Believe it or not, there’s actually one thing I don’t like about frozen raw pet food – it needs power to keep it frozen. Well, at least where we live. Maybe a move to the Arctic is worth considering… But when the food supply for your animals depends on freezers, extended power failures are a real concern, whatever the cause of them may be. And the devastating earthquakes of recent weeks only serve to remind us of our vulnerability to nature.
This is why I am so glad there are more alternatives to frozen. It used to be that canned meat was really the only pet food option in case of an emergency. Still unfortunately cooked of course, but at least it had no grains, and was the best option I could find at the time. Now however, there are a number of dehydrated and freeze-dried options available. While they can be used for regular meals, they are also great to have as emergency rations. Not to mention as yummy (or so I’m told…) healthy treats.
One caveat I’d like to offer however, is that except when given as treats, I would definitely want to use the rehydrate option to ensure enough water in the diet. This is especially a concern for cats, since they are originally desert animals, and lack the same thirst drive/instinct that we and many other animals have. Though cats obviously will drink water, it often just can’t be enough.
A generally accepted rule of thumb, is that daily water consumption, from all sources, for cats on dry food diets, is about half of what it is for those on wet food diets. They just can’t keep up with the demand. This can lead to kidney damage and bladder problems, and is therefore one of the big reasons why feeding dry food to cats can be so dangerous long term. It’s no coincidence that these ailments have become far more prevalent since the advent of commercial dry food.
That said, and given the ability to rehydrate the dried food, there can be increased peace of mind knowing there’s that back up food source. I sleep more easily knowing there will still be good quality food available for our little carnivores, even in the event of an extended power failure or other emergency. I just wish someone would freeze dry mice.
Here’s just a small sampling of what’s available these days…
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