Can You Buy Dog Food with Food Stamps?

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February 6, 2023/Sarah Brady

Wondering what you can or can’t buy with food stamps?

Is dog food among the eligible items to buy with SNAP?

Well, let’s find out. 

Can you Buy Dog Food with an EBT Card?

No. You cannot use food stamps to buy dog food because it’s considered a non-food item since it’s not for human consumption. However, you can use an EBT card to purchase eligible food products like meat, fruits, and vegetables, all of which you can use to prepare homemade dog food.

Eligible food items that you can buy with an EBT card:

  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Bread and cereals
  • Meat, fish, and poultry
  • Dairy products

Illegible food item

  • Foods to be eaten in the stores
  • Vitamins
  • Hot foods

Petition calls for food stamps to pay for pet food

A petition dubbed ‘’Don’t let Pets Starve-Include Pet Food in SNAP benefits” was started on a social network petition site Care2  by Edward B Johnston Jr, a 58-year-old pet owner. The petition was to request the United States Department for Agriculture(USDA) to buy food for his dog using food stamps.

Can you buy frozen meals with SNAP?

Yes, frozen meals like frozen entrees, frozen dinners, and uncooked pizzas are among the legible food items you can buy using SNAP.  You can buy them from grocery stores or gas stations. However, you can’t buy hot, cooked food such as roasted chicken.

Can you buy rotisserie chicken with snap?

Unfortunately no. Food stamps cannot be used to purchase hot foods or home items. As such, food stamp recipients will be unable to purchase rotisserie chicken because the program limits expenditure on hot foods and non-food goods such as cleaning products, vitamin supplements, cigarettes, and alcoholic beverages, among others.

Conclusion  

You can’t use food stamps to buy pet food, but you can buy legible food items and prepare homemade food.

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Sarah Brady

Sarah Brady is an animal lover and the proud dog-mom of a Golden Retriever named Brody and an Italian Greyhound named Jessup. Unfortunately, Jessup developed serious allergies to many different types of dog foods and ingredients when she was just a puppy. Meanwhile, Brody could eat seemingly anything and carry on as healthy as could be. Sarah spent hours of time researching and testing different foods and brands before finding something that worked for little Jessup. She wants Dog Food Care to simplify this experience for future dog-parents who face food allergy or tolerance issues of their own.