As a dog owner, you want the best for your furry friend. That means choosing a dog food that balances high nutritional value, flavor, and texture—while meeting your dog's specific needs, such as gut health, hypoallergenic ingredients, or sensitivity to certain foods. At Nextrition, we’ve designed our cold-pressed dog food with these priorities in mind.
But what about the quality of ingredients? How does cold-pressed dog food compare to traditional kibble? Let’s explore how they differ and why ingredient quality matters so much.
Ingredients Chosen by Manufacturers
Nextrition cold-pressed dog food is made using a patent-pending process that presses ingredients together at low-heat. This method works great with high-quality, natural ingredients like real meats, fruit, vegetables, and healthy grains. For instance, at Nextrition, we carefully select ingredients that are packed with nutrients and free from unnecessary additives.
On the other hand, kibble is often made with processed meats, byproducts, and artificial additives, including preservatives and flavor enhancers. While kibble can still provide the nutritional requirements set by AAFCO, the reliance on these lower-quality ingredients can affect both the nutritional value and how well your dog’s body absorbs nutrients.
Cooking Methods Make a Difference
Cooking methods play a significant role in ingredient quality and nutrient retention:
Cold-Pressed Dog Food: Pressing the ingredients at a low-heat better preserves the natural flavor and nutritional content of the ingredients. This results in a food that offers higher nutrient density per bite, allowing dogs to eat up to 30% less than kibble while still meeting their dietary needs.
Kibble: High-heat cooking breaks down ingredients more aggressively, often leading to nutrient loss. This means that kibble brands are either adding extra nutrients that gets burned off when it goes through the extruder and/or spraying on nutrients to the food after processing.
Impact on Digestion
Digestibility is another area where cold-pressed dog food stands out:
Easier Digestion: Cold-pressed dog food is made into nutrient-dense nuggets which sinks to the bottom of the gut and quickly breaks down. This puts less strain on the digestive system to break down the food and absorb the necessary nutrients. This is especially beneficial for dogs with sensitive stomachs.
Strain on the Digestive System: Kibble, is made with an extruder which will cause the food to puff up and float in the dog’s gut and will bloat inside the stomach before it starts to break down. Most dog owners who feed kibble have seen their dog throw up an hour or so after meal time and see full bloated pieces of kibble. Kibble is harder to digest and can lead to bloating, gas, and other digestive discomforts.
Flavor That Dogs Love
While nutrition is key, let’s not forget taste and aroma. Cold-pressed dog food retains the natural flavors of its ingredients thanks to its low-temperature process. The result? An appetizing meal that even picky eaters are drawn to.
Kibble, by comparison, often relies on flavoring sprayed onto the pieces of food after cooking to make it more palatable.
The Bottom Line: Quality Matters
When comparing cold-pressed dog food to kibble, the difference lies in:
Ingredient quality: Nextrition cold-pressed foods use real, natural ingredients, while kibble often includes fillers and byproducts.
Cooking process: Low-heat patent-pending process preserves natural nutrients and flavor in cold-pressed foods, while high-heat cooking in kibble reduces both.
Digestibility: Cold-pressed food is easier on your dog’s digestive system.
At Nextrition, we pride ourselves on offering a cold-pressed dog food that delivers exceptional quality, flavor, and nutritional value. Whether your dog struggles with sensitive digestion, allergies, or pickiness, cold-pressed food can make a world of difference.
Why not make the switch and see the difference for yourself? Nextrition cold-pressed dog food offers your pet a nutritious, tasty, and easily digestible alternative to traditional kibble.
Here at Nextrition, we know dry kibble still dominates the dog food world – and that's okay. Every pet owner makes the choices they feel are best for their furry companions. But we also believe cold-pressed dog food made with all-natural ingredients offers incredible benefits for dogs. Could this year be the year you give it a try?
Natural Ingredients and Smarter Processing
The key to Nextrition’s success lies in two things: using real, natural ingredients and better processing methods. We start with fresh meats, healthy grains, fruits, and vegetables, then use a low-temperature cold-pressing process to form bite-sized, nutrient-packed nuggets.
Unlike traditional kibble, which is cooked at high temperatures, cold-pressed food retains more natural nutrients and flavors. This difference ensures your dog gets the most out of every bite – without unnecessary fillers or nutrient loss.
Why It Matters to Your Dog
Cold-pressed dog food isn’t just about feeding your dog; it’s about nourishing them in the best way possible. Here’s what it could mean for your dog:
Make the Switch in 2025
If you’re ready to improve your dog’s diet and overall health, why not give Nextrition cold-pressed dog food a try in 2025?
Here’s the best part: you don’t need to dive in all at once. You can order a small sample before committing to a full switch. That way, you can see for yourself if your dog enjoys the food before making the switch and start seeing the benefits.
With a handful of delicious recipes to choose from, Nextrition offers natural, nutritious meals your dog will love – and better health as part of the deal.
Make this year count. Try Nextrition cold-pressed dog food and see the difference for yourself. Your dog will thank you!
At Nextrition, one of the things we love to highlight is how well our cold-pressed dog food supports healthy digestion. It's a great option for dogs with sensitive stomachs, and it works wonders for picky eaters too. Why? Because cold pressing creates food that works with your dog’s digestive system—not against it
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Before we dive into the digestion benefits, let’s cover the basics of cold pressing. Cold-pressed dog food starts with natural, high-quality ingredients chosen to meet a dog’s nutritional needs. These ingredients are mixed and then pressed together without high heat or steam for a few seconds using our patent pending process.
The pressing process helps preserve the natural flavors, nutrients, live probiotics and enzymes that would normally be lost in high-temperature cooking.
One of the biggest digestion benefits of cold-pressed dog food is how it breaks down in the stomach. Rather than swelling inside the stomach, like traditional kibble sometimes does, cold-pressed food breaks down gradually from the outside in.
Because it doesn’t expand in the stomach, it’s less likely to cause bloating—making it a great choice for dogs with digestive issues. Mealtime becomes a more comfortable experience for your dog, reducing the risk of post-meal discomfort and helping them feel fuller longer.
Here are some of the key ways cold-pressed food supports digestion:
Just like humans, dogs digest natural, minimally processed ingredients more efficiently. That’s exactly what cold-pressed dog food offers.
When your dog’s food is easy to digest, it benefits more than just the digestive system—it promotes overall health. You’ve probably heard the saying, “you are what you eat.” Well, the same goes for dogs.
A dog’s health depends not just on what they eat, but on how well their body absorbs nutrients from that food. If their digestive system struggles, even the healthiest food won’t provide the nutrition they need.
Cold-pressed food offers higher nutritional value per cup compared to traditional kibble. And since it’s more digestible, those nutrients are absorbed more effectively. The result? Less digestive discomfort, healthier stools, and better access to the building blocks needed for long-term health.
We know you have plenty of options when choosing what to feed your dog. Between dry kibble, wet food, raw diets, and everything in between, it can feel overwhelming. But we encourage you to consider giving cold-pressed dog food a try.
With Nextrition, you get the best of both worlds. Our food offers the high nutritional value of a raw diet with the convenience of dry kibble. And because it’s easier to digest, it’s a perfect fit for dogs with sensitive stomachs or picky eating habits.
So why not give your dog a food that works with their digestion, not against it? We believe Nextrition will make mealtime enjoyable again—while giving your dog the nutrition they need to thrive.
If your dog fits the “picky eater” label, you know just how frustrating mealtime can be. Maybe your dog refuses to eat anything from his bowl and holds out for table scraps—or nothing at all. We get it. But we’d like to suggest an alternative: cold-pressed dog food.
At Nextrition, we’ve designed a dry dog food that better retains both natural flavor and nutrients than traditional kibble. If your dog isn’t a fan of traditional kibble and a raw or fresh diet just isn’t realistic, cold-pressed food might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Cold-pressed dog food is cooked at lower temperatures compared to regular kibble. This keeps more of the food’s natural flavors intact—plus, it smells better too. And we all know how much scent matters to dogs.
Think about when you smell your favorite meal cooking—it makes you look forward to eating, right? Dogs are no different. The rich aromas of cold-pressed dog food can tempt even the fussiest eater to dig in.
Because cold-pressed dog food is made by pressing natural ingredients into small bite-sized pieces, every bite is packed with flavor. And with no fillers to dilute the taste, dogs get a richer, meatier experience.
You could think of cold-pressed food as the next best thing to a raw diet—but without the hassle. A raw diet can be great, but it’s not always practical. Cold-pressed dog food delivers similar nutritional benefits and flavors in a shelf-stable convenient form that’s as easy as kibble.
Another reason picky eaters might prefer cold-pressed dog food is that the natural nutrients from the ingredients are left intact. Since the food isn’t cooked at high temperatures or heavily processed, these nutrients remain. That extra layer of nutrition can make all the difference.
Unlike traditional kibble, cold-pressed dog food doesn’t rely on fillers or bulking agents. This means every bite is packed with more nutrients—like protein, vitamins, and minerals. Even though your dog may not consciously recognize the added nutrition, they’ll likely enjoy the difference in flavor and texture.
We can’t promise that cold-pressed dog food will work for every picky eater—some dogs are selective for reasons that go beyond food preferences. But for many dogs, a more flavorful and natural option makes a noticeable difference at mealtime.
If your dog tends to turn up their nose at food, why not give cold-pressed dog food a shot? It offers rich flavor, enticing aromas, and high nutritional value—all in a format that’s just as easy to serve as dry kibble.
Cold-pressed food might be the solution you’ve been searching for. With no fillers, natural nutrients, and more flavor, it just might turn your picky eater into a happy eater. Give it a try and see if it makes a difference in your dog’s mealtime routine.
At Nextrition, we’re confident in calling our cold-pressed dog food a healthy option for your pup. But it’s not just the cold-pressing process that makes our food healthy. Cold pressing alone doesn’t guarantee a healthy outcome.
So, what actually makes dog food healthy? And more importantly, how can you tell if the food you’re giving your dog is the right choice?
We believe that a healthy dog food meets all of your dog’s nutritional needs while avoiding ingredients and processes that aren’t great for canine health. And let’s be honest—your dog has to actually want to eat it for it to do any good, so taste matters too!
Ingredients Are Key
We often say, “you are what you eat,” and that applies to dogs as well. If we feed ourselves junk, we’ll pay for it with our health later on. The same goes for our furry friends. To keep your dog healthy, you’ve got to focus on giving them the right nutrition, and that starts with quality ingredients.
Ingredients are the building blocks your dog’s body uses to stay healthy. To make a truly healthy dog food, manufacturers need to use high-quality, natural ingredients with minimal processing.
Just like humans, dogs need the right balance of meat, fruits, and vegetables. They depend on their food to provide a solid mix of vitamins and minerals. That’s why good ingredients are so important. Start with the right balance of great ingredients, and you’re well on your way to making healthy dog food. But if you start with poor-quality ingredients, it’s hard to end up with a healthy result.
Processing Matters Too
Even the best ingredients won’t do much good if the manufacturing process strips away their natural nutritional value. Unfortunately, that’s what happens with traditional kibble. It’s cooked at extremely high temperatures, which kills off bacteria and germs but also destroys a lot of the food’s nutrients.
Cold pressing, on the other hand, uses much lower temperatures. It takes natural ingredients and press them together with low heat and no steam, preserving more of the food’s nutritional value and flavor. By keeping more of those essential nutrients intact, cold pressing helps create a healthier dog food.
Two Important Things to Keep in Mind
We’ve given you a general idea of what makes a healthy dog food, but here are two key things to keep in mind:
A Final Word
At the end of the day, healthy dog food is about more than what’s written on the label. At Nextrition, we do our best to provide clear, detailed labels, but we also encourage dog owners to do their own research and talk to their vets. While cold-pressed dog food is generally a healthier option, cold pressing alone isn’t a guarantee. It’s all about the right combination of ingredients, process, and a food that your dog will happily and safely eat.
When it comes to dog food, we like to think that there are three types of people: kibble folks, raw diet folks, and those of us who love cold-pressed dog food. We’re leaving out wet, fresh, air dried, baked and many other types of food because, honestly, the basic principles can apply to one of the three types of people.
Now, kibble, raw diets, and cold-pressed dog food each have their pros and cons. But as the leading producer of cold-pressed dog food in the US, we like to think our food gives you the best of both worlds. You get the benefits of kibble and raw diets without most of their downsides.
Sound confusing? Don’t worry, we’ll break it down and explain why we believe that cold-pressed dog food is the best of both worlds.
Nutritional Value
If you’re like most dog owners, nutritional value is super important to you. You want your pet to get the most out of whatever food you choose. A raw diet is king when it comes to delivering as many natural nutrients as possible. The trick is making sure you are giving them the right balance of nutrients to ensure a long and healthy life. The risk of a raw diet is that you are handling things like raw meat and eggs which can carry harmful bacteria such as salmonella and E.coli. Kibble uses high heat and steam that kills any harmful bacteria but also cooks off many of the natural nutrients and flavors.
With cold-pressed dog food, you get the nutritional value of raw ingredients. But the ingredients have been gently cooked and pressed so you don’t have to worry about salmonella, E. coli, and other nasty stuff that can come with a raw diet. In terms of nutrition and safety, cold-pressed dog food is hard to beat.
Convenience
We live in a convenience-driven world, and most dog owners want a food that’s easy to store and serve. Kibble is the go-to for convenience. It comes in big bags and has a great shelf life. Feeding it to your dog is as easy as scooping it into the bowl.
Feeding your dog a raw diet is a lot less convenient. You need to either purchase, freeze and thaw pre-made meals or buy, prep and portion the raw ingredients to ensure your pup is getting all of their needed nutrients. Even if you know what you are doing, it’s almost as much work as cooking for a family.
Cold-pressed dog food is the best of both worlds. It’s just as convenient as kibble, without the hassle of a raw diet. You get a similar nutritional value of raw ingredients without the time-consuming prep. Plus, it has the shelf stability of kibble and travels well. What’s not to love?
Try It for Yourself
We believe cold pressing is the best way to make high-quality dog food that promotes good gut health. Cold-pressed dog food offers all the benefits of kibble and raw diets without the downsides of either one.
If you’re not ready to switch just yet, we get it. Why not try Nextrition cold-pressed dog food and see the difference for yourself? Grab a bag and see how it goes with your pup. If you’re not impressed, and your dog is thriving on their current diet, you can always go back to what they are eating now.
Every now and then, we like to remind dog owners that they don't need to worry about finding space in the refrigerator or freezer with cold-pressed dog food. Here at Nextrition, we make an all-natural cold-pressed dog food that's shelf-stable before and after opening. But how is that possible? Doesn’t all dog food spoil eventually?
Sure, any kind of food will spoil if stored improperly for a long time. When we say our cold-pressed dog food is shelf-stable, we mean you’ve got plenty of time to use it before worrying about spoilage. The secret to our dog food's stability is in the processing.
Cold Pressing in a Nutshell
Cold pressing is a pretty simple process. We gather all our ingredients, combine them, press them without high heat or steam into crunchy pieces. Our process gets its name from the low pressing temperature. Traditional kibble, on the other hand, is cooked and formed at 3x higher temperatures.
Similar to a fresh cooked and raw diet, cold pressing is better at preserving the natural flavor and nutritional value vs. traditional kibble. The slower and lower you cook food, the more you preserve its natural goodness.
Water Is the Big Thing
When it comes to food spoilage, water is the big culprit. This applies to all sorts of foods, not just dog food. Water promotes spoilage because it provides a breeding ground for bacteria and other microorganisms. Take away the water, and you also take away the opportunity for microorganisms to thrive.
This is what sets cold-pressed dog food apart from a fresh or raw diet, cold pressing dog food has removed most of the water from the natural ingredients. But it is pressed at lower temperatures to retain more of the natural nutrients and flavors vs. kibble so you end up with food that maintains high nutritional value but doesn't offer a breeding ground for microorganisms. You also get impressive shelf stability.
Natural Oils Help
While they play a smaller role in preventing food spoilage, the natural oils found in some of our ingredients also help. Cold pressing preserves these natural oils, which in turn help inhibit bacterial growth. Once again, cold pressing creates a better food that's less likely to spoil vs. a fresh or raw diet.
So, how long will cold-pressed dog food last before spoiling? We can't give you an exact number because no two dog foods are exactly the same. On average, an unopened and properly stored package of cold-pressed dog food should be shelf-stable between 6-12 months. But remember, storage conditions matter.
You Can Take It With You
We don’t expect our customers to buy cold-pressed dog food and leave it on the shelf for more than a year before using it. Shelf stability isn't usually a concern in that regard. But what about after it's opened? You still get considerable shelf life out of Nextrition cold-pressed dog food.
This makes our dog food perfect for traveling. Unlike some fresh or raw dog foods that don’t travel well, you can take Nextrition food with you when you go camping, RVing, road-tripping, or just spending a full day in the woods. You can even carry it in the same package it originally came in. How convenient is that?
Cold-pressed dog food offers impressive shelf stability. Don’t think that just because our food isn't cooked at high temperatures, it’s any less stable. Under normal conditions, you have nothing to worry about. Cold-pressed dog food offers the stability modern life demands. We hope that sets your mind at ease.
Choosing the right feeding approach for your canine companion can be a puzzle. Both free feeding and scheduled feeding have their advocates, and each method has its own set of advantages and considerations, regardless of whether you're offering off-the-shelf kibble or an all-natural option like Nextrition cold-pressed dog food.
Free feeding involves leaving out a dish of food for your dog to graze on throughout the day, accompanied by fresh water. This approach is undeniably convenient for pet parents. There's no need to stick to strict feeding times or rush home to feed your dog.
One of the perks of free feeding is that it allows dogs to consume their food at their leisure, which some argue mirrors natural feeding habits in the wild. However, since domesticated dogs have different lifestyles, this comparison might not hold true in practice. Free feeding can be particularly beneficial for dogs who tend to naturally graze and eat in small amounts.
However, free feeding isn't without its pitfalls. The most significant concern is the risk of gorging and overeating, which can lead to bloating, throwing up, digestive issues and weight gain. This approach can be especially problematic in households with multiple dogs, as it may lead to competition and food dominance issues.
The downsides to scheduled feeding include less flexibility in your daily routine and the potential need for more frequent feedings for dogs with specific health conditions.
