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Lightly cooked foods for dogs

Feed your dog fresher foods

Offering fresher foods is one of the best things that you can do for your pet’s overall health. Fresh foods provide more bioavailable nutrients than overly processed commercial foods which endure high-heat cooking processes. Whether you feed a little each day or convert to a 100% lightly cooked diet, your pet will experience a number of healthful benefits. 

  • highly digestible, producing small, firm stools
  • appealing, home-cooked aroma for finicky dogs
  • nourishing recovery meal for older dogs or immune-compromised pups

 

History of feeding cooked diets

Our pets’ wild ancestors were adapted to catching prey and consuming it raw. As dogs became domesticated, humans began to supplement their ancestral diet of wild prey with scraps from the table. As a result, dogs have developed the ability to efficiently utilize a modest amount of carbohydrates in their diets. They also have a long history of eating cooked food along with the raw.

When it’s not preferable or feasible to feed a completely raw diet to a dog, lightly cooked is an excellent alternative. It’s made of the same fresh ingredients, cooked lightly to showcase the food’s natural flavors and maintain vital nutrients – much like our own home-cooked food.

Think outside of the bag

Lightly cooked diets are a simple, wholesome, and nutritious way to enhance dry kibble diets. These less-processed diets provide highly absorbable intracellular moisture, aiding in the breakdown of nutrients in the digestive tract.  

Lightly cooked meals are highly palatable and are available in a variety of easy to thaw and dish up options such as scoop-and-serve, pre-portioned medallions, or patties.

Not all cooked foods are created equal 

Unless a pet food is advertised as “raw,” chances are it is cooked. What sets a lightly cooked, frozen dog food apart from canned food or dry kibble is the degree of processing. Kibble and canned dog food are subjected to long cooking times, high heat, and high pressure. In contrast, lightly cooked frozen food has simply been heated just enough to destroy bacteria and create an enticing aroma. This minimal processing results in an appetizing food that retains more of its natural vitamins, amino acids, and antioxidants.

Replacing just a portion of your dog’s kibble with lightly cooked food is a great way of introducing whole-food magic to their bowl, adding:

  • muscle-building protein
  • healthy fats for a radiant coat
  • antioxidants to fight the effects of aging

 

Getting started

Because lightly cooked dog food is sold frozen, you will need to thaw it before feeding. The best way to do this is overnight in the refrigerator. Select a leak-proof dish or bowl and thaw up to five days’ worth at a time. 

If your dog is not accustomed to eating fresh foods, we recommend introducing a lightly cooked food slowly to your dog’s current diet. Start by replacing a little bit of your dog’s dry food each day with an equivalent amount of thawed or slightly warmed lightly cooked food. Your dog will love the delicious boost of nutrition!