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Most dry dog food is made using a process called extrusions, which uses high heat and pressure over multiple rounds to cook ingredients.
Cold-pressed dog food is made differently.
At WILD, we use a low-temperature cold-pressing process that helps preserve more of the natural nutrients in our high-quality ingredients, while creating a dry food that's easy to feed, store and digest.
Here's exactly how it works.
Every WILD recipe starts with carefully selected, high-quality ingredients.
We build our recipes around high levels of quality animal ingredients, combined with functional fruits, vegetables and superfoods chosen to support everyday health. Every ingredient has a purpose, whether that's providing protein, supporting digestion or delivering essential vitamins and minerals.
Unlike many extruded dog foods, you'll never find cheap, unnecessary fillers included simply to reduce costs. We focus on nutrient-dense ingredients selected for nutrition, digestibility and taste.
Why it matters: Better ingredients create better nutrition before processing even begins.
Before cold-pressing, our ingredients are gently dehydrated at low temperatures and finely ground into a nutrient-rich blend.
This process removes excess moisture while helping preserve the natural flavour, nutritional value and integrity of the original ingredients. Rather than exposing ingredients to extreme temperatures, we take a gentler approach that keeps them closer to their natural state.
Many extruded kibbles undergo multiple heating stages during production. By comparison, our low-temperature dehydration process is designed to minimise unnecessary processing before the food is made.
Every stage of production takes place here in the UK.
Why it matters: The less ingredients are exposed to excessive heat and pressure, the more of their natural qualities can be preserved.
Once blended, the recipe is cold-pressed at a low temperature of just 45°C.
Extruded kibble is typically produced using extrusion, a process that uses multiple rounds of intense heat, steam and pressure. During production, ingredients can be exposed to temperatures between 120°C and 200°C before being dried and processed further.
Cold-pressing takes a different approach.
By gently pressing ingredients at low temperatures, we avoid the repeated high-heat processing used to create traditional kibble. This helps preserve more of the natural qualifies of the ingredients while creating a highly digestible pellet that breaks down naturally in the stomach.
The result is a minimally processed dog food designed to support healthy digestion, stable energy levels, shiny coats and long-term wellbeing.
Why it matters: The way a food is made matters just as much as the ingredients that go into it.
FEWER PROCESSING STEPS. LOWER TEMPERATURES. BETTER INGREDIENT INTEGRITY.
Most kibble is made using a process called extrusion, where ingredients are exposed to multiple rounds of high heat, steam and pressure - often reaching temperatures of 120-200°C.
This intensive processing can alter proteins, fats and some naturally occurring nutrients, which is why many kibbles rely on added vitamins and minerals premixes after production.
At WILD, we do things differently. Our ingredients are gently dehydrated before being cold-pressed at 45°C, helping preserve more of their natural goodness while creating a highly digestible food.
A dog's stomach is a moist, acidic environment so how a food reacts to moisture matters.
In this demonstration, the cold-pressed food quickly absorbs water and begins to break down into smaller particles. The kibble largely retains its expanded biscuit shape.
This difference comes from the manufacturing process. Cold-pressed food is gently pressed at low temperatures, creating a dense pellet that readily absorbs moisture. Kibble is produced using high heat and pressure, creating an expanded structure.
While digestion is influenced by many factors, this simple test helps demonstrates why cold-pressed food is often considered easier for dogs to break down than heavily processed kibble.
COLD-PRESSED
Cold-pressed food is gently pressed at low temperatures, creating a dense nugget that quickly absorbs moisture and naturally breaks apart.
KIBBLE
Extruded kibble is produced using high heat and pressure to create the familiar expanded biscuit shape.
No. Cold-pressed dog food and raw dog food are two different formats.
Raw food is fed uncooked and contains naturally occurring moisture, while cold-pressed food is gently dehydrated and pressed into a dry, shelf-stable pellet.
What they do share is a focus on quality ingredients and minimal processing. Many dog foods choose cold-pressed dog food because it offers the convenience of dry food while using a gentler production process than extruded kibble.
Most dry dog foods are made using a process called extrusion. If a food is cold-pressed, manufacturers will often highlight this on their packaging or website because it's a key point of difference.
If you can't find any information about how a food is made, we recommend contacting the manufacturer directly. Understanding not just what's in your dog's food, but how it's produced, can help you make a more informed decision.
At WILD, we're transparent about both.
Many dog owners choose cold-pressed food because it's made using a gentler production process than extruded kibble.
By avoiding the repeated high temperatures and pressure used during extrusion, cold-pressed food retains a different structure that many owners find easier for their dogs to tolerate.
Every dog is different, but cold-pressed is often a popular choice for dogs with digestive sensitivities.
Not all ingredient percentages are measured in the same way.
Many dog foods highlight large amounts of fresh or freshly prepared meat. While this sounds impressive, fresh meat naturally contains around 60-75% water. Before it can be turned into a dry food, much of that moisture has to be removed during production.
At WILD, our ingredient percentages are calculated after dehydration, once the moisture has already been removed. This gives a more accurate reflection of what actually ends up in the final food your dog eats.
The same principle applies to the nutritional analysis on the back of the packaging. When water is removed, nutrients such as protein become more concentrated, which is why dry foods made with high levels of dehydrated ingredients often show higher protein percentages than foods relying heavily on fresh ingredients.
That's why we focus on transparency. Rather than advertising ingredients before processing, we want dog owners to understand what's actually in the finished product sitting in their dog's bowl.
Yes - every WILD recipe is complete and balanced, meaning it provides all the essential nutrients your dog needs for everyday feeding. Our formulas follow strict FEDIAF nutritional guidelines and are approved by qualified canine nutritionists.
A quick way to check whether any dog food meets these standards is to look for the word “complete” on the packaging. If it’s labelled as complete, it has been formulated to meet your dog’s full daily nutritional requirements. If it isn’t, it should only be fed as a topper or treat.
With WILD, every cold-pressed recipe is formulated as a complete diet, so you can feed it with confidence - whether as your dog’s main food or as part of a nutritionist-guided mixed feeding plan.
Yes. Traditional kibble is typically made using a process called extrusion.
Food science has shown that high temperature processing can affect certain heat-sensitive nutrients, including some vitamins, antioxidants and amino acids. One example is lysine, an essential amino acid that can become less available when exposed to intense heat.
High temperature cooking can also create compounds that aren't naturally present in raw ingredients. These include Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), which form when proteins and sugars are heated together, as well as oxidation products that can develop when fats are repeatedly exposed to heat.
This is one reason many kibble manufacturers add vitamin and mineral premixes after production to ensure the finished food remains nutritionally complete.
At WILD, we take a different approach. Our recipes are gently cold-pressed at just 45°C, helping preserve more of the natural qualities of the ingredients while reducing the need for intensive processing.
The result is a less processed dry food that stays closer to the ingredients that went into it.
This depends on the brand.
Many cold-pressed foods (like WILD) avoid grains, peas, and legumes, focusing instead on high-quality meat, vegetables, and superfoods.
Check the ingredient list carefully to see exactly what’s inside - transparency matters.
The biggest factor is ingredient quality.
Many extruded kibbles use large amount of lower-cost ingredient to keep prices down (and profits up). At WILD, our recipes are built around high levels of quality animal ingredients, alongside carefully selected fruits, vegetables and superfoods.
The manufacturing process also plays a role. Traditional kibble is produced using highly automated extrusion systems designed to manufacture enormous volumes of food as efficiently as possible. Cold-pressed production is typically carried out on a much smaller scale, using a slower, gentler process that prioritises ingredient integrity over product speed.
While cold-pressed food may cost more per bag, many owners feel the quality of the ingredients, gentler processing and nutritional benefits make it a worthwhile investment in their dog's long-term health.
