As dog owners, we like to ensure the best for our furry friends. So especially when it comes to their nutrition, we want to leave no stones unturned. And with all these types of dog food available in the market, it is sometimes hard to choose which one is the best. We are often faced with a critical question, what is better freeze-dried or dehydrated dog food?
To know what is best for your dog, you need to know the difference between freeze-dried and dehydrated dog food first. You also need to know what is their nutritional content and how they are processed. And Pet Guides is here, helping you choose which type of dog food you should feed your dog for its unprecedented growth!
Se Also, Healthy Homemade dog food.
What is better freeze-dried or dehydrated dog food?
What makes them entirely different from other food products?
And how do you decide what is better freeze-dried or dehydrated dog food?
I think you have all these questions in your mind and must be because you try hard to keep your Fido fit and agile. Apt and brief information has been given below so you could have knowledge about that.
1: Freeze-dried dog food
You must get the idea from the title and you are absolutely right about the food that is frozen. Not a little heat is applied during its preparation because heat altogether destroys the essential nutrients and enzymes in the food.
Does not it seem good that freeze-dried consists of all the nutrients you need?
Processing
You may astonish after reading this that the pressure under which the food is processed is five times more than that found at the bottom of the sea.
Bones, meat, Raw fruits, wild-caught fishes, and vegetables all are kept in freeze-dried food to make it super healthy for your dog.
It specifically uses the vacuum chamber to eliminate all the moisture by applying that titanic pressure. It results in the destruction of all pathogens that may be present in the meat.
It is totally prohibited from cooking and heating that they can damage nutrients and essential enzymes. Which are crucial for making healthy digestion.
Is freeze-dried expensive?
Actually, it should be expensive because of the heavy machinery required in its preparation. But, no doubt it’s the most effective way to preserve all the nutrients of raw food.
If you are a person who travels a lot then it’s perfect for your dog or if you often lack space in the freezer.
Is it the same as frozen?
Freeze-dried foods are for sure the same as frozen but there is only one key difference that is all the moisture has been eliminated.
Should I rehydrate it before serving?
You should if you are only and only serving the freeze-dried alone. It is also perfectly okay to serve it straight from the bag into a dog’s bowl, as a treat, topper, or as a meal.
Dehydrated dog foods
The key difference between dehydrated and freeze-dried food is that it does need heat for its preparation.
Dehydration almost removes the moisture of the food by blowing all the warm and hot air around it.
Is dehydrated food cooked food?
Yep, the food is actually cooked that’s why they are not quite considered a raw food.
These kinds of foods are not quite as nutrient-rich diets as freeze-dried food due to the extremely higher temperatures used in their preparation. Some dogs have extreme immune deficiency and are unable to digest raw food quite well.
This food is been considered a step up from kibble because it is manufactured in a much more gentle cooking process.
Does not it make a deal?
It is the best option for those pet takers who are seeking less processed food than kibble and a fully cooked diet.
Let’s find out which is better to Freeze Or dry foods.
We live in the twenty-first century and want to get the clearest and picky explanations.
Here, we have made a contrast between both foods to help you to make your personal opinion regarding these diets.
1: Freeze or dried foods Which consumes more time in preparation?
Freeze-dried foods undoubtedly rehydrate quickly. More precisely, it all depends on your dog’s behavior towards the food whether it likes it totally soaked or in powder form.
Always use warm water in its rehydrating process but not too warm because you don’t want it to be cooked.
I personally, always use hot sink water.
On the other hand, dehydrated nuggets take a bit longer time to rehydrate- they often stay in leathery and harsh conditions for roundabout 10 minutes.
2: Which one is closer to fresh food?
Dehydration is processed at about 120 F, it is not considered raw because it destroys all the enzymes and nutrients in the food, It is surely not considered raw though it is not fully cooked.
3: What is sublimation?
The process in which the ice is removed from the freeze-dried is called sublimation. All the moisture is converted into gas.
Needed nutrients and vitamins are preserved because there is no cooking involved in this procedure. It is the moisture that helps bacteria to grow on the food but in this no moisture is present and so no bacteria can grow.
Once you rehydrate it, you can term it as ‘’RAW’’. I suppose it is because it has all the nutrients in a raw diet.
4: Which is apt?
Both diets meet AAFCO standards and are completely balanced. They have all the required nutrients, vitamins, and minerals your pet needs in her diet.
If you find the ‘’COMPLETE AND BALANCED’’ tag on the bag it’s suitable for daily feeding. You don’t need to feed anything else than that.
Again, I recommend that it depends on your dog.
Does she easily digest it? or does the diet satisfy your dog’s needs?
Because your dog’s health is not observed by AAFCO.
So, freeze-dried food is way closer to raw meat and has all the enzymes and nutrients needed once rehydrated, It is for sure the best diet to feed to your Fido.
5: Freeze Or dried foods Which taste better?
Dogs often seem to love freeze-dried food most, because it restores all its taste quickly, retains more flavors, and is easier to use.
But my dog likes both of them. It matters from dog to dog.
6: Freeze or dried foods Which has a longer shelf life?
Freeze drying removes 99% of the moisture in the food. On the other hand, in dehydrated food 70%-95% is removed, it can be less if you are doing it at home.
Moisture is the antagonist in the bag of food. The less moisture the less the bacteria. Foods lacking in moisture can have more life.
If you keep your mutt food in a clean and dry place as you place other foods in order to keep them safe, it is going to last a long time whether it is freeze-dried or dehydrated.
7: Freeze or dried foods which one is easier to store?
Basically, freeze-dried keeps the same volume while removing the weight of water. Dehydrated actually ‘’shrinks’’ the dog food.
Dehydrated food consumes less space. Dehydrated food gets the trophy when it comes to storage space. It would be best of all if you travel a lot.
On the other hand, freeze-dried takes as same space as kibble, it would be fine to store it in a cupboard with other foods.
