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A recent article posted on The Consumerist website brings up a very good point (and lesson) that pet owners should take note ofThe article comes from a pet owner whose Yorkie became ill, and after a couple of days in the vet’s office, the owner looked at her Eukanuba canned food and realized it had expired 3 years ago. When she checked the cupboard she discovered several other cans of dog food - all recently purchased at PetCo - had expiration dates from 2004. Here is the link to the story - http://consumerist.com/consumer/complaints/petco-sells-dog-food-that-expired-3-years-ago-312921.php

What happened to this pet owner can very easily happen to anyone - any where. How many times do you look at the expiration date on the foods and treats you purchase for your pet?

With pet foods and treats, you will find a ‘Best by’ date typically on the side or back of the bag or can. Most pet food manufacturers have told me that this date does NOT mean the food has expired, it means that the food is not as optimal as before the best by date.

Shelf life is one of the questions I ask manufacturers about and provide in Petsumer Report. It varies greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer. The shelf life of dry pet foods can vary from 4 months to 3 years - canned and/or pouched products vary from 1 year to 5 years. Treats usually have the same shelf life as the manufacturer’s dry food - but just to keep things confusing, that can vary too. The ‘Best By’ date provided on the food - does NOT tell you how old the product is - it does NOT tell you when the food was manufactured. It only tells you the date that particular manufacturer has determined the food no longer provides the pet with the proper nutrition. While some ingredients in the food might still provide adequate nutrition - other ingredients have faded over time.

Optimal for your pet would be a pet food that is naturally preserved. However, the drawback of naturally preserved pet foods - the only drawback - is that they lose their nutritional value quickly. The challenge to pet owners is to find a food and treat that is very fresh.

So here’s what you can do to assure your pet is eating ONLY fresh food - providing the best that product offersCall the manufacturer and ask them what the shelf life is for their dry foods and/or canned foods. Let’s say ABC Pet Food Company tells you that the shelf life of their Premium ABC dry foods is 18 months and their Premium ABC canned/pouched foods is 2 years. With that information - you then look at the ‘Best By’ date on the product. As an example, if the best by date on the dry dog food you are considering says June 2008 - knowing that ABC told you 18 months for dry food, you would know that the food was made in January of 2007. Using today’s date - October 20, 2007 - this would tell you this particular bag of ABC dry dog food is 10 months old.

With a canned pet food, the ‘Best by’ date is also June 2008. This information tells you the pet food was made in June 2006 (Shelf life 2 years minus from June 2008 equals June 2006). Thus the canned product would be 14 months old in October 2007.

Using the above example, I would not purchase a dry pet food that is already ten months old. Ideally, a dry dog food or cat food should be less than four months old, and you should use it within a couple of months. Again, with naturally preserved pet foods, the nutritional value begins to drop quickly. Purchasing the freshest pet food provides your pet the best nutrition. Try to purchase and feed a dry pet food within six months of manufacturing. Store the food in a air tight container in a dark, cool closet. With a canned pet food, the quality of nutrition is protected by the canning process. Any unused portion of the food must be covered and stored in the refrigerator - use the remaining food within a couple of days.

Call your pet food’s manufacturer and ask them the shelf life of dry foods and canned foods. I know it’s a chore, just one more thing you have to do and look out for - but it is very important. You want what you pay for - quality nutrition for your pet - and a fresh product will provide that (of course you have to pay attention to ingredients too - but that is a whole different subject!). Get yourself into the habit of looking at the ‘Best By’ date BEFORE you purchase the pet food and or treat. Your effort will not only provide your pet with better nutrition - getting yourself into the habit of looking at the expiration date could just save you from an experience similar to the pet owner mentioned in the beginning of this article - and a sick pet.

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