Whole Dog Journal’s 2024 Approved Freeze-Dried/Dehydrated Dog Foods

Check out Whole Dog Journal's 2024 list of approved freeze-dried or dehydrated dog food products. Did your dog's food make the list?

By
Nancy Kerns
-
Published:
45
Many of these foods are sold directly by the manufacturer, some by subscription. A few of the largest and oldest companies’ products can be found in chain pet supply stores, but the majority of these foods are sold in independent pet supply stores that specialize in premium or “holistic” foods.
Many of these foods are sold directly by the manufacturer, some by subscription. A few of the largest and oldest companies’ products can be found in chain pet supply stores, but the majority of these foods are sold in independent pet supply stores that specialize in premium or “holistic” foods.

Below, we’ve listed 265 freeze-dried, air-dried, or dehydrated dog foods that meet our selection criteria for a high-quality food. They appear in a searchable database that includes every bit of information you might need to know—and can search on or filter—about each product:

  • Company name
  • Product name
  • Formulation type (which dogs the product is formulated for: adults only or “all life stages”)
  • Growth of large-breed puppies (whether the product is appropriate for large-breed puppies or not)
  • Nutrient profile (how the nutritional adequacy of the product was determined: by virtue of meeting AAFCO’s nutritional requirements or by feeding trials)
  • Grain inclusivity (whether the product is grain-inclusive or grain-free)
  • Drying method (freeze-dried, dehydrated, or a combination of the two)
  • Guaranteed minimum amount of protein
  • Guaranteed minimum amount of fat
  • Ingredients (a list of all of each product’s ingredients)
  • Price per ounce (calculated using the smallest price we found for the largest size of the product)
  • A link for buying the product. (Note: If you buy a product using the link, we may earn a commission. Whole Dog Journal is reader-supported and does not accept money for its food and product reviews.)

The products in this database can be sorted by clicking on the top of each column, enabling you to find the products alphabetically by company, by their amounts of protein and fat, life stage or suitability for large-breed puppies, or price per ounce. Click on the top of the column a second time to see them in the opposite order (low to high, or high to low, for example).

You can also use filters to find or eliminate products based on their ingredients or protein or fat levels. Say you are looking for a food that contains beef, does not contain chicken, and has less than 25% fat. Just apply the appropriate filters and voila!

We’re excited about the possibilities of this searchable database, and hope you find it to be helpful for finding good foods for your dogs. Keeping your dog’s individual needs in mind, try some new products, switch frequently – and always watch your dog! Note the date that you start feeding any new food on a calendar and record your dog’s physical responses to the switch, good and bad. If you pay attention, he’ll let you know what works for him (and what doesn’t) with his appetite, energy, skin and coat, stool, and weight.

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45 COMMENTS

  1. I would like to see some mention of Vital Essentials freeze-dried raw dry food. I like it because it comes in a lot of single-protein flavors, is grain-free, has no chemical preservatives or colorings, comes in “mini-nibs” so it’s easy to feed, and meets AAFCO standards for vitamins & minerals. I combine it with comparable single-protein wet foods and cooked vegetables.

  2. I was hoping to see Simple Food Project on your list of raw dehydrated foods. Are you still testing new brands? I feed raw, but when I’m traveling, SFP is on the menu and my dogs love it. I also use it for training treats.

  3. I wish you had ranked the foods and included a study of Dr. Marty Nature’s Blend. My dog barely eats any kibble. Has nausea a lot it seems. BUT The only food my dog LOVES is Dr. Marty Natures Blend. My vet did not recommend it recently except as a small topper as it is not certified by the AA (whatever) group. I hope you can review it and rank it as good or not.
    Marilyn Koenitzer

  4. After using Kiwi and Ziwi air-dried foods for years in combo with Darwin frozen raw, I realized my dog’s itching may have been due to those brands’ use of green mussel. Ziwi’s steamed and dry foods don’t include that ingredient, and his itching has subsided.

  5. We feed our two spaniels 1/2 cup of freeze dried and 1/4 cup raw 80/20 ground beef at each meal (2Xday). I may have missed any mention of including raw meat with the freeze dried in the listing of approved food–will you please address that method of feeding? Thank you.

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