You love your dog to death. Even then, you think it eats too much. It seems like yesterday you bought dog food, and now the stock in your home is near the bottom. You need to buy dog food in larger quantities. It is easier and cheaper to buy larger packs from wholesale distributors. You not only save substantial amounts of money but also save time on making those weekly trips to the supermarket.
Calculate the amount of food
Your first on the to-do list is to calculate the amount of food the dog consumes in a day. If your dog eats three cups of dog food every day, calculate the amount of food it needs in six weeks. This period is vital as it is the longest time a perishable item like dog food can be edible when stored in an airtight container. Most dog food manufacturers sell their products in standard wholesale weights. Buy the weight nearest to the calculation.
The next step is to decide which company product you should buy in bulk. Before selecting, compare their yearly fees, prices, and other benefits. Check whether they accept coupons. Make sure that the company you choose stocks the food your dog loves. Many companies restrict choices to a few flavors. If the company asks you to fill out a membership card, do so. Look out for larger bags of dry dog food, like the Diamond dog food (Diamond Naturals Dog Food large pack). Canned dog food, like the Blue Buffalo dog food or the Blue Buffalo puppy food, will also do. You could also buy the same quantity but in a larger number of smaller bags making it up. Always go for smaller cans and not larger ones. Select a can that your dog can finish within three days. If you are buying food like Iams ProActive Health Adult Large Breed Dry Dog Food for your large dog, it makes much more sense to buy in bulk. Larger dogs can finish up more in fewer days.
Storage
The canned food should be stored indoors in a cool location, like a closet. Do not place the food in areas that do not have air and heat and those that suffer extreme temperature fluctuations, like your car garage. The dry food should always be stored in an airtight container. Take ample dishwashing liquid and wash the container thoroughly. Allow it to dry. Open the dog food storage bag and roll up its top. Place the full bag into the container. This is as the manufacturer chose this bag for its power to keep out moisture. It also extends the food's edible range time. There is also the other important factor of the bag having all manufacturer information allowing you to check the expiration dates. It is thus essential to buy four things if you want to save money on feeding your dog. The four are an airtight container, dishwashing liquid, sponge, and towel.
Protection of the food from any pest or ant infestation is also essential. You can follow the below-mentioned steps for the same.
4 Natural Ways to Keep Ants out of Your Pet Food
It’s the scourge of many a pet parent: the ants come marching each springtime and don’t let up until the weather turns cold again. The ants’ target? Your pet’s food bowl! Worry no more. You don’t have to just put up with these pesky invaders trying to snack on your beloved’s goodies. You can fight back without poisons. Here are five non-toxic ways to keep ants out of your pet’s food.
1. How to Remove an Ant Infestation From Pet Food Without Throwing it Away
If there are already ants in the food, then place the food in the freezer. Wait until the food is frozen and the ants are dead. Then, working in batches if necessary, use a strainer over the sink or a trash can to sift the dead ants out of the food.
2. How to Use Peppermint Oil to Repel Ants and Other Pests
I discovered the wonders of peppermint oil when crews broke ground near my apartment to construct a new line of the Washington, DC metro. Almost immediately, our home was infested by mice that presumably came inside to escape all the excavation and major construction that disrupted the environment. We’d always entertained ants, which wasn’t ideal, but mice? Aw, heck no. I was not having it! After lots of research to find a non-toxic way to repel mice, I discovered that 100% peppermint oil (that's 100% peppermint oil, not extract) works wonders. In a spray bottle, I mix a tablespoon of oil for every 1 cup of water, which is a potent potion. Both mice and ants are guided keenly by their sense of smell, and 100% peppermint oil seems to completely bungle their olfactory operations. Since occasionally spritzing peppermint oil near my HVAC vent and having the smell delivered throughout my apartment, I have seen nary a pest, and no mice and no ants. Refresh with more spritzes anywhere you think pests might enter your home, and you should largely be pest-free in no time.
3. How to Disrupt the Ant Trail
If you don’t want to try peppermint oil, do your best to disrupt the ant trail to throw them off your pet’s food’s scent. You can keep a placemat under your dog's food bowl, and after each meal, wash the food bowl and wash off all the crumbs from the placemat with soap and water. You can also wipe down the floor with a gentle cleanser along the trail where you’ve seen ants marching, leading up to the space where you feed your pet. Another option is to sprinkle baby powder where you’ve seen ants enter your home. Sprinkle talc lightly in a circle around your pet’s food dish. (Make sure your pet isn’t around to inhale the talc.) Ants can’t seem to stand being around baby powder and will beat a hasty retreat in its presence.
4. How to Create a Moat Around Your Pet's Food Bowl
Ants will drown in water and won’t be able to cross the water to get to your pet’s food. You can use an aluminum baking dish that you would buy in the grocery store. Place your pet’s food bowl in the baking dish, and then fill the dish with just enough water to create a moat around the food bowl so that ants can’t access the food. Of course, the moat won’t prevent ants from entering your home in the first place. My favorite method has been peppermint oil. After the initial inconvenience of purchasing the oil and mixing up a bottle of 1 tablespoon of oil into one cup of water, it’s been so simple to just spray it around any time I notice an ant scouting out our kitchen. He runs for the hills, and I never have to host him or his friends again.
