Open Farm's freeze-dried lineup isn't just one product — it splits into a few distinct formats, and meal mixers are one of the most useful for owners who aren't ready to feed freeze-dried as a full-time diet. Here's what sets them apart.
What a Meal Mixer Actually Is
A meal mixer is freeze-dried raw food formatted specifically to be crumbled or mixed into your dog's existing food — kibble, wet food, or otherwise — rather than served as a standalone meal on its own. It's a lower-commitment way to add real raw nutrition to every bowl without switching your dog's entire diet.
The Five Flavors
Open Farm makes meal mixers in five proteins: Homestead Turkey, Grass-Fed Beef, Surf & Turf, Pasture-Raised Lamb, and Farmer's Table Pork. That range makes it easy to rotate proteins for variety, or to settle on one if your dog has a specific sensitivity.
Meal Mixers vs. Dinner Patties
It's worth distinguishing meal mixers from Open Farm's freeze-dried dinner patties, which are a separate product in the lineup. Patties are formatted and portioned to be served as a standalone meal (whole or rehydrated), while meal mixers are meant to be broken up and blended into another food. If you're looking to replace a full meal with freeze-dried raw, patties are the more direct fit; if you want to boost an existing bowl, meal mixers are built for that.
Why Owners Choose Meal Mixers Specifically
A few common reasons:
- Budget. Using freeze-dried raw as a mixer rather than the full diet stretches a bag further and keeps costs more manageable.
- Picky eaters. A meal mixer can make an otherwise unenthusiastic kibble eater much more interested in their bowl.
- Gradual raw introduction. Meal mixers are a natural first step for owners curious about raw feeding but not ready to commit to it as the entire diet.
How Much to Use
Start with a small amount mixed into your dog's regular meal — there's no need to fully replace kibble volume with meal mixer, since it's meant as an addition, not a swap. If you want to gradually increase the raw proportion of your dog's diet over time, you can scale up the ratio while scaling down the kibble portion to keep total calories appropriate.
Shop Meal Mixers at The Hungry Puppy
All five flavors are freeze-dried, which means they qualify for free nationwide shipping on orders of $75 or more, and auto-delivery saves you 6% on every order — useful since most owners end up using meal mixers as a recurring part of their dog's routine rather than a one-time try.
We've been helping Farmingdale-area dog owners find the right way to add raw nutrition to their dog's diet since 1987. Call us at 732-938-4470 if you want help picking a flavor to start with.