Comparing Raw Frozen and Freeze-Dried Formulas

Raw frozen, freeze-dried raw, Pronto — what does it all mean? Is there a difference in the formulas or nutritional value from one raw product to the other? The fact of the matter is, when it comes to the different formats of our complete and balanced formulas, there isn’t much difference at all. Our freeze-dried formulas are made with the exact same great ingredients as our raw frozen and Primal Pronto formulas. The only true variation is that our freeze-dried formula has had moisture removed, and we recommend rehydrating freeze-dried formulas when possible. Let’s take a deeper dive at the nutritional content across all formats:

Are They All the Same Nutritionally?

When comparing the guaranteed analysis of our freeze-dried formula to our raw frozen formulas, you’ll notice that the protein and fat levels in the freeze-dried varieties appear to be elevated — at first glance. However, the key to understanding this difference lies in the moisture content. Since moisture has been removed from the freeze-dried product, this causes the protein and fat levels to be concentrated and appear higher than their raw frozen counterparts.

Rehydrate, Rehydrate, Rehydrate!

For best feeding results, we recommend rehydrating our freeze-dried formula with water when possible. Once our freeze-dried formula is rehydrated, guaranteed analysis levels will be nearly identical to its raw frozen formula counterpart.

Why Freeze-Dried?

Freeze-dried raw food is a convenient, fast option for many consumers. There’s no thawing time, and the product itself can be stored at room temperature — freeing up valuable space in your freezer! The freeze-drying process starts by freezing our raw formula, then reducing the atmospheric pressure to allow the frozen water in the food to evaporate. Our raw frozen formula changes from frozen to freeze-dried without ever being thawed or cooked, thereby retaining all of the nutritional value of our raw frozen formulas (minus the moisture).

Feeding Instructions:

Feeding Primal Freeze-Dried Formula is easy. Simply serve as-is, or rehydrate by adding water. To rehydrate, add 1 tablespoon of water for every nugget, or ¼ cup of water for 4 nuggets. For best rehydrating results, break nugget into small pieces and mix thoroughly with water to force moisture into product.

Feeding quantities for freeze-dried will be the same as their raw frozen formula counterpart (i.e. feeding quantity for Primal Freeze-Dried Formula should be the same number of nuggets as Raw Frozen Formula). To calculate the amount of food to feed your pet, use our handy feeding calculator.

For freeze-dried, instead of feeding based on the weight of the food (i.e. cups or pounds) you’ll want to simply look at the quantity of nuggets to feed. The weight of a freeze-dried nugget weighs less than that of a raw nugget because — you guessed it — the moisture has been removed.

Nutritionally, a raw nugget is the same as a freeze-dried nugget when rehydrated or consumed with water!