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How Long Do You Leave Uneaten Dry Food Out?


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How long can I leave uneaten dry food out? Or if I'm taking it away after meal times, how many times can I offer my pup the same dry food next meal?

I'm sure it gets stale after a while, but not sure how long that takes and how much it matters.

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15 minutes maximum.

If my dogs don't eat their food within about 15 minutes I remove it as they either don't want it or are sick.

ETA I would probably reoffer dry food a few times so long as it hadn't got wet or had other food mixed with it.

Edited by Janba
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Me too - 15 mins down. Mine are vaccuums, but sometimes I get a visitor/foster who takes a few days to get the drift. I just tip it into a separate airtight container and put it back down next meal time. That way the bowl gets washed with the others.

Once though, I had one who would pick up the bits of kibble and sort of suck them a bit then spit them back into the bowl eeeewwwwww! :laugh: I threw her leftovers out!

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My dogs eat as soon as I put their food down. If they don't eat within about 10 minutes then I know there is something really wrong. I never ever leave food down as they are both total pigs and would glutton themselves all day long if they could. They have fought over biscuits before so I also wouldnt leave food down for that reason. I dont think dogs need to have food left out for them. They should eat when you feed them and thats it. Its good to have a routine. JMO.

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I'm another who doesn't have a problem with food...but my cats & dogs get 20mins and if they haven't eaten by then, the food is put away. Like the others, as long as the food isn't mixed with anything or wet then it should be fine to keep reoffering for a while. If your puppy isn't eating a lot at one time then perhaps consider smaller portions....that way you won't have as much of a freshness issue.

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You mean you have a dog that you can leave food out and it doesn't get eaten?

Zero is all over his food the second he can get it! Both the cat and the dog can search out an open pack of schmackos (both love them) and have worked out a way to get the drawer open and the schmackos out of the packet without moving it! I don't even have to leave food out for them to get to it!

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Well, probably I just need to reduce portion size, but my pup never finishes all of the food I give her. The vet said she is a good weight, and she looks a good weight to me, not over or under.

She just doesn't seem to like dry food very much. I have tried Eukanuba, Hills, Eagle Pack, and I'm now feeding Nutrience Medium Breed Puppy, and she hasn't been a big fan of any of them.

In the morning I give her a mixture of 1/3-1/2 cup dry food, Nutrience or Nature's Gift Canned Food (2-3 tablespoons), sometimes a raw egg mixed in or a tiny bit of left-over meat from dinner chopped up. She normally eats about half what I give her over the course of the day. On weekdays I also give her a kong with peanut butter and Nature's Gift Beef Liver Treats inside, and she gets all of that out and eats it.

In the evenings I give her a chicken wing and about 1/3 cup more dry food and I usually leave that out all evening until she goes to bed, and she wolfs down the chicken and then eats little moutfuls of dry food throughout the evening.

So a little of the dry food from the day and most of the dry food from the evening is left uneaten. I guess I should either cut it or cut some of the other stuff so that she is forced to eat more dry food.

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