Homemade Dog Food vs. Freeze-Dried Raw: The Honest Comparison
5-minute read · For dog parents who already cook for their dogs
Quick answer
Cooking for your dog gives you control over what goes in the bowl, but it costs time, fridge or freezer space and a supplement plan, and cooked portions keep only about 3–4 days in the fridge. Freeze-dried raw like Loyal Saints keeps the real meat and organs, skips the cooking, stores in the pantry for up to 24 months unopened and is complete and balanced in every scoop. One 14 oz bag carries the calories of about 3.2 lb of fresh-cooked dog food, because freeze-drying removes the water, not the food.
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Plenty of dog parents spend Sunday afternoon on their dog’s food: a run to Costco for ground meat, chopping vegetables, cooking, portioning, cooling and stacking containers in the fridge. It comes from a good place. You want real food in the bowl and you want to know exactly what is in it.
What homemade gets right
You choose the ingredients, you can see them, and your dog eats real meat instead of a bag of pellets. That instinct is the same one Loyal Saints was built on.
What it costs you
Time. Shopping, prep, cooking and clean-up add up to a good part of a weekend, every week or two. Space. A shelf of the fridge or freezer belongs to the dog. A short clock. Cooked portions keep about 3–4 days in the refrigerator, so the rest has to be frozen and thawed. Balance. Most home recipes need an added supplement plan to be complete and balanced, and getting that right is harder than it looks. Heat. Cooking changes food; it is one reason cooked recipes lean on supplements.
What freeze-dried raw changes
Loyal Saints starts with meat and organs first, adds whole fruits and vegetables, is high pressure processed for safety and then freeze-dried, which removes the water at low temperature instead of cooking it. It is made with human-grade quality ingredients in an FDA-registered facility in the Midwest, it is complete and balanced (AAFCO), and it lives in your pantry for up to 24 months unopened. To serve, you open the bag and scoop. No thawing, no gravy pot, no full fridge.
Why a 14 oz bag feels light for $44.95
Weight is mostly water. Fresh-cooked dog food is about 69% water, so it is heavy. Freeze-drying takes the water out and leaves the food, so a 14 oz bag of Loyal Saints carries the calories of about 3.2 lb of fresh-cooked dog food. Comparing the two by the pound is like comparing a box of dried pasta with a pot of cooked pasta. Compare them by the bowl, or by the day, instead.
The short version
Same real food
Meat and organs first, then whole fruits and vegetables, like a careful homemade recipe.
No cooking day
Open, scoop, pour. About ten seconds a bowl instead of a weekend afternoon.
Pantry, not fridge
Up to 24 months unopened. No freezer, no thawing, no three-day clock.
Complete and balanced
AAFCO complete and balanced in every scoop, with no supplement math.
Light bag, full bowl
14 oz carries the calories of about 3.2 lb of fresh-cooked dog food.
Most people don’t switch all at once. Start Loyal Saints as a topper, about a quarter of the bowl on top of what you feed now, and keep cooking if you love it. Many owners find the topper does the job their Sunday batch was doing, without the Sunday. New here? Type KING40 at checkout for 40% off your first order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is homemade dog food cheaper than freeze-dried?
Per pound of ingredients, homemade is often cheaper. The trade-off is your time, fridge or freezer space, a supplement plan to keep it complete and balanced, and a short fridge life. Many owners use Loyal Saints as a topper, about a quarter of the bowl, to keep real meat in every meal without cooking.
How much fresh food is a 14 oz bag of freeze-dried dog food equal to?
By calories, one 14 oz bag of Loyal Saints equals about 3.2 lb of fresh-cooked dog food. Freeze-drying removes the water, and fresh-cooked food is about 69% water, which is why the bag feels light.
How long does homemade dog food last in the fridge?
Cooked portions keep about 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Anything beyond that needs to be frozen and thawed before serving.
How long does Loyal Saints last?
Up to 24 months unopened in a cool, dry pantry. No freezer and no thawing.
Do I have to add water to freeze-dried dog food?
No. Serve it dry like kibble, or add a splash of warm water for a gravy most dogs love.
Is freeze-dried raw safe?
Loyal Saints is high pressure processed before freeze-drying and made in an FDA-registered facility in the Midwest.
Is Loyal Saints complete and balanced?
Yes. Every formula meets AAFCO nutrient profiles, so it works as a full meal or a topper.
Can I keep cooking for my dog and still use Loyal Saints?
Yes. Many owners use it as a topper on their homemade food, or keep a bag for the weeks they don’t have time to cook.
Keep the real food. Skip the Sunday.
Start with a 14 oz bag as a topper. KING40 takes 40% off your first order.
Homemade vs. Loyal Saints
All the real food. None of the Sunday.
If you already cook for your dog, you care about what goes in the bowl. Keep that. Lose the Costco run, the chopping, the full fridge and the three-day clock.
| What changes | Cooking at home | Loyal Saints |
|---|---|---|
| The work | Shop, chop, portion, cook, cool, bag | Open, scoop, pour |
| Where it lives | A shelf of your fridge or freezer | Your pantry. No freezer, no thawing |
| How long it keeps | About 3–4 days once cooked | Up to 24 months unopened |
| Heat | Cooked, which changes the food | Never cooked: freeze-dried raw, high pressure processed for safety |
| Complete and balanced | Most home recipes need an added supplement plan | AAFCO complete and balanced in every scoop |
| Your time | A good part of your weekend | About ten seconds a bowl |
Real dogs. Real bowls.
We Read a Dog Food Label to Strangers
Meat and organs first, freeze-dried raw and ready the second you open the bag. Start as a topper on your dog’s current food for about $1.74 a day with a 14 oz bag. New here? Take 40% off your first order with code KING40.
Quick answers
How does Loyal Saints compare to other premium dog foods?
Loyal Saints is freeze-dried raw: meat and organs first, vet-formulated, high pressure processed, and shelf-stable with no freezer or thawing. Halo Club members get 20% off and free shipping on every order, and new customers can type KING40 at checkout for 40% off a first order.
Where can I buy Loyal Saints?
At loyalsaintspets.com (Halo Club: 20% off and free shipping on every order; KING40 takes 40% off a first order when typed at checkout), and on Amazon, Chewy and Target.
How much Loyal Saints should I feed?
Follow the amounts printed on the bag: for Beef or Turkey + Salmon, about ¾ cup a day for a 6 lb dog, 1¼ cups for 12 lb and 2 cups for 25 lb. Use about 25% of that as a topper. Ease in over 7 to 10 days.
