Knowing how to converse well about dog food can be useful to you. Although greedy, your pet will not necessarily finish what you buy for him at once. And yet, for practical and economical reasons, you might want to buy a lot of them at once. But there is a problem: Once the package is opened, the container may spoil.
Eh yes ! Unfortunately, as long as it is in the packaging, food is preserved, but once it comes into contact with the air there is a high risk of spoilage. Oxygen can oxidize fat and destroy nutrients in food. This not only results in the risk of food poisoning for the dog, but also the loss of appetite for the food; and of course, the loss of any nutritional value.
How to avoid the degradation of croquettes, pâtés and other foods? Find out how to properly converse your dog’s food.
How to properly store your dog’s moist food?
Wet foods spoil very easily and very quickly. They have been designed to be well preserved in their packaging. But once opened, they are the most likely to degrade.
How to properly store moist foods in their packaging?
That’s right, as long as you don’t open the package, wet foods are protected. They have indeed been conditioned to remain intact and therefore store very well as long as they do not come into contact with air. That being said, there are a few conditions to be met. Otherwise, you will find that even in the packaging, moist foods can also spoil.
Above all, you must pay attention to the expiration date. Even if it is well preserved, by the deadline it will still expire. The first rule is therefore to buy foods that can be stored for a long time, and / or to consume them before the expiration date has passed.
The second rule is to store the food in question in a cool, dry place. For pâtés in particular, the boxes should be placed in a place where the temperature is between 10 and 37 ° C. Below, the contents may freeze. Above, there will be alteration.
How to properly store your dog’s food once opened?
Once you open the box or pouch, you must take action, as the contents will spoil quickly.
The first thing to do, after opening, is to keep the box in the refrigerator. You need a place where the temperature is between 4 and 7 ° C for the food to be stored properly. And this, provided that the box is very well closed.
Also note that once opened, you will not be able to keep the content for more than 48 hours. In other words, to avoid waste, focus on foods that your dog can eat and finish within two days. Don’t try to give it a lot at once, either. Because unlike kibble, wet foods like pâtés cannot be left in the bowl for several hours at a time. On contact with air, they degrade after a few hours, especially at room temperature.
How to properly store your dog’s food: dry food
With very little water in it, dry foods such as dry food are easier to store. But you still have to follow a few rules to ensure good conservation.
How to properly store dry food before opening?
And this, especially when they are in their packaging. The latter usually contains nitrogen, which prevents oxidation of its contents. In other words, you can keep them for as long as you want, as long as the packaging is unopened. And on condition, of course, to consume them before the expiration date.
Although the contents are well protected, also remember to always store the food in a dry place, protected from light and where the temperature is stable. Temperature variations can indeed promote the development of molds.
How to properly store your dog’s croquettes after opening?
Once you open the package and the air comes into contact with the croquettes, you will have a month to consume it.
To store them during this period, start by keeping them in a container that closes tightly and does not allow air, light and moisture to pass through. For this, you can use croquettes bags, which usually close with a zip. Alternatively, you can also put the croquettes in jars.
To avoid waste, therefore, avoid buying too much. Evaluate what your dog can eat in a month and buy the right amount.
