Actually several years ago I was partnered with someone on a venture to create such a thing -- we had everything set to go . She had years of experience with freeze driers as she was a person who would create custom ordered , commissioned herbal concoctions for holistic vets and human naturapaths . My supplements was to be included as the "everything else" . We had the freeze drier , a unit sold by the company she rented freeze drier space from and we were going to rent floor space , a portion of the facility. Things never got off the ground except for expenses of course ! The unit was moved and installed in a location determined by one of the food inspectors. Then when we called the expert for the go-ahead they questioned why we were situated where we were -- too close to other food which was non-meat and we were definitely freeze drying meat , chicken meat . So we moved it to another location within the distance we had to be from other production . In the moving something jiggled and broke , and then after repair and setting up again discovered that the break caused pressure to be inadequate , so we called in for a top up --- except at this point , like a refrigeration , household included , we could not do this because FREON was now not used --- not in Canada .
So that was the final straw that broke the partner's interest , and that was that ......
However freeze drying is an excellent form for preservation -- same technology as all the food that is used on space stations , emergency supplies , back packing , mountaineering. No nutrition removed. No enzymes destroyed . No heat alteration of fats . Only the moisture content is removed and so there is no bacterial degradation.
The one thing we were worried about is you end up with this teeny bag , with seemingly large price tag because you can't envision how much that bag represents when rehydrated.

I am pretty sure that Orijen has it's freeze dried product out in many locations by now. Orijen
The processing is superior in that you don't need to add preservatives and all nutrients are in tact.

 

Thank you very much. I appreciate your input and respect your advice. I will look for that today.


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I have seen a couple of freeze-dried foods, one from New Zealand if I remember correctly. I really really liked the ingredients, but I couldn't figure out how much to feed and as Carmen said, it seemed like I would be spending an enormous amount of $$ every ten days-two weeks for it. Which is a bit out of budget. Here is the link: Air-Dried Dog Food | ZiwiPeak ?Daily Dog? Air-Dried Cuisine - dog food


For Rocket's weight and activity level, it says "6 scoops a day", or I think 11.9 oz?

 

I know it gives you a headache trying to sort it out. What I have come up with for our puppy who will be 6 months next week the cost would be approximately $10.00 a day which is a 1.1 pound bag of food every 2 days. I emailed Orijen because I can't find any place that carries the new freeze dried line. I'm not sure what the cost is for that. We plan on taking him backpacking and on road trips this summer and I wanted to have a good alternative to his raw diet that would be easy.


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I've only tried the Honest Kitchen brand. They are in CA and so am I, I order directly from them and it's shipped to me quickly. I get e-mail offers and pleased that the couple times I've called them they've answered promptly and were helpful.

As far as taste goes, it's just OK with my dog, but using this help her so much with some itching and GI issues. My daughter's husky/herder mix loves this stuff.

 

Thinking of giving the freeze-dried Orijen a try too. Has anyone seen it in stores? What is the price point?

I'm always torn about switching to raw/freeze-dried. She's on Orijen now and does fabulously - no health problems and bouncy poo. Why fix what isn't broken.

 

I've used a dehydrated but only as a topper because it is ridiculously expensive. One bag would maybe last me a day and was like $35 for that bag, yeah no.

I haven't seen Orijen's freeze dried in stores yet, I'm scared to see the price tag considering how much their kibble is.

 

There's a company here in Boulder that has natural dehydrated raw as well as air dried meat morsels that are great to use as training treats, I'm pretty sure that they are less expensive than most dehydrated raw products out there. The name of the company is
Only Natural Pet, here's a link:
Natural Dog Food at Only Natural Pet Store

 

I don't think Honest Kitchen comes close to Orijens new line . There is a difference between dehydrated and freeze dried. Often dehydrated is on the leathery side and requires a lot of liquid to reconstitute it .

dehydrated still has exposure to heat .

 

So is that ZiwiPeak line dehydrated then? I guess I was under the impression it was freeze dried. That makes a big difference.

 

Does anyone know of a place that sells Orijen freeze dried online? I can't find it anywhere or is it not out yet?

 

well I would call Ziwipeak dehydrated , they call it air dried -- moving air current is pretty much what a dehydrator does . Think sundried tomatoes I guess . Freeze drying is quick as a wink . Dehydrating takes hours . I've lent my dehydrator out for experiments with drying wild-caught venison for dog treats.

 

Good to know. Upon more careful examination, yes, it is NOT freeze-dried.

 

I learned or confirmed a great deal of what I know by hanging out with a professional sled dog racer -- . One of the challenges for these long distance runs, the Iditarod and the more difficult Yukon Quest is that you have to carry everything that you need , and weight slows you down puts a burden on the dogs . So Charlie Champaine a very successful racer introduced me to freeze dried -- I think he may have been among the first as far as a commercial venture. Of course where these guys live , freeze dried happens when you have skin exposed to the extreme cold lol. Probably don't even need hi-tech expensive equipment. Champaine Enterpises - Endorsements

So look at "I have learned a great deal about the role played by protein and fat in supporting maximal performance in working dogs. Briefly, we have found that high intakes of protein support maximal oxygen metabolism, blood volume, red blood cell mass, and may help prevent injuries. Enhanced fat intake also supports maximal oxygen utilization and provides the canine muscle with it's most preferred fuel, thus promoting stamina.

In his products he uses corn oil for fat-energy . I would not. This is likely to be GMO -- and is high in omega 6. There are other oils which are preferred which are high in omega 3 , rice bran - vitamin E -- coconut oil - instant energy for muscles, however these were not so readily available back in the day.

 

I like Vital Essentials. I use it as training treats and more recently, breakfast, because he refuses raw in the morning. I only give a half cup.

 

I spent hours yesterday looking for the Orijen and could not find any place that carries it yet. I contacted the company directly and will post when they get back to me. After reading about it on their site and Carmen's input I would like to try it. I currently use Nature's Advantage freeze-dried nibblets beef tripe for training treats. Dante loves them and thus my search for a good freeze dried food for our adventures this summer when he will be old enough to start having adventures =)


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Just a quick update on the Orijen freeze dried. I heard back from Champion today and the reason I couldn't find it was that it has not yet been released. They are expecting to release it next month and will ship to all retailers that have ordered it. They said to check with your retailer and if they have not yet placed an order to have them do so.
~Laura


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