How to store your dog’s food properly?

Knowing how to store your dog’s food properly can help you. Your dog may be a greedy eater, but he won’t necessarily finish what you buy for him in one sitting. And yet, for practical and economic reasons, you may want to buy a lot at once. But there’s a problem: once the package is opened, the container may spoil.

That’s right! Unfortunately, as long as the food is in the package, it is preserved, but once it is in contact with the air, the risk of spoilage is high. Oxygen can oxidize fats and destroy the nutrients in the food. The result is a risk of food poisoning for your dog and a loss of taste quality of food; and, of course, the loss of any nutritional interest.

How to avoid spoilage of kibble, pate, and other foods? Find out how to properly store your dog’s food.

How to store your dog’s wet food properly?

Wet foods spoil very easily and very quickly. They are designed to be stored well in their packaging. But once opened, they are the most likely to break.

How do you keep wet food in its packaging?

It’s true. As long as you don’t open the package, wet foods are protected. They have been packaged to remain intact and keep very well as long as they do not contact air. That said, there are a few conditions that must be met. Otherwise, you’ll find that even in the package, moist foods can also spoil.

First and foremost, you must pay attention to the expiration date. Even if it is well preserved, on the deadline, it will still expire. So the first rule is to buy foods that can keep for a long time and eat them before the expiration date.

The second rule is to keep the food in question in a cool, dry place. For pâté in particular, the cans should be kept in a place where the temperature is between 10 and 37°C. Below this temperature, the contents may freeze. Above that, the contents will spoil.

How do you store your dog’s food once it is opened?

Once you open the can or pouch, you must take measures because the contents will spoil quickly.

The first thing to do after opening is to keep the can in the refrigerator. Indeed, it would help if you had a place where the temperature is between 4 and 7°C on excellent food conservation. And this, provided that the box is very well closed.

Also, note that once opened, you cannot keep the contents beyond 48 hours. In other words, to avoid waste, choose food that your dog will be able to eat and finish within two days. And don’t try to give your dog a lot at once. Unlike kibble, wet foods such as pâté cannot be left in the bowl for several hours at a time. They will break down in contact with the air after a few hours, especially at room temperature.

How to store your dog’s food properly: kibbles

Since they contain very little water, dry foods such as kibbles are easier to store. But you still need to follow a few rules to ensure proper storage.

How to store dry food before opening it?

Especially when they are in their packaging, the latter usually contain nitrogen, which prevents the oxidation of its contents. In other words, you can keep them as long as you want, as long as the packaging is not opened. And as long as they are consumed before the expiration date.

Although the contents are well protected, remember to permanently store the food in a dry, dark, and temperature-stable place. Temperature variations can lead to the development of mold and mildew.

How to store your dog’s kibble after opening?

Once you have opened the packaging and the air comes into contact with the kibbles, you will have one month to consume them.

To preserve them during this period, start by keeping them in a package that closes tightly, and that does not let air, light, and humidity through. For this, you can use kibble bags, which usually close with a zip. Alternatively, you can also put the kibble in jars.

To avoid waste, avoid buying too much. Evaluate what your dog can eat in a month and buy the right amount.