Is Freeze-Dried Dog Food the Best for Your Pooch?

by Matt Weik May 6, 2024

Do you find yourself going to the store and buying the same bag of dog food for your furry little friend? Imagine eating the same boring thing every meal of every day. Your pooch deserves something better and healthier! Freeze-dried dog food is a growing trend, and many are flocking to it thanks to the benefits.

Freeze-dried dog food has become quite the popular health alternative to the typical bags of dog food. What many dog food manufacturers won’t tell you is that many of them are very low in micronutrients and include ingredients that may be harmful to your furry friend’s health.

According to Zion Market Research, the global demand for freeze-dried pet food reached around $277 million in 2018. They expect it will be approximately $525 million by 2025. Shocking, right? Have you ever considered freeze-dried dog food for your pets?

At first, you may think that it is just like any other marketing buzzword for dog food so that dog owners can drop a good amount of money buying it. But freeze-dried dog food is an all-natural treat that provides a lot of benefits to your dog’s health.

All that being said, let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way — freeze-dried dog food is not cheap. So, what makes it so special and popular? Let’s dive a little deeper into the topic and find out why this is something you may want to consider for your four-legged friend.

What is Freeze-Dried Dog Food?

Freeze-dried dog food is a dehydrated version of regular kibble. It’s made by taking fresh ingredients and flash-freezing them at very low temperatures. This preserves their nutrients while removing most of the water content. The resulting product has a long shelf life and contains much more protein than traditional kibble.

Freeze-dried dog food comes in pouches that can be stored at room temperature until opened. This makes them easy to store, and you can even give them to your dog as treats on trips or when out and about with your pup.

The easy process of making raw, freeze-dried dog food and treats makes it simple for any ingredient to be freeze-dried. What makes it more special than regular dog food is that you can have any food item freeze-dried, from traditional meat to vegetables and fruits, to keep the natural nutrients intact in them.

How is Dog Food Freeze-Dried?

Freeze-drying is a process that removes all moisture from food. It is a very popular technique for preserving the nutritional value of food. This method is used for everything from fruits, vegetables, and meats to powdered milk, eggs, and even fish.

In freeze-drying, raw ingredients are frozen and then placed in a strong vacuum that transforms the water in the food into vapor.

While most people will prefer to purchase already prepared freeze-dried dog food, if you want to do it yourself, you can purchase the equipment and freeze-dry whatever your heart desires.

What Makes Freeze-Dried Dog Food Better Than Typical Dog Food?

I know what you’re probably asking… “Is freeze-dried dog food worth the hype?” And that’s a great question. Is it really worth replacing your typical dog food?

I know how dog parents pay attention and want to learn the benefits of any product before making the leap. Therefore, below is a list of the benefits of freeze-dried dog food that will tell you why it is worth all the hype and why it is so valuable for your pooch.

1. They are minimally processed

Freeze-dried dog food is a minimally processed pet food that has been freeze-dried to remove water from the food. The freeze-drying process keeps the nutrients and flavor of the original product intact but removes most of the moisture.

The process also removes some of the fat from the meat, making it more digestible for your dog and putting less stress on its digestive system. This is especially important for dogs with allergies or any sort of digestive or gut issues.

Heat changes the chemical composition of dog treats and food, which alters the nutritional value of these ingredients. For example, kibble and other dry dog food out there are known to be highly processed, and the high heat takes out a good portion of the important natural nutrients and vitamins. Hence, manufacturers add artificial ingredients to it that can be bad for your dog’s health.

A study revealed that dog owners who fed their pups high-quality ingredients that had essential vitamins, proteins, and minerals as opposed to highly processed, commercial dog food and treats had a life expectancy of 2.5 years longer. Wouldn’t an extra 2.5 years with your favorite little buddy be worth it?

2. Better nutrition as it preserves ingredient nutritional value

As mentioned above, the nutrients are primarily intact in freeze-dried dog food rather than in regular dry food like kibble. Freeze-dried dog food contains more nutrients than wet or dry kibble because it has been exposed to less heat during processing. This results in fewer losses due to heat transfer and oxidation, which can occur when traditional canned or dry foods are cooked at high temperatures.

Freeze-dried dog food retains its amino acids, proteins, and other nutrients. It also retains the quality of fats, enzymes, and probiotics. That is useful as many freeze-dried dog food has added probiotics or healthy fats. It would not make sense to pay for those if they did not survive the freeze-drying process.

Also, it is important to note that what your dog’s ancestors ate in the wild was primarily raw meat, fruit scraps, bones, and vegetables. Before we domesticated dogs, they survived on these natural food items and were high in protein and other nutrients, and didn’t pose a threat to their health. Freeze-dried dog food is basically the same thing as they are not unadulterated, instead preserving as many nutrients as possible in the process.

For example, you can feed your dog apples, bananas, and beetroot in hard-treat form. So, they will get the same benefits of these natural food items, as well as not make a mess on the floor or be reluctant to consume them.

3. Better value for money

The pricing of dog food and treats are based on their net weight. If you weigh in on the value of dry dog food and its price, then you’d be getting nothing. You will likely pay more as hospital fees as many dry dog foods have high toxic content that poses a health risk.

Freeze-dried dog food has better value for money because it removes water content and provides a longer shelf life without adding additional preservatives or artificial ingredients/chemicals. The freeze-drying process also makes it possible for manufacturers to include more nutrients in their products without having to increase their size or weight.

4. Preserves the taste of meat ingredients

This is one of the biggest advantages of freeze-dried dog food because it maintains the flavor of meat ingredients like beef, chicken, or lamb. Many people prefer this over kibble because they can feed their dogs real meat instead of processed meat byproducts found in most dry dog foods on the market today.

Keep Your Furry Little Friend Healthy

But overall, let’s face it — you worry about your dog’s health and don’t want it to get sick. In addition to utilizing freeze-dried dog food, supplements can come in handy to add vital nutrients that your dog needs to maintain health and function optimally (even as it ages).

For that reason, Holistic Bin has created some of the highest-quality dog supplements on the market. The Holistic Bin Natural Dog Supplements can provide everything from healthy greens loaded with nutrients to superfoods slammed with antioxidants, as well as things like immune blends to improve your dog’s immune system and Atlantic sea kelp for overall health and vitality.

Your four-legged best friend isn’t “just a dog,” it’s part of your family. Provide it with the nutrients it needs by utilizing freeze-dried dog food along with some of the health-focused dog supplements provided by Holistic Bin. Your pooch will thank you!