I promised to share more of the fresh food tips from our recent Event Barkers #Gamma2Fresh Twitter Party. Here they are at long last. Before I launch, let me pass along a tip on where you can pick up the TRAVEL-tainer in the image above. I just located them locally at Home Goods so you can pick one up for your Summer getaways easily. Enjoy these tips, and be sure to check out our first installment of helpful hints here.
Even the best, most-expensive pet food is a health hazard when infested with bugs. Choose airtight #Vittles Vault storage for complete pest resistance.
Only purchase enough food for up to 6 weeks of use to assure freshness
“Use By” or “Best Used by” dates apply ONLY to sealed bags.
Artificial preservatives give food a longer shelf life but often include harmful chemicals that outweigh the benefits. Choose natural preservatives like Tocopherols (various forms of vitamin E) and Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C).
Fats and oils in pet food are extremely susceptible to oxidation, caused by regular access to oxygen. We recommend an airtight container to limit this problem.
Oxidation reduces nutritional value of food and causes the taste to be less appealing.
Mold is highly toxic to dogs. If your pup eats moldy food, get him to a vet pronto for treatment.
When purchasing pet food, check bags carefully for tears and splits. Do not buy a bag that has been torn and is retaped. Pests, mold, and moisture may have set in that will make your pet sick.
Don’t forget to completely tighten screw on lids to totally seal out air and pests.
Discard food with changes in color, consistency, or odor. Thoroughly wash and dry the container before refilling.
Following these 10 tips plus the 10 included in our earlier post will help you keep your pet food fresh and pest-free. These tips and a Gamma2 container are sure to save you money on spoiled food, as well. You can also purchase airtight containers made by Gamma2 Amazon (pick your size and shape) at this link, to make certain you'll be feeding your pet the safest, most tasty food.
I hope you had the good fortune to join us for the recent #Gamma2Fresh Twitter Party. We enjoyed some silly Gamma2 G-Men video questions and generally had a great time. But we also got serious about keeping our pet food fresh. Here are some of the tips we shared in the party that many said were new information or just plain helpful. I hope you find a gem in here too!
Save money on dog food by keeping it in an airtight pet food container like a Gamma2 VittlesVault to prevent spoilage and pest access. No bugs means healthier pets.
Before you purchase pet food, check to make sure you've selected the product you intended, and always check the Expiration Date. No date=no purchase!
Store pet food inside your home. Pests can find their way into a garage and eat right thru an unopened bag of pet food.
Only use food grade, BPA-Free plastic containers, as dyes and BPA can leach into food.
ALWAYS wash your pet food container in between refills to remove oils that may become rancid. These fats will contaminate new food placed in the container, potentially making your pet sick.
Rancid oils increases the risk of mites, mold, and bacteria, all of which may lead to food poisoning, vomiting or diarrhea. Cool, dry storage and an airtight container are your only tools to avoid these problems.
Greener Earth Tip: Wash your pet food container with hot water and biodegradable dish soap for a healthier Earth.
When you empty a new bag into your pet food container, ALWAYS save the product label with the name, bar code, batch code, production code, and Best by date, in case of recall.
Always store food in a cool, dry location indoors, under 80 degrees F.
Households with multiple pets on different foods may buy food in small bags and store all with bags inside 1 large pet food container.
I'll bring more of the fresh food tips to you next week. Meanwhile, feel free to Tweet your favorite tip from the list. @AllThingsDog would love to help get the work out. Thanks for joining me today.
Event Barkers is truly on a roll. Twitter Parties are becoming all the rage, and setting these puppies up is no easy task. Following through is even tougher. Paris and I take quite a beating getting ready for each of these parties, but they are soooooo much fun to participate in. It's all worth it!
Today we want to introduce you to our next Twitter Party event: @Gamma2Fresh. Gamma 2 is a pet food container maker. You probably already know them as they are available in so many national and international retail outlets. Yet they still feel there is a need to educate the public about the need for keeping pet food properly stored in an airtight container, both for freshness and to keep pests out. Event Barkers is on the job!
Those of you who read my blog may remember the review and giveaway I did recently for Gamma 2 Vittles Vaults. They make an airtight patented lid that keeps freshness in and pests out. With the cost of pet food going higher and higher, this is an important feature when selecting your pet food container. Leaving it in the bag is just not an option at the cost of pet food these days.
Stored only in the bag your pet food has a much greater chance of (a) being raided by Fido or Fluffy, (b) going stale or (c) getting infested with bugs. We know you don't want any of these things to happen so we're bringing you a quick Twitter Party to share some freshness trivia, tips and info on making sure you're serving your best friend pet food that is fresh, safe and unable to be stolen when you're not looking.
Join us Sunday, June 10 at 9:00 PM ET on Twitter for #Gamma2Fresh:
Prizes: Pet food containers for your summer trips, some including bowls for serving, and 1 Grand Prize winner will get the large container of their choice (you pick the size you need for your furry family)
Information: We'll share with you everything you need to know about keeping your food fresh, buying it fresh, and making sure it's pest free as well.
Entertainment: Join us as Gamma 2 G-Men beat out their message: "Pet food gets stale". You'll enjoy their show and we'll all enjoy these "Blue Man Group" type of performers. Share the link to their performance and you could win a prize too!
Let's get that winning potential started right away. Share the link to the Gamma 2 G-Men video via Twitter, using the #Gamma2Fresh hashtag, and you'll automatically be entered to win the PreTweet Prize. Try this one on for size:
Join me at #Gamma2Fresh 4 prizes and fun. Enjoy our entertaining
video by the @Gamma2inc G-Men: http://ow.ly/aYrtn
Now, enjoy the video (you can subscribe to the YouTube channel here: Gamma2′s YouTube channelor save the link and watch it later here) before you fill in the RSVP for the party below. An example follows the video.
Remember, in order to win prizes at the party, you must RSVP below and follow the sponsors and hosts: @EventBarkers @Gamma2inc @Dogtipper @AllThingsDog @Cattipper @5MinutesforFido.
Below the numbered list at the bottom is a blue link that says "Click here to enter". Click this and follow these instructions, using the image below as a guide. In the field that says "Link Title or Blog Title" just enter your Twitter handle. Notice I entered @AllThingsDog. In the second field that says "Link" you'll enter the link to your Twitter account. It will look like this: "http://twitter.com/yourhandlehere".
You can leave your email address and name in the next two fields, if you wish. This will help us reach you if your Twitter handle is listed wrong and you win a prize. Now click "Enter your link" and that's it. You have completed your RSVP. See you on June 10th at 9:00 PM ET.
Did you enjoy the Gamma2 review yesterday? I am loving the fresh, airtight storage that their screw on lid affords me, and of course I now don't have to hide the container away behind a cabinet door because of its tacky appearance. This container looks like a fashionable piece of home decor, maybe even a cookie jar?
Further, dog food for Tanner and Oliver is not cheap. At 70 lbs. Tanner is quite the chow hound. We serve Organix, and sometimes you get what you pay for. For this reason, I like to take care that my food is stored safely to keep bugs out and freshness in.
Today we are proud to share a giveaway from the Gamma2 company. Three winners will receive a black woven container like the one I have, and 3 will go ultra-fashionable with a pink fluffy one. It almost looks like something you should store your cotton balls or Easter Bunny marshmallows in, but I assure you it is intended for pet food. :)
Are you ready? Dive into the Rafflecopter with your entries. Try the various options, including Facebook, photos, comments, and a choice to Tweet daily with two different messages. I hope to see some activity on @Gamma2inc so we can get them moving on Twitter.
If you do not see the Rafflecopter entry form below the social media icons at the bottom, simply click on the title above and the Rafflecopter entry form will magically reappear below.
Entries close Thursday, April 5 and winners will be announced Friday evening, April 6. If you just can't wait, drop in at your local PetSmart, Petco or shop the selection at Amazon, to choose the size and shape that best fits your storage area. Enjoy the journey!
Full disclosure: I was provided with a Vittles Vault to review and share my opinion with you. I have not been paid for this review, nor for providing their promotional giveaway that begins tomorrow. There is no purchase required to enter. Purchases via Amazon links on this page may pay a small percentage of commission to this site to support All Things Dog Blog's work.
The luck of the Irish is with us this week as we are now the proud owners of a Vittles Vault air tight pet food container. You may be thinking 'Big wow!' But look how cool this container is. Gamma2 has set the standard in pet food containers for many years. While they do have three levels of containers for all purpose pet food storage--Select, Choice and Prime--their new Prime Vittles Vault with Covers caught my eye.
No worries. It has the same screw on lid that keeps critters out and is completely pet proof for your Houdini who knows how to open a snap lid. Even Tanner can't get this baby open, and he's the master at opening things.
We opted for the woven black version to fit in with any decor. If your pet food needs a bigger fashion statement, you may want to go with the pink furry model, just for fun. Isn't is cool?
The plastic container is made from food grade BPA-free plastic. Why is this important? Among other factors, Bisphenol-A is an endocrine disruptor, which can mimic the body's own hormones and may lead to negative health effects, according to Wikipedia.
This cover is sized to fit the 8 lb. containers. If you need something larger, they have 27 sizes and various shapes available in their three levels of storage listed above. You'll find their products widely available at pet supply stores, and even on Amazon. Gamma2 can even help you store your horse's feed and has options for travel. Unlike some containers, the covered Vittles Vault has an easy-carry handle that drops out of the way for storage and stacking. My 5.25 lb. bag of Organix fit into the container with plenty of room to spare, assuring that their advertised 8 lb. capacity is accurate.
While reading up on the FAQs at Gamma2.net, I picked up some interesting trivia about plastics that I had not considered:
"Plastic trashcans are made specifically for trash, not food. Trashcans are typically made from reprocessed plastic, and will be a dark color to hide dirt and foreign matter within the plastic. Additionally, trashcans are not food safe. The Vittles Vault provides a food safe plastic container that is airtight, unlike a trashcan."
Tomorrow I'll be releasing a generous giveaway of these 2 adorable styles of containment for your pet chow. Meanwhile, you can get started on your entries. Stop over at their Facebook page to "Like" them. They're new to Facebook, so feel free to say hello and tell them which container you like the best at the All Things Dog Blog review.
After you've done that, you can follow them on Twitter and let them know I sent you. I hope to give their social media program a gentle boost during the giveaway entry period. I know you guys will do your part! Watch for a giveaway starting tomorrow.
Can't wait for the giveaway? Stop by PetSmart or Petco to check out their stock of Gamma2 products, or shop online at Amazon, where you can select the size and shape that works best for your home. Happy tails!
Full disclosure: I was provided with a Vittles Vault to review and share my opinion with you. I have not been paid for this review, nor for providing their promotional giveaway that begins tomorrow. There is no purchase required to enter. Purchases via Amazon links on this page may pay a small percentage of commission to this site to support All Things Dog Blog's work.
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