Which Feed is Mite-Free and How Should it be Stored?

Many cats and dogs are allergic to food mites. Read here how you can use simple tricks to prevent contamination of the feed and make life easier for your pet with a food mite allergy.

What are Feed Mites?

Food mites (storage mites) are tiny arachnids that are very similar to house dust mites. They cannot be seen with the naked eye, but you can tell by looking at the food if food mites have multiplied in it (see below

Food mites are very resistant and widespread in our environment, for example in house dust. The mites are usually killed by heating above 60°C (e.g. in the washing machine) or by freezing for several days.

What is a Food Mite Allergy?

Food mite allergies are almost as common as dust mite allergies, and many animals are allergic to both mite species at the same time. The immune system reacts to the mites themselves as well as to the mite droppings with an excessive reaction. Typically, affected dogs and cats show e.g. itching and inflamed skin (atopic dermatitis). It is then often assumed that it is an allergy to food components in the feed (e.g. eggs or beef). A food allergy can be combined with a food mite allergy, but it does not have to be.

A food mite allergy can be diagnosed by a skin test (prick test) or a blood test.

How Do They Feed Mites Get into the Feed?

There are basically three ways in which storage mites can get into animal feed:

1. Even the raw materials can be contaminated with mites, e.g. grain.
2. When processing and filling the feed, mites from the environment can get into the feed packaging if the system is contaminated with dust or flour residues, for example.
3. When stored at home, storage mites colonize the food from the house dust. The risk of contamination increases the longer dry food is stored. If the food is not in an airtight package but, for example, in an open feed bag, colonization with food mites will happen all the faster.

How Often are Dog and Cat Food Contaminated with Storage Mites?

Various scientific studies have shown that freshly bought branded pet food is generally not contaminated with mites. However, colonization with feed mites was found to be more frequent in closed feedstuffs that had expired and in feedstuffs that had been stored open for a longer period of time.

What Do Feed Manufacturers Do to Keep Their Feed Mite-Free?

With “normal” dog food or cat food, it is usually not necessary to take special precautions against food mites during production. The usual hygiene standards are sufficient to prevent severe contamination, and the heat normally used during processing kills any mites that may be present in the raw materials.

However, absolute freedom from mites is important for diet food, especially food for people with allergies. This is why manufacturers such as Royal Canin, for example, apply particularly high-quality standards when purchasing raw materials and in production and regularly test their feed to ensure that it is free of mites.

How Can I Tell if the Feed is Contaminated with Mites?

If feed mites have multiplied in the feed sack or in the feed bin, the dry food will take on a “minty” smell. At the bottom of the empty container, you will find brownish-looking mite dust.

How Can I Prevent Food Mites from Contaminating Our Dry Food?

If your dog has a food mite allergy, you should feed it an allergy-friendly diet food to be absolutely sure that you are feeding it a mite-free, uncontaminated food. Canned food for allergy sufferers is and will always be free of mites, but with dry food, a lot depends on how you store it.