We recommend following our "Rule of 3": at -18°C, freshly prepared meals can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months; at 4°C, meals can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days; and at room temperature, meals should not be left out for more than 3 hours.
The quality of your dog's nutrition directly impacts their health, vitality, and longevity—much like human nutrition shapes our own wellbeing.
Research shows that fresh, minimally processed dog food offers substantial advantages over conventional commercial options. These benefits include improved nutrient bioavailability, positive shifts in gut microbiome composition, increased energy levels, enhanced coat quality, and better digestive health.
Making the switch to fresh nutrition represents one of the most significant improvements you can make to your dog's daily life. When you serve gently-cooked, fresh meals, you're providing more than just sustenance—you're making a meaningful investment in your dog's long-term health and quality of life.
Understanding What "Fresh" Really Means
Fresh dog food refers to minimally processed diets that avoid the high-heat extrusion process used in kibble production. These recipes feature whole food ingredients that undergo gentle cooking methods specifically designed to preserve nutritional integrity.
Human-grade fresh dog food specifically uses ingredients deemed safe for human consumption and is processed in facilities meeting human food safety standards. This stands in contrast to feed-grade ingredients in many conventional pet foods, which may meet different (often lower) quality and safety standards.
The difference isn't just marketing—it's metabolic. Fresh dog food typically comes in refrigerated or frozen forms, requiring proper storage to maintain both quality and safety. This preservation method itself is part of the nutritional advantage.
The Processing Problem: Why Method Matters
The way dog food is processed fundamentally impacts its nutritional profile. Research comparing gently-cooked human-grade diets to extruded kibble reveals significant differences in how nutrients are preserved and used.
Extrusion, the industrial process used to create kibble, involves extremely high temperatures and pressures that can diminish heat-sensitive nutrients and alter protein structures. These molecular changes aren't visible to the naked eye, but your dog's digestive system notices the difference.
In contrast, the gentle cooking methods used for fresh dog food aim to preserve those delicate nutrients and maintain the natural quality of ingredients. The study found that cooking method directly influences how efficiently dogs extract nutrients from their food, with fresh diets demonstrating measurably superior digestibility metrics.
Measurable Benefits Your Dog Will Experience
1. Superior Nutrient Absorption
The evidence is clear: fresh dog food demonstrates significantly higher digestibility than kibble. In a controlled study, dogs consuming fresh chicken-based diets showed lower faecal output (24 ± 8 vs. 47 ± 10 g/day of dry matter) despite comparable intake, indicating more efficient nutrient utilisation.
What does this mean for your dog? They extract more nutrition from the same amount of food. The study also found that dogs fed fresh food produced fewer faecal calories (92 ± 31 vs. 189 ± 43 kcal/day), further confirming better nutrient absorption.
Simply put, more nutrition stays in your dog and less passes through unused.
2. Enhanced Energy Availability
The metabolisable energy (ME) — calories actually available to your dog — differs significantly between diet types. The research found that measured ME per unit of dry matter was markedly higher in fresh diet formulations compared to kibble.
This translates to more usable energy from the same amount of food, which can be particularly beneficial for active dogs or those with increased energy requirements. The greater energy density also means your dog may need less volume of fresh food to meet their caloric needs.
3. Improved Digestive Function
If you've ever dealt with your dog's digestive upsets, this benefit alone might convince you: dogs fed fresh diets typically experience improved stool quality and reduced defecation frequency. Research found that dogs consuming fresh food defecated less frequently than those eating kibble.
Fresh diets also produce positive shifts in faecal pH, with studies showing significantly lower (more acidic) faecal pH in dogs fed human-grade fresh food compared to those on kibble diets. This change in pH influences the gut environment and can impact overall digestive health and comfort.
Yes, this means exactly what you think it does — less frequent cleanup duty for you, and firmer, less odorous stools. Our clients often remark on this unexpected but welcome benefit within the first few weeks of switching to Wunderdog.
4. Transformative Gut Microbiome Changes
Perhaps most fascinating is how fresh food creates significant positive shifts in the canine gut microbiome. Using advanced shotgun sequencing technology, researchers demonstrated that human-grade diets dramatically altered the faecal microbiome composition in healthy adult dogs.
These changes included increases in beneficial bacterial species and functional pathways that support improved digestive health and immune function. The study found increases in 4 bacterial genera, 11 bacterial species, and 129 KEGG pathways in dogs eating fresh food compared to kibble.
This microbiome shift is significant because gut bacteria influence numerous body systems—from digestion to immunity to even behavioural health. The improvements seen in these studies suggest long-term health benefits beyond just digestion.
5. Skin and Coat Health Improvements
Research shows that feeding dogs fresh food can lead to improvements in their skin and coat health. In a controlled study examining the effects of a mildly cooked human-grade diet, researchers measured various skin parameters in dogs. These included delayed-type hypersensitivity, sebum concentration, hydration status, and trans epidermal water loss.
Scientists also used microscopic hair imaging to evaluate coat quality objectively. The results indicate that diet quality affects these parameters, promoting healthier skin and a more lustrous coat in dogs eating fresh food — something many dog owners notice within weeks of transitioning to a fresh food diet.
Ensuring Complete Nutrition
There is never a "one size fits all" approach to optimal nutrition. For fresh dog food to truly optimise canine health, proper nutritional formulation is absolutely critical. Research comparing commercial options reveals significant variability in nutritional profiles, highlighting why choosing products from companies with nutritional expertise makes a measurable difference in your dog's wellbeing.
At Wunderdog, our approach to nutrition transcends conventional pet food paradigms. We've developed recipes in close collaboration with renowned nutritionists globally, creating formulations that exceed industry standards. Unlike many commercial producers who formulate primarily for cost efficiency, we prioritise nutritional excellence as our fundamental principle.
Our distinctive methodology recognises that nutritional needs vary dramatically between dogs. We approach nutrition from a portfolio perspective rather than evaluating each recipe in isolation. This allows us to provide personalised nutrition that adapts to specific breeds, ages, lifestyles, and health conditions. When examining our recipes, you'll notice they differ substantially from one another—each with distinct ingredient profiles, macronutrient ratios, and micronutrient compositions.
The diversity within our portfolio serves a crucial purpose. Dogs digest and metabolise nutrients through complex microbiome interactions and enzymatic processes that vary considerably between individuals. By offering varied nutritional profiles, we allow you to discover which combinations best support your dog's unique metabolism. Whether your dog is an active athlete or a relaxed companion, young or mature, we can recommend precise nutritional combinations to support their specific needs.
This personalised approach represents a fundamental departure from conventional one-size-fits-all nutrition. Large manufacturers typically produce standardised products in massive batches with limited variation, often restricting pet parents to a single formula at a time. In contrast, our subscription model lets you access different nutritional profiles simultaneously, ensuring dietary diversity—a core component of optimal nutrition. Different proteins provide varying amino acid compositions, while our carefully calibrated fibre ratios promote gut health through microbiome diversity.
Also, by controlling every aspect of our production in-house, we maintain unprecedented quality standards while our direct-to-consumer model eliminates middlemen markups, making premium nutrition more accessible. Our nutrition-first philosophy ultimately translates to what matters most—more energy, better digestion, healthier skin and coat, and potentially, a longer life for an important member of your family.
PS: We test every recipe extensively. The enthusiastic tail wags are just a bonus.
