The short answers

Can dogs eat roadkill?

In general, yes – adult dogs who already eat a raw food diet shouldn’t have any issues eating roadkill, as long as it’s relatively fresh (decaying less than 12-hours). In fact, harvesting & freezing roadkill is a very popular practice among raw feeders in rural areas.

Should dogs eat roadkill?

Because wild animals aren’t pumped full of antibiotics, many argue it’s even more nutritious for your dog than store-bought raw meat. However, there are a few exceptions:

• If you have a puppy, immunocompromised, and/or kibble-fed dog
• If you suspect the dead animal was killed by poison (common with mice/rats)
• Excessive amounts of other dead carnivores (badgers, fox, etc.) as their liver can be toxic

Is it legal for my dog to eat roadkill?

As of the date of this post, it is only legal to harvest roadkill in 27-states; and, of those 27 states, many require a license or registration of some sort. You can check the specific laws of your state here.

How do I know if my dog is okay after eating roadkill?

After eating roadkill, the biggest risk to your dog will be picking up unwanted parasites. Here’s what to look for:

• Roundworm – look for coughing, lethargy, and abdominal swelling
• Coccidium – look for diarrhea, blood in stool, dehydration, and vomiting

Why do dogs eat roadkill?

Dogs are scavenging carnivores – which means their ancestors both hunted and roamed for dead animals. Most dogs will find roadkill from the pungent smell, which may seem gross to humans, but very intriguing to your furry friend.

Let’s go through all this in more detail.

Dogs eating a raw food diet probably won’t have a problem eating roadkill

I feed all three of my dogs a raw food diet; meaning, I put raw meat, bones, and veggies into their bowl at every meal. The practice of raw feeding is very controversial in the mainstream veterinarian community, with the majority of vets simply saying, “don’t do it.”

So, why do I ignore the professionals?

Because raw feeding mirrors what your pet would be eating in the wild. And, despite all the scaremongering from the veterinarian community, I have seen first-hand how raw feeding makes dogs healthier and happier.

For the sake of not straying too far off-topic, read my other article How to find a vet who supports a raw food diet to learn more about why mainstream veterinarian advice strays so far from reality.

I’ve transitioned three dogs to a raw diet – and so far, the biggest mistake I made was throwing one into the deep-end too quickly.

My oldest Boston Terrier, Ginny, switched from dry-kibble to a fully raw diet virtually overnight – and she got so sick we almost ran back to kibble with our tails between our legs. Instead, we ended up mixing wet food and white-meat and slowly transitioning her to darker meat and bones.

If there is one new health rule you swear by for your dog – anything but kibble.

Commercial kibble can have to 50% carbohydrates and low as 18% protein. Although dogs have developed some mechanisms to digest carbs, they are carnivores – so, while they will tolerate this type of diet, kibble will eventually lead to dental issues and degenerative diseases.

Kibble weakens your dog’s microbiome (the bacteria of the gut) and his/her ability to fight off dangerous pathogens.

So, while roadkill is completely safe for an adult dog with a strengthened microbiome from eating raw – a kibble-fed dog could get really sick from the bacteria and parasites often found in roadkill.

My suggestion for you kibble-feeders, if your dog ate road-kill, be extra attentive for any out-of-the-ordinary behaviors – like coughing, vomiting, or blood in the stool, and be prepared for a vet visit if necessary.

If your dog gets sick from roadkill, you’ll generally know within a few hours (dogs digest food much quicker than we do).

For owners who do feed raw, it may seem dangerous, but as long as the dead animal is relatively fresh (12-hours or less), then your dog has the tools to safely digest and extract all the nutrition from the roadkill.

How do you know if roadkill has been decaying 12-hours or less? A good general rule is if you see maggots or smell rot, just walk away.

And in a strange Venn diagram, both a segment of raw feeding enthusiasts and animal activists applaud the practice of feeding roadkill to your pets.

Here’s why roadkill is an even better treat for your dog than store-bought meat:

• It contains the macronutrients normally lost in the time it takes most meat to make it to the grocery store
• It’s not pumped full of antibiotics
• It’s an effortlessly balanced meal – the muscle meat, organs, and bones all balanced by nature
• It’s environmentally sustainable

Last, roadkill is not suggested for puppies (especially before vaccinations) and immunocompromised dogs. What could be deadly bacteria & parasites for dogs with underdeveloped/performing immune systems are practically probiotics for a healthy adult dog.

Is letting your dog eat dead animals & roadkill safe?

That depends on if we’re talking about your dog’s safety or you and your humans’ safety.

When my youngest dog proudly walked in my house with a mouse in her mouth my mind shot to two places real quick:

1. What diseases did you just drag into my house?
2. How did that mouse die?

Dog’s are carnivores by nature – not omnivores, as commonly believed; meaning, they’re able to handle the same deadly bacteria their canine ancestors would encounter in nature.

Humans, on the other hand, are omnivores. And even as far as omnivores go, we have a pretty weak constitution when it comes to bacteria. We shed the ability to safely digest raw food as quickly as we discovered fire.

So, as far as roadkill goes, it can be extremely dangerous for our pets to drag dead animals into our homes. At least for more conventional raw feeders, the meat we buy at the store is pumped full of antibiotics, which reduces our chance of catching Salmonella and E. Coli after handling.

That said, follow these simple rules to keep you and your family safe:

1. Immediately seal roadkill – in a zip-lock bag or saran wrap before bringing it into your car or home
2. Immediately freeze or refrigerate the sealed roadkill
3. If your dog drags roadkill into your home or yard – confiscate immediately, separate him/her from humans for 30-minutes (while digestive enzymes work their magic in his/her saliva), and disinfect all surfaces
4. For dogs who don’t shed, clean their doggy beards! – chin hair can hold bacteria for weeks after exposure

For keeping your dog safe from bad roadkill, ask yourself these questions:

• Where did the dead animal come from? – a dead mouse near your home may have been poisoned, which is toxic for your dog
• What condition is the dead animal in? – stay away from maggots and the unbearable smell of rot
• What type of food did this animal eat in nature? – if the roadkill is a herbivore you’re good to go – if it’s a carnivore understand it’s a lot easier for deadly diseases to be passed to your pet carnivore

Last, make sure it’s legal in your state – more and more states are adopting pro-roadkill feeding laws, but it’s still illegal to pick up dead animals in nearly half of the U.S.

Happy eating!

P.S. – Rey was fine after her mouse meal, but I think she had a deeply emotional attachment to it – every time she’s in the front yard she seems sad.

The short answer

What’s the difference between frozen & freeze-dried raw dog food?

What is Frozen Raw Dog Food?

First, a raw dog food diet is a combination of meat, bone, and vegetables balanced to mimic what your dog’s closest relative – the wolf – would eat in the wild.

Because commercial raw dog food is substantially more expensive than dry-kibble, many owners buy the ingredients in bulk, blend the correct proportions together, and store it all in the freezer until mealtime. This method of feeding raw usually costs about the same – or less – than buying dry dog-kibble.

Why do owners go through all of the trouble of feeding their dog a raw diet?

Simply put, dry kibble is responsible for many of the degenerative diseases – such as cancer & diabetes – afflicting our pets at record rates. That’s partly because, compared to human food, dog food is barely regulated for quality; meaning, all sorts of preservatives and subpar animal byproducts make it into your dog’s food bowl.

Second, dry kibble does not reflect what dogs would eat in the wild. Although there is ample evidence that dogs have evolved with humans to be able to process carbohydrates and grains – they are primarily scavenging carnivores, thus, they rely on raw muscle & organ meat, bone, and some roughage (veggies) to survive and thrive.

What is Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food?

Simply put, freeze-dried raw dog food is the exact same as raw food, except the moisture has been removed via a process called ‘freeze blasting.’

Whereas regular raw food must be stored in a freezer for extended periods of time, the freeze blasting process in freeze-dried raw food deactivates harmful bacteria, as well as nutritional enzymes, hence can be stored at room temperatures.

To feed your dog freeze-dried raw dog food, all you have to do is remove the correct number of nuggets for your dog (based on body-weight), add water, a viola – a healthy meal. In a lot of ways, this is even more convenient than feeding raw food the conventional way, as thawing frozen dog food takes planning and foresight.

In case you’re here because you messed up and forgot to take out the raw dog food last night – no worries, check out my article on the quickest way to defrost raw dog food here.

Honestly, besides a fairly short road-trip, freeze-dried raw dog food is a godsend when you’re traveling, especially by air. You can even store it as a carry-on. However, always declare it if you are going through customs, as you are technically bringing meat into a new country.

Is Freeze-Dried Dog Food as good as Raw?

Simply put, freeze-dried dog food is not as good as regular raw for two primary reasons:

1. Although the freeze-blasting process does minimal damage to the nutritional value of the food, it still kills valuable micronutrients, such as enzymes, fragile fatty acids, and phytonutrients
2. Desperate to capitalize on the recent wave of pet owners switching to raw, the pet industry (dry kibble manufacturers) are putting out freeze-dried brands with junk ingredients

For an established and long-trusted freeze-dried brand, check out The Simple Food Project.

Is Freeze-Dried Dog Food More Expensive Than Raw?

Freeze-dried dog food is substantially more expensive than commercial and DIY raw food.

As of the time I’m writing this, the average price for a 14oz bag of freeze-dried food is $30 and would feed a 100 lb dog for less than two days – as opposed to commercial raw which is an average of $18/day – and DIY raw, which costs me an average of $7 per day.

Is Freeze-Dried Dog Food Safer Than Raw?

For dogs, freeze-dried dog food and fresh raw dog food pose about the same health risks – next to none.

On the other hand, for humans, freeze-dried dog food on paper is safer than fresh raw food. According to the FDA, Salmonella is 4-times more likely to be present in frozen raw food vs freeze-dried raw dog food.

Of course, if you use common sense and practice safe handling & cleaning of all raw food – Salmonella is not going to affect you or your family.

Check out my article Can My Dog Lick My Face After Eating Raw to learn more about Salmonella risks and for best practices when handling raw meat.

Happy feeding!

Here’s what I found out:

How to get a picky dog to eat raw organ meat

Start small and work your way up. Dogs depend on their sense of smell (rather than taste) for deciding what to eat – so, blend 30% of the goal portion of organ meat into your dog’s regular meal, and add 10% more to the blend every day.

If your dog still refuses to eat organ meat, start even smaller (like a 10% blend), and mask the smell by freezing the organ meat (in small pieces) before serving.

And if your dog still refuses to eat organ meat, here are a few other tricks:

• Lightly sear the organ meat in a pan before serving
• Boil the organ meat for a few minutes before serving
• Test different organ meats from different animal protein sources

Start Small When Introducing Your Dog to Organ Meat

I should have known better. I half-heartedly threw a whole cow liver into my Pit Bull’s bowl and just expected him to know what to do with it.

My other two dogs, both small Boston Terriers, have been eating raw food for a couple of years. They’re used to the smell and texture of raw meat, and consequently, more open to trying new things. I guess they’re sort of like the dog versions of a foodie.

We rescued our Pit Bull, Gotti, a few months ago – and, like any dog who’s been in the same shelter for a few years, he’d been “institutionalized.” Twice per day, week after week, he ate the exact same dry, bland kibble the shelter used.

After the shelter staff handed me a bag of kibble and strict instructions, I knew we had to transition him to a raw diet. Aside from already feeding our dogs raw, Gotti did not look healthy – he was overweight, lethargic, and his skin was covered with lesions and hotspots, presumably from allergies.

I grabbed the of IAMS and nodded along to the staff’s instructions – discussing raw with mainstream animal care usually isn’t worth the headache.

Rotating your dog’s food is always a good idea, regardless of whether or not your feed raw. If a dog has only eaten dry kibble – or one type of animal protein for an extended period, then their digestive system and microbiome (the bacteria in the gut) may not have developed the proper enzymes to break down new food.

Introducing a dog to a new environment – with new rules and other animals – is stressful enough as it is. Not only is completely changing their diet that early on an unnecessary stressor, but it could also cause your dog to get really sick and/or spur behavioral issues.

So, for transitioning our dog from kibble to raw we started small and gradually worked our way up:

Many people in the raw feeding community disagree with feeding kibble and raw at the same time. The main reason cited being ‘the gastric ph required for kibble and raw is so different it could make your dog sick’ (which I find hard to believe). But, if you suspect kibble + raw is upsetting your dog’s stomach, try transitioning them to wet canned food first (look for non-BPA on the label).

Gotti’s transition from kibble –> raw went without a hitch. He enjoyed raw so much, we probably could have completely switched him in as little as three weeks with no problems – but, I was being extra cautious.

So, yes, I was a bit thrown off when he refused the cow liver I threw into his bowl. I mean, Gotti is a big boy, and from what I could tell, he had no food left behind policy.

Organ Meat is the Smelliest of all the Meats…

Why is this important? Dog’s have very few tastebuds compared to humans, but their sense of smell trumps ours 40x over.

Where a human’s portal to the world is usually sight- a dog’s portal to the world is their sense of smell. A strong, unfamiliar smell could mean danger.

Don’t get me wrong – he had been eating raw organ meat all along, which is blended into the raw mix we purchase from a local butcher. But, it’s essential to mix different organs from different animal sources regularly into your dog’s raw food.

So, to get my dog comfortable with stand-alone organ meat, I, once again, started small and worked my way up:

And I didn’t put the organ meat into a blender or grinder – instead, I chopped it into small pieces and wrapped my raw blend (ground meat works too) around the organ meat by hand.

And you know what? Since then, my Pit Bull rescue has been a lot more open to a variety of standalone organ meats – including eyes, intestines and kidney.

In fact, the only time since I’ve had to slowly introduce organ meat was with green tripe (cow stomach) – which smells strong enough that you’re roommates or family will temporarily hate you.

Minimize The Smell of Organ Meat For Your Dog When Necessary

So, as we learned in the previous section – your dog most likely isn’t eating the raw dog meat because of its strong unfamiliar smell. In nature, strong smells can be associated with danger – like threats from other predators and poison.

A few ways to alter the smell of organ meat:

1. Freeze the organ meat before serving
2. Blend organ meat or (smash it with a hammer) and dilute the smell with ground meat
3. Slightly cook the organ meat before serving by either boiling or searing it

Of the three suggested ways, number three is the least recommended, and should only be used when absolutely necessary. The whole point of serving organ meat is the plethora of minerals and nutrients your dog will absorb from eating it – cooking it will kill those nutrients!

Check out Raw Dad’s video on Youtube for even more detailed tips:

Test Different Organs and Protein Sources with Your Dog

A pet peeve (pun intended) of mine is when online bloggers suggest buying more things for the sake of buying more things. Assuming your feeding on a budget, I don’t suggest you buy an assortment of different organs all at once.

That said, dogs, like humans, can also have preferences, and ‘favorite foods’ – and you won’t really know until you put it in front of them.

Whenever you go grocery shopping, make it a point to bring home one new organ meat from a new protein source. Try elk liver, fish eyes, cow brain, duck pancreas – the list is long.

If they don’t like the organ meat you bought, just slowly blend it into their regular meals as suggested above.

In nature, dogs are scavenging carnivores – meaning, they have an extremely varied diet. Dogs can only synthesize 12 amino acids, and they rely on a variety of animal proteins for the rest.

A variety of protein sources will diversify your dog’s microbiome (the portfolio of bacteria in the gut) – and diverse microbiomes are directly correlated with healthier immune systems and longer lifespans.

There really isn’t a better feeling than finding a food your dog goes nuts over; plus, it really helps plan out next year’s birthday cake.

Related Questions

How Much Organ Meat Should I Feed My Dog?

Contrary to the prey-model diet, which recommends 10% organ meat, a balanced raw diet should actually include around 20% organ meat, 50% muscle meat, 10% bone, and 20% vegetables. These percentages are much closer to a wolf or a dog’s diet in the wild.

Is Too Much Organ Meat Bad For My Dog?

Yes, as healthy as organ meat is, an excessive percentage of it in your dog’s diet (40%+) can have serious health consequences. The most common is vitamin A toxicity, which can cause your dog’s joints to stiffen, and, in extreme cases, paralysis.

Here’s what I found out:

Is it okay to let your dog lick your face after eating raw food?

For an adult with a healthy immune system, you will most likely be fine. It’s recommended you wait for at least 30-minutes they eat before letting your dog lick your face or any open wounds on your body, which will give their saliva ample time to kill dangerous pathogens.

Yes, your dog’s saliva can expose you to infectious diseases – like Salmonella; but, the benefits may outweigh short-term risk as it also exposes you to over 50% of your dog’s microbiome (and vice-versa), and diverse microbiomes are correlated with healthier immune systems and longer lifespans.

For the immunocompromised -young, old, or those with an auto-immune disorder – dogs should never be allowed to lick your face, as it could pose serious negative long and short-term health consequences.

Why Should I Wait for 30-Minutes Before Letting My Dog Lick My Face?

Although dogs do not contain any enzymes for digesting food in their saliva (it’s heavily debated in the community), they do possess antibodies and other chemicals for killing and breaking down bacteria. Dog saliva has even been reported to have antibacterial effects.

But beware, according to the FDA, dangerous bacteria, such as Salmonella, can be found in most raw meat sold in the United States.

30-minutes should be plenty of time for the bacteria from their raw-meat meal to be destroyed by your dog’s saliva – but, that does not mean your dog’s saliva is bacteria-free.

In fact, your dog’s saliva is always packed with bacteria – which could pose serious negative and positive long-term effects on your health.

How Can I Tell If I Got Salmonella From a Dog Licking My Face?

According to the FDA:

…most people experience diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 8 to 72 hours after the contaminated food was eaten. Additional symptoms may be chills, headache, nausea, and vomiting.

www.fsis.usda.gov

Most healthy adults will get over their symptoms within 4 to 7-days after getting the bug – and some won’t show any symptoms at all.

Every year, countless people get Salmonella from their dogs without even realizing it – regardless of whether or not their dog is eating raw.

Dogs who do eat a raw diet are a lot more likely to transmit Salmonella to their owners – but not because of face-licking, but instead pet feces. If you are feeding your dog raw, I strongly advise you have your dog poop on walks, and not in the same yard you or your children play!

For immunocompromised individuals – which include young children, seniors, and people with auto-immune disorders – Salmonella can be downright deadly. If you are an immunocompromised individual or have someone in your family who is, do not let your dog lick your face. Ever.

As tough as it is to not get puppy licks – I’d rather be a dry dog owner than a dead dog owner.

What Steps Should I Take to Protect Me and My Family From Salmonella?

Here are my suggestions to protect you and your family from Salmonella:

• Have your dog poop on walks away from where you live – if they do poop near your house, promptly dispose of the feces and disinfect indoor areas if necessary
• Have a conversation and set ground rules with your children – the temptation for face-lickings is strong, so, if necessary, separate your children from your dog until they respect the rule
• Practice basic safety practices when handling raw food – clean food bowls after every meal with a separate sponge, only let your dog eat raw meat on floors you can disinfect, freeze and refrigerate raw meat until just before use

Are There Other Potential Long-Term Health Effects From Letting Dogs Lick My Face?

Dog’s put their noses into everything – trash, dead animals, poop, their butt, other dog butts. You get my point.

So regardless of whether you feed raw or not, your dog is going to build up quite the collection of dangerous bacteria in their mouth, and it’s going to hang out in the plaque buildup in her/his teeth.

You can easily transmit the following diseases from your dog:

• Gingivitis & other Periodontal diseases (including cancer)
• Ring Worm
• Staph Infection
• Parasites (such as Roundworm & Tapeworm)
• Capnocytophaga Canimorsus

Capnocytophaga Canimorsus – where parts of your face and limbs will start falling off – is extremely rare, but horrendous to see. If your kids still won’t stop letting the puppy lick their face, just Google it and show them pictures.

But, once again, the real killer is plaque build-up in your pup’s mouth – another reason to regularly brush your dog’s teeth!

For even more information on why dog saliva should be keeping you up at night – see ScIQ’s informative video below:

What Else Should I Know About Getting Licked by My Dog??

Excuse me while I play both good cop/bad cop for a second.

First, the bad news: if you or someone you know think they are allergic to dog fur or dander – they’re actually more likely allergic to dog saliva. But hey! At least that’s a lot easier to dodge than all the dog hair in your house.

Last, even after researching and writing this article, I have a confession to make: I’m still going to let my dogs lick my face…

Puppies have been licking this face since 1989 and as far as I know, it’s never gotten me sick. In fact, there’s actually evidence suggesting dog saliva can actually help your immune system in the long term.

When scientists studied the microbiomes (the healthy bacteria in your guy) of both dogs and their owners – they found that both share over 50% of the same bacteria. And diverse microbiomes have been directly correlated with longer lifespans in both you and your pet.

Check out UW’s video on it!

Related Questions

Why Does My Dog Lick My Face So Much?

Here are a few reasons why your dog is obsessed with licking your face:

• For appeasement – “I mean you no harm”
• To check if you’re okay
• To welcome you or let you know of their presence
• Because your face is sweaty and tastes like salt
• To show you affection

Is Salmonella Bad For My Dog?

Adverse effects from Salmonella are practically non-existent in dogs. Your dog is a carnivore – with a shorter GI Tract, and special digestive enzymes – thus able to handle pathogens that are incredibly dangerous to humans.

Problematically, veterinary professionals will often tell us Salmonella is “asymptomatic” in our pets – which means your dog can have the bacteria but not show any symptoms.

Well, yes – dogs have all sorts of nasty bacteria in them – including E. Coli and parasites. Dogs with a healthy immune system (a primary reason you should feed raw) will have no problem processing and quickly excreting those pathogens away.

What we consider to be deadly bacteria, are – most of the time – likeprobiotics to your dog.

How Can I Reduce Plaque Build-Up in My Dog’s Mouth?

Here are the simplest ways to reduce & prevent plaque build-up in your dog’s mouth:

• Brush your dog’s teeth at least three times a week
• Take your dog for semi-annual dental cleanings at your vet
• Switch to raw food and incorporate raw bone in their diet

As much as other raw feeders want you to believe a purely raw diet will take care of plaque build-up – I assure you that’s not the case. Don’t get me wrong, going raw is WAY healthier for your pup’s teeth – but, it’s not a magic bullet.

Brush their teeth dog-dangit.

So, what’s the quickest way to defrost your raw dog food? You can defrost a small to moderately-sized block of meat within 10 to 20-minutes by rinsing it under hot water. You’ll need a large pan, Ziplock bag, and running hot water to do this.

The Pan Rinse Method For Defrosting Raw Dog Food:

1. Run the hot water in your kitchen sink – ideally, the water should be too hot to hold your hand under it longer than a second
2. Place the meat in a Ziplock bag (if it isn’t sealed already)
3. Place your block of meat in a metal pan, bowl, or tray deep enough to cover its entire mass
4. Run the water over the block of meat – if possible, the water shouldn’t be directly hitting the meat (but the water surrounding it)
5. Double-check the meat is 100% submerged in the water – you’ll most likely have to weigh it down with a heavy object
6. Run the water for 10 to 20-minutes, periodically checking to make sure the meat is still submerged
7. Carefully remove the meat and immediately store anything unused into the refrigerator (not the freezer)

Is The Pan Rinse Method the Safest Way to Defrost Raw Dog Food?

I’m not going to lie – I forget to thaw out my food ahead of time more than I care to admit. At this point, I’ve used the Pan Rinse Method dozens of times and my dogs have never had any issues, such as vomiting or diarrhea.

But, a major concern with this method is the spread of dangerous pathogens, and hot temperatures will slightly cook the meat, which is like a nice weekend getaway for bacteria. This is why I recommend putting any unused meat inside the refrigerator as soon as possible.

Dogs, by nature, are much better at processing bacteria than we are – however, YOU KNOW YOUR DOG BETTER THAN ANYONE. If your dog regularly gets sick/needs a trip to the vet, the Pan Rinse Method probably isn’t for you.

That said, I don’t recommend using this method for your own food unless you plan on eating all of the meat in one sitting (which should cook out the bacteria). We just don’t have the stomach for it.

Is There an Alternative Way to Quickly Defrost Raw Dog Food without Hot Running Water?

Perhaps your kids (or inconsiderate roommate) used up all the hot water this morning? No worries, there’s another way – but, it will add about 10 more minutes to the process and require more attention.

1. Find a pan larger than the block of meat you need to defrost and fill it with water
2. Heat the pan on medium on your stovetop for about 10-minutes – it should be at a pre-boil, which is when you just begin to see bubbles
3. Place the sealed block of meat in the pan, and submerge with a wooden or rubber spoon (Important, we do not want to weight the food down and walk away because it will overcook the bottom)
4. Carefully remove the meat after 10 to 15-minutes – immediately place any unused meat in your refrigerator (again, not the freezer)

What’s the Safest Way to Defrost Raw Dog Food?

Hands down, the safest way to defrost raw dog food is to take it out of the freezer and put it directly into the refrigerator. This method can take 12 to 36-hours depending on how much meat we’re talking about.

The next best way is to repeat the exact steps at the top of this article, except with room temperature water. It can take up to an hour to defrost your meat this way, but it is effective and safer (if bacteria is a concern).

Last, simply taking the meat out and letting it sit at room temperature will take somewhere between 2 and 4-hours to defrost. However, this is my least favorite option, because I have a tendency to forget about it.

And any meat that has been sitting at room temperature for more than two hours should be thrown out.

How Long Will Defrosted Raw Dog Food Stay Good in the Fridge?

If you used the Drowning Pan Method or the stovetop method, you’re not going to want to keep that meat in the fridge any longer than 3 days. Remember, those methods lightly cook the meat, which may make it bacteria more of a concern.

If you don’t think you can use all of the meat in less than 4 days, then, no problem – simply let it sit in the fridge for a few hours, until it’s 100% defrosted, and stick it back in the freezer.

Everything else can generally stay up to a week. Use your best judgment though – if it smells funny, it’s time to go.

Why Can’t I Just Microwave Raw Dog Food?

I can’t stress this enough: NEVER MICROWAVE RAW DOG FOOD!

NEVER!

Besides the plethora of studies proving microwaves kill essential nutrients in food (which, kind of defeats the purpose of going raw) – microwaving raw food can be outright deadly.

A well-balanced raw dog meal most likely has bones in the mix. Raw bones are soft and chewy (relatively) because they still have water and nutrients in their cells; however, when you microwave bone, you are sucking out all that delicious soft chewiness, and you’re left with brittle, dry, bone.

Imagine eating a bowl of wood splinters. That’s the equivalent of your dog eating microwaved bone and is a leading cause of pet deaths a la internal bleeding.

Yes, microwaves are quick and easy – but they have no place in raw pet food.

Can’t My Dog Just Eat Frozen Raw Dog Food?

Heck ya, your dog can!

In fact, feeding your dog it’s raw meal frozen can be a great 30-minute distraction while you’re off to work or running errands. It’s even beneficial for teeth cleaning.

There are a couple of challenges to feeding your dog frozen raw meat:

1 – Unless you’ve properly prepared beforehand, you probably don’t have the right meal size for your dog. Otherwise, you probably wouldn’t be reading this.

And it is extremely dangerous to break apart frozen meat with a knife. I can’t imagine how many emergency rooms visits this warrants per year.

But, there is nothing wrong with feeding your dog double their usual meal and skipping dinner. Read the next section and my post Why Your Dog Skipping a Meal (or two) Isn’t a Big Deal to learn more.

2 – Unless you introduced frozen raw food at a young age, or this is something you do regularly, your dog probably won’t know what to do with a frozen piece of meat. And the last thing you want to do is leave raw meat in your house unsupervised – that’s how pets and people get sick.

If this is something you’d like to do, I’d recommend starting slowly. Introduce your pup to treat-size portions of frozen raw dog food, and scale up from there.

I Don’t Have Enough Time to Defrost the Raw Food – Is it Okay for my Dog to Skip a Meal?

It is absolutely okay if your dog misses breakfast from time to time. In fact, all three of my dogs skip at least two meals a week.

Similar to the Intermittent Fasting movement currently sweeping through the United States – there are proven health benefits to regularly fasting your dog.

Your dog’s immune system is always working hard to ward off disease and kill off deadly pathogens. However, if your dog always has a full belly, then she/he is often diverting much-needed energy away from the immune system and into the digestive tract.

Don’t get me wrong – your dog will definitely be disappointed in you for a few hours – but, fasting is what’s best for your pup’s health in the long term.

Last, don’t make the mistake of doubling up your dog’s raw food at the next meal. When fasting, your dog’s stomach will shrink, and, at best, doubling up her/his food is a recipe for an upset stomach, or more serious conditions, like dog bloat.

My general rule of thumb is 1.5 times their regular meal that evening and the next morning.

Happy thawing!