For years I have been keeping my dry dog food in a Galvanized garbage can at my kennel. It is under a shelter, on concrete.

While I have never seen any mold or spoilage in the food, I am wondering if the food can go bad and possibly spoil due to age? I am not sure if the metal lid on the trash can could be classified as "airtight".

Sometimes I am adding new bags of food on top of the existing food in the can, so this is why I am asking this question.

Would something like the "Vittles Vault" be better than my metal trash can?

I store my food much the same way. Only difference is I use all food in the can before adding more so as not to have ancient food in the bottom.

Must be my old bartending training coming back to haunt me.

I use two of these that I picked up from Aldi.
https://www.chewy.com/van-ness...kfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

The cool part is that we go through one, and once the 2nd container is half full, it's time to reload. I take a new 40lb bag, fill up the empty container halfway, then pour the older food on top. That way it stays fresh. Fill up the other one and done. They also have a seal to help with freshness as well. I have them double stacked in my kitchen.

quote:

Originally posted by SIG4EVA:
I use two of these that I picked up from Aldi.
https://www.chewy.com/van-ness...kfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

The cool part is that we go through one, and once the 2nd container is half full, it's time to reload. I take a new 40lb bag, fill up the empty container halfway, then pour the older food on top. That way it stays fresh. Fill up the other one and done. They also have a seal to help with freshness as well. I have them double stacked in my kitchen.

^^^^
THIS

My wife and I started using a container similar to this about nine months ago. It has a hinged lid that snaps shut and seals the contents pretty well and has wheels. It holds right at 25 pounds of dry dog food, so we run it down to the bottom and then pour in a new bag.

quote:

Originally posted by SIG4EVA:
I use two of these that I picked up from Aldi.
https://www.chewy.com/van-ness...kfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

The cool part is that we go through one, and once the 2nd container is half full, it's time to reload. I take a new 40lb bag, fill up the empty container halfway, then pour the older food on top. That way it stays fresh. Fill up the other one and done. They also have a seal to help with freshness as well. I have them double stacked in my kitchen.

Similar, but we use a couple of Vittle Vaults. That reminds me, it is time to reload.

I use two of these, stacked on top of one another. They're great, had them for years now. They seal up tight, are easy to open, and the big wide opening makes them easy to fill...

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
I use two of these, stacked on top of one another. They're great, had them for years now. They seal up tight, are easy to open, and the big wide opening makes them easy to fill...

+1 I've used this one for years. Don't have to think about it - food stays fresh. If you are storing food in a non-airtight container - like a garbage can - it will go bad. I'm not sure how quickly you go through it, but if it is sitting in the can for more than a few days, it is losing freshness.

Dr Karen Becker has the answer:

http://healthypets.mercola.com...18/dry-pet-food.aspx

Thanks all, I will use all the suggestions, perhaps the metal trash can is still a good storage mode,but not storing excess food and washing out monthly.

Or use a pair of smaller Behrens Steel Cans or Pails?

We just picked up a 20 ga. can for bird seed storage. Mice kept getting into the plastic bins we'd use. They won't be getting into this thing.

When one gets near empty: Fill the other, dump the contents of the nearly-empty one on top, wash the now empty one and set it aside to dry for next time.

Clean, critter-proof cans and fresh food at all times.

In storage of any food item, air and moisture needs to be kept to a minimum since you are using it every day.

So I would use a small container good for maybe a week and then keep the rest stored in the bag sealed tight and stored in a cool place.

I use Taster's Choice coffee so I keep an old container and fill it with about two weeks supply. If I use the original container, by the time I get to the bottom it has absorbed moisture and is lumpy.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Or use a pair of smaller Behrens Steel Cans or Pails?

We just picked up a 20 ga. can for bird seed storage. Mice kept getting into the plastic bins we'd use. They won't be getting into this thing.

When one gets near empty: Fill the other, dump the contents of the nearly-empty one on top, wash the now empty one and set it aside to dry for next time.

Clean, critter-proof cans and fresh food at all times.

Those Behrens will fill the ticket for storing corn for the turkeys. Thanks

I think I will get one of the 50 lb Vittle Vaults for day to day feeding, and keep the metal trash can to keep additional sealed un opened bags of dog food in.

I had just been "stacking" new food on the old in the metal can, without reaching the bottom.

What brought all this up is a round of diarrhea in my dogs in my kennel, trying to trace the source before going to vet.

Told my wife to stop giving treats to my dogs to narrow things causing the illness, caught her today giving them treats....

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
I use two of these, stacked on top of one another. They're great, had them for years now. They seal up tight, are easy to open, and the big wide opening makes them easy to fill...

+2. I've had mine for probably fifteen years or so. Works great.

I read something on one of the high end dog food maker's websites a while back that said dog food should be stored in the bag it came in. We buy 35 lb bags, cut open the top and set the whole bag in a large airtight plastic container. It has a lid that flips open, so it's easy to access. The link below is the one we use. It works well and we don't need to ever wash out the container since there's no loose food in it. We keep the container inside the house.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bobandmikako,

or,
save $6.00
and grab one of these out of the recycle bin.


works for up to 60 days