Although dollar sales of dehydrated dry dog and cat food declined by 2.8% during the 52-week-period ending June 29, 2024, according to NielsenIQ data, dehydrated pet food remains one of the more popular alternative pet food formats. Dehydrated pet foods help bridge the gap between the fresh pet food trend and the convenience of dry kibble. Dehydrated pet food may also offer health benefits.
A study in the journal Comparative Clinical Pathology compared the effects of dehydrated dog food to traditional extruded dry kibble on digestibility, metabolism and immune function in dogs. The dehydrated dog food was marketed as natural.
AAFCO defines natural pet food ingredients as:
a feed or feed ingredient derived solely from plant, animal or mined sources, either in its unprocessed state or having been subject to physical processing, heat processing, rendering, purification, extraction, hydrolysis, enzymolysis or fermentation, but not having been produced by or subject to a chemically synthetic process and not containing any additives or processing aids that are chemically synthetic except in amounts as might occur in good manufacturing practices.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not defined the term natural for pet food labeling.
The research suggests that dehydrated natural dog food may grant several physiological benefits without compromising digestibility.
Ten male Beagle dogs were individually housed and monitored over a 45-day trial. The animals were split into two groups: one group received dehydrated natural feed, and the other consumed standard extruded dry feed. After a 10-day interval, the feeding regimens were reversed to allow all dogs to receive both diets. The study assessed fecal output, blood biochemistry, and immune and antioxidant markers over two 40-day adaptation periods.
Dogs fed the natural dehydrated dog food demonstrated higher digestibility of dietary fiber and mineral matter, but lower digestibility of dry matter. These dogs also produced feces with higher moisture content and volume.
The dehydrated diet group showed reduced blood leukocyte and granulocyte counts by day 40, coupled with a trend toward increased lymphocyte levels, indicating a potentially more balanced immune profile. Additionally, dogs on the dehydrated natural diet had lower serum cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels.
Significant increases in antioxidant activity were noted in the natural feed group. The same group also showed greater levels of protein thiols, which are involved in cellular protection against oxidative damage.
Immune function also appeared enhanced with the dehydrated natural diet, as indicated by higher levels of antibodies among dogs fed the dehydrated diet. Conversely, dogs consuming extruded feed had elevated concentrations of certain proteins such as ceruloplasmin, haptoglobins, and transferrin on day 20, which may signal a heightened inflammatory response.
“These findings suggest that natural dehydrated feed favored the digestibility of fiber and mineral matter and stimulated the antioxidant and immune system compared to extruded dry feed,” the researchers wrote.
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