Question 1

What’s the best way to transition to a new dog food?

Accepted Answer

Manufacturers of dog food have their own way of transitioning from a different brand of dog food to their brand. While they may differ in the length of time needed to make the transition, they all follow the same basic principle. Whenever making a transition from one brand of dog food to another, it is best to do it on a gradual basis.

Question 2

How long does dry dog food stay fresh?

Accepted Answer

This is trickier than it sounds. There is one thing you need to look for in product labels: e best-before date or the best-by date. It is important to choose a product with a best-before date that is the farthest from your intended date of purchase. For instance, if product A has a best-before date of December 2018 and product B has March 2019, then you should pick product B because it has a farther best-before date than product A.

Question 3

What’s the best way to store dry dog food?

Accepted Answer

As we have mentioned above, dog kibbles can stay fresh as short as 2 weeks to as long as 6 weeks, depending on how well it has been stored and protected against the elements. This underscores the importance of choosing the right storage containers for your dog kibbles.

Question 4

How is dry dog food made?

Accepted Answer

The process of making dry food is technically a very easy one. If you’ve ever baked a cookie or any other delicacy that you finished in the oven, the principle is essentially the same. The only difference, of course, is that manufacturers will have very large mixers, prep tables, and oven-like equipment to cook larger volumes of dog food at any one time.

Question 5

How do I soften dry dog food?

Accepted Answer

Dry foods are very convenient. Simply pour the kibbles onto your dog’s bowl and you’re done. Nothing can be more convenient than that. Unfortunately, some dogs cannot really bite into the hardened consistency of kibbles such as puppies and elderly dogs that may no longer have teeth. That’s why it is important to soften your dog’s dry food first before giving it to them.

Question 6

Can dry dog food go bad in heat?

Accepted Answer

It is a known fact that exposing your dry dog food to air and humidity can hasten the speed at which they undergo degradation. Not only that, but such environmental conditions also increase the risk of dry dog food contamination especially by the bacteria Salmonella. The same is true with an increase in environmental temperatures because doing so can also potentially increase the level of humidity in the air. So, can dry food go bad in heat? The answer is yes. How fast? That depends.

Question 7

What can I mix with dry dog food?

Accepted Answer

We tackled the idea of transitioning your pet from the current dog food to a new brand of dry dog food. We also tackled the notion of having to moisten dry dog food to address certain issues related to dog feeding. While a different brand of dog food, water, milk, and the broth of chicken, beef, or tuna can be added or mixed with dry food, these are not the only things that you can mix.

Dog Foods & Nutrition