Expired dog food?

megano

New member
Hi, I have dog food that expired 4/6/2022, did a quick google and got various answers as to if it's still fine. They've been unopened, in the back of a closet in SoCal dry weather. I've posted the ingredients below hoping maybe I'd get a more knowledgable answer. Would it just be a matter of taste for him? Should I give to family members with younger dogs? Already ordered him a brand-new bag to eat, this would just be left to the side for the moments he runs out. And his dry food is really just a supplement I leave out thinking he might get nutrients that he doesn't get from our left overs and various dog snack. He maybe goes through a bowl every 3 days. He's actually almost surely been eating this same expired stuff for the last few months, I wouldn't have even checked if it weren't for all the recent problems I've had since I've almost exclusively began ordering online and for delivery. I understand it, better than them having to throw it out, but if its on sale don't stock up because its not years you'll have but probably a month or two.

American Journey Protein & Grains Senior Chicken, Brown Rice & Vegetable Recipe Dry Dog Food, 28-lb

Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal (a source of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate), Brown Rice, Peas, Rice Bran, Barley, Turkey Meal, Natural Flavor, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Flaxseed, Suncured Alfalfa Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Fish Oil, Salt, Menhaden Fish Meal, Dried Tomato Pomace, Powdered Cellulose, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dried Egg Product, Carrots, Oatmeal, Sweet Potatoes, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate), Blueberries, Cranberries, Dried Kelp, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Sunflower Oil, Mixed Tocopherols (Preservative), Dried Chicory Root, L-Carnitine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Rosemary Extract.

American Journey Protein & Grains Senior Salmon, Brown Rice & Vegetables Recipe Dry Dog Food-

Deboned Salmon, Menhaden Fish Meal (a source of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate), Brown Rice, Peas, Barley, Chicken Meal, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Rice Bran, Natural Flavor, Dried Tomato Pomace, Pea Protein, Suncured Alfalfa Meal, Brewers Rice, Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Dried Egg Product, Carrots, Oatmeal, Sweet Potatoes, Powdered Cellulose, Dicalcium Phosphate, Sunflower Oil, Fish Oil, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Choline Chloride, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate), Taurine, Blueberries, Cranberries, Dried Kelp, Mixed Tocopherols (Preservative), Dried Chicory Root, Potassium Chloride, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Carnitine, Rosemary Extract.
 
@megano I'll be honest and say I used to do this all the time, I would buy the most expensive dog food brand I could find when it was marked down on clearance as expired or going out of date -- It's because I had incorrect assumptions that the most expensive dog food would be the healthiest, and if I could get it at a price that I could afford then that is even better.

I personally would not go back to that way, or recommend it for anybody. It's taken me a while but I finally figured out that the most expensive does not correlate to highest quality, and that the shelf life of the finished product does matter.
 
@megano For people canned foods will be safe well beyond expiration due to it being sealed and heat processed and preservatives as long as the can is not dented/ rusted/ swelling but the nutrients and flavors will dull, bright greens will go grey looking and not taste great but be safe.

Dry packaged goods? How is it packed? Air tight or in a paper like bag? Dog food contains oils and they can go rancid. Oils in a bottle- it’s usually easy to tell if they’ve gone off- a lot of times they end up stinking like play-doh. Old oats or flax would have a plastic like weird scent and also can go rancid. That would be pretty hard to judge in dog food.. 3 months maybe ok but you said 2022 and its now 2023. I think a lot of commenters are missing the year. I wouldn’t risk it. That’s too long for dry food, iffy for canned.
 
@dananglingson Thanks, type of inside info I was looking for. I’ve already got a bunch of new food for my dog, still have these bags though. They were air tight never opened packed in the back of a socal closet, not a lot of humidity. I’ll open it up and see how it smells. If good I’ll prob list online for someone to pick up.
 
@godloving011354 Yeah, if he was younger I wouldn't be as paranoid and he'd probably be already testing it out. I don't see a reason if it hasn't gone rancid but I just don't have the knowledge, maybe something chemically happens to it that is bad or toxic regardless of if it's not upsetting his stomach.
 
@megano That is well over a year expired. I have heard of people feeding food that is a month expired, but I wouldn’t do over a year expired. The oil has probably gone rancid. I shop t a discount grocery store for my food, and I’ve noticed that chips/snacks that are more than a few weeks expired can have rancid oil and it’s horrible. Don’t feed that to your dog. You’d be better off buying the cheapest dog chow from walmart
 

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