Question Pet food storage in your RV?

[Neal]

For RVers with dogs, where do you keep your dog food and how is the dog food stored? Do you use a container or the original bag?

With my prior dog I used a container and it stayed in the bedroom and the bedroom slide cleared it so it worked well. With the current monster I still need to have a crate and she also enjoys sleeping in her crate on her own so that uses up that space for the dog food container. I now put the container in the half bath but I'm thinking of doing away with the container and just leaving the food in the bag as that will fit between the toilet and cabinet.

RVing is the art of constantly figuring out storage. Interested in how you handle your pet food storage in your RV.

 

[J&JD]

For RVers with dogs, where do you keep your dog food and how is the dog food stored? Do you use a container or the original bag?

With my prior dog I used a container and it stayed in the bedroom and the bedroom slide cleared it so it worked well. With the current monster I still need to have a crate and she also enjoys sleeping in her crate on her own so that uses up that space for the dog food container. I now put the container in the half bath but I'm thinking of doing away with the container and just leaving the food in the bag as that will fit between the toilet and cabinet.

RVing is the art of constantly figuring out storage. Interested in how you handle your pet food storage in your RV.

Neal, I have read several times that high quality dog food brands have good sacks, and advise you keep the food in the sacks, and fold over, sealing well after each feeding. Kibble is best used within 3 weeks, so huge bags are probably not the best anyway. Dusty is fairly small, so we keep his kibble in it’s bag in a storage container. He only gets kibble for breakfast so it is a little bag anyway, and fits in the pantry. On a long trip, we keep extra food under the bed. Judy D

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

We use a plastic storage box with snap-down lid for bulk food storage in one of the basement compartments. A small supply is kept in snap-lid food containers under the kitchen sink. Our two Schnauzers require different food; one is on a very low-fat diet due to a liver issue and the other gets standard Schnauzer food (kibbles). I'm guessing that our pair require nearly as much food storage as your bigger Lab.

EDIT: And, as @J&JD just noted, we keep the food in the original bag (folded and sealed) for bulk storage with just a few days worth of food in the plastic food containers inside the coach.

TJ

 

[Neal]

Neal, I have read several times that high quality dog food brands have good sacks, and advise you keep the food in the sacks, and fold over, sealing well after each feeding. Kibble is best used within 3 weeks, so huge bags are probably not the best anyway. Dusty is fairly small, so we keep his kibble in it’s bag in a storage container. He only gets kibble for breakfast so it is a little bag anyway, and fits in the pantry. On a long trip, we keep extra food under the bed. Judy D

Well timed as I have a new bag in the cart at Chewy.com and I went from the medium size to larger size and good call, I'll probably go back to the medium size to get a fresh bag more often. Easier to manage but I hate to have to deal with shipping but Chewy is great.

By the way, I may have said this before but I'm forever loyal to Chewy. Their customer service has been amazing. I bought several cases of canned food as my last dog had cancer and when I thought I had 6 more weeks I only got another week to be with her. I had unopened cases of canned food and Chewy refunded me and told me to donate them which was amazing. I digress but just saying I'm a big fan of Chewy and will order from them before buying local. Probably fresher food too with their higher volume turnover.

 

[J&JD]

Well timed as I have a new bag in the cart at Chewy.com and I went from the medium size to larger size and good call, I'll probably go back to the medium size to get a fresh bag more often. Easier to manage but I hate to have to deal with shipping but Chewy is great.

By the way, I may have said this before but I'm forever loyal to Chewy. Their customer service has been amazing. I bought several cases of canned food as my last dog had cancer and when I thought I had 6 more weeks I only got another week to be with her. I had unopened cases of canned food and Chewy refunded me and told me to donate them which was amazing. I digress but just saying I'm a big fan of Chewy and will order from them before buying local. Probably fresher food too with their higher volume turnover.

We are Chewy fans! They are a tad bit slower because of Covid, but still speedy?

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

By the way, I may have said this before but I'm forever loyal to Chewy. Their customer service has been amazing. I bought several cases of canned food as my last dog had cancer and when I thought I had 6 more weeks I only got another week to be with her. I had unopened cases of canned food and Chewy refunded me and told me to donate them which was amazing. I digress but just saying I'm a big fan of Chewy and will order from them before buying local.

We, too, are big fans of Chewy.com. Interestingly enough, our first order with them was a disaster; they shipped the wrong prescription diet food for our Schnauzer that needs it. In addition, it was the wrong-size bag. We called and were prepared to have to do battle, only to be disarmed by the best customer service we could ever imagine. Same deal; "we will send out the food that you ordered via 2nd-day shipping and please donate the incorrect food that you received to your local food bank or veterinary care help fund." And, when we did so, they were very happy to get it!

That was the only incorrect order we've ever had with Chewy and the customer service gained them a dedicated customer. We've had to contact them a couple of other times to renew prescriptions or submit new ones and, every time, we've received superb customer service. Chewy.com does an amazing job of training its staff!

TJ

 

[flyboy013]

We also get our food from Chewy. We have two containers that we put the food into. One container lives in the RV and the other in the basement until needed. If we're going to be gone for more than 4-6 weeks we put the rest of the large back in the basement too.

Here is a picture of our setup. The container goes under the dinette table when we travel.

 

[Neal]

The dog bowl location is another struggle. I would love to put it outside the half bath but that's where the trashcan is. So it's in front of a heat convector left side of the kitchen counter area which is fine other than the heat blowing or a trip hazard.

 

[J&JD]

The dog bowl location is another struggle. I would love to put it outside the half bath but that's where the trashcan is. So it's in front of a heat convector left side of the kitchen counter area which is fine other than the heat blowing or a trip hazard.

Dusty eats outside the half bath, and we can just open the floor kick for the vacuum, and swish in the crumbs. We keep a large garbage can in the back bathroom, and a smaller one under the kitchen sink.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

swish in the crumbs?

We have a built-in "crumb swisher;" Ellie, our younger Schnauzer! She circles the older one, waiting for her to walk away from her bowl and, within seconds, has every crumb vacuumed up. ?

TJ

 

[Joe Hogan]

We place the pet food and water dishes in the shower when we are in motion. When we stop for the night we put them next to or under the kitchen table. Granted a Cat's dish is much smaller. The wet food is kept in factory package until use and the dry food in a hard plastic sealable container. We have plastic containers that fit the odd shapes of various storage locations.

 

[BuckyII]

For RVers with dogs, where do you keep your dog food and how is the dog food stored? Do you use a container or the original bag?

With my prior dog I used a container and it stayed in the bedroom and the bedroom slide cleared it so it worked well. With the current monster I still need to have a crate and she also enjoys sleeping in her crate on her own so that uses up that space for the dog food container. I now put the container in the half bath but I'm thinking of doing away with the container and just leaving the food in the bag as that will fit between the toilet and cabinet.

RVing is the art of constantly figuring out storage. Interested in how you handle your pet food storage in your RV.

We use one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000A6UF4U/?tag=rvf01-20

In one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FU3ZNGS/?tag=rvf01-20

There is plenty of additional room for cans and treats.

 

[Neal]

This is the one I use. Fits nice as when the bedroom slide comes in there is enough room between the bed and the right side wall near the drawers (or left side). But I have a crate there now so I don't have that luxury. May go just with a bag and keep in half bath.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002H3S5U/?tag=rvf01-20

 

[Jim]

This is the one I use. Fits nice as when the bedroom slide comes in there is enough room between the bed and the right side wall near the drawers (or left side). But I have a crate there now so I don't have that luxury. May go just with a bag and keep in half bath.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002H3S5U/?tag=rvf01-20

View attachment 4215

Yep, we have this one as well, works great. Sits out of sight in the closet in the bedroom.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

This is the one I use. Fits nice as when the bedroom slide comes in there is enough room between the bed and the right side wall near the drawers (or left side). But I have a crate there now so I don't have that luxury. May go just with a bag and keep in half bath.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002H3S5U/?tag=rvf01-20

View attachment 4215

So there is no way to put this thing on top of the crate? You could make corners to glue to crate with your 3D printer.

We use small bags, well we have a small dog. But we buy 2 or 3 bags at a time and store unopened till we need it.

 

[Neal]

So there is no way to put this thing on top of the crate? You could make corners to glue to crate with your 3D printer.

We use small bags, well we have a small dog. But we buy 2 or 3 bags at a time and store unopened till we need it.

Nah, not something I want in sight and I use the top of the crate as another shelf i.e. linens and clothes go there for quick use. I think the medium size bag that will fit between the half bath toilet and the linen closet within will be ideal. Out of the way for toilet use and not so hard access for food. Hopefully in a year I can ditch the crate. I still don't trust this 1yo oversized termite unsupervised.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Nah, not something I want in sight and I use the top of the crate as another shelf i.e. linens and clothes go there for quick use. I think the medium size bag that will fit between the half bath toilet and the linen closet within will be ideal. Out of the way for toilet use and not so hard access for food. Hopefully in a year I can ditch the crate. I still don't trust this 1yo oversized termite unsupervised.

Keep the crate! I'm thinking I need one for my 9 year old because she has started being a problem when we go to town.

 

[Neal]

She enjoys it and goes in the one in the RV and the house on her own. I've used crates on all my dogs and understand the den concept. It just takes up a bit of space and blocks drawers but it's fine.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I envy those who need only one pet food container! One of our two Schnauzers requires a prescription food to deal with a liver issue and both need a supplemental "dental" food to deal with tooth tartar buildup (a Schnauzer issue). Plus, we need somewhere to keep the "puppy biscuit" treats. That's four containers!!!

TJ