Tips to Protect your Dog Food Investment
October 3rd, 2023 by Marlene Ring
Quality dog food is expensive.
Why do we buy it?
Because we want to feed our dog quality food that will keep him healthy and happy.
That being said, doesn’t it make sense to protect and store his food correctly to get the optimum nutritional value we spent so much to get?
Most people don’t even think about their dog food after they buy it.
It just gets put wherever we have room.
This can be a mistake when it comes to keeping your pets food fresh and beneficial instead of harmful.
Use these Tips to keep your dogs food safe
and protect your investment.
All food should be kept in a cool, dry place…….
not in the garage, unless yours is air conditioned like ours!
I know storing it can be a hassle, particularly when you have bigger dogs.
This is especially true when you buy big bags to make it more cost effective.
How Long is it Good?
Research has shown that although the “sell-by” or “use by” dates are usually dated sometime in the next year, once the bag is open it will start oxidizing and turning rancid.
Therefore, it’s best to use a bag of food as soon as possible to ensure freshness.
This means usually buying smaller bags unless you are feeding quite a big dog or several dogs the same food.
Freeze It
Some premium dog foods such as Wysong suggest you keep their products “in a cool, dry, dark environment”.
They also suggest storing unopened packages in the freezer to further extend shelf life.
But if you don’t have freezer space to share, then a smaller bag is best.
Keep It In the Bag
The original packaging for dry dog food helps protect the kibble from oxygen and humidity.
Premium dog food companies use high-quality packaging, including the use of oxygen barrier bags made of petroleum products.
This packaging, in particular, is very effective at keeping out oxygen and moisture.
Some foods like Orijen even have re-sealable bags to make it easier.
But even though the bags do their very best to keep the food fresh, you still need to select a cool spot in our home to store it.
Ideally, that is “between 50 and 70ºF” and away from sunlight.
Track It!
Another very important reason to keep the original bag of dog food is that it contains the barcode, batch code, and expiration date.
This identifies the particular batch of food you’re feeding your dog which can be very important information to have in the event of a dog food recall.
If you suspect any problems with the food or if for any reason your dog doesn’t like it and you need to return it.
Containers
Don’t dump the dog food in an inexpensive plastic container as fats and oils in the food will settle at the bottom and sides of the pet food storage bin and become rancid contaminating the fresh new food you pour in.
Even if you wash it out every time, there are contaminants that can seep into the dog food.
Think of it this way. What happens when you store tomato sauce in a reusable plastic container? The sauce often dyes the sides of the container red and cannot be washed out.
The same thing can happen when you use a cheap container to store dog food.
Use Both!
So keeping the food in the original bag is important, but that doesn’t mean you can’t place the ENTIRE BAG in a container.
A container with a tight fitting lid is best, so no need to throw out a container if you already have one.
Just make sure the whole bag fits in there and that the bag and container are sealed shut every time.
Why do we worry about the food becoming rancid?
“Rancid fats reduce the nutritive value of the protein and degrade vitamins and antioxidants.”
That is according to Steve Brown, a dog nutrition expert in an article for The Whole Dog Journal.
That means Rancid fat can so vastly reduce the benefit your dog can get from the proteins and vitamins present in his food that he can suffer from protein and vitamin deficiencies.
“Rancid fats can also cause diarrhea, liver and heart problems, macular degeneration, cell damage, cancer, arthritis, and death.”