We don't keep ours in the fridge, I only use the Merrick brand and they have less water content than many other brands. Bacteria need moisture to live, and because the Merrick brand dries out so fast after being chewed, bacteria die off too. By the way, bacteria don't die in refrigerator or freezer, colder temperature retard the growth, and so it doesn't multiply as rapidly, but even freezing doesn't kill bacteria. Certain brands have expiration dates, and this means that they were preserved artificially with chemicals, and bacteria may be more of a problem with them, but proper drying is a very safe natural preservative, the only bacteria that will be on the stick are the bacteria already in his mouth. I agree with lovespandp, throw away when it gets too small, we throw ours away at about 2-inches. |