I still dont seem to be getting the right answer I am looking for. Everyone seems confused what I am asking. I am started food storage for our family as I have always been taught to. Storing canned and dried food that will last for years incase of emergencies and such. I want to store food for my pets as well. Only way I know how to do this is storing unopened bags of dog food. And I am talking at least two years worth. Dont tell me its unnessisary to store that much or ask why i'd want to. All I need to know is if this is possible and the food will still be ok and will not kill my dogs if they had to eat it in emergency situations if its already a few years old. better be safe then sorry and have food for them but want it to be safe to eat. Thanks
The better the quality of your dry kibble food, the LESS shelf life it will have. That does not sound like it makes sense does it?
High quality kibble (like Blue Buffalo) has a lot of real meat, and fats in it.
Lower quality kibble has a LOT of corn in it. Corn is quiet shelf stable. Problem is that oil/fats are added to even low quality kibble.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Dog food only lasts about a year, if you are keeping it under good conditions (cool, dry, dark). After that, the fats start to turn rancid.
We have two years food storage for three adults in our pantry (at 5000 calories a day). We keep about a years worth of cat and dog kibble on hand for our critters. We have eight working farm dogs, including 3 Great Pyrenees.
The best thing for you do to is think outside the box when it comes to your dogs. Can you keep chickens or ducks? Khaki Campbell ducks will outlay chickens, and provide much needed protein for you and your dogs (don't feed raw eggs , they strip vitamins, scramble them and feed them to the dogs).
You can keep rabbits to breed, butcher and feed to the dogs (that's what we do).
Kibble is mostly corn and rice (unless you are buying the stuff that is $ 75 a bag). Can you make a corn and rice gruel and supplement it with fresh eggs, powdered eggs, and Crisco shortening? Then you basically have dog food. Problem is that soft food is VERY bad for the teeth of dogs. If you had to resort to feeding them a soft gruel, you would have to provide them hard, crunchy, teeth cleaning chew toys or bones. Otherwise your dogs will develop dental problems in a hurry.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com You would also want to add things like peas and carrots to their gruel for the extra vitamins they would provide.
Really though you need a "living pantry." Rabbits, chickens (or ducks), and if you have the space a dairy doe (goat) for her milk. Rabbits should be killed by breaking their neck, and then cut in half with a large cleaver (if you have medium sized dogs). Feed 1/2 the rabbit to each dog. Alternate which dog is getting the head (because of vitamins and trace minerals). I do mean chop the rabbit in half, fur and all and give it to the dogs. That fur actually helps keep the dogs from a worm build up in their intestines. The bones and internal organs will give your dogs much needed vitamins and trace minerals.
With a living pantry you can provide much needed fresh food to your family and your dogs. Plant some fruit trees, and a garden as well.
~ Garnet
Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years
Responsible dog owner 38 consecutive years
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
2 years food storage in our pantry for 3 adults (working toward 7 years worth)
PS Our pantry is one of our bedrooms on the North (cool) side of the house. We used Gorilla shelves which can hold 5000 pounds, so will not sag, no matter how much weight is on them.
Depends on the brand and manufacture date, and the storage conditions. Each bag will have an expiration date on it. Past that date, it's iffy-the fats can go rancid. Even if it remains safe to eat, the nutritional value will decline.
You have to vacuum pack it. here's why:
All dog food has a content of fat in it for glossy coats. Fat is a spoiler. Oxygen will speed the spoilage, so it's best to put the food in smaller bags, then vacuum pack it for months, even years
Dog food will have an a date by which time it needs to be eaten. I should imagine canned dog food would last about 9-12 months and the same goes for dry but once open thats a whole different story
rotate the stock so they are always eating the oldest stuff. Some brands have freshest by or sell by dates
until the date on the bag/tin
All pet food has a "best by," or expiration date printed on the can or bag . It is best to always use the oldest one and replace that with a newer one each time you open a container, be it a can or a bag.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
If you are determined to store some particular dog food, it is advisable to vacuum seal it, as oxygen ages anything that contains such things as oils and fats. If you notice the other foods that are stored for family use, they are either dehydrated, and/or vacuum packed, to prevent air from aging it.
