Thawing BARF - how do I go about it? This is probably one of the most common questions asked by many owners who want to feed their pets raw meat in the future. In addition, the shelf life of BARF meat is a factor that is associated with uncertainty for many dog owners.
Thawing BARF: our tips
With this in mind, we recommend the following procedure when thawing BARF:
- The best way to thaw the BARF is to do it overnight in the refrigerator.
- To do this, take the meat out of the packaging and place it in a glass or porcelain bowl.
- Cover them with a plate. Alternatively, we also offer our special Lock & Lock defrosting boxes with a drip tray.
Feeding BARF meat frozen – is that possible?
You should definitely defrost BARF, because frozen BARF meat can cause gastrointestinal problems in the animal. To ensure the food is digested properly, also pay attention to the following points when serving raw meat:
- Only feed bones and fish bones raw
- Do not mix BARF and dry food or feed them alternately from morning to evening
BARF: the correct storage of raw meat
If you defrost BARF in this way, the raw meat will last for two to three days in the refrigerator. For example, when storing BARF, we recommend covering the food bowl with a plate lying loosely on top. In this respect, it is important to use BARF storage that is not completely airtight. Incidentally, if the usual hygiene measures are observed, the risk of people becoming infected with germs or salmonella from BARF is just as low as with any other meat preparation. After all, the meat for our products originally comes from food production and all suppliers are subject to constant monitoring by the relevant supervisory authorities.
Basically, we can reassure you that wild dogs and wolves naturally eat carrion. For this reason, even spoiled meat is generally safe for dogs. The prerequisite for this is that it does not spoil due to oxygen deprivation, because then bacteria that are dangerous for dogs can develop.
Can I refreeze thawed meat?
Refreezing thawed meat is considered an absolute no-go for humans. However, BARF that has already been thawed can be refrozen for dogs without any problems - even several times if necessary: the quality of the meat is not affected by this. In the human sector, refreezing thawed meat is avoided because this can affect the taste and increase the bacterial load. However, this is negligible for dogs.
