How long can raw dog food be left out? – Poppy’s Picnic

Changing your pet’s food to raw is one of the best things you could do for your dog or cat. Not only is it an excellent way to feed your dog, it also ensures the very best in health. What’s more, our recipes are super tasty too. And if you haven’t yet changed, just make sure you buy from a reputable supplier such as Poppy’s Picnic.

Our meals come in either mince or 30g meatballs. All you need to do is thaw them in the bottom of your fridge before feeding to your dog or cat. Each fridge is different though we’ve found if you place the meals on the bottom shelf of your fridge in the evening, they will be ready to feed for breakfast (though some freezers can be much colder and take upwards of 24 hours to defrost). We don’t recommend you leave your raw pet food to thaw on the countertop overnight.

All of our meals are handmade and formulated in our state-of-the art kitchen with natural ingredients that you and I would eat. We don’t add preservatives, fillers or flavourings, and we are the only raw manufacturer to balance our food naturally, without man-made chemicals. 

All of our award winning recipes have been balanced to FEDIAF, a European standard to guarantee your dog or cat is getting the very best in nutrition. We’ve done all the hard work for you so you just need to defrost, serve, eat and repeat! And once defrosted, the meals keep for 4 days in the fridge.

How long can you leave raw food out once it is in your dog’s bowl?

We test to make sure our food passes all the health requirements set by DEFRA, the Government agency which gives raw pet food manufacturers their licences. This is more stringent than products made for humans! And we are proud that our safety standards far outreach the requirements. 

Our POWER BALLS and PURRY POWER range will also defrost much quicker than our minces (RAW POWER and MIGHTY MINCE). That’s because they are much smaller (30g balls of deliciousness) instead of a pack of mince (450g).

Most pets will devour their food within seconds, Poppy is no exception – she annihilates it! However others can take their time, whilst some might eat a little and then come back a little later and have another sniff at their bowl. If your pet is a grazer we recommend the maximum time for leaving out a bowl of food is 1 hour (or 30 minutes on a warm day). If they do not eat the food straight away, you can also put it back in the fridge and offer it to them later (throw away any uneaten raw food 24 hours after it’s been in the bowl).

All of our Poppy’s Picnic and Tabby’s Table fresh raw meals have been crafted with your pet’s enjoyment. Every single ingredient is added to make sure your pet doesn’t just survive… that they thrive NATURALLY. We’ve fed millions of meals to hundreds of thousands of pets in the UK and beyond. 

If you are considering taking the step into raw food, just make sure your brand of choice uses human grade ingredients that are processed as little as possible. Also check that they have a certified vet and an expert team on hand to answer any questions.

Your food is defrosting and you are ready to feed your pet their first meal. Like anything in the kitchen, just keep everything clean – you are handling raw meat and you do need to wipe surfaces and hands after handling (just like you would any meat – even bacon and sausages).

Storing your food once defrosted is easy – just put it on the bottom shelf of your fridge. Once fully defrosted, do not refreeze.

Always remember to clean your pets bowl after feeding, wash any utensils and your hands.

If you have any more questions about feeding raw head over to our FAQ page or use the live chat service (bottom right hand corner).