The Scoop On Dehydrated Raw Food
Raw food has possible health benefits such as shinier coats, healthier skin, higher energy levels, and smaller stools. For most pets, it’s more beneficial than processed foods. Colorful whole food is loaded with natural nutrition including vitamins, minerals and valuable phytonutrients that enhance health (but which aren’t found in pelleted food that’s been processed under high heat and pressure.)
We carry several varieties of raw dehydrated food. The Honest Kitchen and Addiction brands are fully balanced meals that you just reconstitute with water and serve. Some people have qualms about the extra step it takes to feed your pet, but it only takes a few minutes to add water and stir, and provides a way to serve real, whole foods to your dog or cat. Dr. Harvey’s and Boxador Bites (and one variety of The Honest Kitchen) have supplemental dehydrated food that you can either add your choice of protein to, and serve, or you can add as a topper for the food they already eat to add extra vitamins.
Addiction is a particularly interesting brand because it offers up exotic meats from New Zealand — including kangaroo and brushtail, a raccoon-like creature. Their food is ideal for fussy eaters or for those who are allergic to chicken, beef or lamb, and make delicious alternatives to regular pet food.
The Honest Kitchen is a great choice, because their foods are actually produced in a human food facility, not in a pet food plant. That means a much higher standard of quality and safety. People actually taste everything they make, as part of their quality control process, and there’s nothing in their foods that isn’t human-grade.
If you are looking for a different, beneficial option to feed your pet, give dehydrated raw food a try. There’s a very good chance you’ll see a difference in their health!
(Thanks to The Honest Kitchen for giving helpful answers to questions asked for this article.)
Patrick Brack said,
January 12, 2012 @ 12:40 pm
This interests me. My concern is the cost on a daily basis. I’m going to experiment with seeing how i can feed this to Baby without breaking my bank. Seems to call for an adjustment. Who should I talk with about this, I don’t expect to walk in and get filled. Any suggestions?
Susan Wegner said,
January 12, 2012 @ 4:03 pm
Wondering what the difference is between the dehydrated raw food and the frozen raw food.
Administrator said,
January 12, 2012 @ 10:56 pm
Hi Susan! Here’s what Dr. Becker has to say about raw dehydrated:
“If you can’t or don’t want to feed whole raw or canned food, a good middle-of-the-road choice is dehydrated raw food. Dehydrated means it’s dry, but only until you add warm water. Then it becomes a biologically appropriate food with about 70 percent water (or more, if you want to add more).
Dehydrated raw means the food hasn’t been processed at high temperatures and in many cases the nutrient value has been retained. Dehydrated raw isn’t true raw. Truly raw food will decompose if you leave it out on a counter at room temperature. Dehydrated raw won’t.
Dehydrated raw is a good go-between diet for pets that are being transitioned from dry food to raw, or for pet owners who don’t want to feed true raw or canned diets.
I also like this type of food for its digestibility and also for the different protein sources available, for example, turkey, beef, chicken and fish. When you add water to the powder, it turns into the consistency of gruel. It’s a great choice for animals with gastrointestinal sensitivities or that are recovering from GI surgery.
I recommend it for pet owners who want to feed a grain free diet but aren’t comfortable with raw. I also recommend it as a transitional food for pets that are coming off a bland diet for a GI problem or pancreatitis, for example.
As regular readers of my newsletter know, I’m a firm believer in feeding a wide variety of foods to pets. I love the idea of mixing things up by serving a combination of different varieties of raw, canned and dehydrated raw.
Make sure the brand you select is AAFCO approved for all life stages to insure it’s a nutritionally complete diet for your dog or cat.”
Administrator said,
January 12, 2012 @ 11:02 pm
What questions do you have, Patrick? Dawn or Melissa can help if you want to come into the store to find out more. By the way, you don’t have to use the product on a daily basis as a full meal to obtain benefits.
Kibble is not the best thing you can feed a dog or cat because it lacks moisture content. Making a little gravy with some of the dehydrated raw can help make the kibble you feed a more biologically appropriate food for your pets. Dry pet food only has about 12% moisture, compared to 70-80% moisture in raw, canned, or dehydrated raw food. Dogs and cats that have eaten nothing but dry food all their lives usually suffer some sort of organ stress (usually in the kidneys/urinary tract system) due to the lack of moisture in their diets.
Susan Wegner said,
January 13, 2012 @ 8:33 pm
Just want to add my 2 cents in favor of feeding raw. My pug has SO much more energy, and I have been able to keep his weight stabilized since starting the raw diet about 14 months ago. He is simply much healthier since starting on the raw diet. It may be a bit more expensive but, to me, it’s worth the extra expense. I compare feeding raw to my dog to “what if I had to eat cheerios every day, twice a day, all of my life – ugh!
And the good folks at Pets in the City are always there to answer questions – they are quite knowledgeable about pet food and other issues.
This is NOT a paid endorsement….ha ha! Just a satisfied customer!!
Bob said,
February 4, 2012 @ 8:51 pm
A quick question on the dehydrated foods. Is this something I can leave out or should I pick it up after they’ve eaten? I have cats and they tend to graze. Should I leave out the dry foods for grazing during the day and just feed the dehydrated at two sittings (our normal routine) a day and then pick it up after they’re done?
How are portions managed. Can I control the amount I give them w/o wasting anything? I guess I’m really asking how the dehydrated food is packaged.
I’m planning on coming in to get some and try it out.
Thanks!
Administrator said,
February 7, 2012 @ 11:34 pm
Hi Bob — thanks for your interest. Here’s what the Honest Kitchen had to say in response to your questions:
“When you hydrate our whole food mixes, you activate the foods naturally occurring enzymes so the food will begin to break down if left out at room temperature for long periods. Once hydrated, we recommend leaving it out for only 30-40 minutes at a time. Whatever is not eaten may be covered and refrigerated for up to 48 hours. It can be fed again but we do not recommend feeding cold, directly out of the fridge. Adding a bit of warm water to take the chill off is preferable.
For cats, many holistic vets recommend eliminating free feeding, as this is not natural for a cat’s body. Periods of emptiness are actually ideal for a cat and there health often suffers if allowed to free feed, especially a dry kibble. Cats MUST take in moisture with their food in order for their digestion to work optimally. The ideal for most of our domestic cats is 2-3 regular scheduled feedings each day, of a moist food. J
How much you feed each cat will depend on their individual weight, body condition, metabolism, etc. The feeding guidelines for our cat foods are found on our website on the following page. Scroll down to find the chart for cats.
http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/products/learn/how-to-feed/
You may also find the following very helpful and informative. If there’s anything else we may help you with, please let us know.
http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FEEDING%20YOUR%20CAT%208-10%20Short%202-12-10.pdf