Oh no, mites! How to avoid this contamination of our dog food.

Oh my dear! My dog is scratching all the time!

Many distressed customers complain about that. One reason could be the existence of mites. Here are some facts about that item.

Mites are tiny arachnids with a size of only 300 μm. They are not visible to the eye and are a significant reason for allergies. After being absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, the immune system reacts to the mites themselves and also to the protein parts of the mites’ excrements. The result is an itching and inflammation of the skin. Allergies against These vermin can be diagnosed by a skin- as well as with a blood test. Mites need a high relative humidity and a room temperature between 20 and 30°C. For this reason they are mostly found in kitchens and bathrooms. Depending on the circumstances they have a live time between several weeks and up to some months. Mites prefer, depending on the species, a nutrition with a high amount of protein or wheat and plants.

How does the mites get into the food?

There are several possibilities:

• The ingredients, as for example wheat, are already contaminated before the processing of the food.
• Infestation during the manufacturing process: if the food is not packaged immediately after the production and is first stored.
• Infestation at home: Depending on the storage and the indoor climate it is possible that mites get through house dust into the food. This happens mainly if the food is not hermetically sealed or decanted into a bin which is contaminated with old food particles.

How to prevent mites?

• Store the food in the original Platinum bag. Our dry dog food is packaged immediately after the production process in air-tight bags and not stored intermediately. For this reason the food in the original bag is absolutely free of mites.
• Close the bag, for example with freezer bag clip. The food will stay fresh and juicy.
• &Just open the bag for the short time when you take your daily ration and close it immediately afterwards. Please use a clean measuring cup or something similar to get the food out of the bag.
• If the air-tight bags are stored additionally in a food bin, please make sure that it is cleaned regularly. Generally speaking: the shorter the opened bag is stored at home the smaller is the risk of a mite pest. For this reason Platinum just offers a variety of 1.5 kg and 5 kg bags for a fast consumption.
• Store the food bags in cool and dry atmosphere and separated from other food, for example meal which often is contaminated by mites.
• Ventilate your house regularly - this helps keeping the relative humidity low and creates unfavorable living condition for mites. To avoid them continuously it is advisable to worsen their living conditions.
• As mites also occur in house dust it is not recommended to leave the dog’s food bowl Close to dog’s bed. If your dog is mite-allergic you should do special hygienic treatments, as weekly washing the dog’s bed or blankets hot.

Deep freezing of dog Food - does that make any sense for allergic dogs?

In fact it is often recommended to deep freeze the food for allergic dogs but this is not very effective.
Existing mites are killed of course, but even the dead mites and also their excrements could cause an allergy. Beside this after the defrosting the food can be contaminated again.

It is up to you to protect your dog from mites:

• Ask for the storage of the dog food, from the production to the packaging.
• Take air-tight bags (for example PLATINUM) that are guaranteed free of mites.
• Store your dog food correctly at home.