# Freeze Dried Dog food



## Charleeann67:) (Nov 6, 2017)

Hi all you smart people!
My niece who is a veterinarian, heard that I was contemplating/researching freeze dried, human grade dog food. I'm not settled on anything yet, but she is adamant that a freeze dried option is dangerous and that there is research that freeze drying doesn't kill bacteria and dangerous organisms.
I want something good for my new pup and also affordable. So, wonderful people, here I go again about the closest I can get to a raw food diet.
Thank you in advance for your patience!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

The only thing that kills bacteria is cooking. Freeze dried packages (I think) do tell you to wash hands after handling. When you rehydrate anything alive (and in suspended growth as a result of the drying) organisms will resume active metabolism and growth. I also think freeze dried is a somewhat expensive option.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I don’t know about bacterias but I tried it once and my dog wouldn’t even touch it. I find it expensive for what it is, and it doesn’t look appetizing at all.


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## Charleeann67:) (Nov 6, 2017)

*Freeze Dried Dog Food*

Ok, I think Lily feeds fresh/human grade. Others a combination. I want to go in the middle, if possible, part kibble to use as treats/rewards and something human grade.
Am I the dumb student that can't seem to figure this out???

Is there a kibble that would encompass all the nutrients and then I could just supplement with a few fresh things?

Honestly, dog food and take a competent woman in every other part of her life and bring her to her knees. (at the very least it is humbling!)


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

In your situation, I would look at cooking for your dog, or a good quality kibble with around 10-20% "real food" added. You need to think about getting the calcium balance right, especially for a puppy, but cooking kills off bacteria and makes the food safer to handle - it also makes any vegetable matter easier to digest. Cooked bones are an absolute no-no, of course, although I have had no issues with finely ground bone gently simmered with meat in water (I carefully removed rather larger pieces of bone - about 1/4 of an inch long - from a recent batch of cooked food, and one of the cats happily stole and ate the pieces while I wasn't looking, but I still feel they were on the large side). I have found the advice on DogAware.com: Diet & Health Info for Man's Best Friend helpful and evidence based.


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## asuk (Jan 6, 2017)

Freeze dried is kinda gross, imo. My dog eats it but it's powdery, etc. I'd stick to human grade meat. To make your head spin even more, there's raw coated kibble.lol

I think the best food is what you can afford and what your pup will eat. My dog is on a raw and kibble diet. I have a small dog so raw is not expensive for me. But I have pre requisite for raw, he has to stay in one place and we have trained him to eat it on a specific mat. Also must chew all bones, no gulping. He gets his face and paws washed after raw. So far so good, I like how it also cleans his teeth and small poo. I don't find he lacks in nutrition, there's a ratio for raw, you can google this. Tripe is amazing if you can stand the smell, it's a complete food. I don't care for the smell anymore since I am used to it. 

He gets kibble the rest of the day, he free feeds. I also cook for him sometimes, usually fish since due to possible worms, I don't give him raw fish.

A puppy is smart though, if you feed raw or cooked, chances are they won't eat kibble. Feed whatever your breeder is feeding for a week or so to transition. You can just feed a high quality kibble till he is done growing and move on to raw or cooked food.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

As asuk said puppies and adult dogs are smart and some of them just will hold out and not eat kibble is they think something better is around the corner. That said I do cook and my dogs eat a human grade diet entirely, but Lily and Peeves will both enthusiastically eat kibble or other dog cookies as a training treat if that is what I offer. Javelin is one of those puppies who if offered a cookie by the cashier in a pet store will take it and drop it on the floor saying "yuckies, no thanks" as he does it. He only ate kibble as a puppy and I used it as his training rewards, but now I use either zukes minis, chicken jerky or string cheese for training with him.

I think I agree with fjm that you might really want to consider cooking for your pup, just make sure the recipe is appropriate for a baby dog in terms of calcium and the like. You would probably do fine with zukes or ziwipeak training treats or maybe chicken jerky crushed up into little pieces.

When I made the change to home cooked last year I went through a crazy amount of work trying to find a commercial food that would work for all of my dogs and there was nothing adequate to my needs. Now the cooking, although massive for three large dogs, is really streamlined and second nature.


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## Anonistus (Feb 11, 2021)

In general, the well-being of your dog depends on 90% of what it eats and drinks. As a veterinarian, I can say that freeze-dried foods are best not given to your pet because they are devoid of moisture, which means that they have not had any heat treatments and all germs and dangerous bacteria can persist on food if they have not been sterile manufactured. You can read on the blog happyhealthydogblog.com what it is worth to feed your dog to make it more active and healthy. Do not try to experiment with your favorite pet. This usually does not lead to good, so give your dog a good and high-quality product


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

I really like Ziwi Peak air dried food. It is too expensive for me to feed for meals, but I use it for treats. It is not kibble, it is more like little pieces of jerky, and Zephyr really likes it, I usually get the tripe and lamb variety.


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