Pet owners, look alive. Here’s something you want to think about when it comes to dry pet food.
TikTok creator @coupleofpaws, an account following a golden retriever named Rex and a Dalmatian named Eiger, recently posted a video about the importance of storing pet food properly.
The video has 18,000 likes and almost 355,000 views.
@coupleofpaws Any recommendations for dog food storage containers?? Im thinking @simplehuman 🥲 #dogowner #kibblefeddogs #dogmom ♬ original sound – Rex and Eiger
“I know you’re not supposed to put food in a container that’s not airtight or food-safe, but I didn’t really think it was that serious,” the creator said in the video.
While refilling their dogs’ kibble bucket, the creator discovered something unsettling. The video shows the inside of a container with a hinged lid (not unlike a kitchen trash can), where a few loose bits of kibble at the bottom have developed a white coating.
“Literal mold,” the creator said in the video.
“Imagine I would have fed that to my dog,” they said. “That could have been really bad.”
The creator issued a PSA to dog parents: “Do not put your dog’s food in a container. Leave it in the bag, put it in a bag, or put it in the container in the bag.”
One commenter wrote, “You can use any dogfood container just leave the dog food inside the bag! It helps (keep) it fresh,”
“New fear unlocked,” another commenter wrote.
“I got a small dog so I got a bougie flour container that’s air tight,” someone commented.
One viewer added, “also good to keep in the bag (in case) of a recall.”
“I store mine in the freezer! Got rid of the airtight container too,” another commenter offered.
According to pet advice website Pet Keen, dry dog food often contains moisture (despite the name), grains, and starchy vegetables, all of which are prime ingredients for mold growth.
“Mold tends to grow more in the summer when the air is hotter and more humid than in winter. If you don’t store your dry dog food properly, it will grow mold,” according to Pet Keen.
When pet food starts to mold, owners will first notice white or gray dust-like coating. As mold grows, they might see more pronounced black, white, gray, green, yellow, or pink mold, according to Pet Keen.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration—not just for humans, apparently—lists tips online for storing pet food properly.
“Proper storage of pet food and treats maintains the products’ nutritional value and keeps information handy in case there’s a problem,” according to the FDA.
A few specific tips from the FDA: Store pet food in the original bag, or put the bag into another container instead of pouring the kibble out (the commenters were right); make sure any containers are clean, dry, and have a tight lid; and wash the storage container out between uses.
The Daily Dot reached out to the creator behind @coupleofpaws via email and did not receive an immediate response.
