If you're a dog owner who sometimes finds themselves looking at new foods or new diet ideas for your dog, or if you are in the process of actively considering a switch to your dog's current food, you may have come across the term cold pressed dog food.
Maybe you're wondering whether cold-pressed dog food is really all that different from other types of dry/complete dog food in the traditional kibble form.
There are two main methods of making dry dog food.
One process expands the food, which swells up in your dog’s stomach. Cold-pressed dog food, on the other hand, is made at a lower temperature and each piece of the food dissolves from the outside in. This means the food doesn't expand and helps your dog to avoid bloating.
In this comprehensive guide, we're going to explain everything you need to know about cold-pressed dog food, what it is, and why it's different from other forms of dry dog food.
What is cold-pressed dog food?
Cold-pressed means the food is cooked very quickly at a temperature without the use of high temperatures or steam. This allows a lot more of the essential nutrients in the ingredients to remain intact, producing a more natural product.
The cold-pressed method means that the ingredients are mixed together with cold water and then pressed under low-heat treatment for a very short time. This very low temperature ensures the preservation of nutrients, especially those of the oils. Low-temperature cold-pressing also ensures that free radicals, which can put a strain on the dog’s metabolism and damage skin and coat health, are not produced.
To understand more about how the process helps cold-pressed dog food retain more of its natural nutritional value, we asked an expert to explain.
“The unique method of cold-pressing means that cold-pressed dog food has the nutritional benefits of raw feeding, with all the convenience of a dry food. The unique method of cold pressing is what makes this food different from standard kibbled dog food.
“Kibble is extruded using very high temperatures. These high temperatures reduce the nutritional integrity of the kibble and heat-sensitive oils, fats, vitamins, herbs, and enzymes. Unlike cold pressing which preserves the nutritional value of the ingredients creating a naturally nutritious, balanced diet for dogs.”
How does cold-pressed dog food work?
Cold-pressed food releases nutrients more slowly and dissolves from the outside (unlike baked foods), and also guards against the risk of bloat (gastric dilation-volvulus syndrome). Due to the particularly gentle production, and the absence of preservatives, the shelf life of food when stored in unopened bags, is limited to 9 months.
Expert says, “Our cold-pressed dog food is made by carefully mixing the finest ingredients together, before pressing them the authentic way at low temperatures between 42°C - 47 °C for a few seconds.
“These lower temperatures help to preserve the heat-sensitive enzymes, fibers, and all the natural aromas, and flavors within the ingredients, producing cold pressed dog food with greater digestibility and nutritional value.
Cold-pressed dog food sinks and breaks down quicker, helping to guard against the risk of bloat, while regular dry food (pictured left) floats on top and begins to react with fluids to expand over a period of hours. This was taken after 20 minutes.
“It’s essential to us to keep our cold-pressed dog food natural and suitable for all ages and life stages. For example, we teamed up with The Golden Paste Company to incorporate TurmerAid™ into our Cold Pressed dog food. TurmerAid™ is a bespoke blend of Turmeric formulated to optimize the Bioavailability of Key Functional Ingredients.
“By including Turmeric and Linseed oil in our diet, we know it provides dogs with natural joint support, supports the body’s natural anti-inflammation processes, and helps the integrity of the natural defense mechanisms.
“It’s an innovative take on the traditional way of feeding turmeric. TurmerAid™ is high in curcumin. It has a minimum of 5.1% curcumin. It is not steam-treated, preserving the key components within.
“Unlike powders, our complete dog food with added TurmerAid™ is ready to feed which means no more mess. We have done all the mixing and measuring for you. Just follow our easy-to-use feeding guide on the back of our bag to ensure your dog receives their full daily dose.”
Are there any other benefits to cold-pressed dog food?
Not all cold-pressed dog foods are grain-free but some manufacturers believe that because cold-pressed dog food is nutritionally dense, you don’t need to feed as much as you would a standard dry kibble or raw dog food.
Some experts in the field believe cold-pressed dog food is the ideal alternative to raw dog food.
One previously told us, “Cold pressed dog food is a very useful alternative for those who want to feed a raw complete natural diet but prefer the convenience of a dry food. Or, you can feed it as part of a raw diet as it breaks down easily in the same area of the digestive system as raw food and therefore doesn’t expand in your dog’s stomach.”
A dog expert explained why that might be.
“The gentle production and low temperatures used in cold pressing means the compressed food is high in nutrients compared to kibble or raw diet. Cold-pressed food weighs more than you might think and the resulting density means much less is needed."
So, is cold-pressed dog food cheaper to feed?
“For example, a 10kg dog would only need 120g of our cold pressed per day compared to 180g of kibble per day. This means you could be saving up to 30% per day.”
