Even though we feed and sell raw dog food, we still give our dogs shelf-stable dry products, one of which we make, which is our Peak Power Dog Treats. But we still purchase other treats and bully sticks to give our dogs more variety.

Please adopt these easy, but important tips to preserve your commercial dried dog food products.

The following is copied from our resource guide, “How To Make Healthy Food Choices For Your Dog“.

Look for a manufacturing date and use within 3 months.  Product will typically become progressively more rancid after that, despite what the best-by date says.  Rancid products are very unhealthy for dogs (and humans). When not in use, store any packaged shelf-stable food sealed in its packaging in the freezer or refrigerator. This will help reduce the rancidity rate.

If you do not see a manufacturing date, then look for the best by date.  Usually, pet food products have up to two years between manufacture and best buy date, but it could be only a year for treat products.  So, just look at the best by date and work backwards to get an approximate manufacturer date.

DO NOT take the food out of its original packaging and put in plastic containers or any other container or bag.

DO NOT store your food in a garage or out in the open where it is exposed to light on a constant basis.  Exposure to heat, light and air cause processed dog food to deteriorate quickly.

We DO NOT recommend storing in basements, unless it is cool and dry.  Dry means the humidity averages less than 30%.

We highly recommend storing all food in a refrigerator or freezer when not in use.

DO NOT store treats on your kitchen counter or out in the open.  Pull out what you need from the refrigerator or freezer every few days.

DO NOT pour out the contents of an older bag into a new bag because of potential for cross-contamination.

We cannot stress enough how quickly processed dog food deteriorates.  At a micro-level, it can quickly develop rancidity and mold, both which are very toxic to dogs and humans (from ingesting the air around the dog food).  Spoiled or moldy foods produce aflatoxins (mycotoxins produced by several species of fungi), which are very toxic to pets and can cause severe gastrointestinal damage and even liver failure. Molds can easily grow in foods which are not readily apparent by looking at the food.

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