How to defrost raw dog food and store it safely

The short answer

Keep raw dog food frozen until you need it, move it to the fridge to defrost a day ahead, and use it within the time your brand gives. Treat it like raw meat for your own dinner: cold, covered and away from other food.

These timings are Bella & Duke’s, for its food. Other brands give their own guidance, so check the label or the brand’s help pages for whatever you feed.

On delivery day

Get the box into the freezer as soon as you can. Frozen raw food is usually delivered in insulated packaging designed to keep it frozen in transit, but the sooner it’s in your freezer the better.

Bella & Duke delivers by DPD in a double-insulated box with dry ice, designed to stay frozen over a two-day delivery. You choose the day but not a time slot, so it helps if someone is home or the box can be left somewhere shaded and safe. Dry ice is very cold and can burn skin, so avoid touching it with bare hands and keep children and pets away from the packaging.

If the box arrives and the food has started to soften, Bella & Duke’s guidance is that if the tubs are still cold to the touch (4°C or below) you can refreeze them. If the food is warmer than that, contact the company before feeding or refreezing it. Our Bella & Duke delivery guide covers the rest of the delivery process.

Planning freezer space

Freezer space is the main practical downside of raw feeding, and it’s worth planning before your first box arrives. Frozen raw food takes up far more room than the same number of days’ dry food, and the bigger your dog, the faster you get through it.

To give a sense of scale, here is roughly how long Bella & Duke’s smallest delivery of 4 kg would last one adult dog eating 2.5% of its body weight a day (the middle of the Royal Kennel Club’s 2% to 3% guide):

That’s why larger dogs, and homes with more than one dog, tend to take bigger or more frequent deliveries, and why freezer space can become the limiting factor. Your dog’s own daily amount is easy to work out with our raw feeding calculator or our guide to how much raw food to feed.

Some general ways to plan for it:

• Clear space before the first box. Empty a drawer or two and see how much fits before you choose a delivery size.
• Balance box size against delivery frequency. Bigger, less frequent boxes need more space at once; smaller, more frequent ones need less space but more deliveries.
• Consider a separate freezer if you have a large dog or more than one, and factor in the cost of buying and running it.
• Keep dog food in its own drawer or shelf, apart from food for people.
• Use the oldest food first. Put new deliveries at the back or bottom so older food is used first.

If freezer space is a deal-breaker, there are foods that don’t need it. Pure Pet Food, for example, is air-dried (dehydrated) food you add water to (reported; check their site). Our best raw dog food UK comparison covers formats as well as brands, and our cost per day guide counts freezer space among the hidden costs.

How to defrost raw dog food

Defrost raw dog food in the fridge, covered, on the bottom shelf. Bella & Duke says this takes around 24 hours for its food, so move tomorrow’s food from the freezer to the fridge a day ahead.

1. Take out what you need for the next day or so, not the whole week.
2. Put it on the bottom shelf, in a covered container or on a plate, so nothing can drip onto food below or beside it.
3. Keep it away from food for people, especially ready-to-eat food.
4. Give it time. Plan for around 24 hours, and check it has fully defrosted before serving.

Whether you’re defrosting a whole tub or less, the same rule applies: defrost it in the fridge, and follow your brand’s own guidance on portioning.

If you forget to move food to the fridge, it’s better to have a back-up plan than to rush it. Some owners keep a spare portion defrosted, or a suitable alternative complete food in the cupboard, for exactly that reason.

Once it’s defrosted

Keep defrosted food covered in the fridge and use it within your brand’s time limit. Bella & Duke says its food keeps for up to four days once defrosted.

• Serve and clear up. Put the bowl down, and pick up anything your dog leaves rather than leaving it out.
• Keep opened food covered in the fridge, apart from food for people.
• Note when it came out of the freezer, if you defrost more than a day at a time.
• Refreezing: Bella & Duke’s refreeze rule is about deliveries: if the tubs are still cold to the touch (4°C or below) you can refreeze them. For food you’ve defrosted in your own fridge, follow your brand’s guidance.
• If in doubt, throw it out. Food that smells off, has been left out or has gone past its time is not worth the risk.

A starting point, not veterinary advice. Ask your vet before changing your dog's diet, especially for puppies, pregnant or nursing dogs, or dogs with a health condition.

Travel, holidays and power cuts

Raw food takes a little more planning when you’re away from your own fridge and freezer. The rules don’t change: keep it cold, keep it covered and keep it apart from food for people.

• Short trips. Pack defrosted portions in a cool box with ice packs, and use them within your brand’s time limit. Take a bowl, a scoop and something to clean them with.
• Longer stays. Check before you go whether there’s a fridge and freezer you can use for the dog’s food, separately from people’s food.
• Kennels and dog-sitters. Ask whether they can store and defrost raw food properly, and talk them through your hygiene routine. Some owners switch to a familiar back-up food for stays, which is a conversation to have with your vet well before the trip.
• Power cuts. Keep the freezer door shut as much as you can: a closed freezer stays cold for longer. Once the power is back, check whether the food is still frozen, and if you’re unsure whether it’s safe, contact the brand or throw it away rather than feeding it.
• Freezer breakdowns. If your dog’s food lives in a separate freezer, a thermometer inside it is a cheap way to spot a problem early.

Kitchen hygiene around raw food

Raw dog food can carry harmful bacteria: the Food Standards Agency found pathogens in 35% of raw pet food samples it tested between March 2023 to February 2024. Good storage and defrosting habits are a big part of handling it safely.

• Wash your hands with soap and hot water after handling raw food, tubs and bowls.
• Wash bowls after every meal, and clean surfaces and utensils the food has touched.
• Keep raw dog food, and anything it touches, separate from food for people.
• Keep young children away from the bowl and the prep area.

Food Standards Scotland’s raw pet food advice covers the same steps. Our guide to whether raw dog food is safe goes further, including who should think twice about raw feeding at home. If you’re just starting, our guide to switching from kibble to raw builds these habits into the first week.

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