How Fast Does Frozen Raw Food Thaw?

How long does it take to thaw and prepare raw food meals for your dog or cat? Raw foods should be slowly thawed under refrigeration before being served to your dog or cat. This can take hours, so what are some of the best practices to save time? Food prep and choosing the right type of raw for your pet are key.

Size Matters - At Treats Unleashed, we have approximately three different sizes of raw foods - kibble sized bites, nuggets, and patties. Each offer their own benefits, so it's important to choose which one works best for you and your pet's lifestyle. Kibble sized bites, such as Primal Pronto, thaws very quickly - which is perfect for quick meals at home, but not on hot days when you have to make a few stops before going home. Nuggets are great for small to medium dogs, or as supplemental feeding for any sized dog. Patties are recommended for larger dogs.

Plan Ahead - A little food prep goes a long way! Since nuggets and patties are larger, they take a longer time to thaw. Rather than figuring out your pet's meal every time you go to the freezer, we suggest portioning out your pet's meals into individual sandwich or freezer bags when you get home. This allows you to just grab and go between the freezer and fridge. You can also portion out the kibble sized bites raw meals individually if you wish, but these also thaw so quickly that it is not as necessary as it is with the larger raw portions.

One In, One Out - Once you have your meals all portioned out in the freezer, there's another suggestion to set you up for success: When you get your pet's meal out of the fridge to serve, grab a frozen bag from the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw for the next meal. So, if you are serving breakfast, grab their dinner out of the freezer. You'll always have a raw meal ready to go!

What About Cats? - Pets can be sensitive to foods with a lower temperature, especially our feline friends. You should never warm up your raw food in the microwave or on the stove, as it destroys the enzymatic benefits that are inherant with raw feeding. Once thawed, let your pet's raw food come up to room temperature before serving. Pet parents have also told us that serving your cats a bit of warm (not hot) bone broth with their raw can help bring their dinner to a pleasing temperature.

Do you have more questions about feeding raw? Talk to a Treats Unleashed team member to see what type of raw food makes the most sense for you and your pet. Additionally, our friends at Primal Pet Foods are making several stops at all Treats Unleashed locations in St. Louis. See when they will be visiting your neighborhood shop to learn even more about raw and get some samples for your pet. Save $5 on Primal Pronto Raw Recipes in May! Offer good through 5/31/22. while supplies last.