Freeze Dried Dog Treats

Freeze drying pulls the moisture out of raw meat at low temperature under vacuum, so the piece keeps its shape, its protein and most of its vitamins without ever being cooked. That is why freeze dried dog treats look like what they are — a chicken breast, a piece of liver, a whole sardine — and why the ingredient list is usually one line long.

That single-ingredient quality is the practical reason to buy them. If you are working through an elimination diet or your dog reacts to something you cannot pin down, a treat with one named protein and nothing else is far easier to reason about than a flavoured biscuit. They are also the strongest-smelling treats in the shop, which is what you want for recall training with a distracted dog.

Two things to plan for. They are calorie-dense by weight because the water is gone, so break pieces into training-sized pieces rather than handing over a whole strip — a bag lasts much longer that way. And they are still raw: wash your hands after handling, and keep them away from anyone in the household who should not be handling raw meat. Reseal the bag properly, because freeze dried pieces pull moisture back out of the air and go soft and chewy once they do.

• Freeze dried cat treats
• Freeze dried dog food and raw toppers
• Liver treats for dogs
• Green lipped mussel treats
• All dog treats
• The Paw Grocer, Freezy Paws, Meaty Treaty, Bugsy's