Proper Care & handling of pet food
It’s quite easy to forsake common sense for convenience, especially when it comes to food, specifically pet food. Bad habits are born of ignorance but thankfully a little education can go a long way to break them.
It's my goal to help you break the bad habits of convenience without making your feel like a bad parent.
First, keep in mind that your animal companion's food is just as perishable as your own. After you purchase your pets’ food it is important to remember that, like a loaf of bread, just because it comes in a bag and has an expiration day a year or so long, doesn’t mean it lasts on your home shelf for that long. The expiration is how long the food is good for BEFORE it is opened, while it is still in an oxygen barrier bag. As soon as you open the bag it is exposed to oxygen and begins to degrade. Natural foods do not contain heavy, toxic chemical preservatives and must be treated how you would treat your own food.
Do NOT:
-Do not leave the bag open and exposed to air after opening it.
-Do not store the food in the sunlight.
-Do not let the food get wet and if it does get wet, throw it away.
-Do not keep the food past expiration even if you do not open it.
-Do not throw the bag away. Even if you store it in an airtight container you MUST keep the batch code.
-Do not poor in your new food before the old food is COMPLETELY gone unless you poor out the old food and put it ON TOP OF the new food. You cannot return foods without the bag and the company cannot test the food if your pet gets sick without the bag.
-Do not accidentally let your pet get into the bin and binge eat. Especially higher quality pet foods are designed with calories packed into every cup so you don't have to feed as much. A 50lb dog that gets into a food storage bin and free feeds can literally eat as many as 55,000 calories in one binge. That can lead to bloat (which can kill your pet if not noticed within 30-45 minutes and requires a VERY expensive trip to the vet if you do catch it in time), obesity, diarrhea, constipation, and other health problems. Make sure your bin has a secure top to keep out your dog, other animals, insects and mice. Also make sure it is stored in a secure location such as on a shelf or in a room with a door that closes on it's own (especially in homes with young children)
Do:
-Feed the food within 30-45 days of opening the bag.
-Throw away what you don’t use by that time.
-KEEP THE BAG (which includes the barcode, expiration date and batch code) until all the food is gone.
-Store the food in an airtight container (preferably still in the original bag inside the airtight container).
-Store the food in a cool and dry place.
-Rinse the container between EVERY use (oils that have perforated your container eventually go rancid and contaminate new food.)
-If the bag of food you purchase doesn't fit in your container then line the food bin with an airtight bag (or put in an empty bag from a previous purchase), poor in what WILL fit and keep the rest either in its original bag, tightly sealed in a cool, dry place until it will fit in the bin OR (better yet) put the remainder of the food that doesn’t fit in your airtight container in zip lock bags in your freezer and remove them as needed (making sure to cut the barcode, batch code and expiration date off the original bag and tape it onto a storage bag) OR purchase smaller bags (you may spend more per pound but you spend less at the vet because the health effects of eating rancid food are not good)
Pet Food Myths:
“You should only feed your dog or cat food labeled specific to their age group or breed”
– False.
You should choose your pets’ food based on not only their age, but their current weight, activity level and health issues. If your 5 month old puppy/kitten is too heavy then puppy food is a poor dietary choice as it is higher in fat and protein. If your 12 year old dog/cat is still active and at a good weight senior food is a poor dietary choice as senior foods help reduce weight for slower metabolisms. High quality formulas generally don’t list their foods to be age specific because of differences in breed and metabolisms. Similarly, if your senior pet is diabetic and overweight switching to a low fat, senior diet can often increase the need for insulin and is a poor dietary choice for lowering the weight of your diabetic pet. Please email, come in, or call for assistance if you’re not sure what to feed.
“You should feed a senior or joint care food to older pets or pets with arthritis”
– False.
There is no such thing as a kibble with sufficient levels of glucosamine and chondroitin to dramatically benefit your dogs’ or cats’ joints. While many pet foods add glucosamine and chondroitin it is generally a small enough quantity to only be adequate for pets without existing joint conditions, such as for maintenance and active pups, but if you need a “joint care” or “arthritis” food you must use a quality, concentrated supplement or raw food for pets with existing conditions. Please email, come in, or call for assistance on determining what is the best supplement for your pet.
"You should start supplementing your pet with glucosamine and chondroitin when they are 4-8 years old... or when they start to show visual symptoms of joint pain."
-False.
Glucosamine and Chondroitin are naturally found in cartilage and other natural sources. On a natural, raw diet all carnivores and omnivores get these "supplements" with every meal from the day they are born to the day they die. Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM rebuild the tissue matrix that surrounds the joints and keeps the body strong. These are the things that keep ligaments and tendons from degrading over time and "suffering from old age." Because they are natural ingredients of raw food anything the body doesn't use just get's flushed out so they can't overdose. It is important to start giving your pet joint care supplements at a young age unless you are feeding a raw diet. (And by raw I DON'T mean purchasing raw meats and foods from the grocery store to feed to your pet. I absolutely don't recommend that under any circumstances)
“You must feed your pet a dry food to keep his/her teeth clean”
– False.
There is no food that will adequately clean your dogs’ teeth. Assuming that dry dog food will clean teeth is like assuming toast will clean your teeth because it’s harder than bread. Some formulas use harder kibbles to increase the chew time of each kibble and “clean your pets’ teeth” but you would still brush your teeth to clean them over chewing a handful of nuts everyday. There are many supplements available to ease the burden of everyday brushing and benefit breath and the digestive tract (most bad breath is caused by intestinal bacteria) but it is still best to brush the teeth as often as possible as dental bacteria can lead to heart, kidney and liver failure (and large vet bills). Hero’s P.e.t.s. also has Anesthesia Free Teeth Cleanings. Email, come in, or call for more information.
Hero’s P.e.t.s.
(Planetary & Ecologically Trusted Supplies)
8086 W. Bowles Ave, Unit N
Littleton, CO 80123
303-972-1926
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