This article is sponsored by the Dr. Marty Nature’s Blend dog foods. To learn more, you can also read the review of this frozen-dried dog food.
This post was sponsored by a dehydrated food. I want to explain the difference between the two, the pros and the cons of each, so you can make the best choice for and your dog.
These are both excellent options, far superior to kibble and they can improve your dog’s overall health. Before you change your dog’s food, you should understand what they are different from.
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What is closer to fresh food?
The dehydrated food for dogs is heated to 120°F, which kills all bacteria and enzymes. This food is not raw but it’s also not cooked.
Sublimation is the process used to remove the ice from freeze-dried pet food. The moisture is completely converted to gas. This process does not involve cooking, which means that all vitamins and nutrients remain intact.
Because there is no moisture in freeze-dried foods, bacteria and enzymes cannot grow. However, some will survive and start growing again once you moisten them.
It’s a semantic question whether freeze-dried food is raw or not. I think it is raw, because it still has “life” and you should treat it as such once it’s rehydrated.
What is better for your dog?
Dehydrated and freeze-dried dog foods are usually complete and balanced and meet AAFCO Standards. These foods contain the vitamins and minerals that your dog requires in her diet.
You don’t need to feed any other food with the AAFCO-sealed bag or the “complete and balanced” seal.
Dehydrating the food will reduce some of its nutritional value. However, this food must still meet these guidelines. It’s not important to me that a commercial dog food contains the basic vitamins and nutrition.
These guidelines do not take into account how the body of your dog metabolizes vitamins and nutrients. Dog food should be easy to digest, so that your dog is able to utilize all the nutrients and not simply convert them to poop.
It’s easier to digest for your dog because it is more similar to what our dogs ate when they were young. Also, the enzymes are still active after rehydration.
What Has a Longer Shelf-Life?
Food can be dehydrated to remove up to 95% of its moisture. This is less with a home-made machine and higher in commercial ones.
By contrast, freeze-drying removes between 98 and 99% of moisture from the food.
Your dehydrated and frozen-dried foods are at their worst when it comes to moisture. The lack of moisture is what prevents bacteria from multiplying and food from going bad.
If you store your dehydrated food or freeze-dried food in an area that is dark, clean and dry, they will last for a very long time. Freeze-dried foods have a greater shelf life because they are dryer.
We’re only talking about a difference between and, as in 10 years or 20 years. This is not a big deal for most households.
What is easier to store?
The dog food shrinks when dehydrated, but freeze-dried foods retain the volume of the original product while eliminating the water.
The food that is dehydrated will require less storage space. Dehydrated food is more space-efficient.
You might bring some dehydrated food with you when you travel. Freeze-dried food takes about the same space as kibble. It’s safe to store in cabinets like any other type of food.
Which takes longer to prepare?
The freeze-dried food rehydrates more quickly. The total time to rehydrate varies depending on the amount of food, the type (powder or pellets), and temperature.
You don’t need to use very hot water. Use hot water from the sink. Rehydrate food for three days or more and keep it in the refrigerator.
Nuggets dehydrated for 10 minutes or more can be tough, leathery and difficult to rehydrate. The powdered dehydrated food rehydrates about as fast as rehydrated Nature’s blend pellets, which is about three minutes.
What tastes better?
Dogs seem to prefer freeze-dried foods because they are more flavorful and have a similar texture to fresh food. You can also use it to add flavor to other foods like kibble.
Dehydrated dog food is also a favorite of mine. Both seem equally appealing to my dogs.
Free Samples of Dr. Marty Freeze-Dried Dog Food?
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