A Survey among Dog and Cat Owners on Pet Food Storage and Preservation in the Households

Abstract

Background: Pet food storage plays a crucial role in maintaining the nutritional and sensory properties of purchased products over time. Methods: An online survey was developed to collect data regarding owners’ storage habits for both commercial and home-made diets. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 1545 dog owners and 676 cat owners. Pet and owner age played roles in the choice of the type of diet (commercial vs. home-cooked vs. raw meat-based) adopted. Kibble feeders (75.7%) usually bought one (50.1%) or two (24.6%) packages at a time, and most pets (64.4%) took a minimum four weeks to consume an entire bag. Almost half of the owners (43.5%) used a container to store pet food (plastic bins for 79.5%). Pet food was commonly stored in the kitchen (45.1%) and not exposed to direct light (94.5%); 23.6% of the kibble feeders said it might be exposed to high temperatures. Most commercial pet food feeders (67.3%) considered preservatives a potential health risk for pets. Among homemade diet feeders, 38.6% stored fish oil at room temperature. Conclusions: Pet owners should be educated in proper food storage management when receiving feeding instructions from veterinarians. More comprehensive information on the nature and importance of additives in pet food should be promoted by manufacturers.

It Keeps the Good Boy Healthy from Nose to Tail: Understanding Pet Food Attribute Preferences of US Consumers

“…Pet owners had expenses ranging from $254 to $287 per annum for basic pet food [ 12 ] and may have paid an extra $120 to $160 for treats and vitamins [ 6 ]. Different pet owners, however, consider different types of pet food, with varying product attributes to fulfil the nutritional requirements of their pet [ 16 , 17 ]. The most important product attributes appear to be price, perceived ingredient safety, and perceived quality and nutritional value [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”

“…Different pet owners, however, consider different types of pet food, with varying product attributes to fulfil the nutritional requirements of their pet [ 16 , 17 ]. The most important product attributes appear to be price, perceived ingredient safety, and perceived quality and nutritional value [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”

“…Most commercial pet foods are formulated based on the nutritional composition of ingredients available in public databases [ 17 ]. Ingredient composition and pet food quality are key for many pet owners when choosing between raw, wet, or dry food [ 22 ], and they perceive certain ingredients as undesirable or unsafe [ 23 ].…”

“…For instance, Morelli et al (2021) found that pet owners should be educated in proper food storage management and receive feeding instructions from veterinarians [ 17 ]. Exposure to direct light and exposure to high temperatures were emphasised as mistakes in the storage of pet food, indicating a pet owner’s lack of knowledge [ 17 ]. Thomas and Feng (2021) researched pet food knowledge in a food safety context [ 56 ].…”

Does Traditional Feeding of Outdoor Guard Dogs Provide a Food Resource for Wild Mammals and Birds?

“…One example of the latter is food provided by farmers and owners to farm guard dogs [11]. The pattern of feeding dogs in villages has changed a lot recently and instead of food from the owner's kitchen, more are fed with commercial food [12,13]. Moreover, due to sociological changes in villages [5,14], dogs are more often now typical pets, living in houses, rather than traditional guard animals [11].…”