# Dry Dog Food



## Masterjedi688 (Apr 27, 2009)

How long can dry dog food be kept outside of a bag/container? Can dry dog food spoil if the dog does not eat it promptly?

P.S.
I feed my dog Natural Balance Fish & Sweet Potato. It says its allergen free but my dog is NOT allergic to chicken, lamb or beef. But he loves it. NO MORE NUTRO for him.


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## Enhasa (Feb 6, 2010)

hey, its a good thing ur dog loves that food. its a pretty decent food. i won't say the best, but its decent compared to many other crap.

if money isnt an issue, i would definitely still recommend u "upgrade."

dry food can be kept outside of bag/container for bout 1 month if u dont seal it? its best if u find a clip to even clip the bag up after u open it, the best solution is to put it into an air tight container.
then again, this really depends on where u are storing the food. if there are insects then u need to throw it out immediately. if your area is humid then the food spoils faster. it also depends if the area you leave it in has any exposure to spores/pollen, etc.

dog food that are naturally preserved spoils a lot faster because they have shorter shelf life. foods that are artificially preserved for instance with BHT, tend to have longer shelf life.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

i don't think you need to switch dog food. Natural Balance is a good dog food and if it's working for your dog, no reason to change. 

I keep opened bags of dog food on a desk in my garage. Kit's lasts over a month and a half, Frag's last a month. They never go bad. I don't imagine they'd go bad soon after, either.


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## Masterjedi688 (Apr 27, 2009)

Thanks for the replies. But I made a mistake with the question I asked. LOL. What I should have asked was...How long can dry dog food stay in the dog bowl when its served? Lets say he doesnt eat it all. Is it ok for it to be left out so the dog can eat/snack on it through out the day or should it be picked up and thrown out?


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

I don't recommend free feeding, I have a set schedule, but it will not go bad sitting there. It could sit there for weeks and be fine, although it'd probably be a little less appitizing.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Don't leave the food in the bowl for more than 2 days in hot weather and I'll say 3 days if it's cool.

But honestly try to put in there what is enough food for a single day, don't try to put a ton of food in there.


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## Masterjedi688 (Apr 27, 2009)

Thanks again for the replies. I have no intentions of leaving the food out for no more then a day, especially since the summer months are coming. Again..thanks alot.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> Don't leave the food in the bowl for more than 2 days in hot weather and I'll say 3 days if it's cool.
> 
> But honestly try to put in there what is enough food for a single day, don't try to put a ton of food in there.


I was assuming the food would be sitting inside.. in temperate, room temperature weather. 

I don't think it sitting in the bowl is much different than it sitting in a bowl, is it?


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## w8ing4rain (Sep 4, 2008)

If he is not eating all of his food I would cut back on the amount you are feeding him by the amount being left in the bowl. I was feeding Nanuq 1/2 cup of food twice a day. She would only eat about half of it and walk away. Now she gets 1/4 cup twice a day and eats it all. I following the feeding instructions on the bag and it was just too much food for her.


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