How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is?

• 11-15-2007 11:04 PM

  pheryn Joined on 04-16-2006 The Hills Posts 247 Points 100

  How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact I am just curious - I know there is an expiration date but what if ... you know. Since it is already opened. I bought a big bag of Canidae and well, my dog doesnt eat that much so its definitely lasting me a while (I've had that bag for about a month now). Cant really tell with the smell since its not appealing to me anyway. Any other tips that I can learn? Nikki 's Harley! Dogster

  Filed under: spoil, rotten, spoils, spoiled, kibble, rot Post Points: 0

• 11-15-2007 11:08 PM

  In reply to pheryn

  Liesje Joined on 03-02-2007 Grand Rapids, Michigan Posts 6,785 Points 850	Re: How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact It took Kenya nearly 2 months to eat through the bag of kibble I bought the day we got her.  Oh, and the zip lock on the bag broke so it was open a bit the whole time too.  Ooops!  NV kibble doesn't really smell like much though. My Blog - http://24ft.dutchbingo.net My Site - http://liesrosema.com
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• 11-15-2007 11:11 PM

  In reply to Liesje

  huskymom Joined on 09-10-2007 Thunder Bay ON Posts 5,228 Points 465

  Re: How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact Wish I could tell you, but with two big dogs a bag of kibble doesn't last long enough to spoil.  A bag here usually lasts a month and a half though, I feed half raw.  Dogs have pretty good noses for rancid stuff though, so I would probably trust your dog if it all of a sudden starts turning its nose up at a bag of food it was previously eating.  Candace

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• 11-16-2007 2:09 AM

  In reply to pheryn

  Luvntzus Joined on 05-09-2006 Posts 3,691 Points 170	Re: How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact I'm not sure, but I think it's about 3 months.
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• 11-16-2007 10:08 AM

  In reply to Luvntzus

  iggypop Joined on 05-26-2007 Posts 112 Points 100

  Re: How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact I think it really depends how you store it. Try to keep the packaging as air tight as possible. I roll down the top of a smaller bag until all the air is out and then I use a very strong black clip (a giant version of those office clips that have the metal "wings" that can fold down). And if I know it's not going to be eaten anytime soon I'll take some out and freeze it. I just got a great deal on two huge bags of food that I couldn't pass up. Each one will probably last several months. What I do with those is take out a small amount and put it in an airtight container and then I stick the whole bag inside a plastic garbage bag and again make sure both the inside bag and the outside bag are as air tight as I can get them and then I turn the bag upside down so that the opened end is on the floor. owned by the feral iglets Amalfi and Salado and the biggest cats in the world Worm and Mr. Bingley

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• 11-16-2007 10:26 AM

  In reply to pheryn

  LillianD Joined on 08-02-2007 Posts 230 Points 0

  Re: How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact   I was wondering that same exact thing!  I buy Innova and it says right on there website that the food has no artificial preservatives and does go bad, but doesn't give much more info than that.  I store in an air tight container.  I've never noticed any smell or anything, but I really can't tell if it's still fresh or not.  I'm very curious how others' store their dog food!  I've read that freezing destroys some of the palatibility, I don't have any extra fridge or freezer space anyway.

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• 11-16-2007 12:43 PM

  In reply to LillianD

  huskymom Joined on 09-10-2007 Thunder Bay ON Posts 5,228 Points 465	Re: How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact  Well then, perhaps you should aquire yourself a few extra dogs so that food won't go bad before its consumed! Candace
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• 11-16-2007 3:56 PM

  In reply to huskymom

  iggypop Joined on 05-26-2007 Posts 112 Points 100	Re: How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact huskymom:  Well then, perhaps you should aquire yourself a few extra dogs so that food won't go bad before its consumed! this is most likely the best way to store extra kibble. owned by the feral iglets Amalfi and Salado and the biggest cats in the world Worm and Mr. Bingley
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• 11-16-2007 11:37 PM

  In reply to pheryn

  fish n dog Joined on 11-09-2007 Posts 178 Points 0

  Re: How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact  This only from experience but I like to think of kibble to dogs is like cereal to humans... the longer opened it goes stale and less crisp. Air exposes it to mold formation too. This can be seen by eye but sometimes only with a uv light. And can be deadly to your dog. If your dog refuses the food or vomits it could have gone bad. Resist the temptation to buy large bags on sale. Unless you have the sled team that will eat it in less than a month. If a bag winds up on re-call the smaller bag means you fed less toxic substances to your pet. In this day in age when China supplies most of the dog vitamins to the Pet Food Manufacturers as well as all the taurine it's wise to be cautious .  Keeping the food in its original packaging and then storing in a container made for food storage. Many plastics give off fumes unless they were made for food storage and that can harm your dog. And of course keep that in a cool dry place away from temperature fluctuations so condensation doesn't happen. I time my dog..  if it starts taking longer to finish the bowl it may be stale...

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• 11-17-2007 2:01 AM

  In reply to LillianD

  Edie Joined on 04-20-2006 Posts 1,568 Points 5

  Re: How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact LillianD: I'm very curious how others' store their dog food! I only buy enough food to last for one month.I then transfer one weeks worth into a small plastic container,i seal the original bag tight and keep it in the pantry.When i've finished the food after a week thats in the container i wash it out with hot soapy water,rinse very well and make triple sure it's completely dry and then refill another weeks worth,and so on and so on.   I also wash my dogs food bowls with hot soapy water after each meal,I change their water 2-3 times daily and wash the bowl out every night, i have noticed some people never or hardly ever wash their dogs bowls,food or water  ~A tired dog is a well behaved dog~

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• 11-17-2007 2:24 AM

  In reply to Edie

  oranges81 Joined on 10-13-2007 BC Canada Posts 1,509 Points 110

  Re: How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact Edie: I also wash my dogs food bowls with hot soapy water after each meal,I change their water 2-3 times daily and wash the bowl out every night, i have noticed some people never or hardly ever wash their dogs bowls,food or water     I wash out Maze's water dish every time I refill it. I usually wash her food dish every couple days. It depends on what she ate in it.   I buy a big bag to last her about 3 months and I store in an air tight bin with her name on it.  If it spoils and I don't notice, Maze will whine at me and nudge her food to let me know.   Rest In Peace Crombie. You will be greatly missed - 07/25/2007 - 05/??/2008 -I may have ears and a tail but I'm still the person you used to know- He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.

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• 11-17-2007 11:50 AM

  In reply to oranges81

  JoAnnDe Joined on 01-16-2007 Clearwater, FL Posts 1,203 Points 0

  Re: How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact I had asked this question at the holistic pet food store where I buy her food - they told me 2 months, max 3.    Prancer only gets 1/3rd cup of kibble a day (the rest of her diet is canned supplemented with homemade).  I buy the smallest bag possible and keep it in the fridge, removing a weeks worth at a time into a small ziploc bag that I try to get the air out after each opening (its nowhere near airtight). People ask me if I think dogs go to heaven. I respond: Of course they do ! Heaven could only BE heaven if dogs are there Prancer: June(ish) 2006 - 13# poodle mix - rescue Michelle: 1994 - 2007. English Cocker Spaniel - shelter. RIP sweetheart - I'll see you again someday

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• 11-17-2007 12:20 PM

  In reply to JoAnnDe

  mollymoo Joined on 09-10-2006 Posts 1,390 Points 860	Re: How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact I buy the 15 - 16 pound sacks as I buy on line. Molly only gets a half a cup a day so I freeze some so it stays fresh. Boy I hope this is ok to do this. Maybe I should start rethinking my strategy on this. The Father said I've turned my own name back to front and called you dog, My friend. -Author Unknown
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• 11-17-2007 2:08 PM

  In reply to mollymoo

  fish n dog Joined on 11-09-2007 Posts 178 Points 0

  Re: How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact mollymoo: I buy the 15 - 16 pound sacks as I buy on line. Molly only gets a half a cup a day so I freeze some so it stays fresh. Boy I hope this is ok to do this. Maybe I should start rethinking my strategy on this. Molly looks to be a small dog and very beautiful at that..  Cost wise I am sure the 15 lb sack is less per lb....   but I have an 80 lb dog and the 15 lb bag stays the freshest.  Also once frozen unless all the air was removed as it thaws out condensation will occur as it comes to room temperature. If frozen I would keep it refrigerated so it only comes to room temp. when it is fed. Any mositure in the dry kibble if not dried properly will cause mold to form. I would only buy 5 lb bags for a dog Molly's size

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• 11-17-2007 9:02 PM

  In reply to fish n dog

  Edie Joined on 04-20-2006 Posts 1,568 Points 5

  Re: How long til kibble spoils when its opened & how can you tell if it is? Reply Contact fish n dog: I would only buy 5 lb bags for a dog Molly's size     Same here.A 16lb bag must last you ages! I would worry about the moisture from freezing kibble,doesnt it get damp when it's defrosting?What about freezer burn and moisture while it's in the freezer and all that stuff.I would also guess that it loses nutrients and palatabilty??  ~A tired dog is a well behaved dog~

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