Nutrition
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11 min
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If your dog is a dry food dude but you’re not entirely sure how to keep their kibble at its best, you’re in the right place. Dry food is known for lasting longer than opened wet food, raw food and cooked human food - but when it goes bad, it tastes bad, not to mention loses its important nutritional value.
So how long is too long to have dry dog food hanging around? Read on to learn how long you should keep dry dog food once opened, so you avoid putting your pooch off their meals with a sad bowl of stale kibble.
Easy answer: yes, your sack of dry dog food will go stale much faster if you leave it open. Unopened dry dog food tends to have a shelf life of around 12-18 months, but once you open it, you should aim to use it up in about 6 weeks. After that, it will start to go stale.
There are a few ways to detect dry dog food that is not only past its best, but shouldn’t be fed to your pooch at all.
It might seem like a great idea to pour dog kibble from the original bag into a plastic container - but it’s actually one of the most common mistakes dog owners make, for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, plastic containers or bins draw oil and fats from the kibble, causing it to oxidise and go stale much quicker. Secondly, if you’ve thrown away the bag, you won’t be able to check important information in an emergency - such as which of the ingredients may have caused a reaction in your dog, or when the expiry date was.
What you can do is keep the food in its original packaging, and then put the entire bag into a plastic container to ensure the food stays its best. The bags are usually designed to ensure optimal freshness and crunchiness so that the food stays super nutritious, too.
Sure can - dogs may get dodgy tummies if they eat bad food, just like we humans do. Lots of dogs will reject stale or expired dry dog food, but those that don’t might suffer from stomach pains, vomiting or diarrhoea. Get in touch with your vet if this happens to your dog and causes concern.
There are plenty of ways to keep your dog’s kibble at its tastiest and crunchiest. To save you money, avoid waste and keep your pooch happy each dinnertime, follow these tips each time you buy new dry dog food…
It’s a classic, back-of-pack phrase for a reason - store your dry dog food ideally in a dark cupboard, away from all moistness and heat and you’ll prolong its life nicely.
As mentioned above, dry dog food sacks are designed for freshness, whereas plastic containers will draw oil from the food so it will go stale much quicker. If you’ve already bought one of those plastic dog food bins though, that’s great - just pop the whole bag inside it.
This is especially smart if you have a smaller dog who doesn’t eat as much. Buying dry food in smaller bags and more often could be the key to keeping the kibble super fresh.
If you’re someone who loses track of things like birthdays and anniversaries, attach the date you opened the bag on a sticky note, so you’ll know when the food might be getting old.
If there’s even a small chance you think the dry food might smell strange or is going a bit soft, get rid and buy a fresh batch for your dog to munch on. Your pooch will thank you for it.
The freshest dry dog food is the most nutritious, and we believe your dog deserves the tastiest and best there is. To keep your pooch well-fed and content on their daily kibble, try our Pooch & Mutt range of grain-free dry dog food - made with organic, all-natural ingredients to keep your dog happy and healthy from the inside out.
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Comments (9)
Bought 1.6kg bag of Primal Regular Sized kibble from Amazon which was delivered today, bag states expiry date of December 2023 should It not be fresher than that or am I being too picky?
Hi Sandra, we always aim to give you at least 6 months on our food before the expiry date. If you have any concerns please reach out to our customer service team [email protected] :)
What is in your opinion one of the best dry dog food for you 4 month old.
Over the last week our dog has been sticking his nose up at the salmon pooch & mutt and just picking up and spreading it round the kitchen in disgust… when he does eat some it makes him vomit. Do you think something is wrong with it? We only opened the bag last week and it’s a 10kg bag so a little upset if it’s off and making him poorly 😩 regards
Holly
Hi Bryan,
For pups this age we would advise our Puppy Complete Superfood, to ensure they are receiving all the nutrients a growing pup needs. If they have any allergies, you can take a look at the food from our Functional dry food range and most of these are suitable for puppies from 8 weeks old.
If you need any further help, please reach out to us at [email protected] :)
Once o open the bag, can I store the sealed bag in the freezer?
I have a Shih Tzu and he doesn’t eat much and I bought the smallest bag available, but it’s still more than he’ll eat in a few days
Hi Sherry,
We wouldn’t advise freezing our dry food and our bags come with a resealable top, so they can be stored in a cool dry place for up to 12-18 months. :)
Is it ok to use a dry dog food bin with a air tight seal
Hi Stephen, Absolutely! We do have our dry food bags that have a re-seal, but you can absolutely use a dry food container with an air tight seal. :)
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