In recent years, there has been an increasing number of shovelers who want to provide pets with raw, “human-grade”, limited-ingredient or freeze-dried foods. Freeze-dried is a small but growing category compared to pet food and canned pet food.
Nutrient deficiencies in your pet’s diet can lead to many health risks, many of which are irreversible or untreatable, so it’s best to consult your veterinarian when choosing the right diet for your pet. There are many important factors involved in choosing a pet food, such as your pet’s age, health or the medications it is taking. This article will introduce some knowledge about freeze-dried pet food so that you can make an informed decision about your pet’s diet.
1. What is freeze-dried pet food?
Freeze-drying is a technique in which food is frozen and then placed in a vacuum, allowing the moisture in it to sublimate (from ice directly to water vapor), and then sealing the food in an air-tight package. Removing all moisture from foods allows them to be kept at room temperature for longer periods of time than non-freeze-dried foods. Freeze-dried pet food is usually a raw food product, meaning it has not been cooked or heat pasteurized, and can be sold alone as a meal or snack, or used to wrap or mix with dry food.
2. What is the difference between freeze-dried pet food and dehydrated pet food?
Freeze-dried and dehydrated foods are two different technologies that are used to achieve the same goal of removing moisture for a stable shelf life. Freeze-drying uses low temperatures to remove moisture, while dehydration requires low-calorie heat, which is not enough to cook food. Freeze-dried foods generally contain less water than dehydrated foods, so may have a longer shelf life, and freeze-dried foods may retain more vitamins than dehydrated foods.
3. What is the difference between freeze-dried pet food and raw food?
There are several key differences between raw, unprocessed and freeze-dried pet food. Moisture is removed from raw food (the freeze-drying process) to create freeze-dried food that can be kept on the shelf. Freeze-dried foods are sold commercially, while raw, unprocessed foods are usually homemade by pet owners or sold by local pet stores, butchers. Meaning they do nothing to reduce bacterial or parasite populations, the problems inherent in raw food. Raw, unprocessed foods may be substandard or nutritionally unbalanced unless the owner specifically works with a veterinary nutritionist to ensure that the pet’s diet is nutritionally complete.
4. Is freeze-dried pet food safe?
Feeding any kind of raw food has fixed risks, both for the cat and for the family. Raw pet food at home has adverse risks for cats and people with immune deficiencies or other underlying medical conditions, younger and older adults.
(1) Risk of bacteria and parasites The biggest problem with raw pet food is bacterial contamination. E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella are the most common contaminants. Certain meats may also contain parasites and Clostridium. Freeze-drying does help reduce the number of pathogens in raw foods, but many pathogens can still survive freeze-drying, so while freeze-dried commercial foods may have less contamination than unprocessed raw foods, no raw food is truly safe . It is also important to note that even though food manufacturers routinely test ingredients for contamination, these foods can easily become contaminated after testing. Pets can get sick from eating raw food, but family members bear the greatest risk. Normal pet activities, such as grooming, playing and rubbing the face, can lead to human exposure to contaminated saliva, not to mention the possibility of contamination in the process of handling food, food bowls and feces.
(2) Risks of nutritional deficiencies In addition to the risk of pathogens, both homemade and commercial raw foods carry a real risk of nutritional imbalances. Unless you work directly with a veterinary nutritionist, make food for your pet at home, or use formula food, the risk of illness from nutritional deficiencies or imbalances remains.
5. How to store freeze-dried pet food?
Freeze-dried pet food is shelf-stable at room temperature. Storage conditions and shelf life may vary from product to product, if you have concerns about the product after opening, please throw it away to be safe. Any freeze-dried pet food product should be clearly marked with expiration dates and storage instructions. Raw meat-based foods mainly refer to uncooked foods based on bones and offal. These diets tend to be higher in fat and lower in carbohydrates and are highly digestible, but the recipes for raw foods are not identical! They vary in ingredients, energy content, and nutritional content (similar to homemade cooked food).
Post time: Mar-14-2022