Rehydrating freeze dried raw

[LTS3]

What's the best way to rehdyrate freeze dried raw? I let a Primal freeze dried venison nugget soak in water for an hour before I fed it to Leroy. It was a still a little hard to break up but I thought I got the pieces small enough. Leroy proceeded to choke on a piece He managed to spit it out. And tried to eat it again Should I smash the nugget first and then let it soak in water? Does water temperature matter?

 

[lisahe]

What's the best way to rehdyrate freeze dried raw? I let a Primal freeze dried venison nugget soak in water for an hour before I fed it to Leroy. It was a still a little hard to break up but I thought I got the pieces small enough. Leroy proceeded to choke on a piece He managed to spit it out. And tried to eat it again Should I smash the nugget first and then let it soak in water? Does water temperature matter?

We crumble Primal before rehydrating then mash the Primal pieces in the water. ; smashing would work, too. Their foods can vary a fair bit in crumbliness/hardness. Pork is definitely harder than turkey; we've never fed venison.

We only use cool/cold liquid but I think some people do use warm. Honestly, with the pork, I'm not sure the temperature would make much difference.

Good luck!

 

[Talien]

It's always going to be easier (and less messy) to break it up when it's still dry as opposed to trying to break it apart after it's rehydrated.

 

[kittyluv387]

When I used to use primal freeze dried I would use warm water to mash. I like them eating warm food too. Only fed the turkey and chicken flavors though.

 

[LTS3]

 

[KarenKat]

For the more form Primal I would use a mortar and pestle lol

 

[lisahe]

For the more form Primal I would use a mortar and pestle lol

Totally appropriate!

I tried the food processor but if the food's too firm it just sort of bounces around.

 

[LTS3]

Other than a food processor, what is the best way to smash up a freeze dried raw nugget? I've been putting the raw into a baggie and smashing it with a can of soup but that wastes a baggie I guess I could smash the raw directly in the bowl with the can of soup but I don't want raw pieces flying everywhere.

 

[Vega's Dad]

I break the nugget to large pieces with a spoon and then smash the large pieces with fingers. It takes few minutes to rehydrate after.
I have to mix it with can food. Vega doesn't like the nuggets...

 

[LTS3]

The Primal venison is too hard to break up with a spoon or fingers.

 

[neely]

Not Primal but I feed Stella & Chewy Turkey nuggets and as others mentioned I crumble it first, add warm water and smash it with the back of a spoon. It only takes minutes to have a pate consistency. Carleton eats it voraciously without any trouble.

 

[Talien]

Other than a food processor, what is the best way to smash up a freeze dried raw nugget? I've been putting the raw into a baggie and smashing it with a can of soup but that wastes a baggie I guess I could smash the raw directly in the bowl with the can of soup but I don't want raw pieces flying everywhere.

Have you tried a coffee grinder?

 

[lisahe]

Some of Primal's nuggets really can be very difficult to break, they're nothing at all like the freeze-dried foods we've fed from three companies. Crumbling or mashing with cutlery just isn't an option with some flavors. Even the "crumbling" (by hand) that I mentioned above is more like "breaking off" pieces of the pork. It's very hard.

Maybe a knife (a large one, like a chef's knife) and a cutting board would work better, at least to cut it into pieces that might be more ready for crumbling. I still think KarenKat 's suggestion of a mortar and pestle sounds like the best option, though.

 

[LTS3]

I don't drink coffee so no coffee grinder. I'm fine with using a can of soup. It's just a waste of a baggie and creates a big mess without one.

 

[Talien]

I don't drink coffee so no coffee grinder. I'm fine with using a can of soup. It's just a waste of a baggie and creates a big mess without one.

I don't drink coffee either, but a grinder is useful for a lot of things.

 

[lisahe]

I don't drink coffee either, but a grinder is useful for a lot of things.

Yes, like spices!

 

[lisamarie12]

When I used to feed Primal's freeze dried raw venison nuggets, I crushed the nuggets in a glass bowl with a pestle. It only took several minutes to crush the nuggets into small pieces. I would then add warm water gradually to get the consistency of the food the way the cats liked it - a chunky mix, stirring the food, then serving.

Primal's freeze dried vension nuggets, what I remember about it several years ago, are that they're hard as rocks. Primal told me this was because the vension is so low fat.

I always enjoyed smashing them up with the pestle - I had to pound so hard it was a great way to release negative energy.

 

[She's a witch]

That thread makes me wonder: why none of the freeze dried for cats is sold in the “powder” form? Why do they make an effort to create nuggets etc if that’s such a pain?

 

[Melanie (Meowtel)]

I've tried both Primal and Stella and Chewy's. For us, Stella and Chewy's is better (smaller nuggets and overall better received by Max).

I learned this one from one of my clients and when I use freeze dried myself, I do it this way as well. In a metal strainer (think sifter), dump the amount of nuggets you plan on serving into the sifter/strainer and rehydrate with incredibly hot water. The nuggets should soften instantly. Before serving, make sure it cools down enough (like you would a baby bottle) so the nuggets don't burn the kitty's nose and mouth. Be sure to use metal though as bacteria can get stuck in plastic.

 

[She's a witch]

rehydrate with incredibly hot water

But won’t it cook the food? And kill the nutrients? Can this be done with raw freeze dried..? I wouldn’t do this personally