This common feeding mistake can make your dog sick

It's reasonable why many people do this, but you need to be very careful that this feeding mistake doesn't cause your pet any harm.

Let’s be honest: it costs a lot of money to provide quality care for a pet. Properly formulated dog food is also more expensive than inferior versions. So there’s no question that a responsible owner doesn’t skimp on food. But it is understandable that he should at least try to save some money on the size of the packs he buys. But it can easily be a feeding mistake if you don’t pay attention to the following!

Larger feeds, sometimes tens of kilos, are proportionately cheaper than buying the same thing in smaller bags much more often. But it does matter how you store large quantities of dry food at home!

Like human food, pet food has an expiry date. This is one of the things you need to watch out for if you buy a lot of something. Once it expires, the quality of the food decreases and the smell and taste may change. And your pet may not like it either, and may reject the food. But the bigger problem is that spoiled food can make him sick. So it’s clear how this feeding mistake can harm your dog.

And you don’t necessarily have to offer it to the dog after the date indicated. If you don’t store dry food properly, for example if it gets wet, it can easily become mouldy. Mould can cause gastrointestinal problems, breathing difficulties and skin problems. In severe cases, untreated conditions can even lead to fatal poisoning.

How to store dry food properly?

If you buy large bagged food, it is best to leave it in the original bag. After all, most manufacturers design the packaging to be hermetically resealable to preserve the flavours. And if you didn’t buy one of these products, you should pour the food into an airtight container. The best ones are made of stainless steel.

In both cases, always make sure that you close the package or box properly to prevent air and moisture from getting into the food. Radiant heat (e.g. from a radiator) and direct sunlight are not good for quality!

Also make sure that no bugs or rodents have access to the dog food. This is most likely to happen if the food is stored in an outside workshop, garage or similar.