the situation -- if we have a dog with bad stools, diarrhea, etc. quite often I won't worry about mixing food. If I'm dealing with explosive diarrhea anyway, I put them right on the food our dogs eat. We provide the food for our foster dogs.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

We typically feed our fosters the same brand our dogs are eating, but on occasion we feed them something different if necessary (for example: our momma foster that had nursing pups was on a puppy formula rather than regular adult).

We pay out of pocket for food, always have. I've never fostered for a group or shelter that provided food, although the shelter occasionally offers to send a bag home when we pick up a new foster(s). We figure that although we aren't rolling in money, the shelter needs the food they get more than we do, so we always decline and pay for our fosters food. The shelter dogs eat whatever is donated as far as I know (at the shelter that is), so diet can change not just day to day but meal to meal, thus they get switched cold turkey to our food when they come to us. If they are having significant tummy troubles I will do rice/cottage cheese for a day or two to settle things out a little, but usually they come so full of worms that it's hard telling if it's the diet change or the worms causing more problems initially.


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