Attention all freeze dried and dehydrated pet food manufacturers: do the right thing…put an alert on your label.
There is a serious concern with dehydrated or freeze dried pet foods that needs to be openly addressed. These are great pet food options, but ONLY IF the pet food is properly hydrated before feeding it to your pet.
A pet owner brought this issue to our attention, her cats suffered blockages from eating some dehydrated food before water was added.
Dr. Laurie Coger told us she’s treated dogs for blockages when owners have unknowingly allowed the dog access to dehydrated foods prior to moisture being added.
Dr. Karen Becker told us “the number of animals eating unreconstituted freeze dried or dehydrated food that are hospitalized for enemas or possible obstructions are alarming. I love these food categories, but freeze dried or dehydrated foods should be fed rehydrated and not dry.”
What happens when pets eat a dehydrated or freeze dried food prior to properly hydrating the food?
The pet food rehydrates itself in your pet’s body, swells with the moisture and can cause an intestinal blockage.
Many pets could be saved from unnecessary medical treatment IF manufacturers added a simple alert to the pet food label:
DO NOT feed dry – add moisture before feeding to your pet.
Freeze dried or dehydrated pet foods can cause intestinal blockages if not properly hydrated before feeding.
An alert on the label is needed. Please send an email to your dehydrated or freeze dried manufacturer and urge them to be responsible. Ask them to add an ‘add moisture first’ alert to their pet food label under feeding instructions. As well (just in case manufacturers choose not to be responsible), we need to send regulatory authorities an email asking them to require dehydrated or freeze dried pet foods to add an alert to their label within feeding instructions. Pet owners can email the FDA at: AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov and email your State Feed Officials, locate them here: https://www.aafco.org/Regulatory.
Even if you don’t provide your pet a dehydrated or freeze dried pet food, if you send regulatory authorities an email asking this ‘add moisture first’ alert be required on labels – you could be saving other pets from unnecessary medical treatment. Please send your emails.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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Jeanette Owen
May 11, 2020 at 11:51 am
Sometime in the past I read to becareful feeding older cats Stella & Chewey’s freeze dried cat food because it has ground bone and can constipate them.
Denise
May 11, 2020 at 11:53 am
That’s just common sense.
Lynn Felici-Gallant
May 11, 2020 at 11:55 am
This is important advice. Thank you. Can you specify that this doesn’t apply to treats – or does it?
Susan Thixton
May 11, 2020 at 11:57 am
I wouldn’t think it would apply to treats – they are not designed for water to be added.
Marita
May 11, 2020 at 12:13 pm
Yes, I am confused now too. I feed Orijen Freeze dried treats. Crumble on top of wet catfood so they don’t their nose up on it. With the treats they eat it. It says nothing about adding water. I tried that once and they would eat them after that. Maybe the Manufacturer can clarify this?
Susan Thixton
May 11, 2020 at 12:17 pm
Yes – I’d suggest asking the manufacturer for clarification.
Marita
May 11, 2020 at 12:20 pm
Thanks I will do that immediately and let you know response.
Marita
May 12, 2020 at 1:08 pm
Here is my response from Orijen about the freeze dried treats:
Hi Marita,
Thank you for your email, we appreciate you taking the time to write in. It’s wonderful to hear that your cats are loving the treats!
There is no need to add water to the treats, they are meant to be fed as is. It is also important to remember that treats should not make up more than 10% of your cats daily food intake.
If I can be of further assistance please do write back.
Best Regards,
T Allen
May 11, 2020 at 12:34 pm
OMG! All the other “stuff” the FDA requires on pet food labels and this isn’t? Things like feeding instructions on treats, “not a replacement for your dog’s main meal” and “for all size dogs”. I’m not saying those statements aren’t probably necessary for some people but no animals are going to die if not followed. But not saying “add water before feeding” on dehydrated foods is worthy of a lawsuit!
Hunter
May 11, 2020 at 1:14 pm
Not going to happen.
The majority of these products are sold on 2 things – convenience (pour and serve, none of the thawing or measuring of raw) and toppers. When I worked in pet food I barely knew anyone who fed freeze dried properly. Almost always it was broken up and added to kibble without any moisture. That’s how most are marketed – as toppers. There’s even freeze dried meat powder that you sprinkle onto kibble.
Even if it were to be required, I doubt many would comply.
Kathryn Smith
May 12, 2020 at 9:35 am
IMPO even ‘Kibble, aka ‘Dry Food’ should be thoroughly rehydrated prior to feeding … after all it IS a ‘dehydrated’ product.
Marita
May 12, 2020 at 10:37 am
Rehyrdating dry kibble pet food could be a bad idea. If the pet eats everything put out right away its not a problem, but if the kibble sits in moisture for a hours, and the pet eats it it over the day, especially on warm days, bacteria can grow and the pet can get sick. I’ve read warnings about this before. It is important though that pets eating dry kibble drink plenty of water to make up for the moisture missing in the food.
Krista Karpowich
May 12, 2020 at 11:47 am
Thanks Susan! As usual, you’ve made an excellent point! 🐾❤️
jnshok
May 14, 2020 at 7:37 pm
The label instructions probably should be clearer, because sometimes that might be the only part a person reads regularly. I’ve found that many freeze dried or dehydrated raw foods won’t “re-hydrate” unless they’re formulated to do so. If water is added, the foods just float on top or sink to the bottom and stay there as-is. Some dogs, like mine, can eat the chunks without having to drink much of the liquid. (Story below) At a minimum the crunchy ones need to be pulverized, but the jerky type won’t rehydrate and will only soften up in warm liquid. Some brands actually feature that they remain crunchy and don’t become soggy in liquid.
Personal story: It’s ironic that I purposely use dehydrated raw to get more fluid into my dog, and it’s not because I’m trying to use low food to make her thirstier. I use it for the specific reason that it floats and doesn’t absorb water. My Samoyed doesn’t drink much, and it showed up in her bloodwork. So I’ve had to monitor and devise tricks to entice her to drink beyond her soupy meals.
I had tried various methods, but she’d became bored after a few times or fish out chunks without drinking the liquid when I tried that. Then I tried sprinkling pulverized raw topper over “flavored waters”. The powder floats on top and entices my girl to try to lick it off the top, so she continues slurping until she gets to the slurry treat at the end. Kefir or yogurt mixed in water with floating powder has worked reliably for weeks.