Are you curious about the growing number of dehydrated and freeze-dried pet food options available these days?
Let’s take a quick look at the differences between raw, dehydrated and freeze-dried pet foods so you can decide if one or both are right for your pet.
Dehydrated and freeze-dried pet foods are often thought to be interchangeable
Dehydrated and freeze-dried foods are both lightweight because most of the moisture has been removed.
Both are dry, have a long and stable shelf life, and do not require refrigeration until rehydrated. They often have a limited ingredient list containing mainly fresh, whole foods.
The nutrient value of these foods normally exceeds that found in kibble because of the ingredient quality and manufacturing process.
The manufacturing process is where we find the differences between dehydrated and freeze-dried formulas.
Freeze-dried formulas use low temperatures and pressure to remove moisture
Frozen food is placed in a vacuum chamber where the temperature remains below freezing. As the pressure and temperature changes, the ice crystals (moisture) in the food are vaporized rather than evaporated. The freeze-drying process prevents the moisture in the food from becoming a liquid before it is removed.
Courtesy of Grandma Lucy’s
Because the moisture goes directly from a solid to a gas, freeze-drying has a minimal effect on the cellular structure of ingredients.
Some pet food companies produce both a frozen raw and a freeze-dried formula which are essentially identical with the exception of the moisture content. Other freeze dried formulas use lightly cooked meats and fresh produce in their formulas.
Freeze-dried foods are the closest alternative to a raw diet. These foods can be found in a formed shape like nuggets or patties, and well as flaked or granular mixes. Freeze-dried foods can be rehydrated with water before feeding, or fed directly from the package.
An added benefit to freeze-dried foods is that they can be crumbled and used as a topper.
Dehydrated foods use low heat for an extended period to remove moisture through evaporation
If you’ve got a dehydrator in your kitchen, you know it uses heat to dry food. Dehydrated pet foods use heat to evaporate water from their ingredients. Temperatures are kept low enough to evaporate water, and partially cook ingredients. The nutritional value of ingredients remains high enough that some still consider dehydrated foods to be raw.
Because of the low heat used, dehydrated foods are technically cooked, not raw. Another type of dehydrated pet food is “air-dried.” This is another form of dehydration which evaporates water from ingredients using warm air.
Dehydration has more of an effect on the cellular structure of ingredients than freeze-drying. As a result, dehydrated foods can be seen as more “processed.” How much, if any, of an effect this has on the nutritional quality of a formula, has yet to be shown.
Dehydrated pet foods are usually found in a granular mix form which is rehydrated with water before feeding. Air-dried foods are usually found in small pieces, and can be fed without rehydration.
Sticker shock is not uncommon when first looking at pricing for these lightweight packages
A primary reason for the higher cost of dehydrated and freeze-dried formulas is the amount of time and the equipment required for production. Keep in mind that these foods are highly concentrated since they no longer contain the moisture content of fresh food.
One pound of dehydrated or freeze-dried food can rehydrate to between 3-5 pounds of fresh food. This will vary by brand, and guidelines can be found on each package. Keep in mind that “fresh food” is NOT the equivalent of kibble. You can more directly compare fresh food quantities with raw diet quantities.
Freeze-dried and dehydrated pet foods are ideal for some situations
For pet parents currently feeding raw diets, freeze-dried formulas are ideal when traveling, hiking or camping. They take up less room and weight than other food forms. Since each meal can be mixed up minutes before feeding, they eliminate the hassle of having to juggle thawing and refrigeration.
Dehydrated or freeze-dried formulas are also ideal for pet sitters or family members who may be squeamish (or forgetful) about handling raw diets. They allow your pet to continue to eat a familiar and healthy diet, without worry or added stress while you’re away from home.
And finally, for those wishing to feed a raw diet but unwilling to deal with freezing, thawing, and conscientious cleanup, a raw dehydrated formula may be just the answer. If this describes you, just remember you’re still dealing with raw meat, so proper handling and cleanup is still very important!
You’ll find freeze-dried and dehydrated pet food from a variety of manufacturers
Listed below are links to some of the more popular dehydrated and freeze-dried manufacturers available at Smiley Dog. If you find some that look particularly tasty and would like more information or current pricing, just let us know!
Dehydrated and Air Dried foods:
Freeze-Dried Foods:
- Bravo
- Grandma Lucy’s
- K9 Naturals
- NW Naturals
- Orijen
- Primal
- Sojos
- Stella and Chewy’s
- Vital Essentials
My cat vomits up her dry food. She doesn’t appear to chew the nuggets and they comeup whole!! Can you recommend which would fall apart easier in her mouth. She’s losing weight, I feed her wet food as well but when I’m away, she doesn’t eat right.
Hi Debra-
Thanks very much for your inquiry. I’m sorry to hear your cat is not accepting her kibble well.
There are a few alternatives to consider. The simplest would be to add some warm water or broth to the kibble to soften it. Since she’s already eating canned food, that may make a softer texture that she prefers. Just be sure you don’t leave the moistened kibble out in the bowl for more than a half hour or so to avoid spoilage or insects.
A better alternative would be to consider replacing the kibble altogether. You can add some of the dehydrated/ free-dried formulas which come in cubes to the canned food to replace the kibble portion of meals. These can be added as is, or easily crumbled on top of the canned portion.
You can also add water to the cubes to rehydrate them into a softer texture, or mix the crumbled food with water to add to the canned.
Another option to consider are the dehydrated/ freeze-dried mixes. These comes in granular form. You simply add water, let sit for a few minutes, and feed. These can be used along with, or in place of canned food.
A final option, and the best in my opinion, would be to consider moving to a raw diet. There are some excellent raw diets for cats available, depending on where you live. They require a small learning curve initially, but in less than a week you can be feeding raw with not much more effort than your current routine. The raw can be fed as a sole diet, or mixed with your current cans.
If you live in our service area, feel free to contact us and we can talk about the options available.
Hope this helps!
I bought dehydrated food. (Honest Kitchen) when hydrated, it seems so heavy compared to kibble with water. I worry about bloat. Is dehydrated or freeze dried safer for my German Shepherd? It seems that hydrated would be more risky.
Hi Steve-
I applaud your concern about bloat, but would not worry about the potential being aggravated by feeding dehydrated or freeze-dried food.
A common theory about bloat is that is can be the result of gas filling the stomach as food is digested. You would have a greater chance of this occurring when feeding kibble than with a fresh food (dehydrated or freeze-dried)
Yes, Honest Kitchen is much heavier than kibble since it absorbs water when rehydrated. Water is an essential nutrient for your dog. Rehydrating the food ensures your dog is consuming water, rather than just relying on drinking from a separate bowl after a meal of dry kibble.
Some kibble expands to 3-4 times its original size when soaked in water, others expand less. This expansion happens in the stomach and can be a contributing factor to bloat. When you rehydrate a fresh food mix, this expansion happens on your kitchen counter, which would seem to be preferable.
You’re correct that the weight of Honest Kitchen is heavier once rehydrated. But you’re comparing live, fresh nutrition to processed, dead nutrition. It’s the quality of the ingredients/ nutrients that are important, rather than the weight.
A fresh apple or piece of beef weighs more than fruit leather or beef jerky because of the included moisture. With Honest Kitchen, you’re restoring the original moisture to reconstitute minimally processed ingredients closer to their original form. That’s not possible with kibble, since it has undergone such extensive heat and processing.
The other thing to keep in mind is that THK will be much more easily digested than kibble. That also reduces the potential for bloat when compared to kibble.
Is it OK to mix Sojos with a half cup Organix mixed with water? I know digestion rates are different with raw and kibble and am wondering if this mixture is okay. I have a Malamute and I know bloat is a concern for the breed.
Thanks very much for your question, Sheryl.
I would not be overly concerned about mixing Sojos with kibble unless it sits for an extended period of time. Yes, the digestion rates will be a bit different for those two types of food. But unless you subscribe to the school of thought which strictly advises to never mix raw with kibble, you should not see any issues.
I would be more concerned if the Sojos and moistened kibble remainined in the bowl for longer than 30 minutes. You then begin to run more of a potential risk for spoilage.
Can you replace regular dry food with freeze dried or air dried food?
I am asking because I work during the day and/or sometimes I am out for a long period of time and putting wet or hydrated food out will simply not work, since my kitties wont eat cold food that has been left out for long. I am looking for an alternative of regular dry food and thought leaving freeze dried/air dried in their bowls as is might be the answer, although from reading sounds like not a good idea since water must be added?
Please advise, thank you.
It’s probably best that your kitties won’t eat cold food that has been left out for long. That keeps you from leaving raw food in the bowl for an extended period of time- something that is not advisable.
There are a couple of options for you to consider.
You could certainly try an air-dried formula like Ziwi Peak or Real Meat. These brands do not require rehydration.
You could also consider crumbling one of the many freeze-dried options available as a topper to the air-dried food. That would provide some additional benefits of raw, without the need to rehydrate the full meal.
If you opt for this second approach and it goes over well, you can always vary the amount of freeze-dried fed when your schedule allows you more time at home. On those days, rehydrated the freeze-dried or using a mix could replace more or all of the air-dried food.
A final option is to pick up a small heat lamp for your kitchen. This would allow you to gently warm (not heat or cook!) the raw or rehydrated food so it is closer to room temperature than chilled from the fridge.
The challenge with leaving raw or rehydrated food out for extended periods of time is that it encourages spoilage. The potential for spoilage is reduced when leaving an air-dried food out, but the trade comes from not receiving the same nutritional benefits from feeding raw.
Hope this helps!
So do you recommend the dehydrated or freeze dried?
Both are good. All things being equal, I’d have a slight preference for freeze-dried since it is slightly less processed.
The determining factor is more likely to be whether the desired protein source &/ or formula is available in one or the other.
That’s my personal preference- feel free to agree or disagree!
Hiya, I am feeding my at K9 Feline Natural which is freeze-dried and needs water added to it. Been feeding it to him for 3 day and noticed last night he urinated way more than he did with kibble/canned mix. Is this normal? I scooped up a decent sized bag of litter which was concerning!
I also don’t have enough time to soak his food in the morning before work as it doesn’t seem to absorb very quickly. Is it advisable to pre-soak the night before in the fridge and serve in the morning at room temperature or is that too long of a period to be rehydrated?
Thank you! 🙂
Yvonne, thanks very much for your inquiry.
I wouldn’t be overly concerned about the additional urination, particularly in the short term. There’s a huge difference in the amount of moisture he’s now consuming compared to what would be in a kibble/ can mixture. Most likely you will see a reduction within a week, although it will probably still be more volume than before. This is natural, since the “outflow” is directly related o the “intake” of moisture.
You can certainly rehydrate in the fridge overnight and feed at room temp in the morning. That’s really no different than what many folks do when mixing up a few days in advance.
The only potential downside may be a difference in texture when comparing the stored food to freshly rehydrated. That’s rarely an issue, but it can also be minimized by rehydrating just 1 or possibly two days in advance, rather than 3-4. If your cat has no problem eating food that’s been rehydrated for one day, see if he has any different reaction to 2 days worth. if not, you could consider working with 3 days to save yourself some effort. Four days may be pushing it- you’ll know from sight, smell, texture and acceptance at the end of that time.
Thank you for your reply! 🙂
Just another question – I soaked his day’s worth of food in the fridge last night however when I took it out this morning it was maybe only 50% soaked and still had around 50% of broth/liquid. I added equal amount of water to food – is it supposed to fully soak all the water? I noticed K9 isn’t super absorbent.
Thank you!
Yikes, not sure how I missed this when it came in! No, dehydrated or freeze-dried foods don;t always soak up all the water you add. They rehydrate to just about their normal moisture content, and then will stop absorbing water.
I have an older shih tzu (14) and he only has 7 teeth. He eats grain free kibble but ive noticed though its small kibble that he seems to be swallowing the food whole. I have three shih tzus total and I need them all to eat the same food. I dont particularly like canned or moistened food because of their beards getting nasty and they eat when they want to and i dont like the food sitting out, wet, that long. Without upsetting their tummies, and yet keeping within my budget, what would you suggest for my furbabies to eat. I just cant do the raw, im kind of squeamish.
Thanks for your inquiry, Pamela.
I wouldn;t be overly concerned about your older shih tzu scarfing down kibble whole unless it’s causing a problem. As long as he isn’t choking on the small kiblle, it will still be digested properly.
If that makes you uncomfortable, there are two other options to consider:
1. Try one of the freeze-dried formulas that come in cube or nugget form. Some options would be Primal, Steve’s Real Food or NW Naturals. These can be fed dry, although you’ll want to make sure your dogs are drinking enough water if you feed this way. You can also chop the nuggets into smaller pieces if you prefer.
2. Try one of the air-dried formulas like Addiction, Real Meat or Ziwi Peak. These are softer than kibble, contain more moisture (but less than cans) and come in small pieces.
One of these approaches may work for you and get around the “messy beard” challenge while improving the quality of food.
I am starting to feed my pug baby now 5 yrs old and over weight TruDog Rawgo dehydrated food. 1 cup of food a day is recommanded for her. How much of the dehydrated food before adding water equals to 1 cup of food?
Hi Judy-
I’m not familiar with TruDog Rawgo, so can’t give you a definitive answer. If it is anything like the dehydrated foods carried by Smiley Dog, you’ll find the feeding instructions and guidelines on the package.
Usually, the measurements a dehydrated food refers to is the dry amount before adding the recommended amount of water. A dehydrated food will typically rehydrate to make roughly 3 times the weight of the dry and about the same volume by size.
In other words, let’s say a cup of dehydrated (dry) weighs 4 ounces and takes up 4 ounces of volume in a measuring cup. Rehydrated with the appropriate amount of water will likely increase its weight by about 3 times to about 12 ounces and it will still take up about 4 ounces in volume in the cup.
Hope this helps!
Hi – can you tell me what temperature (hot or cold) of water I should use to rehydrate the food. Thank you.
Thanks for your inquiry, Kerry.
Most manufacturers will make a recommendation on their packaging for both time and temperature of the water to use in rehydration. We’ve found warm water to usually be better accepted for palatability, although each dog may have different preferences. Cold water works fine in most cases, although using warm water may shave a few seconds off your waiting time.
Stay away from boiling water, however. While this will still work, there’s a chance boiling water can begin to cook some of the food while rehydrating. This can cause some nutrient loss which will reduce some of the benefits of feeding raw.
I am considering changing my cats over to a freeze dried diet & I would like to weigh the cost. The cats are all ordinary domestic cat size on average so I. Your opinion approximately how much freeze dried food would it take to feed one cat twice a day? And how much freeze dry food would it take to be the equivalent of one 5.5 oz can of canned cat food? Thanks for any help you can provide.
Thanks very much for your inquiry, Beth Ann. There are a few different ways to approach finding the answers you’re after.
The simplest way to get rough idea of cost is to use the weight, age and health of your cat as a constant. This will give you a profile to use when evaluating different freeze-dried options.
Next, determine which brands of food are available in your area. That will reduce your work, since there is no point in evaluating brands that are not available to you. Unless you want to have food shipped to you, it would likely be better to confine your options to those that you can source locally. Another benefit to limiting your choices this way is that you’ll be able to work more closely with a local independent shop and benefit from their experience. This also lets you use actual pricing.
Once you’ve got your short list of options, use your feline “profile” to check each manufacturer’s feeding guidelines. This will tell you how much food is recommended daily, which will reveal the total feeding cost. Most of the manufacturers will have a feeding guide on their website. Keep in mind the guidelines may vary depending on what formula you’re feeding.
Evaluating the feeding guidelines for each brand will also answer your question about how FD compares to canned food. Just compare the what the cans recommend for your “feline profile” and compare it to what’s recommended for each FD formula.
Keep in mind that the feeding guidelines are a starting point and may have to be adjusted up or down depending on your cat’s metabolism.
Another way to calculate the daily cost is to concentrate on calories. If you want to provide a specific calorie count, look for that information on a manufacturer site or package instead of feeding guidelines by volume. This approach is a bit more complicated, but can be more accurate, especially when rotating formulas or using different manufacturers’ products.
If the cost of FD is out of reach, don’t give up! You will likely find that the cost of the frozen, raw equivalent is significantly less that the FD form. While still higher priced than canned, most frozen raw food is still a welcome step up in quality from canned, and more cost effective than freeze-dried.
If you live within our service area we’ll be happy o provide more detailed info on what options and pricing would be available to you.
Hope this helps!
I was wondering what the shelf-life is for freeze dried dog food? I am putting together an emergency kit for my Great Danes.
The shelf life of these foods depends on when it was manufactured. You will likely be able to get at least one year, often longer.
You’ll find the expiration or “Best By” date printed on each package. Some will also include a date of manufacture. When both the manufacture and expiration date appear, that will tell you how long the manufacturer believes their food will last.
Dehydrated and freeze-dried foods are excellent choices for an emergency kit. Like anything in the kit, check the dates periodically to keep things fresh. Canned foods will likely have the longest shelf life.
I am dog sitting a dog who eats the primal nuggets- this is the first time that I have seen this kind of freeze dried dog food. She didn’t eat it when I put it out last night, but has now eaten some this morning. It’s been about 12 hours left overnight unrefrigerated. I am washing out the bowl now and will replace with fresh, but I am concerned that she has already eaten some of the raw food left overnight, and that she isn’t eating the food right away. Should I be putting it into the fridge if she hasn’t finished it in an hour?
If you are feeding this food dry, there’s no need to put it in the fridge and I wouldn’t be concerned about her eating what was left out overnight.
If you’ve rehydrated the cubes with water or other liquid, and it has been sitting out for an hour uneaten, picking it up and storing it in the fridge is highly recommended.
Hi, I was just wondering how long Freeze-Dried Raw Treats that are not rehydrated be left out? I work long hours and my cat has kidney problems. I am transitioning her to a raw diet. I was advised not to give her brands such as Primal, Stella & Chewy’s or K9 Feline Natural due to their high Phosphorus content. Instead, I was advised to give her Freeze-Dried Raw treats such as PureBites Freeze-Dried Chicken Breast Treats since they only contain one ingredient. I was just wondering how long it will be able to last if it is left out since it is technically Raw although it’s Freeze-Dried.
Thanks for your interesting question, Geraldine!
You should be fine leaving PureBites treats in your cat’s bowl for 10-12 hours depending on weather and your cat’s drinking habits. Any potential danger would be the result of the treats absorbing moisture and then remaining in the bowl.
If you live in a humid area, I would caution you to not leave the treats exposed to humid air for longer than 1-2 hours. If your cat has a dog-like habit of drinking water first, then heading to the food bowl for the treats, I’d limit what’s available as well.
Under “normal” circumstances with the treats remaining dry, you should have no problem leaving them for an extended period over the course of the day. You’ll also want to make certain to reseal the bag after removing whatever is being used for the day.
Thanks for your response. I live in Singapore and it is really humid all year round. If that’s the case, would leaving Whole
Life Just One Ingredient Cat Treats be a better choice? Considering that it is gently steamed before freeze-drying, would it be a safer choice to leave out for around 6 hours in a humid climate instead of leaving out freeze dried raw treats?
Yes, I would expect leaving a lightly cooked treat out for 6 hours would be a bit safer than leaving raw food out in humid weather.
You might want to monitor your cat’s intake of this and adjust the portion being left out so there’s nothing remaining at the end of your time away. Once it absorbs moisture from the air, bacteria and other nasties may begin to develop even in cooked food.
You’re likely safe doing this, but if you can minimize the amount remaining exposed to humidity for a length of time it adds a measure of safety.
If my dog does not finish his rehydrated raw food can I put it in the fridge for later?
Yes, you can, depending on how long it has been out at room temperature.
Treat any rehydrated raw food like raw meat for human consumption. Once it has been at room temperature for more than an hour or two, it’s best to discard it. Strive to get any remaining food into the fridge immediately after seeing what is going to be left uneaten. Leftovers can keep until the next meal or possibly until the next day. I wouldn’t suggest trying to stretch things much longer than that.
Does reconstituting freeze-dried dogfood with water change the fat content? I have Yorkies , and am concerned about the fat in Stella and Cheweys freeze-dried rabbit.
Thank you.
Hi Colleen-
Thanks very much for your inquiry- what an interesting question!
My assumption is that the fat content is not changed with the addition of water, but the fat ratio is affected proportionately along with the other nutrients.
The moisture percentages reflected on the S&C website for their freeze-dried formulas appear to be incorrect. They do not appear to have been adjusted for dry matter content. I’d suggest contacting them directly to get a definitive answer to your question if you are trying to closely manage the daily Fat content for your Yorkies.