Freezing Dry Dog Food

I'm often asked whether freezing dry dog food is a viable option, so I'm going to devote this article to discussing the ins and outs of freezing--and refrigerating--kibble.

Why do it? What are the pros and cons? How does freezing affect dry dog food? What's the shelf life of frozen kibble? And what's the best way to freeze or refrigerate dry dog food? Those are the questions I will attempt to answer.

Why Freeze Dry Dog Food

As discussed in Dry Dog Food Storage, kibble is far more perishable than most people realize. Actually, let me rephrase that: There are dry dog foods that can safely be stored for many months after the bag has been opened. These foods are grain-based, contain few if any polyunsaturated fatty acids, and are heavily preserved with synthetic antioxidants that have been linked to various health hazards. I don't recommend you feed these foods.

The dry dog foods I do recommend are meat-based and naturally preserved. They contain high levels of essential fatty acids and fresh meat or fish. Unfortunately the natural preservatives aren't as powerful as their synthetic counterparts, and the dog food ingredients are far more perishable. This translates into reduced shelf life--particularly once the bag has been opened.

People with small or toy breed dogs that don't eat much and people who feed kibble only occasionally as a supplement to their dog's usual homemade diet or canned food may struggle to use up an opened bag of dry dog food in the recommended time frame.

But the main reason to consider freezing dry dog food is cost. Super premium dry dog foods can be quite expensive, and the bigger the bag, the less you pay per pound. The cost savings per pound of food when buying a 30-35 pound (14-16kg) bag over a 5-7 pound (2-3kg) bag can be 40%. Even when comparing a manufacturer's large bag to their medium bag , it's possible to save as much as 25-30% by purchasing the bigger bag.

Then there's the issue of availability. Super premium brands are sold only in specialty shops, and if you live in a rural area, there may be just one retailer selling your preferred dog food. Some of these small specialty shops carry only the big bags because they are more cost-effective and there is insufficient demand for the smaller sizes. This leaves rural dog owners with a choice between buying a big bag locally or ordering online and paying high shipping charges.

Freezing dry dog food for 3-7 days will also kill storage mites and most other insects. If your dog is allergic to storage mites (and over 90% of dogs with atopic dermatitis are), the mite carcasses and droppings will still present a problem, but freezing can prevent a few mites from turning into a full-blown infestation.

Whatever the reason, when you have an expensive dry dog food that you won't be able to use up within 3-6 weeks of first opening the bag, it makes sense to look into refrigerating or freezing the kibble.

Refrigerating vs. Freezing Dry Dog Food

Several manufacturers of super premium dry dog foods has been inquired about refrigerating or freezing their kibbles. The consensus is: refrigeration - yes, freezing - no. Not one of the dog food companies inquired contacted recommended freezing their foods.

The reasons given for not freezing dry dog food are:

• Damage to probiotics and prebiotics - While there has been no research into how freezing impacts probiotics and prebiotics in dry dog food, several studies have examined how prebiotics and probiotics fare in frozen yogurt and ice cream. As it turns out, prebiotics appear to be unaffected by freezing, and losses of probiotic microorganisms are minimal.

  Moreover, it is questionable just how beneficial probiotics in kibble are because most dry dog foods contain only very small amounts. Adding a probiotic supplement designed specifically for dogs or even a spoonful or two of yogurt (with active cultures) to your dog's food will provide many more beneficial bacteria than the tiny amount found in kibble.

• Nutrient loss - As with probiotics and prebiotics, no studies have been conducted to examine whether freezing damages or destroys nutrients in dry dog foods, but there is research on how freezing impacts food in general.

  Macronutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) are largely unaffected by freezing. Even fragile fatty acids such as DHA and EPA (found in fatty fish and fish oil) incur only very minimal losses when frozen. Vitamin loss is a different matter.

  Water-soluble vitamins (the various B vitamins and vitamin C) are considered most vulnerable to freezing. But how much, if any, vitamins are lost depends greatly on the chemical structure of the frozen food, making it difficult to extrapolate from beef or vegetables to kibble.

  According to one study, freezing and storage at -18 degrees Celsius (0 degrees Fahrenheit) for 5 months decreased the vitamin B6 content of food between 18.92% and 60.26%. Foods of animal origin were particularly affected with an average vitamin B6 loss of 55%. Of course kibble contains substantially less moisture than fresh foods, so the loss of water-soluble vitamins is probably less pronounced.

  Moreover, the way the food is packaged when frozen is also going to affect vitamin loss. I suspect that freezing dry dog food does result in some vitamin loss, but of course the same is true for storing food at room temperature.

• Diminished palatability - Freezing could conceivably diminish the food's taste and smell to the point where picky dogs are noticeably less enthusiastic about their kibble; however, most dog owners who've tried freezing kibble seem to have no problems in this regard. A few even report that their dogs prefer the kibble when it's coming straight out of the freezer--particularly during the hot summer months.
• Moisture promotes bacteria and mold growth - Condensation can add moisture to frozen kibble, and moisture promotes the growth of bacteria and molds. Of course freezing inactivates microbes, so the danger occurs after the kibble has been thawed. This is where proper food packaging and storage makes all the difference. I will discuss how to avoid the moisture problem below.

How to Freeze Dry Dog Food

Despite the warnings of dog food manufacturers, countless dog owners, particularly those with small and toy breeds, routinely freeze dry dog food. If you decide to give freezing a go, here's the best way to do it:

• 1. Calculate how much kibble your dog or dogs eat in a week.


• 2. Fill enough kibble to last your dog(s) a week into a plastic vacuum bag. I'm talking about the type of bags that come with a vacuum sealer device that sucks all of the air out of the bags. Repeat until all you have left is a one-month supply or less.


• 3. Use your vacuum sealer device (FoodSaver or similar) to remove all of the air from the bag and seal it tight. The complete lack of airspace will prevent moisture from accumulating in the bag and keep vitamin loss to a minimum.


• 4. Label each bag with the name of the kibble, the lot number, the expiration date, and the date you've packaged the food for the freezer. Also keep the original kibble bag in case you need the bar code.


• 5. Place the bags in the freezer. If you have multiple freezers, use the one that is opened least frequently.


• 6. Move one bag at a time from the freezer to the refrigerator as needed. Once kibble has been frozen, it should never be stored at room temperature. Always keep it in the fridge, just to be safe. You can feed the kibble frozen or wait until it has thawed. Frozen kibble will have less of a smell, so extremely picky dogs might be somewhat less thrilled to find it in their food bowl, but most dogs like frozen kibble just fine. And because kibble contains little moisture, it won't get soft and mushy even after thawing completely.

Once frozen in an airtight bag or container, dry dog food has an almost indefinite shelf life, but you should still use it before the expiration date.

Refrigerating and Vacuum Sealing Dry Dog Food

If all you need is an extra couple of months of storage time, vacuum sealing or refrigerating dry dog food may be the way to go. In fact, some manufacturers of foods with high meat or fish content (70% or more) recommend refrigeration as the optimal storage method.

Given the fragility of the polyunsaturated fatty acids in these foods, this is sound advice. Without refrigeration or vacuum sealing, foods containing significant amounts of fish or fish oil should be kept no longer than 2-3 weeks after opening the bag.

The best way to store dry dog food in the refrigerator is in a vacuum sealed bag or an airtight glass container. Even dry dog foods with high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids can be stored for four or five months after opening if kept refrigerated.

Storing kibble in smaller, vacuum-sealed bags can extend shelf life even without refrigeration, provided you keep the bags in a cool, dark, and dry place. Vacuum-sealing dry dog food almost restores the kibble to its pre-opened state, especially if you do it immediately after first opening the bag.

Ideally, each vacuum-sealed bag should contain just enough kibble to last a week or two. If stored correctly, vacuum-sealed bags can keep dry dog food fresh for three months, possibly longer, without the need for refrigeration.

Freezing, Refrigerating, or Vacuum-Sealing: What's Best for Kibble?

All three storage methods can keep dry dog food fresh and extend the shelf life of opened kibble bags. These methods are also very effective for keeping insects out of your dog's food supply. If you have a dog with allergies to storage mites, the latter is particularly important.

In most cases, vacuum-sealing by itself is preferable to refrigeration and freezing, because there is no risk of moisture accumulation or nutrient damage.

Temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius (50-60 degrees Fahrenheit) are ideal for multi-months storage of the vacuum-sealed bags. I recommend placing them in a vermin- and UV-proof dog food storage container or a dark pantry.

While you can buy vacuum sealers very inexpensively nowadays, keep in mind that the super cheap handheld models are usually intended only for short-term storage. A seal created with a cheep device won't necessarily hold for 3-4 months.

Expect to by a good quality vacuum sealer that can handle long-term storage, including freezer storage, and that lets you create bags in any size you need (with the handheld devices, you're typically limited to one or two bag sizes).

These devices can also suck the air out of canisters and other containers for even more storage options.