What do you do with leftover dog food?
 

I am sure you are sick of my questions, but what do you do with leftover dog food? Our puppies did not finish their breakfast (wet and dry mix), and I don't know what to do with it. I was told not to free feed, and just wondered. This is our 2nd day with our little ones, and I am unsure of what to do.

Thanks!

If it had wet and dry mixed in, I'd throw it away.

The wet food, if sitting for too long, grows bacteria and it just gets gross.

I don't ever have this problem because when it comes to wet food... Jackson GOBBLES
it all up! LOL. Maybe next time try giving them less wet food mixed in so you don't
have to waste food?

And personally, especially with a little puppy, I would have a bowl of kibble available to them at all times, all day.

I store open cans of wet food in the fridge. Thank goodness for creative minds because now, pet stores (PetCo, Petsmart, etc) sell plastic can toppers. Thy cost somewhere around a dollar each. They are typically one size fits all and with the ones I have, there are two options built in for one top. I spoon out what I need and store the rest of the can in the fridge until the next feeding. You can also put saran wrap on top of the can but I personally think the plastic topper has a much better seal. I use it until the can is done, then throw it in the dishwasher with the rest of my dishes for easy clean-up. You can se it over and over.
As far as what to do with mixed dry and wet, I toss what Scooter hasn't finished. You will get a better idea of how much food your baby needs as time goes on. Yorkies don't eat much compared to other dogs so please be sure you are feeding high quality food to your babies. That will also change the amount of food they need to eat. Good luck and be patient. Your babies are also adjusting to your home so they may not eat much for the first few days. Have some NutriCal on hand in case you need it. Scooter loved it and it helped him stay energized in the beginning while adjusting to my home.

it is best to throw away the rest of the food. When they are puppies it is ok to free feed them the kibble, with fresh water daily. Yorkies can't eat a lot of food at once , this means they are going to be hungry sooner , and require smaller amounts of food more frequently.
Very young yorkie puppies, and tiny puppies are mopre at risk of Hypoglecima . That is anther reason why it better to free feed. I also feed my dogs canned food . However , when I do, I give it to them at meal time , once or twice a day, then leave the kibble out for them to eat when ever they want to.
Storing a canned food, it needs to be taken out of the can, and stored in a air tight container in the fridge. That is a safety issue, so the canned food does not collect any bacteria .

I free feed all of mine, even the puppies. I think it is even more important for our tiny dogs to have dry food available at all times. What reasoning were you given for not free feeding?

If you mix wet with the dry though, it needs to be thrown away after a feeding. Wet makes bacteria growth more likely.

If you mix the wet with the dry, I'd throw away the leftovers. Like others have said, the wet food can go bad after it has been sitting out for awhile.