Why Is Freeze-Dried Food Better Than “Normal” Food

Many pet food brands and formulas are on the market, so choosing the ideal diet for your furry friend can feel more confusing than shopping for your food. Should you go for raw food? Organic? Grain-free, high-protein, or carb-friendly?

With all the revelations regarding the commercial pet food industry and practices, pet owners are now opting to feed their pets raw food that’s cost-effective. Freeze-dried food is one option that provides you the benefits of feeding raw without undertaking the whole process of preparing raw pet food.

In recent years, freeze-dried pet food has become one of the most popular foods in the pet food industry. But what is it, exactly? Does it benefit your pet? And why the extra cost? Here is everything you need to know about frozen food and why it’s premium.

What is Freeze-Dried Pet Food?

Freeze-dried pet food for cats and dogs is the uncooked raw ingredients that have been frozen and dried. This results in moisture removal, making a more lightweight and shelf-stable end product that can last longer than any other regular pet food.

Freeze-dried food can be made fuller by simply adding water. It’s considered raw food even after undergoing high-pressure processing, a pasteurization process that reduces the number of bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria.

According to Dr. Ruth Robert, a holistic veterinarian, freeze-dried food is still raw food and is a great way to go, especially for pet owners concerned about bacteria. “What you’re getting is a different presentation of raw dog food,” says Robert.

What’s the Actual Process of Freeze-Drying Pet Food?

The following are the three stages of freeze-drying:

• First, raw food is frozen solid.
• It then goes through a primary drying or sublimation process, evaporating nearly all the solid water.
• The secondary drying and absorption step is the final phase of the freeze-drying process. This stage involves using pressure and heat to suck the remaining food moisture, leaving the nutrients intact.

Why is Freeze-Dried Food So Premium?

Pet owners, nutritionists, and veterinarians agree that high-quality ingredients like protein, often found in freeze-dried food, deliver excellent nutrition. Our pets need adequate proteins to grow and maintain almost all the tissues in their bodies.

But why is freeze-dried food so special? Freeze-drying requires costly equipment, and the process also consumes lots of energy. Besides, freeze-drying is a slow process that cannot be hastened. It takes around two days to freeze-dry a batch. You end up with some amount of moisture if you try to rush the process.

Moreover, freeze-dried food consists of high-quality ingredients like beef. Buying meat can be costly, considering that a small pet, say a dog, eats around a pound daily.

Freeze-dried food is also premium because you’re paying for convenience and long shelf life. Since these foods offer first-rate nutrition for your pet, you can buy in bigger or bulk sizes to save money.

Things to Consider When Choosing a Freeze-Dried Food for Your Pet

When choosing freeze-dried food for your pet, look for the same qualities you’d want in a homemade diet. Consider the following:

• Complete Nutrition: Look for a product that provides complete nutrition for your pet, especially if you’re feeding freeze-dried food as your pet’s whole diet. Read the packages carefully.
• Ingredients: Choose a good quality food with high-quality animal proteins as the main ingredients. Poultry, beef, or fish make great ingredients. You may also consider grass-fed/free-range because they are suitable for your pet’s overall health. Bone meal and organ meats such as liver, kidney, spleen, and heart should be your next best.
• Other Additions: Look for food-based, all-natural supplements for freeze-dried food that contains added supplements like probiotics. Avoid foods with synthetic vitamins and minerals as well as high-fat content.

Best Freeze-Dried Food for Dogs

Here are some of the best, well-balanced, highly nutritional, and cost-effective freeze-dried food for dogs:

• Absolute Holistic Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken Patties for Dogs: This freeze-dried dog food is made with chicken, organs, and bones. Its formulation is tailored to meet your dog’s unique needs and is suitable for all life stages.
• WOOF Lamb Green Tripe Freeze-Dried Dog Treats 40g: This is one of the best options to consider if you’re looking for an affordable yet high-quality treat. It’s made using the highest quality ingredients to nourish your pet’s health.
• Northwest Naturals Lamb Freeze-Dried Nuggets For Dogs: This freeze-dried dog food contains 10% ground bone and is free of grains and gluten. It’s incredibly palatable and is recommended for injured or post-surgery pets. It provides a quick, fast way to add raw food into your dog’s diet.
• K9 Natural Freeze Dried Beef Feast Dog Dry Food: It’s one of the most appropriate diets for all life stages- from babies to seniors and during pregnancy and lactation. It consists of meat sourced from animals considered fit for human consumption.
• Small Batch Freeze Dried Chicken Batch Sliders Dog Dry Food: This freeze-dried food is 88% chicken, 10% produce, and 2% supplements. Dogs that consume this food tend to be more resistant to viruses, bacteria, and parasites and have improved vitality overall.

Best Freeze-Dried Food for Cats

• Feline Natural Beef & Hoki Freeze-Dried Topper: This food is made from 99% grass-fed beef to supply your cat with all the high meat protein he loves and craves. It’s perfect as a nutritional update to the current diet or a balanced diet for your kitty.
• Northwest Naturals Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Nibbles For Cats: It’s a complete and balanced raw diet that can also be used as a treat or topper. They come in perfect cat-sized nibbles and are recommended for picky eaters.
• MEOW Freeze-Dried Raw Wild Brushtail Cat Food: It’s one of the best options if you’re looking for frozen food for your kitty made with natural ingredients and superfoods. It consists of 97% meat, organs, and bones. It’s also suitable for cats of all life stages.

Conclusion

Freeze-dried food is an excellent option for your pet. Yes, it’s premium, but it offers numerous benefits for all pets, including the fussiest ones. Some of the benefits include:

• Balanced diet
• Easy to serve
• Retains flavor
• Often starch-free
• Least processed nutrients
• Long shelf life
• High-quality raw nutrition

Remember that all methods of feeding have their positives and negatives. Consider freeze-dried food if you want first-rate nutrition for your pet. It’s also OK to alternate between freeze-dried food and other diets based on a particular situation.