When it comes to choosing dog food, it might be time for you to think out of the can! “Although kibble, semi-moist and canned are the traditional types of pet foods, less-processed choices are gaining popularity,” says Dr. Susan Wynn, a board-certified nutritionist with BluePearl Veterinary Partners. “These choices avoid using intense heat, so heat-sensitive nutrients, like some types of Vitamin b and amino acids, remain intact.” In addition, Dr. Wynn notes, is the fact that less-processed pet foods are generally higher in healthy antioxidants. “Cutting, slicing, and grinding foods exposes these to more oxygen, thereby oxidizing them and lowering their antioxidant content,” she explains. If you want your dog to eat more natural foods, try not to have time to prepare the meals they eat yourself, or even the extra space within the fridge to keep it all, you may be interested in learning much more about these two kinds of less-processed foods:
Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Chicken, turkey, duck, fish-you name it-is include a vacuum chamber where the temperatures remain below freezing. Almost all of the moisture is taken away, producing a highly concentrated supply of nutrients. In addition to using a nutrition boost, freeze-dried pet foods, for example Stella and Chewy's Chicken Meal Mixers, Sojos Complete Turkey Recipe Grain-Free Dog Food, and Primal Chicken Formula Nuggets Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food, are a good option for families on the go. They are not only lightweight (Orijen is available in 6 and 16 ounce bags, for example, while Stella & Chewy's ranges from 3.5 to 18 ounces), they don't require refrigeration, making them well suited for camping trips together with your pooch, or even when you are staying in a hotel room with no fridge. You simply add warm water to permit the freeze-dried food rehydrate, mix things up, and voila! Dinner is served!
Dehydrated Food
Many pet owners think freeze-dried and dehydrated pet foods is one within the same, but they're less than identical. The dehydration process utilizes a low-heat, as opposed to a pressurized chamber to remove moisture from food. Dehydrated pet foods usually last for annually or so-and that's plenty. Like freeze-dried foods, dehydrated ones will also be well suited for camping and hiking since you are in a position to pack lighter. For example, Honest Kitchen Revel Dehydrated Pet food squeezes 40 pounds of fresh foods right into a 10-pound box. To rehydrate, you just mix with warm water and wait 3 minutes for everyone.
