Why Freeze-Dried Treats and Meals Have Become Favorites Among Raw Feeders

Raw feeders tend to be pretty particular about what goes into the bowl and what comes out of the treat bag.

If you are putting thought into your pet’s meals every day, it makes sense that you would pay just as much attention to training rewards, toppers, travel food, and the things you keep on hand when pulling something from the freezer is not practical.

That is one reason freeze-dried foods have become so popular.

They are lightweight, easy to store, usually very appealing to dogs and cats, and they can be made from many of the same meat, organ, bone, and whole-food ingredients raw feeders are already comfortable feeding.

For some pet parents, that means a bag of single-ingredient liver treats in the pantry. For others, it means having a complete freeze-dried meal available for travel, emergencies, or days when thawing dinner did not go according to plan.

What Exactly Is Freeze-Drying?

Freeze-drying sounds complicated, but the basic idea is fairly simple.

The food is frozen first. Then it is placed under low pressure so the frozen water moves directly from ice to vapor instead of melting into liquid first. That process is called sublimation.

Removing most of the moisture makes the finished food lightweight and shelf-stable when it is packaged and stored properly. Freeze-drying is also valued because it generally preserves the flavor, structure, and many of the nutrients in food better than higher-temperature drying methods.

For pet food, that means ingredients such as beef, liver, heart, tripe, bone, turkey gizzards, and other animal proteins can be preserved without turning them into a traditional cooked kibble or baked biscuit.

Why Raw Feeders Like Freeze-Dried Treats

The ingredient list can be refreshingly simple

One of the easiest things to like about freeze-dried treats is how simple some of them are.

A bag may contain nothing more than beef liver, beef heart, bison liver, or another single animal ingredient.

That makes it easier to know exactly what you are feeding, especially if you are rotating proteins or trying to avoid unnecessary fillers and additives.

For example, UNPF’s Midwest Legacy Beef freeze-dried liver is made with 100% beef liver, while the freeze-dried beef heart contains 100% beef heart.

That kind of ingredient transparency fits naturally with the way many raw feeders already shop for food.

They are incredibly convenient

There is a lot to love about raw food, but nobody is going to pretend that carrying a bag of frozen liver in your pocket is convenient.

Freeze-dried treats solve that problem.

They are lightweight, portable, and do not require refrigeration when stored according to the manufacturer’s directions. That makes them especially handy for:

• Training sessions

• Walks

• Car rides

• Day trips

• Grooming appointments

• Vet visits

• Keeping a few treats handy without taking up freezer space

For raw feeders who already have a freezer full of pet food, anything that does not need another square inch of freezer space is a welcome bonus.

Dogs and cats usually think they taste pretty great

Removing the water concentrates the food, including its aroma and flavor.

That can make freeze-dried meat and organ treats especially appealing to pets.

This is one reason we like them for training. You can break many freeze-dried treats into smaller pieces and still have something that smells interesting enough to get a dog’s attention.

UNPF’s freeze-dried turkey gizzards, for example, can be broken into smaller pieces for training and are suitable for dogs and cats.

They can also be useful with picky eaters. Crumbling a little freeze-dried heart or liver over the bowl can add enough aroma to make dinner more interesting without completely changing the meal.

Anyone who has ever negotiated dinner with a picky dog knows how valuable that can be.

They Work Really Well as Meal Toppers

Some freeze-dried products practically seem designed to end up sprinkled over dinner.

UNPF’s Midwest Legacy Beef Heart is a good example. Because it contains no added binding ingredient, it naturally crumbles more easily than some other freeze-dried products. That makes it particularly useful as a meal topper.

You can crumble a small amount over raw food, use it to make an unfamiliar protein more interesting, or add it when your pet needs a little extra encouragement to eat.

This can be especially handy for senior pets, picky eaters, or dogs that need to take medication with food.

Organ Treats Pack a Lot Into a Small Piece

Liver, heart, and other organ-based treats are popular because those ingredients naturally contain a variety of nutrients.

For example, beef liver supplies protein along with nutrients such as vitamin A, several B vitamins, zinc, and other minerals. Beef heart is also a source of protein, B vitamins, and naturally occurring taurine.

That does not mean more is always better.

Freeze-dried food has had most of its water removed, so nutrients and calories are concentrated into a much smaller package. Liver in particular is a nutrient-dense organ, which is one reason we think of it as a treat rather than something to hand out endlessly throughout the day.

Freeze-Dried Treats Are Still Treats

It is very easy to lose track of how many little pieces disappear during a training session.

Treat calories still count.

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association recommends keeping treats to no more than about 10% of a healthy dog’s daily calories, unless your veterinarian has recommended something different.

That is particularly important with freeze-dried products because removing water makes the food much lighter without removing all of its calories.

A handful may not look like much, but it can add up.

Freeze-Dried Is Not Just for Treats

This is where things get even more useful for raw feeders.

Freeze-drying can also be used to preserve an entire raw-style meal.

That gives pet parents another option when frozen raw food is inconvenient. A freeze-dried meal can be useful for travel, boarding, camping, emergency supplies, or simply those evenings when you realize dinner is still completely frozen.

The important thing is to know what kind of product you are buying.

Some freeze-dried foods are complete and balanced meals. Others are raw-style blends that contain meat, bone, and organs but are not necessarily formulated to meet every nutritional requirement by themselves.

Three Midwest Legacy Beef Freeze-Dried Meal Options at UNPF

UNPF currently carries three Midwest Legacy Beef freeze-dried formulas that go beyond treats and toppers.

Legacy Beef 80.10.10 With Organ

Midwest Legacy Beef’s freeze-dried Beef & Organ formula follows an 80.10.10-style approach with approximately 78 to 80% beef, 10% ground bone, 5% liver, 2.5% spleen, 2.5% kidney, and 2% heart. (Unifour Natural Pet Foods)

This makes it a convenient option for raw feeders who are already comfortable working with an 80.10.10 feeding model and want something shelf-stable for travel, backup meals, or rotation.

An important distinction is that 80.10.10 describes the ingredient proportions.

Legacy PLUS Complete & Balanced

For dog owners who want the convenience of freeze-dried food without having to build the rest of the nutritional balance themselves, Midwest Legacy Beef also offers Legacy PLUS.

This formula starts with beef, green tripe, ground beef bone, liver, spleen, kidney, and heart. Oils and a vitamin and mineral blend are then added so the finished food is formulated to meet AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages, including the growth of large-size dogs. (Unifour Natural Pet Foods)

That makes Legacy PLUS different from a treat, topper, or basic 80.10.10 blend. It is intended to function as a complete meal.

This can be especially useful for:

• Travel

• Camping

• Emergency food supplies

• Boarding

• Days when frozen raw food is not practical

• Pet parents who want a shelf-stable raw-style feeding option

It can also be nice to keep a bag on hand for those moments when someone forgot to thaw dinner.

Not that this has ever happened in a raw-feeding household, not ours anyway...hahahaha!

Legacy CAT

Cats have their own freeze-dried option too.

Midwest Legacy Beef Legacy CAT is a fine-ground beef formula made with 72% beef, finely ground beef bone, liver, lung, green tripe, heart, spleen, and kidney. The manufacturer describes it as providing complete raw nutrition and recommends rehydrating it with warm water before feeding. (Unifour Natural Pet Foods)

The very fine texture is designed for smaller mouths and can also make it easier for cats, kittens, small dogs, puppies, and senior pets with dental limitations to eat. (Unifour Natural Pet Foods)

For cat owners, the ability to add warm water has another benefit. It puts moisture back into the meal, which is something we especially like to see in a feline diet.

Freeze-Dried Meals Can Make Travel Much Easier

Anyone who feeds frozen raw food knows that traveling requires a little planning.

You need freezer space, coolers, ice packs, or a reliable refrigerator when you arrive.

Freeze-dried meals can make that much easier.

You can pack the food in its original bag, store it according to the manufacturer’s directions, and rehydrate it when it is time to feed if the product instructions call for water.

This does not mean you have to replace your regular frozen food.

Think of freeze-dried meals as another tool in the raw-feeding toolbox.

For some households they may become a regular part of the rotation. For others, they may live in the pantry until vacation, hurricane season, a freezer problem, or one of those nights when nobody remembered to pull tomorrow’s food out to thaw. I keep mentioning this...wonder if we've ever forgotten to thaw out food...

Do Freeze-Dried Meals Need Water?

This depends on the product.

A few small freeze-dried treats generally do not need to be rehydrated unless the manufacturer specifically recommends it. Fresh drinking water should always be available.

Meals are different.

Midwest Legacy CAT specifically directs pet parents to rehydrate the food with approximately two to three times as much warm water as freeze-dried food before serving. (Unifour Natural Pet Foods)

Always follow the individual product directions rather than assuming every freeze-dried food should be served the same way.

Adding water also helps replace some of the moisture removed during freeze-drying, which may be especially useful for cats and pets that do not drink much on their own.

A Quick Word About Safety

Freeze-dried does not mean sterile.

Removing moisture helps prevent bacteria from multiplying during proper storage, but freeze-drying by itself does not guarantee that pathogens have been eliminated.

So just continue to practice good handling habits. Wash your hands after handling pet food, keep packages properly sealed and dry, clean bowls and feeding surfaces, and follow the manufacturer’s storage and preparation directions.

Freeze-Dried Treats Are Not Just for Dogs

Cats deserve good treats too.

Single-ingredient meat and organ treats can be especially appealing to cats, and their small size makes them easy to offer one piece at a time or crumble over food.

UNPF currently carries cat-friendly options including bison liver bits and bison heart bits, along with freeze-dried turkey gizzards that can be offered to dogs or cats.

For a cat that likes to inspect dinner before deciding whether you have met their standards, a little extra aroma on top of the bowl can go a long way.

What Should You Look for When Choosing Freeze-Dried Food?

Whether you are buying a treat or an entire meal, read past the front of the bag.

A few things we look for include:

• Clearly identified animal proteins

• Short, understandable ingredient lists when choosing treats

• No unnecessary artificial colors or preservatives

• A product that fits your pet’s allergies and sensitivities

• Clear storage and preparation instructions

• A nutritional adequacy statement

• Clear information about whether the product is a treat, topper, supplemental food, raw-style blend, or complete and balanced meal

That last point may be the most important.

A bag containing beautiful ingredients can still serve a completely different nutritional purpose from another bag sitting right beside it.

Why We Keep Adding Freeze-Dried Options at UNPF

Freeze-dried products simply make sense for a lot of our customers.

The treats fit well with a whole-food feeding philosophy, travel easily, and tend to get a very enthusiastic response from dogs and cats.

The meals solve a different problem. They give raw feeders a shelf-stable option for situations where frozen food is difficult or impossible to manage.

UNPF currently carries freeze-dried treats, meal toppers, the Midwest Legacy Beef 80.10.10 Beef & Organ blend, Legacy PLUS Complete & Balanced for dogs, and Legacy CAT. Our website currently lists all three Midwest Legacy meal-style options alongside the freeze-dried treat products. (Unifour Natural Pet Foods)

Inventory changes, and the Midwest Legacy Beef products are going FAST!

The Bottom Line

Freeze-dried food has earned a place in many raw-feeding homes because it combines familiar ingredients with a level of convenience frozen food simply cannot offer.

Freeze-dried treats can be great for training, travel, and tempting picky eaters. Freeze-dried meals can give you a practical alternative when traveling, preparing for emergencies, or simply trying to make raw feeding fit into a busy day.

The key is knowing what you are buying.

A single-ingredient liver treat is not a meal. An 80.10.10 blend is not automatically the same thing as a complete and balanced food. A formula specifically designed to meet nutritional standards serves a different purpose from both.

Read the label, choose the product that fits the job, and keep fresh water available.

Then enjoy one of the nicest benefits of freeze-dried food.

No thawing required.