Refrigerated Pet Food
When choosing a diet for your pet, it can be frustrating and confusing trying to see what product is best. Between the varieties of dry food, wet food, raw food, frozen food, freeze dried and dehydrated food, the options are endless! But at the end of the day, all pet owners want to do is provide a meal that is not only nutritious and delicious, but also made with genuine care.
So how can pet owners go about doing this?
The closest you can get to that is by providing your dog or cat with something similar to that of a home cooked meal. This is a tricky thing for pet owners that don’t always have the time to make a dish from scratch, but now, there are brands that offer gently cooked, refrigerated products.
While canned wet food is cooked and also needs to be stored in the fridge after being opened, there are other options that are refrigerated from the start. Take for example, Freshpet Vital and Freshpet Deli Fresh. Similar to other gently cooked, refrigerated products, their pouches and rolls always need to be placed in the coolness of your fridge.
Their recipes begin by taking nutrient packed, power house ingredients. Ingredients range from farm raised chicken, beef, or fish, with fruits and veggies added in. Freshpet’s ingredients are all natural, locally sourced, and preservative free. Then they’re steamed at low temperatures. This is a huge perk to all gently cooked food options and brands, as they do away with excessive heating processes. High temperature cooking and heating is what diminishes the nutritional value of kibble and some other food options, whereas gently cooking ensures that the ingredients retain all of their original vitamins and minerals without the use of preservatives, fillers, or by-products.
Not only that, but the flavor will stay, too! Because the ingredients are closer to their natural state, your pet will have the benefit of high nutritional value while also experiencing the delectable taste of the components used in the formula, whether it be turkey, bison, salmon, egg, spinach, blueberries, cranberries, etc. There are numerous proteins and flavors available for the choosing.
Serving your pet this food is simple too. The food is easily stored and kept in the fridge until it’s ready to be used. Once it’s chow time, all you need to do is separate and cut the portion of the product that you want to use. In Freshpet’s case, their packaging has marks on it to indicate where to cut, making the process easier and helping you to decide how much to feed your pet. Then further slice, dice, or mash the food and place into your pet’s bowl! Leftovers from the bowl should be disposed of about an hour after eating. The leftover of the unused or uncut portion should be placed into an airtight container (like a ziplock) in the fridge until its next use, keeping it nice and fresh. Depending on the product you purchase, they usually stay fresh for a week.
Aside from the already amazing benefits mentioned, such as more nutrition, stronger flavor, and ease of serving, gently cooked, refrigerated food is just overall a much safer alternative. While many pet owners put their dogs on raw diets, gently cooked is one of your next best options since it’s cooked at such low temperatures. It’s safer for your dog to consume, plus safer for the pet owner to handle. You can enjoy the benefits of a reliable, healthy alternative diet for your companion, such as Freshpet, while your companion reaps the benefits of a highly palatable meal that can even clean their teeth and boost their immune system at the same time! When you decide to switch your furry friend to a refrigerated diet, just make sure to gradually transition from their old food so they can safely enjoy a new, fortified diet with no tummy upsets!