What affects shelf life in dog treats?
When you use fresh and natural ingredients, the shelf life of your treats will shorten significantly. The benefit of full nutrition without additives comes at the price of a shorter usable life. Most of the recipes can last for up to a week when stored properly and under refrigeration. If you freeze a batch right after cooking, you can extend their expiration date for several weeks.
Baked treats made with natural preservatives like vitamin C and mold inhibitors can last for up to six months in the right conditions. Heat, ventilation, cooking method, list of ingredients, and storage are the most important factors that affect how long your homemade treats will last.
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What is the shelf life of homemade dog treats?
All the information on this page will help you answer this question. There are clearly lots of variables which can affect shelf life of homemade dog treats, including ingredients, method, environment etc.
Homemade dog treats should always be kept in an airtight container or use a vacuum-sealer for longer term freezer storage.
Heres a quick overview that simplifies it all, but remember to include the information given to adjust for individual and specific recipes.
Dry, baked, homemade dog treats have the longest shelf life… up to one week in the larder and up to two weeks in the refrigerator, and the crispier/crunchier your baked treats are, the longer theyll stay fresh.
Recipes that dont contain meat, fish or cheese can be stored in airtight container in the larder for up to a week, and in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
If the treats contain meat, fish or cheese should ALWAYS be stored in the refrigerator or freezer, no matter how crunchy they are. They should be good for around five days in the refrigerator.
Soft, baked homemade dog treats store relatively well… generally staying fresh for up to five days in the refrigerator.
Soft baked treats should always be kept in the refrigerator or freezer. Meat, fish, cheese, fruits and vegetables can all make treats softer, although extra baking time, or putting them in a dehydrator after theyre finished baking, can dry them out.
Keep these kinds of treats in an airtight for five to seven days. Check them for any signs theyve gone off before giving them to your dog.
Homemade gummy dog treats stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. If you want to keep them longer than that youll need to freeze them.
They will stay fresh for several months in the freezer but they dont defrost very well, so feeding frozen gummy treats is the way we do it in our house!
Dehydrated dog treats have the longest shelf life of all and can stay fresh for several weeks in the larder.
This is because the dehydration process removes all the moisture from whatever it is youre working with.
However, dehydrated meat still has a shelf life of up to three weeks or so in the larder. Its not advisable to keep dehydrated treats in the refrigerator as that adds moisture.
You can put them in an airtight container and keep them in the freezer for up to three months.
You’ve made some delicious DIY Dog Treats for your dog – now what?!
Well. There’s no easy answer. I know. Boo. How to store your DIY dog treats, and how long those dog treats will be good for will depend on the ingredients you used, and how you prepared them. Dog treats are often made with little or no sugar. This makes for a healthier, more species-appropriate snack, but sugar plays an important roll in human baking! It can actually slow microbial growth and help preserve treats. Since none of our homemade dog treats contain enough sugar to help preserve them, proper storage is extra important. Moisture, fat, dairy, and meat can all contribute to those heartfelt dog treats you made in your own kitchen spoiling faster than you would like.
Soft baked dog treats like cakes or drop cookies should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, unless they’ve been made with perishable ingredients like cheese, cream cheese, or meat. These treats are more prone to spoilage (and could even make your dog sick if stored improperly!) Store dog treats made with perishable ingredients in an airtight container in the refrigerator.Freshly made, home-baked soft dog treats can be stored for 3 – 5 days or for a longer shelf-life, frozen for up to three months. These cheese treats are perfect for hard baking or dehydrating.
Hard Baked dog treats like rolled cookies that have been baked until crisp or dried in the dehydrator should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Dehydrating your dog treats so that the moisture is removed is a great way to ensure your homemade dog treats last longer than a few days. To ensure they’re completely dry, always do a snap test. A dehydrated dog cookie should have a clean, crisp snap and there should be no visual moisture in the center of the treat. (Most moisture spots will often look darker than fully dried cookies and, in some cases, you’ll be able to break the dried parts off the moister center. If this happens, return the cookies to the oven or dehydrator on the lowest setting and dry for a few more hours.
Hard baked or Dehydrated DIY dog cookies can be stored for 2 – 3 weeks or, for a longer shelf life, frozen for up to three months.
Perfect for storing homemade dog jerky and hard baked cookies
Homemade jerky treats are one of my very favourite things to make. They’re so easy to prepare, they preserve like a dream and it’s super rare that I have a batch spoil faster than Kolchak can eat them!
But, there are some things you need to know when making and storing your homemade jerky treats. The fat content of your meat, how well-dried the jerky is, and whether you flash-cooked the meat all contribute to how long your jerky will last. Use lean meats where possible and trim off any fatty pieces. Fat will go rancid faster than lean meat, so you want to limit or eliminate it wherever possible.Make sure treats are fully dried. For a flexible jerky, use scissors to cut a piece in half. It should be evenly dried all the way through. For crisp jerky, pieces should cleanly snap in half with no moisture remaining in the center.