Just like human food, the animal food must also be stored in clean, dry and airtight containers. This will keep them fresh and most importantly maintain their nutritional value. The pet food tends to degrade when exposed to air, light and humidity. The renowned vets in Vaughan often advise pet owners to keep the dry food in their original packaging. You can also store them in high quality food bags specially designed to maintain their pristine condition.
Common Pet Food Storage Mistakes
Plastic and glass containers protect the dog or cat food from the outer elements such as insects, rodents, vermin etc. But, it is essential to keep the food in their original packaging if possible. Store the bag or container in a cool and dry place off the ground. The contaminated food can upset the digestive system of your pet and even risk its life. Following are some of the pet food storage habits that every pet owner must develop.
- Keeping the food in its original packaging: The pet food is always packed in high-quality food bags by the manufacturers. Thus, it is ideal to keep the food in their original packaging. Otherwise, you can buy high-quality pet food storage bags that keep the food fresh for long term. But, make sure you keep the original food bag with you to retain the pet’s food barcode, expiration code and more in case of a cat or dog food recall.
- Never expose pet food to air: Make sure you seal the pet food bag after every feeding. This will limit the exposure of food to air and humidity. If the food is exposed to air and humidity for a longer period of time, there are high chances that food gets degraded and even become the host of bacteria.
- Never expose pet food to Excess Sunlight: Sunlight can lift up the natural moisture of the food. Thus, make sure the pet food is not stored in the Sunlight. This will substantially speed up the food degradation process and can risk the life of your loved pet.
- Make sure you check the expiration date on the pet food: Every pet food has expiration dates mentioned on the packaging. These dates are also known as ‘best by’ or ‘use by’ dates. These dates are meant to provide the pet owners with the information about how long the food can be used. They are established to ensure the pristine health condition of your pets. It is advised to not to risk the life of your pet by feeding the expired animal food.
- Avoid mixing old and new pet food: It is strongly recommended to not to mix the old and new pet food together. It may be easy for you to transfer the last bit of the pet food to the new bag but, this way you are tainting the brand new food bag. So, it’s better to finish the old food bag before opening the new one.
All the above mentioned points will help pet owners in maintaining the quality and freshness of their pet’s food.
We, at Napa Valley Vet, provide a wide range of pet health care solutions at affordable price across Vaughan. Our animal hospital offer services such as pet wellness exam, parasite control, dog/cat grooming and much more.