Safe Raw Pet Food Handling at Home

Store your pet’s raw food in the freezer until it’s time to thaw. Avoid fully thawing, portioning, and refreezing raw meat as this can allow harmful bacteria to develop! Iron Will Raw is available in 1 lb pouches, so you can easily thaw smaller or larger amounts of your pet’s food as needed.

If you have a very small dog or cat and they won’t be able to consume a full 1 lb pouch of Iron Will Raw within three days of it being thawed, you can ‘temper’ your pet’s food. Tempering means thawing your pet’s raw food just enough to cut it into the amount your pet will consume within those three days and freezing the rest for later.

Thaw your pet’s food in the fridge or in cool water. Thawing your pet’s food in the fridge will take a bit more time and planning, but it’s the safest way to thaw raw meat. If you need to thaw your pet’s meals more quickly, partially submerge the pouch or container in cold tap water and change the water every 30 minutes or so. When meat is thawed in water it actually increases up to 1% in moisture (based on studies conducted on human consumption meat), so you may find the product is more moist when thawed this way. 

Thawed portions of raw pet food should be stored in the fridge in a sealed container. Iron Will Raw will stay fresh and bacteria-free for up to three days when stored properly.

Stainless steel, glass, or ceramic bowls are a great option for serving raw pet food. They are very easy to clean and disinfect after mealtime.

Always wash surfaces, utensils and hands with warm soapy water after handling raw pet food.

Pay attention to those best before dates! These are in place to ensure your pet is getting fresh, nutritious and safe food.

When feeding Raw Meaty Bones, let your pet enjoy them outside or on easily cleanable surfaces.

Don’t forget the water! It’s important to change your pet’s water and clean the bowl daily. This can help prevent bacteria from growing in their water bowls.