Are You Storing Your Pet Food Safely – 2024 Guide

Storing your pet food safely is important because of many reasons, one of them being your pets not knowing about a food-eating limit. There are many different ways to do this properly, and that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about in today’s article. But, before we begin, let’s ask ourselves a question.

What type of food are you using to feed your pets? Is it a canned, dry meal? Or is it wet, home-cooked food? Answering this question will help you determine what the best circumstances for storing your food are. It’s more than obvious that different food types require different storing conditions, but did you know that this applies even for the same type from a different brand?

Also, keeping the treats away from your furry friend is not the only reason why you should spend some time doing this. If you didn’t know already, proper food storing helps the food maintain the nutritional value. So, basically, spending time making sure that everything is kept properly means that you’ll have a healthier and happier pet. So, with that being said, let’s take a look at what you should be doing to improve this.

Check the instructions at the back

Every pet food brand lists the storing instructions at the back of the packaging. For some people this might sound silly, but not everyone is experienced so they need to learn. Usually, even if the package is damaged or the instructions are not clear enough, you can do a quick Google search on the brand and you’ll find all instructions there. But, what happens if you purchase the food from someone else in an unofficial package? Well, then read this.

Is the food wet or dry?

Dry pet foods are a bit “less problematic” when it comes to storing. But, it still requires you to meet at least some circumstances. For example, dry food doesn’t have to be kept in a cold room, but you need to make sure the container is totally clean and try, and there needs to be a small gap for air to circulate inside the container. You still need to know approximately when the food was purchased because of the “best by” factor. And, for wet foods, the circumstances are totally different. If the room is too hot, the food might turn bad. Not to mention that it’s much easier for wet food to attract ants or other types of pests because of the much stronger smell.

You need glass containers

Just like drinking out of a plastic container is not really recommended for us humans, the same thing applies for pets when it comes to consuming their food. If you want to store properly, choose glass containers instead of plastic ones. And, that’s not all. By using a glass container you will avoid making the food taste bad because of that “plastic” flavor that it can provide after a long time of storage.

Try freezing it for longer periods

If you need the food to last for a very long time, and you are not planning to use it anytime soon, consider freezing it. This is basic knowledge for most people but once again, not everyone has kept a pet before, so we have to think of those people too. This is very useful for when you have larger quantities of food that you need to store. But, when freezing it, make sure to double-wrap everything properly. You don’t want to find out that the food spilled inside of your freezer when you were placing it.

If you want to purchase food that lasts for a long time though, there are tons of websites on the internet that provide specialized packages. If you don’t know where to begin, ultrapetshop.com is a website where you can find more information.

Don’t leave the food half-opened

It happens quite a lot for someone to open the can but then realize that they don’t really need it. Maybe you had an already-opened can of food somewhere but now that you realized it’s already too late. Well, we want to advise you not to leave the food half-opened thinking that it won’t turn bad, because it will. Even if you end up closing the can once more, it’s still not the same because now it’s not hermetically closed. This is especially true for wet food.

Also, while we’re at canned foods, we want to advise you not to store while it’s inside the can. Doing this will make the food taste different and it will even change the texture of it, so your pet may end up not liking it. Just avoid storing canned food in the freezer, that’s all you need to know.

Don’t store different types one next to another

Your pet is really used to the smell and taste of their favorite food, so don’t mess this up by storing it next to another type and mixing both the smell and the taste in a way that’s not appealing to your pet at all. If you have one brand don’t store it with another one in a tight spot where the smells can easily mix. This also applies when trying to use an empty container where a previous type was stored before adding the new one. Or, if you decide to do it, make sure to thoroughly clean it so that it loses all previous smells and tastes.

Check on it every once in a while

Check on the food that you stored for your pet every once in a while just to make sure that everything is as it should be. Some people in the past have reported that cans they stored a long time ago are now totally unusable or unable to be opened because they drastically changed their structure. They can get “bloated” when exposed to the wrong circumstances. Make sure to check up on the food every once in a while so that you can avoid all sorts of trouble of this type.