About ZEAL

ZEAL is a pet food brand rooted in New Zealand, making air-dried and wet food for dogs and cats from meat raised on grass-fed pasture there and on farms in Canada.

What air-dried food actually is

This is the part worth understanding, because it is neither kibble nor raw. Air drying removes moisture slowly at low temperature rather than cooking under high heat and pressure the way extruded kibble is made, so the meat content stays closer to its original state. What you get is a dense, shelf-stable food that needs no freezer and no defrosting, keeps in a cupboard, and is fed in much smaller volumes than kibble because the water has gone. It is often used as a whole diet, and just as often as a topper over something cheaper.

The range

Air-dried recipes cover both dogs and cats, with different proteins — lamb, beef, venison, fish and poultry among them — and there are wet foods, jerky and tender treats, and variety packs. Recipes lead on animal protein and leave out artificial fillers, and the brand puts weight on being able to trace where the meat came from.

Feeding it sensibly

Two things matter with a dense food like this. First, portion by the feeding guide and by weight, not by eye: air-dried food looks like a small amount in the bowl and it is easy to overfeed badly, which is how a dog gains weight on an expensive diet. Second, make sure fresh water is always available, since a food with the moisture removed shifts more of the drinking onto the bowl. Any switch of diet should be spread across roughly seven days, with the new food making up a little more of each meal, since most digestive systems object to a sudden change. A dog or cat with a diagnosed condition — kidney disease, pancreatitis, diabetes — should have its diet agreed with a vet rather than changed on the strength of a label.

Using a ZEAL discount code

Pick the recipe and size, then apply the code in the cart and confirm the total has dropped before ordering.