At times, the root of your dog’s stomach issues doesn’t lie in the ingredients of the food. Instead, it lies in how you treat and store dog food.
Slight mishandling can expose food to dangerous bacteria and microorganisms. They settle on the surface of your dog’s food and eventually make their way to your dog’s stomach. And consequently, make your dog sick.
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In this guide, we’ve discussed six common mistakes when storing dog food and how you can fix these. Browse through them and make the necessary changes to ensure maximum safety and health of your furry pal.
Top 6 mistakes when storing dog food
If you identify any of the below-mentioned as one of your regular practices, it’s time to change things. Even if your dog doesn’t seem to exhibit any signs of illnesses right now, it may show the worst results in a later stage of life.
Poor food storage practices can also lead to the development of fatal diseases at the back end. You won’t know until the disease or illness is active and threatening your dog’s life. Hence, avoid the mistakes mentioned below at all costs.
1. Storing all types together
Generally, there are four main types of dog food. These include kibble (dry food), moist food (wet food or canned food), semi-moist food, and frozen food. All four types of these foodstuffs have different maintenance requirements.
It’s best to store dry food, and wet food in cool and dry places. But frozen food should be stored in the refrigerator or deep freezer.
A lot of new dog parents make the mistake of storing all of these together. It wastes food on the whole.
For example, let’s say you store dry dog food and frozen dog food in the same plastic bag and place the plastic bag in the refrigerator. The dry dog food will become soggy. Plus, since you’ve placed both of them in the same plastic bag, the smell of the soggy dry food will penetrate the frozen food. And hence, it’ll make the food inedible for your dog.
With that said, it is also essential to only buy one type of food at a time (or two at best). Once it’s finished, buy the next varying set. But how do you determine why type to buy? Observe your dog’s response to all four types of dog food and use this data to determine which type you should buy.
If you serve meat or organic dog-friendly edibles to your dog, you might want to explore do dogs like dog food. They like dog food, but not more than meat. Experts advise maintaining a balance.
2. Storing food in hot & humid places
Many dog owners store dog food in their garages, attics, or areas where they serve their pups’ food. That’s okay but only for short times.
It’s not a good idea to leave your dog’s food in places with lots of heat and moisture (like garages) for a long time. It will break down the nutrients within the food. This is particularly true for canned food.
Instead, it’s best to store dog food in warm and dry places. The temperature of the storage place should be less than 80F.
3. Not sealing the food packets
A common mistake most new dog parents tend to make is that they roll up the dry dog food packet and toss it in the corner. Well, that’s not how you do it.
It makes the food in the bag softer, which makes it unappealing to your dog and robs it of nutrients. For that very reason, we recommend using airtight jars or zip locks to store packets of dry food. Roll up the packet, use a rubber band or pin to secure its opening, and then store it in a cabinet.
Similarly, use a can cover to seal opened cans of food. It preserves the freshness of the food. If it’s a sachet of wet food, roll up the opening, and secure it with a rubber band. You can secure it with a foil. And store it in the refrigerator.
4. Not keeping a check on expiry dates
Generally, dog food is still good to consume three months after its expiry date. Unopened bags of dog food can last up to two years after their expiry dates. However, beyond this time, it may be hazardous for your dog’s health. Therefore, be very vigilant of the expiry date on your dog’s food packets. Also, make sure that you are buying dog food from reliable and trusted pet stores.
Also, make sure that you are buying dog food from trusted pet stores. You can do online research about the pet stores near you and pick the one that has a wide range of pet products and good customer reviews. You can check discountpetsupplies.co.uk, they have a wide range of pet products at reasonable and discounted prices.
5. Not allowing the jar to empty
Experts advise dog owners to store dog food in the original bag. That’s because it comes lined with a chemical that elongates the life of the food.
However, if you do so, there’s a chance you might not be able to preserve the freshness. So, it’s a good idea to separate some quantity from the whole and store it in a small jar.
But there are a few things you need to take care of when storing small quantities of dog food in a jar. Allow the jar to empty before refilling it. That’s because the food crumbs that go back into the jar may start to go bad and decompose.
6. Leaving canned food open
As mentioned earlier, it’s unacceptable to leave your dog’s canned food open even if you’re storing it in the refrigerator. Cover it with a lid or with a can cover. You can also place it in an airtight plastic bag.
It keeps the freshness and nutrients from escaping the canned food, while it keeps any harmful microorganisms from coming into contact with the food. Plus, it keeps your food safe from the dog’s food.
Irrespective of how much you love your dog or how integrated they live with you, there are some human and animal boundaries that you must maintain.
Final thoughts
By now, we hope you have a clear idea about the most common mistakes most dog owners make when storing their dog’s food. Use this information to avoid repeating the same mistakes with your dog.
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