Feeding freeze dried raw food to your pets+( 5 Pros and Cons)

Nutrition plays a big role in a cat’s and a dog’s health. And the nutrition starts right away with what they eat on a daily basis.

There have been so many different opinions on what’s the best food for pets. And among these, freeze-dried raw pet food has become a hype lately.

There are pros and cons of all types of pet food. But you should go with the type of food whose pros outweigh the cons.

Your vet can help you with that. Well, in this article, we will focus on freeze-dried pet food and see if you should replace the current food.

A little bit about pet food nutrition

Not all dogs and cats are equal. Having said that, all pets require a different amount of nutrition. Let me explain it a bit more.

A healthy pet requires certain nutrients on a daily basis to survive and thrive.

But for some medical and other reasons, some pets require certain amounts of nutrition in excess.

In that case, your pet needs supplements or a prescription diet.

However, we are going to overlook that part for this article because the wholesomeness of the food depends on the nutritional needs of a pet.

So, throughout the article, we will consider the nutritiousness of the food for a healthy pet as your pet can have supplementation with any type of food.

What is freeze-dried pet food?

This type of pet food is basically a blend of raw ingredients that have undergone a freeze-drying process.

Meaning, this food type has all the benefits of raw food. In addition, the freeze-drying process adds more benefits to the food.

The freeze-dried process refers to removing moisture from the food at a lower temperature.

When the moisture is absent in the food, it takes quite a long to go bad than it usually takes.

The sublimation process (conversion of ice to vapor) is responsible for removing moisture from the food.

Unlike normal cooking processes at higher temperatures, the freeze-drying process doesn’t affect the nutritional value of raw food.

In fact, most industrially prepared normal kibbles and canned food undergo a heating process that strips off nutritions from it.

People have been talking about its miraculous benefits which are too good to believe.

But, all in all, it is looking quite promising and if possible, you should feed freeze-dried raw food to your pets.

Let’s see what are the benefits and possible downsides of this food.

Since it’s raw food, doesn’t it carry pathogens?

Many pet parents stay away from the idea of feeding raw pet food.

This is because raw deli meat or the meat from the butcher’s shop may have pathogens that may enter your house and be harmful to your pets as well as humans.

Since the raw food is not cooked or processed at higher temperatures, pathogens enter the body of the dog or cat.

Usually, pathogens of Enterobacteriaceae, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella, and Campylobacter species are present in the food.

Moreover, some bacteria also make it just fine out of the animal’s gastrointestinal tract.

In the case of cats, those pathogens will then pass on to the litter box and possibly from there to humans.

There are fewer chances of you getting infected from the litter box if you clean it often, wear gloves and masks, and dispose of the litter properly. So, is it still worth feeding raw food?

Well, when you don’t prepare homemade freeze-dried raw food, there are chances of contamination because you don’t always get the freshest meat.

Most of these pathogens survive through the freeze-drying process.

But if you purchase commercially produced freeze-dried raw pet food, you can rest assured that there won’t be any pathogens present in their formula.

There are multiple reasons for that. First, those brands source the freshest meat possible.

Second, the manufacturers test their products for any possible pathogens.

And third, they also test their formula on cats and dogs to see their response to the diet.

That will rule out any possibilities of pathogens in the final product.

Lastly, most big brands do a high-pressure pasteurization process to ensure the food is free from any pathogens.

Conclusively, your pets can safely eat commercially prepared freeze-dried raw pet food.

It delivers the best nutrition possible

Cats and dogs thrive in the wild on a natural diet. Obviously, it won’t be cooked food.

This is the best diet because it delivers the utmost nutrition to felines and canines to chase, hunt, and eat their prey.

If the raw diet can provide the nutrition to thrive in the wild, your indoor pets will obviously get the optimum nutrition from the food.

Also, premium freeze-dried raw cat food from popular brands like Dr. Marty Pets and Ultimate Pet Nutrition.

They prepare their pet food formula with fresh, all-natural, and even exotic ingredients.

Such a blend is more complete, balanced, and wholesome for pets. So it’s actually better food than what dogs and cats get to eat in the wild.

On the other hand, industrially processed kibbles are tailored by mixing different ingredients and cooking them.

Well, this disrupts the natural ratio of macro and micronutrients present in the food.

However, it doesn’t mean that those kibbles are not palatable.

All brands have to conform to the AAFCO guidelines of the minimum levels of nutrients available in the food.

But that’s still far from the nutritiousness of the raw food or freeze-dried raw food.

Improved Shelf Life

When freeze-dried, the food loses all its moisture and then is packed inside an air-tight container.

This way the freeze-dried raw cat food or dog food stays away from moisture and oxygen.

These conditions improve the shelf life drastically while still keeping its nutritiousness intact.

The process changes the texture of the food but it can be rehydrated by adding some water. That will bring back the texture and flavor of the food.

However, if your pet wants to eat food in completely dehydrated form, it is totally okay.

In addition, you can use broth to rehydrate, however, you need to ensure it doesn’t have excessive sodium content.

Benefits of freeze-dried raw pet food?

We have seen how nutritious the food is. When a pet eats such a balanced diet for a significantly long time, its body receives all nutrients and is potentially able to cure some medical conditions on its own.

Many pet parents after trying a lot of different foods and brands in hopes of curing general health problems find freeze-dried raw food miraculous.

Well, there is nothing surprisingly new or miraculous about the food.

When cats and dogs eat the species-specific diverse diet along with exotic ingredients and herbs,

it has to increase their energy levels, improve coat health, dental health, eye health, gut health, and immunity.

Moreover, many pet food brands add probiotics and prebiotics to their freeze-dried pet food.

This aids in digestion and absorbing nutrients in their intestines.

In fact, good gut health ensures more nutrient utilization, removal of toxic waste, and more importantly, increases immunity.

So, it will in turn keep your pets healthier than ever. The brands also supplement the food in order to make it complete.

All in all, the benefits of freeze-dried pet food are endless.

The Endnote

Freeze-dried pet food surely is a great food type each dog and cat should eat. But there are still some concerns when choosing this food.

And your vet can help you in making the final decision whether to switch to freeze-dried food or not.

No, pathogens are not the case because pet food brands ensure that the food they prepare is pathogen-free.

When your pet has allergies to any sort of amino acids or ingredients, those ingredients should not be present in the food.

Also, if your dog or a cat requires any supplementation, you have to check whether the freeze-dried raw food has all of them in the required amount.

In a nutshell, you should ask your vet before switching to freeze-dried raw food, or for that matter, any type of food.

The article is submitted by Clara Lou from Petlovesbest Inc.