Cat and Dog Nutrition Special: Understanding Cat and Dog Dry Food and Its Characteristics

The topic of pet food nutrition has always been controversial, but there is one consensus: "Try to use fresh and minimally processed ingredients."

This is because when making food, high temperature and high pressure cooking will cause a large loss of nutrients in the ingredients. Fresh ingredients are more likely to retain their natural nutritional value, and small amounts of processed ingredients will not add unnecessary preservatives or other chemicals, which is more beneficial to the health of your furry pet.

Traditional dry food vs. dehydrated dry food

When manufacturing staple foods and snacks for pets, there are a variety of production methods available to preserve meat and nutrients. Traditional dry food manufacturing uses high-temperature and high-pressure baking, which can cause the raw materials to lose nutrients.

With growing awareness of healthy eating habits among pets, their needs are becoming increasingly diverse. Today's pet parents prioritize not only their pets' preferences but also their nutritional needs. Consequently, dehydrated foods have emerged. Dehydrated foods preserve meat's freshness while addressing the issues of nutrient loss and bacterial growth caused by high-temperature cooking. They facilitate storage, preserve freshness, and minimize nutrient loss. Compared to frozen raw meat, dehydrated foods are easier to feed and store.

Learn about dry food for fur babies

The process of making air-dried cat and dog food is a complex one, involving grinding the raw materials and then molding them without adding grains. During the molding process, the raw materials are subjected to low-temperature treatment and placed in a drying chamber, where hot air gently evaporates the food, reducing its moisture content to approximately 14%.

This low-temperature air-drying method helps eliminate pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella and Listeria, protecting enzymes, nutrients, and proteins while retaining vital nutrients, providing nutritional benefits similar to raw foods.

Compared with other grains, the production cycle of air-dried food is longer, the process is more complicated, and the cost of raw materials and production process is relatively high, which leads to the higher price of air-dried food in the market.

Benefits of air-dried food

  1. Air-dried food is known for its high meat content, which is more in line with your pet's natural diet. During the air-drying process, high temperatures and pressures are avoided, which reduces the denaturation of nutrients like protein and vitamins, improving your pet's digestibility.
  2. The texture of air-dried food is firmer, which can provide pets with the pleasure of biting when eating meat. Therefore, it is more palatable than other ordinary pet food on the market.
  3. In daily life, most pets are not very accustomed to starch. Excessive starch content in food is not only not conducive to their digestion, but may even cause allergic symptoms. However, air-dried food can be 100% carbohydrate-free. This formula is less likely to cause discomfort to pets and is more in line with their dietary needs.
  4. Air-dried food offers higher nutritional value. Because it's primarily meat-based, the single protein is easier to digest and absorb. It also contains a variety of nutrients that are beneficial to your pet's growth and coat health.

Why is air-dried food less common?

Air-dried pet food brands are currently scarce, primarily due to the complex manufacturing process. This requires low-temperature processing of raw materials to eliminate pathogens like Salmonella and Listeria, while also preserving enzymes, nutrients, and proteins, ensuring the nutritional content is preserved. However, relatively few companies on the market have mastered this process.

The long natural air-drying cycle in the production process leads to higher production costs. Furthermore, the air-drying process involves a combination of manual labor and machinery, making it more complex than freeze-dried or conventional dry food. Consequently, large-scale production of air-dried food is difficult, resulting in a relatively small global supply and a relative rarity.

Which brand of air-dried food on the market would you recommend?

The Pettington team primarily selects high-quality dried food brand ZiwiPeak based on meat content and raw material origin. Below are the brand's features and introduction:

ZiwiPeak air-dried raw meat uses a unique air-drying process to maximize the nutritional value of the ingredients, making them easy to digest and absorb.

The brand's low-carb and high-meat ratio improves common health issues in cats and dogs caused by high-carb diets, including:

  • allergy
  • Skin and coat problems
  • Digestive problems
  • Foul-smelling excrement
  • Bad breath
  • Dental and oral diseases
  • Kidney problems
  • overweight
  • Cancer- Diabetes

Air-drying has been used for centuries, primarily to naturally preserve meat. The ZiwiPeak brand combines modern science and technology with traditional artisan methods, eliminating the need for artificial preservatives, sugar, or glycerin. ZiwiPeak Air-Dried Meat Cereals utilizes exclusive Air-Dried technology, a slow, gentle, two-stage drying process that transforms ingredients into a highly nutritious and easily digestible food that is both safe and clean.

Not sure if your pet will accept air-dried raw meat food?

If you're interested in air-dried raw meat food and want to try ZiwiPeak air-dried raw meat food for your pet, please fill out the registration form below to request a trial pack!