Does canned food go bad on the counter overnight?

[Emoore]

Until we figure out what's going on with Rocky's liver and why he hasn't had much appetite, the vet said I should make it a point to feed him what he'll eat. So I've been mixing his kibble and his medicine with canned food (Wellness Simple Solutions Venison/Rice. It was on sale for $1/can).

If I refrigerate the open can overnight, in the morning the food is kind of hard and difficult to mix up with the kibble and pills. Can I leave the can of food out on the counter from, say, 8:30pm to 7:30am? Or will it go bad?

[Twyla]

The can food needs to be refrigerated. I add a little can food to Woolf's food ( he can use the calories) and refrigerate the remainder. At the next meal, I take the amount I want out of the can and heat it in the microwave. Usually about 30 seconds. By the time it's mixed with the food, it's cooled enough to not burn.

[Emoore]

ooooOOOoOOOOOOooohhhhhh! The MICRO-wave! Never occurred to me to microwave the dog's food. I'll do that, thanks!

[Cassidy's Mom]

I don't feed canned to the dogs since they'd eat old shoe leather and love it, so kibble is just fine by them, but I've accidentally left the canned cat food out overnight and haven't killed them yet. But yeah - in your case the microwave is your friend.

[sparra]

Yes microwave is a good trick. We used to have the fussiest cat ever and he would only eat it fresh out of the can and then not want to eat it if it had been in the fridge. Bit of a zap in the micro and he loved it....it actually makes it smellier so your dog may enjoy it even more.

[msvette2u]

You are covering the can, right? If you don't have one of those can lids, get a baggie and stick over it.

And...if you're house is cool, like ours, I don't think it would go bad overnight but do cover it then, too. Put a plate over the bowl or something. Flies getting in it bothers me. LOL

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by msvette2u

You are covering the can, right? If you don't have one of those can lids, get a baggie and stick over it.

Yup, I'm putting it in a ziplock quart bag in the fridge.

[ChancetheGSD]

Once you get the first couple spoonfuls out of a new can, mix a little warm water with the canned food to make it into a mush and it'll make it MUCH easier to remove even after being refrigerated. (And make the cans last longer!)

Though a suggestion if you can get/afford it is By Nature canned food. I've only ever tried the Organics Chicken and Turkey formulas (I had coupons for B1G1F which brought them down to $1/can - It was for the organics line only. They wouldn't work for the cheaper regular formulas, even the 95% meat cans :/ So I haven't tried any others.) but they're the BEST canned foods I've tried!! They don't get hard in the fridge and they smell sooo delicious which will tempt even the pickiest eater!

[robinhuerta]

Emoore.....empty the can into one of those cheap plastic zip lock bowls.
Put it in the fridge. When you take it out in the morning...just add a little hot water to it and mix it up.
Or (if you choose to microwave)...you can do it in the container too.

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by robinhuerta

Emoore.....empty the can into one of those cheap plastic zip lock bowls.
Put it in the fridge. When you take it out in the morning...just add a little hot water to it and mix it up.
Or (if you choose to microwave)...you can do it in the container too.

Hey. . . . thanks for that. You must have read my mind. This morning I was bleary-eyed and stupid, hadn't had my coffee yet, and stood there like an idiot looking from the metal can, to the stainless steel bowl, and back again, trying to figure out how in the world to microwave it. I'm worthless before coffee.