We often get asked about storing dog food in Mylar bags. That makes sense, because doing so could be economical and offer peace of mind for emergency scenarios. Some people just really like to stock up on certain dried foods, while others want to be sure their pet will be safe and accounted for should a disaster strike. The not-so-simple answer is: it depends!
Traditional dog food is high in fat and oils, which means it’s not ideal for long-term Mylar storage. If you’ve researched storing food in this method, then you know there are a lot of foods that are perfect for storage in Mylar bags - and some that aren’t. The higher the moisture content of a food item, the worse it will do when stored in mylar bags. A good rule of thumb would be to look for foods that have 10% or less moisture content, otherwise they won’t work long-term in Mylar bags.
However, even traditional dog food that contains some moisture can be stored for a shorter amount of time, up to 4 or 5 months. Furthermore, freeze dried pet foods can be stored in our Mylar bags with an oxygen absorber for up to 25 years. Oxygen absorbers are really the key to making food safe in long-term storage solutions. If you properly pack contents with these, then your freeze-dried dog food should be safe for a long time!
Depending on why you wanted to store dog food in Mylar bags, you might consider investing in more canned items. That’s not necessarily a more economical solution (unless you find a great sale!), but it could be part of an overall emergency preparedness plan. You might also do more research on what types of dry food could be safe for your pets, and include more of those foods in your long-term storage plans. For example, apples and white rice are both known to be safe for dogs. You might want to package extra of those dry items to include your dogs in emergency menu planning.
For more tips on long-term food storage with mylar bags, follow our blog.
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