Overview
One of the young alternative on shelf , freeze - dry out dog food , has become an progressively popular selection in recent years ( 1 ) . But what is it , exactly ? And is it a dependable option for your frump ? Here ’s everything you ask to know about immobilise - dry out dog food .
What Is Freeze-Dried Dog Food?
Humans have been frost - dry food for thought for a long time . Although for many of us , the prime example is still that “ spaceman ice ointment ” you find out in science museum natural endowment shops , the global freeze - dry out food market place is expected to touch $ 85.3 billion by 2024 ( 2)—and part of that number comes from the rise of halt - dried pet food ( 3 ) .
Like the human version , frost - dry out dog solid food has had all its moisture blow out through freezing temperatures and a multi - step dry cognitive operation . The result is a os - dry , shelf - stable ware that can last for years and be flump back up by but adding H2O .
In the case of freeze - dried dog foods , “ what you ’re getting is a different display of raw dog food , ” enounce holistic veterinarianDr . Ruth Roberts . But unlike fresh tender meat , some freeze - dry raw dog foods also go through high - pressure processing ( HPP ) , a pasteurisation process used to lessen quantities of bacterium such asListeria , Salmonella , andE. coli .
Even after HPP , halt - dried frankfurter food is still consider a naked food . “ For pet owners who want to feed raw but are concerned about bacterium , [ freeze - dried ] is a great way to go , ” Roberts says .
Typesof Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Freeze - drying is a way to dehydrate dog solid food , but not all dehydrated hot dog intellectual nourishment is freezing - dried . “ Often dehydrated food is one where the piss is removed using warm air , ” rather than the cold - temperature process used to block - dry , say Dr. Joe Bartges , a board - certified veterinary dietitian and prof at The University of Georgia .
Just like other dog food , freezing - dry out product come in a number of formulations , from high - protein , to high - fat / moderate - protein , to variety more similar to traditional kibble that include carbs like potatoes and legume . Roberts notes that in any of these freeze - dried mixture , the proteins are still considered raw , and in some case the starch are , too .
How Is Freeze-Dried Dog Food Made?
There are several steps to the freezing - drying process — a technique so old it ’s been traced all the path back to 1200 A.D , when Incas freeze - dry their Solanum tuberosum .
In the modern version , fresh intellectual nourishment is first frozen upstanding . Then it goes into a vacuum chamber that evaporates well-nigh all of the unanimous water supply ( Methedrine ) . A second drying phase angle zaps away any lingering water molecules . By the end , close to 97 percent of the food ’s moisture has been suckle out , but many of its nutrient remain .
TheBenefitsof Freeze-Dried Dog Food
For pet parents who require to feed their frankfurter a raw diet but occupy about finding , treatment , and prepare fresh raw meat themselves , freeze - dry food can be a degenerate and simple alternative . And unlike plain raw meat , “ all of the commercially available [ freeze - dried ] formulas are going to be arrant and balanced for all animation stages , ” Roberts says — as long as you verify they ’ve been formulated to meet the measure constitute by the Association of American Feed Control Officials ( AAFCO ) .
preferent parents also like that it ’s sluttish to find high - lineament , organic ingredients — including Gunter Grass - fed sum — in halt - dry out hot dog intellectual nourishment . Processing and additive are ordinarily minimum , too , and even picky eater run to like the formulas .
“ For people who like the idea of give whole foods but do n’t desire to fudge or make their own , it ’s a in force pick , ” Roberts say . She notes that frost - dried nutrient may be especially helpful for masses who travel with their dearie , since the drying process condenses fresh nutrient down into a much smaller , lighter , and shelf - stable form . It also frees up valuable deep freezer and fridge distance , since it lives in pantry - friendly computer software .
Potential Downsidesof Freeze-Dried Pet Food Formulas
Roberts has two chief concern about freeze - dry out dog food . First , when you take food out of its natural state — in this vitrine , by dry it out and rehydrating it later — it is “ never quite as easy to tolerate as it is in its original form , ” she articulate . secondly , it ’s “ monstrously expensive , ” she adds , “ so the convenience do at a monetary value . ”
allot to Nielsen data , freeze - dry favorite food clocks in , on average , at $ 33 per lb , compared to $ 10 or $ 11 for air - dried or dehydrated favourite food ( 4 ) .
Many veterinarians also worry about malady - causing bacterium . “ halt - dry out alone , without a anterior heating / preparation footprint , is not an effective way to eliminate microbial pathogens ” likeSalmonella , E. coliandListeria , say veterinary dietitian Dr. Megan Shepherd , who is also a clinical help prof of nutriment at Virginia - Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech . “ Therefore , I advocate avoid naked and suspend - dried fauna tissue paper - based products , unless the manufacturer can sustain that the finished product is pathogen - free . ”
AAFCO , which sets standards for pet foods in the U.S. , offer a like warning on its internet site , noting that most nutritionally staring pet foods have been heat - treated during manufacture to keep microbial contamination . AAFCO further warns that any bare-ass foods you ’re feeding your pup could put humankind in the menage at risk for illness — specially children , elderly people , or anyone with a compromised immune arrangement . And the same bacterium can make your dog sick , too .
How to FeedYour Dog Freeze-Dried Dog Food
You ’ll find freezing - dried click food in any number of forms , from dinner patties to food for thought toppers to bite - sized nibbles . Some foods are contrive to be nutritionally complete ( retard the label ) , mean they can be fed as a sole diet . Other freeze - dry out foods can be mix in or sprinkled on top of veritable solid food , or even be doled out as quick treats .
Always be trusted to control the specific instructions listed on the food for thought you prefer . Many formulas are signify to be service as - is — which is especially convenient if you ’re using them for treats — but some must be rehydrated by tumble into warm weewee . Adding water make immobilize - dried food for thought bulkier and more pick , and is specially important for frank who do n’t drink much water on their own .
Where to BuyFreeze-Dried Dog Food
Freeze - dried dog food is wide usable . you’re able to find it everywhere from big - corner favourite retailer to small independent preferred wellness food stores .
