# How long does opened dry dog food last?



## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

I bought a 35 pound bag od Whole Earth Farms a few weeks ago. It's been sitting in a cabinet waiting for me to buy a storage container to put it in, since it will last my small dog quite some time. Anyway, when I got the bag to pour it into the container today I noticed that it had a good sized tear in the top. Not sure if the cat was chewing on it or what. But anyway, do you think this will affect its shelf life? Also, I noticed that the portion towards the top of the bag was broken up a lot and there were a good amount of crumbs. I assume this came from the shipping process, but thought it was worth noting.

Anyway, given the fact that it was "opened" (torn) for the past few weeks and 25 pounds of it is stored away now in airtight containers, how long can I expect this to last? Retrospectively I should have bought a smaller container but I was compelled by the value at the time. If it seems like it won't last the good 4 months it will probably take us to finish it, do you think a shelter would take a donation of it, given that it is not in a sealed package?


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I'm not sure how it's actually good for. . .but I think it gets stale after a month or so. Because Willow (the pickiest dog evar) would refuse to eat kibble if the bag had been opened for more than a month, even with yummy stuff added to it. We got a Vittle Vault and that extended the Willow-approved life span to 6 weeks. Maybe. I think if you put it in the freezer it'll last longer. I don't know--keeping kibble around hasn't been a problem for me for quite a few years! LOL


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## Reiko89 (Jul 2, 2010)

I would see how much of the food you can put into freezer bags and stuff them in the freezer, being in the very cold, dark, oxygen poor environment will extend the "life" of the food by quite a few weeks, even months if it was put in there fresh (which this has not). Then you use the half that's in the kibble keeper and when it's gone, take out some from the freezer, rinse and repeat.


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## Kina_A (Jun 8, 2009)

When I was feeding California Naturals they stated that an open bag should be consumed withing 3 months of opening. 

My bags usually only last a month.


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## ajcstr (May 28, 2010)

I agree, My understanding is that three months is the time frame.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

I put 15 pounds of it in the freezer and am feeding the other 20 pounds from the container. What's in the container should probably last about 2 months (maybe more), then I'll start using the stuff from the freezer. Thanks for the help. I'm never buying that much dog food again!


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

Also, smaller bags have typically been at the store for a shorter period of time and therefore are fresher.


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## HORSEandHOUND (May 28, 2009)

Hallie said:


> Also, smaller bags have typically been at the store for a shorter period of time and therefore are fresher.


That's VERY relative to where you shop. Dealing with merchandising all day I can say for certain that for many premium brands this is not the case.


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## ozcot (Jul 26, 2009)

So the date on the bag is not the date it is good till?? They do not appear to be vacum sealed I would think that date would be in effect even after opened. Is this not the case???


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

ozcot said:


> So the date on the bag is not the date it is good till?? They do not appear to be vacum sealed I would think that date would be in effect even after opened. Is this not the case???


LOL this is interesting to me since an opened bag of food never lasts long enough here to go bad LOL with a 70lb heeler getting 2 cups morning & evening. but i also store my food in a special plastic container that is supposed to keep it longer.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

ozcot said:


> So the date on the bag is not the date it is good till?? They do not appear to be vacum sealed I would think that date would be in effect even after opened. Is this not the case???


The date refers to an unopened bag. The bags are airtight even if not vacuum-sealed. Once the air hits the food, oxidation begins. In some cases the use-by date is years in the future. You can't expect opened food to last that long.


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## Kina_A (Jun 8, 2009)

Willowy said:


> The date refers to an unopened bag. The bags are airtight even if not vacuum-sealed. Once the air hits the food, oxidation begins. In some cases the use-by date is years in the future. You can't expect opened food to last that long.


A good example would be, open a box of crackers, then try them out on the "best before date". chances are they aren't as good as the day you opened them.


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