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Is fermented, freeze-dried, or dehydrated pet food safe and raw?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | Female | spayed | 7 years and 7 months old | 17 lbs

Thank you Melanie for your response! I thought everything they said seemed off too. I just wanted to make sure. My follow up question is that does fermenting make a raw meat or dairy product safe by any means? Because this is what this company is advertising. On a different note, Is freeze dried and dehydrated treats considered safe to feed? I always been confused on whether this is considered a “technically” raw food. Thank you!

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 11th, 2020

You are so welcome! No, it does not make it safe. Nothing makes a raw diet safe except for cooking the meat lol. Raw food can be freeze dried, so read the labels. That will tell you if the food is raw. Same for dehydrated. Dehydration is taking the water out, not cooking the meat.

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Hello, I have a question for Melanie. I do not wish to feed a raw diet but I am very intrigued by a particular company who is making very bold claims that I cannot simply understand. They claim because their raw meat (and milks) diet are fermented th
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