High Fat ContentSome freeze-dried foods are very high in fat. While fat is an important nutrient for your dog, you should limit fat in his diet to 10-20%. Higher fat content will start to cannibalize other important vitamins and minerals. It's best to avoid those foods with 30% fat or more!
Without a validated kill step, Salmonella will survive the freeze drying process just nicely. One could imagine that the freeze dried product would appear similar to dry product, so the potential for the pet owner handling it directly is probably high, and along with that, that chance of becoming infected.
Fresh food is of course one of the healthiest options for your pet, but its not always affordable or time-efficient. Freeze-drying retains nearly 100% of the natural nutrients in foods, almost as good as eating it raw!
Dogs and cats that become ill from Salmonella infection generally will have diarrhea that may contain blood or mucus. Affected animals may seem more tired than usual, and may have a fever or vomit. Some cats do not have diarrhea, but will have a decreased appetite, fever, and excess salivation.
CDC does not recommend feeding raw diets to pets. Germs like Salmonella and Listeria bacteria have been found in raw pet foods, even packaged ones sold in stores. These germs can make your pets sick. Your family also can get sick by handling the raw food or by taking care of your pet.
No, this type of dog food is not considered "raw". Raw means the product hasn't gone through any processing at all. Freeze dried foods are processed but they still retain most of the original nutrients (unlike kibbles). It's considered a healthier choice than kibble.
Why Is Freeze Dried Dog Food So Expensive? Freeze drying requires expensive equipment which consumes a lot of energy; these increased overheads result in a costlier product. Additionally freeze-dried dog food typically consists of higher quality food such as fresh beef versus rendered "beef mystery meal".
Yes, you can feed both kibble and raw. We know that this is a controversial topic for many people, as generally speaking kibble and raw digest differently. For this reason, many people suggest avoiding feeding both at the same time, and would suggest separating the meals.
While we do recommend rehydrating whenever possible, due to the importance of moisture for optimum nutrition absorption, it is OK to feed dry, as-is. If you choose to rehydrate per our recommendation, you can choose to use water or our raw goat milk to add moisture to your pet's freeze-dried meals.
Always make sure to provide plenty of fresh water for your pet when feeding a freeze dried diet.
Approximately 14 – 18 nuggets per ounce. 2 feedings per day.
Feeding Guidelines.
| Dog Weight | average pet or weight loss | moderate activity to active |
|---|
| 10 lb | 16 nuggets | 20 – 24 nuggets |
| 25 lb | 40 nuggets | 50 – 60 nuggets |
When finished, freeze-dried products are shelf-stable, lightweight, and food safe for longer other food preservation methods.
Dehydration removes approximately 90-95 percent of moisture, while freeze-drying removes about 98-99 percent. Rehydration: Freeze-dried pet food will rehydrate within 2-3 minutes while dehydrated pet food can often take 5-10 minutes or need to be left soaking for a few hours depending on the size of the food chunks.
After opening, if the product is in a sealed container and kept in the refrigerator it will last for up to two weeks, and up to a month if kept in a freezer. We produce the food in the same way as our frozen products are prepared with the addition of freeze dry the product before packaging.
Are Freeze Dried Treats for Dogs Safe? Freeze-dried dog treats are 100% safe for dogs and even a human could eat them if they wanted, the only ingredients are beef Liver. At only about 3-6 calories per treat, you have a low calorie supplement packed full of nutrients.
Once served, the food can sit out for up to 2 hours – anything left after that should be discarded. How do I use the freeze-dried food? Our freeze-dried raw patties and Meal Mixers can be fed dry or rehydrated prior to feeding.
Even with the greatest care, the risk of cross-contamination is much higher so you could accidentally spread around bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella and even Tuberculosis (TB) via the food or via your pet. Bones are also another hazard with raw feeding, especially with “Raw Meaty Bonesâ€-type foods.
Freeze drying is a slow process that preserves nutrients, enzymes, and protein structures while making the food shelf stable, so it does not require refrigeration. Freeze-dried food is nutritionally equal to raw food, except for the lack of moisture. The food rehydrates in minutes.
Bacterial strains were freeze-dried, sealed in ampoules under a vacuum (<1 Pa), and stored in the dark at 5 degrees C. Nonmotile genera showed relatively high survival after freeze-drying. Motile genera with peritrichous flagella showed low survival rates after freeze-drying.
The most significant risk of raw diets is from food-borne infectious disease. Illness and death in cats and dogs, and in their owners, have been caused by pathogens found in raw pet diets. Although such pathogens can contaminate cooked diets as well, the risk is significantly higher for raw foods.
Salmonellosis is caused by the salmonella bacteria, which is found in raw or undercooked meat. The organism can be transmitted through contaminated food or through the feces or saliva of an infected animal.
Freshpet Inc. is recalling of a single lot of Freshpet “Select Small Dog Bite Size Beef & Egg Recipe Dog Food†because of potential contamination with Salmonella, which can be harmful to pets and their owners.
The recall was issued after testing revealed traces of salmonella and listeria monocytogenes in some 1-pound packages of Beef HVM, Top Quality Dog Food said.
There is also a risk of dry foods, which can also become contaminated with bacteria after heat treatment [10]. Multiple research reports have exposed pet food quality problems and their influ- ence on human and animal health [11–15].
How to tell if your dog food is spoiled
- There is a noticeable sour or rancid odor.
- You see signs of moisture, mold, or bugs.
- The bag is past its expiration date.
- The food has been exposed to heat or humidity.
- Your dog refuses to eat, or shows signs of illness/discomfort after eating.
Sunshine Mills recalled the most pet foods and aflatoxin was the leading cause of recalls in 2020. In 2020, we saw only 7 pet food recalls; Icelandic Plus (treats), Smuckers Natural Balance (can), Sunshine Mills (2 recalls, kibble), Real Pet Food Company (kibble), Albright's (raw), and Midwestern Sportmix (kibble).
Salmonellosis is uncommon in dogs and cats, but they can be carriers of the bacteria. This means that even if the pets don't show symptoms of salmonellosis, they can still shed Salmonella in their stool and saliva and then spread the bacteria to the home environment and to people and other pets in the household.
Multiple dog food brands recalled over a substance that could harm your pet
| Product Name | Size |
|---|
| EVOLVE® CLASSIC SUPER PREMIUM FOOD FOR DOGS DEBONED CHICKEN & BROWN RICE RECIPE | 15 lbs. |
| WILD HARVEST® PREMIUM DOG FOOD CHICKEN & BROWN RICE RECIPE | 14 lbs. |
| NURTURE FARMS® NATURAL DOG FOOD DEBONED CHICKEN & BROWN RICE RECIPE | 15 lbs. |
