Best Air-Dried Dog Food USA 2023

Have you considered switching your dog to an air-dried dog food diet?

If you’re looking to make a change to your pet’s diet, you may want to consider air-dried dog food as a healthier alternative to store-bought kibble.

It’s a convenient way of ensuring your dog is getting a balanced and complete diet, avoiding some of the additives and nasties you might find in traditional dry food.

You’ll find that air-dried dog food is easy to store in your cupboard so you won’t have to sacrifice vital freezer space to store your pup’s fresh meals.

The good news for American dog owners is that there’s no shortage of air-dried dog food options if you’re thinking of giving this type of dog food a try.

In this article, we’ll take a look at how air-dried dog food works as well as some companies who have created balanced and complete meals for American dogs.

How Is Air-Dried Dog Food Made?

There’s been a massive shift over the past decade to healthier dog food rather than traditional kibble that’s been sat on the supermarket shelves for long periods.

It can often be confusing trying to figure out all the different types of dog food. For example, there is air-dried dog food, freeze-dried dog food and dehydrated dog food. For the purposes of this article, we’re talking about air-dried dog food, but what is it?

Unlike some dog food brands that cook your dog’s meals in big batches, air-dried dog food is typically dehydrated in small batches so it’s a gentle way of preparing your canine’s food. Additionally, it allows all the nutritional goodness and flavour to remain while destroying germs.

If you’re a dog owner who likes to use social media and follow other pets, you’re probably aware of the shift towards raw fed diets in the past few years. Air-dried dog food can allow pet owners to enjoy the benefits of raw dog food without the hassle!

Things To Consider When Looking For Air-Dried Dog Food

Dog owner picks out food for Dachshund (Photo: Adobe Stock)

So you’ve decided to give air-dried dog food a try but you want to know what things to look for. Here are some considerations:

• Locally sourced – We like it when dog food companies source their ingredients from local producers or at the very least, from farmers based in the same country.

• Ingredients – If you’re making a change to your dog’s diet from traditional kibble to air-dried dog food, you want to make sure your dog is eating high quality ingredients.

• Vet approved – You can get peace of mind when you see veterinarians and animal nutritionists have played a key role in the formulation of your dog’s recipes.

• Feeding guidelines – It’s an invaluable tool to have clear and concise feeding guidelines that are tailored to your pup to ensure you can get their portions just right.

• Price – While you should expect to pay a little more than traditional kibble bought at your local supermarket, the price shouldn’t be extortionate either!

• Delivery – Do they offer reliable deliveries to your door? Is it a quick turnaround? Can you change the delivery frequency?

• Sustainable approach – It’s great when you can feed your dog healthier food and help the planet’s health. We like dog food companies who have a sustainable approach to their business!

Best Air-Dried Dog Food USA – Three Of The Best

So, now we’ve covered some of the ingredients to look out for in air-dried dog food in the USA, it’s time to check out some of our top picks available in the USA at the moment.

1) Sundays For Dogs

Where To Buy: sundaysfordogs.com

Sundays Food for Dogs (Photo: hellobark.com)

If you’re looking for air-dried dog food for your dog, we think Sundays For Dogs should be your first stop. They offer American dogs the chance to eat gently air-dried food that is comprised of human-grade ingredients and created by vets (one of their co-founders is a vet!). While Sundays For Dogs has a treat-like texture, their website explains that they only use natural ingredients. It’s worth noting that they only offer a beef recipe but it does contain 90% meat. Sunday For Dogs can offer a tailored feeding guide based upon key details that you provide this dog food company about your canine companion. Once you receive your first Sundays For Dogs delivery, feeding your dog their food couldn’t be easier. While a 72oz box costs $59, you can save 20% when you sign up to their subscription plan and receive regular deliveries. My dogs enjoyed eating Sundays For Dogs as a tasty topper to their normal fresh dog meals so it passed the taste test in my house!

2) Ziwi Peak

Where To Buy: chewy.com

Ziwi Peak are another leading provider of air-dried dog food in the USA. They’re a well established brand that offer simple but high quality meals. Ziwi Peak’s food contains fresh meat, organs, bones and green mussels. They use a twin-stage air-drying process to naturally preserve all the ingredients and eliminate pathogenic bacteria. You won’t find added carbohydrates or fillers in their food and there are no added hormones, antibiotics or growth promotants. Ziwi Peak offer a number of different recipes, including Chicken, Beef, Mackerel & Lamb, Lamb, Tripe & Lamb and Venison. They’ve also got a vast air-dried treat range. A 2.2lbg bag costs around $45.68, but you can save 15% by subscribing on Chewy.

3) Zeal Canada

Where To Buy: chewy.com

Zeal Canada say that they’re looking to provide dog owners with the nutrition of raw but the simplicity of dry. They source high quality ingredients and use the traditional method of natural air drying to preserve all the nutritional goodness of the food as well as the tasty flavours. Zeal Canada’s website explains that their air-dried dog food is clean, easy to use and to store. So you can enjoy the benefit of raw without the hassle. They have three different recipes: Turkey, Salmon & Turkey and Beef. You can get a 14oz bag for $21.49 and save an additional 5% if you subscribe on Chewy.

Air-Dried Vs Freeze-Dried Dog Food Vs Dehydrated Dog Food

It can be confusing trying to figure out the difference between air-dried, freeze dried and dehydrated dog food.

If you’re looking to shake up your dog’s diet by feeding balanced and complete meals, you may be unsure of the differences between these three dog food formats.

The air drying method involves gently dehydrating food at low temperatures in a slow way to ensure all the nutrients and flavour remain locked in while killing germs.

Dehydrated dog food is prepared in a similar way to air-dried dog food but warm air is used to remove all the moisture from the food. So it retains the food’s nutritional goodness and it’s extremely light – perfect for dog owners who like to travel.

Freeze-dried dog food is prepared by freezing the ingredients before two drying phases, with the food retaining minerals and nutrients.

Anything Else To Consider?

You should speak to your veterinarian before you decide to make a change to your dog’s diet.

Your vet will have experience of your dog’s history and whether altering their diet is a good idea.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can also contact the brands listed in this article for more information about their air-dried dog food.

Some of the companies, such as Sundays For Dogs, provide detailed guidelines on how to transition to their food over the space of a couple of weeks.

Our Final Verdict – Wrapping Up

Golden Retriever eats from dog bowl (Photo: Adobe Stock)

We’ve reached the end of our feature on the best air-dried dog food USA.

Our top pick is Sundays For Dogs based upon our positive experience feeding our dogs their tasty beef recipe.

They provide complete and balanced meals comprised of clean ingredients, while their recipe has been formulated by a vet.

We liked the simplicity of their packaging and it’s easy to store in the cupboard with a resealable bag.

If you’re looking to give air-dried dog food a try for the first time, Sundays For Dogs are a great option.

Having said that, Ziwi Peak is a great alternative if you prefer to have more selection in terms of recipes, and the other options on our list are also solid choices.