Most premium dog food arrives frozen, on a schedule, in an insulated box you have to be home for. There is a version that does not.
This page is written for owners in Santa Barbara weighing up freeze-dried raw. The nutrition below holds wherever you live — what changes locally is delivery, not diet — so we would rather give you the substance than pad it with things we cannot actually verify about your city.
Storing it properly
Sealed and dry, an opened bag keeps for several weeks. Roll the top closed and keep it out of humidity — moisture is the only thing that shortens its life, which is the flip side of why it is shelf-stable at all.
Do not decant into a container that has held oily kibble; residue goes rancid and taints what you put on top of it.
The quarter-bowl answer
Feed Loyal Saints as about 25% of the bowl, replacing a quarter of the existing food rather than adding on top. Because the food is concentrated rather than diluted, a quarter still puts real freeze-dried raw into every meal.
At Halo Club pricing that is about $4.04 a day for a 50 lb dog and $5.48 for a 75 lb dog.
What you are actually paying to ship
Fresh refrigerated food is roughly three-quarters water by weight. That water is portioned, chilled, packed with single-use coolant and driven to your door, then occupies your freezer until you use it.
Cold chain logistics is one of the most expensive ways to move anything, which is why it is normally reserved for medicine and seafood.
Shelf-stable changes the logistics
Freeze-drying removes the water before the food ships. No refrigeration, no thawing, no freezer shelf, no delivery window, and no ruined box if a courier runs a day late in July.
It also travels — a weekend away or a stay at the vet does not require a cooler.
What freeze-drying actually does
The food is frozen solid, then the surrounding pressure is dropped so the ice turns straight to vapor without ever becoming liquid. The food never gets hot.
That matters because heat is what denatures protein in a conventional extruder. What comes out is raw meat with its water gone and its structure intact — which is also why it is shelf-stable without preservatives.
The quarter-bowl rule for bigger dogs
Fed as a complete diet, a large dog goes through freeze-dried raw quickly, and it is expensive. We would rather say that than have you discover it in week one.
Fed as about 25% of the bowl, real raw goes into every meal at a cost that stays sane: about $4.04 a day for a 50 lb dog, $5.48 for a 75 lb dog. Replace a quarter of the existing food rather than adding on top.
Why the scoop looks small
A cup of Loyal Saints weighs 50.9 g and carries 230 calories. A cup of a typical adult kibble weighs 101 g. Same cup, roughly twice the food by weight.
Per gram, Loyal Saints carries about 29% more energy. That inversion is why the correct portion looks stingy in the bowl, and why most people overfeed in the first week.
A note on measuring
Scoop and level rather than pressing down. The cup figures assume loose, level cups, and packing the food in will quietly make you underfeed.
Common questions
Do you ship nationwide?
Yes, and because nothing needs to stay cold, distance does not change the food that arrives.
What if my delivery is delayed?
Nothing spoils. That is the practical advantage of shelf-stable over frozen.
How do I choose an interval?
Work it from the feeding chart, then adjust once after the first cycle.
