What does 'naturally dried' mean on a dog treat? Our process, plainly

"Naturally dried" is on the front of a lot of bags, ours included, and it isn't a regulated term. It means whatever the brand using it means, which is worth knowing before you read any further.

What we mean by it is specific: low heat, moving air and a lot of time, with nothing added before, during or after. No preservatives, no salt, no smoke flavour, no coating.

How does Pudel dry a treat?

One cut of one animal, trimmed, sliced or left whole, laid out in a single layer so air reaches every side. Then it sits in warm, moving air for a long time. The temperature stays well below cooking; the air does the work, carrying moisture away until the cut keeps at room temperature in a sealed bag.

Why slow? Because a slow dry keeps a cut close to what it started as. Drying fast means drying hot, and heat changes food; some vitamins, thiamine among them, are sensitive to it. We don't put a number on what's retained, because we haven't measured it. Open a bag and it smells like the animal it came from, which is a fair test of any "natural" claim.

What does "nothing added" mean?

The ingredient list is one word long. Nothing to keep the treat soft, nothing to stop it spoiling, nothing to make it smell more like meat. Drying does the preserving: once the water is gone, the conditions microbes need are gone with it. Whatever's listed is the whole list.

It also means pieces vary the way cuts of meat do; uniform pieces come from a mould, ours from an animal. And a dried cut is concentrated, so a small piece carries more food than it looks. That's why the 10% rule matters with a dried treat, and why a few pieces of beef jerky is a reward, not a meal.

How can you check a "naturally dried" claim?

Go past the front of the bag. The ingredient list tells you whether anything was added: if the cut is followed by other words, something was. The typical analysis panel gives you moisture. And the texture tells you the rest: a dried cut is firm and dry to the touch, not soft or tacky. Every product in our range is made to pass that test, and we'd rather you ran it than took our word for it.

Keep reading: Air-dried vs dehydrated vs freeze-dried dog treats: the difference · How to store air-dried dog treats: cupboard, not fridge

Sources

• National Research Council (2006). Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. National Academies Press. nap.nationalacademies.org
• Pet Food Industry Association of Australia. AS 5812:2023 Manufacturing and marketing of pet food. pfiaa.com.au

Pudel · Reviewed September 2026 · Single-protein, naturally dried dog treats, made in Australia. General information, not veterinary advice.