# I Think I Solved the Mystery...



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Could it have been the detergent? I have learned that the cats in particular will refuse to eat from a slightly soapy bowl.


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

It may have been fjm. Whatever it was, the upshot is that I don't think I can reuse the bags anymore. IT's not that big a deal, just feels wasteful to use all of those plastic bags - and my freezer is too small to put the containers themselves in.


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## Coldbrew (Jun 17, 2015)

Smart Dulcie for catching on!
And you for figuring it out!

I can't recall off the top of my head exactly what kind of food Dulcie gets, but is it possible to use tupperware to store it in? That's fairly easy to clean and you wouldn't need to worry about tossing away plastic with every meal. I keep frozen duck necks stacked between wax paper in tupperware for my dogs, and it seems to work pretty well.


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## PhoebeAndMe (Dec 25, 2015)

I would use freezer jars or Tupperware, but you could also portion it off with wax paper. Usually for us that has worked out ok. Hopefully the mystery is over!


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Good for you, that wasn't an easy one to find !


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Not enough room in the freezer for jars and tupperware. Each serving is only 8oz. However, I really like the idea of portioning off with wax paper! I can then fit 2 or even 3 portions into each freezer bag and that will cut down my consumption of plastic bags by 2/3. Also, by using the wax paper, maybe I can prevent the bags from getting so dirty and may actually be able to clean them adequately for resuse.

Thanks everyone! I hadn't thought of that!


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Coldbrew, Dulcie is raw fed. The food in t he freezer is raw whole ground chicken, beef, lamb, pork, wild game, etc. It comes in large tupperware type containers. When I clear out space and put the containers in the freezer, I can only fit say 6 of them in one freezer section -- but when I divide up the 2 lb containers into 8 meals in freezer bags, I can fit dozens and dozens of meals into the same freezer section. I need to do this because I only have the freezer compartment below my fridge (no deep freezer and no space for one in my apartment).


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I use small versions of the sort of boxes Chinese takeaways come in. They stack well, go through the dishwasher, and get reused many times before finally cracking. Because they are rectangular there is very little wasted space - I have a fridge-freezer, with one shelf dedicated to food for the four animals. Might be worth considering.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I've also been washing in hot soapy water and rinsing those zip lock bags and recycling. What I do if I'm cutting up something that makes a lot of bags is use the el cheapo sandwich bags to put some chunks of meat in say...for one meal for the three dogs. Then I put those (3 or 4) into the nice, quart sized freezer bags with the zipper thingy that you slide...the plastic thing that you can grab hold of and make sure the bag is closed. lol. So, those are what I wash because they don't get too icky since it's the sandwich bags that get gross and those, I just toss. When I open and close those, sometimes the tops and the outside of the bag gets germs so that is why the larger, freezer bag isn't completely clean but it's not too bad. 

I think it could have been that the detergent was absorbed into the plastic or didn't get rinsed enough. (?) But clearly, Dulcie's nose knows. 

I hear ya about the space. The bags really do take up very little space. Then I put those into bins, which I've labeled now...I have one for fish, one for bone-in chicken or duck...any poultry. And one for bone-in "specialty meats" which is anything but chicken. And one each for just muscle meat...chicken and one for lamb, beef, tripe,rabbit etc. (any meat that's been bagged) Each zip lock bag is labeled but not the little sandwich bags inside. So I don't have to label every single bag. When I take out a little bag, I can remember what it is for one day or two. lol. And all organ meats go in baggies and big zip locks...several packs and onto a shelf on the door. 

Then in the very bottom of the freezer in a drawer are big things that I haven't broken down yet, like whole rabbits or a whole big bag of tripe or fish. (hope the power doesn't go out for any long duration):afraid:


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