Feeding Raw in Summer: What Every Dog Owner Should Know

Summer is the season that makes raw feeders nervous. Orders arriving in the heat. Meat that looks a little less frozen than expected. Questions about whether it's still safe, whether freeze-dried is a better option when temperatures climb, and how to manage storage when your freezer is already at capacity.

Why Freeze-Dried Becomes a Summer Staple

No freezer space. No temperature concerns during shipping. No second-guessing whether your order survived a hot truck. Freeze-dried removes the variables that make summer raw feeding stressful, which is why a lot of committed raw feeders keep it on hand specifically for the warmer months.

MLB's Freeze-Dried BLT & Bone is made from the same blend as the frozen raw version. Because no heat is used in the freeze-drying process, the nutritional profile stays intact. You're not trading nutrition for convenience. You're changing the format and keeping everything else the same.

Fed dry straight from the bag at roughly a quarter of the raw feeding amount, it works as a primary food, a travel option, or a practical rotation alongside frozen raw during weeks when the heat makes frozen feeding harder to manage. You can find it [here].

Storage Without Overcomplicating It

Frozen raw: keep it below 10°F until you're ready to use it. Thaw in the fridge rather than on the counter and serve within a day or two. Don't refreeze raw that has fully thawed and sat at room temperature.

Freeze-dried: seal the bag after each use and keep it away from direct heat and sunlight. A pantry shelf is fine.

One practical note for bulk buyers: MLB's 5lb tubes stay frozen longer than smaller portions because of the mass. If you're stocking up for summer and want to minimize how often you're pulling product from the freezer, bigger tubes are the smarter choice.

In the Bowl, Summer Changes the Clock

Raw food sitting in a hot bowl in a warm yard is a different situation than the same meal served indoors in January. Serve it, let your dog eat, and pick up what's left within 2 to 3 minutes. This is reasonable practice year-round but especially worth paying attention to when ambient temperatures are high.

Freeze-dried fed dry doesn't carry the same time pressure, which is another reason it earns a place in summer rotation for a lot of owners.

Raw feeding in summer isn't complicated. It's mostly about knowing what to expect, having freeze-dried on hand when frozen isn't practical, and applying a little common sense at serving time.