Today I thought I would write about keeping your pet’s food clean and fresh….

There are so many articles online about using special types of food containers to store different types of food. Some say store it in the bag, some say use this type of box, that type of can……so many contradictory statements and advice.

So I thought to myself, how would I want my food to be stored? Do I want to eat food stored in a smelly plastic container? Do I want new food to be dumped over the old stuff without washing out my dish? NO! Therefore, I treat Kitty’s food like I would my own.

I have tried many different cans, jars and containers to store pet food. In my personal experience, I found that if I left it in the bag, especially if the bag is not re-sealable, it causes the food to become stale very quickly.

Plastic containers are disliked very much in my household so that was not even an option for me. I have used them in the past and I must say if you can avoid storing ANYTHING in plastic, do it!

After many trials and errors, I found that mason jars work best to keep the dry food fresh for longer. If I do end up buying a larger bag of dry food, I split them up between a few mason jars and make sure the lids are secured tightly. They are stored in the pantry, away from heat and light. The same goes for treats as well.

Once opened, wet food cans are stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. I use a really good airtight lid for these cans. Kitty usually eats about a tablespoon of wet food twice a day and has access to dry food all day along with a fountain of fresh water. Of course, she gets treats and sometimes sits down to share some roast chicken or shrimp at dinner with us:)

When you store your pet food in a container, you should still keep the batch information, bar code and expiration date from the bag of food.  You can simply tear or cut this off the bag, and keep it inside the container.  If there is a pet-food recall, you will be able to easily determine if your pet’s food is affected.

Kitty’s food station

• Stainless steel water fountain, cleaned out daily
• Red  dry food dish with her kibbles – she munches on it whenever she gets hungry
• Green wet food dish where she gets a little bit of wet food twice a day