Is freeze-dried raw too expensive for a big dog?
4 min read · Loyal Saints
Quick answer
Not the way most owners feed it. A big dog doesn’t need an all-freeze-dried bowl: at 20–25% of the bowl, an 80 lb dog costs $5.77 a day with Halo Club. As a complete diet the same dog is $23.08 a day — a premium choice some owners make, but not the one we recommend for most.
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Freeze-dried raw is a premium food, and it is priced like one. Here is why — and how to feed it to a big dog without the whole bowl carrying a premium price.
Worth more because more goes into it. Kibble is cooked and compressed at high heat in enormous volumes. Freeze-drying removes water slowly, under deep cold and vacuum — more time, specialized equipment, and ingredients you can name: muscle meat, organs, fish oil and 20-plus whole foods, with no synthetic vitamin premix. And you are not paying to ship water.
The number that matters. For an 80 lb dog, a quarter of the bowl is 1¼ cups a day — $5.77. A 100 lb dog is $6.92; a 120 lb dog $8.08. Fed as a complete diet, an 80 lb dog runs about $701.54 a month, which is why most large-breed owners choose the quarter bowl.
What it costs at each size
80 lb dog
$5.77/day at a quarter · $23.08 as a complete meal
100 lb dog
$6.92/day at a quarter · $27.69 as a complete meal
120 lb dog
$8.08/day at a quarter · $32.31 as a complete meal
Why it costs more
The process and the ingredients — and you are not paying for water.
The Fluff Factor. A cup measures space, not weight. A cup of Loyal Saints Beef weighs about 51 g — a cup of dense kibble often weighs twice that — because the water is gone and what is left is light and airy. Big on volume, dense on nutrition: gram for gram it carries about 4.5 calories. Why cup-for-cup comparisons mislead.
Why freeze-dried is worth a place in the bowl. In a 2024 controlled feeding study, adult dogs digested 94% of the protein in a freeze-dried raw diet against 82% in an extruded kibble — and produced less than half the stool (Geary et al., Translational Animal Science).
Swap, don’t stack. Take out about a quarter of what your dog eats now and put Loyal Saints in its place. Adding it on top is a 25% calorie increase, and on a big dog extra weight lands on the joints first. Because every Loyal Saints formula is complete and balanced, blending it with another complete and balanced food keeps the whole bowl balanced.
Feeding amounts come from the Daily Serving Guidelines printed on the bag (Beef and Turkey + Salmon; Chicken takes slightly more cups). Costs use the current 14 oz price with Halo Club membership applied. Swap Loyal Saints in for the same share of your dog’s current food and adjust to body condition — you should be able to feel, but not see, your dog’s ribs. Studies cited tested other brands’ foods, not Loyal Saints.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is freeze-dried raw worth it for a large dog?
As 20–25% of the bowl, most large-breed owners say yes: raw muscle meat and organs in every meal for about $5.77 a day at 80 lb. As a complete diet for a dog over 100 lb, it is a premium choice.
What is the most affordable way to feed freeze-dried raw to a big dog?
A quarter of the bowl, swapped in for the same share of their current food, with Halo Club membership for 20% off every order.
See what a quarter bowl actually costs
New here? Take 40% off your first order with code KING40 at checkout — first orders only.
Real dogs. Real bowls.
Do You Feed Your Dog Regular Dog Food? Street Interview
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
What is Loyal Saints dog food?
Loyal Saints is a woman-owned premium freeze-dried raw dog food: vet-formulated, meat and organs first, AAFCO complete and balanced, made with human-grade quality ingredients in an FDA-registered facility in the Midwest.
Where can I buy Loyal Saints?
At loyalsaintspets.com (Halo Club: 20% off and free shipping on every order (contiguous U.S.); 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.
