Air-dried dog food explained: the Addiction raw alternative line

Air dried dog food shows up on more shelves every year, and the name alone does not explain much. Addiction Pet Foods sells a line of it under the name raw alternative, plus a second air dried line under the Wishbone name, both part of the Addiction Pet Foods USA catalog now sold through Sniff and Shift by way of Shopify Collective. Addiction is a New Zealand recipe brand with a US arm in Kent, Washington; Sniff and Shift makes freeze-dried treats in Malvern, Pennsylvania and does not make or formulate this food. Here is what the format actually is, and how it is packaged across the two lines.

What air drying actually does

Air drying removes moisture from raw ingredients using low, steady heat over an extended period, rather than the higher heat and extrusion used to make dry kibble, and without the freezing step used in freeze-dried treats. The result is a food that looks and feels closer to jerky or dense chews than to kibble pellets, and it does not need refrigeration once the package is sealed, similar to a dry food in that respect. It sits between two other formats: less processed than dry kibble, but shelf stable in a way raw frozen food is not. That combination is the whole appeal of the format: no freezer space needed, no thawing before a meal, and a texture and smell that many dogs take to quickly compared with a bag of pellets. It is also priced differently than either neighbor, generally above dry kibble by weight and below a frozen raw diet, which is worth factoring in before switching a large dog over entirely rather than using it as a topper or rotation.

How the Addiction raw alternative line is packaged

The raw alternative line covers several single and paired proteins: brushtail, chicken and apricot, beef and zucchini, venison and cranberry, lamb and potatoes, and kangaroo, sold under names like Perfect Summer, Country, Steakhouse, Homestyle, Herbed, and Outback. Package sizes vary by recipe and are sold as multi packs rather than one fixed bag size across the whole line; the Perfect Summer Brushtail Air-Dried Dog Food is sold in Pack of 1, Pack of 2, and Pack of 4, and the Steakhouse Beef and Zucchini Air-Dried Dog Food follows its own pack sizing on its own product page. Check the options on each listing rather than assuming one recipe's pack sizes carry over to the next.

Wishbone is a separate line, not a flavor of the same product

Wishbone is Addiction's other air dried brand, sold in 454 gram packages under recipe names like ocean fish and lamb, beef and lamb, and a straight lamb recipe. It is packaged and sized differently from the raw alternative line above it, so a Wishbone listing and a raw alternative listing are two different product families even though both are air dried. The Wishbone Air-Dried Lamb Recipe Dog Food is one example, sold at its own 454 gram size rather than the pack counts used elsewhere in the air dried lineup. Wishbone also has one dry cat recipe, which is a dry food, not air dried, despite sharing the brand name.

Feeding and storage, in plain terms

Because air dried food is denser than kibble by weight, a feeding chart built for kibble will not carry over directly; check the specific product's own feeding guidance rather than guessing from a kibble bag you already have at home. Once opened, reseal the package and store it in a cool, dry place the way you would a dry treat, and use it within the window printed on the package. If you are switching a dog from kibble to an air dried recipe, doing it gradually over a week or so, mixing the new food in with the old, tends to go smoother than an overnight swap, though your dog's own tolerance is the actual guide here, not a fixed schedule. Portioning also differs from kibble because the food is denser and generally more concentrated by weight, so a cup-for-cup swap from a kibble bag will typically overfeed; use the specific product's own feeding chart, and adjust from there based on your dog's weight and activity rather than carrying over a kibble measuring cup out of habit.

Choosing between the raw alternative line and Wishbone

If you are deciding between the two air dried lines, the practical difference is packaging and protein selection rather than one being air dried and the other something else; both use the same drying process. The raw alternative line has more protein options and more pack size choices per recipe, while Wishbone runs a smaller set of recipes in one fixed 454 gram size, plus the one dry cat recipe under the same brand name. Neither line is graded or reviewed by us beyond what is stated on each product page; picking between them comes down to which protein and pack size your dog needs, not a claim one line makes over the other.

Ordering and returns

Every air dried listing in this line ships to you directly from Addiction's Washington operation, typically in about four days, with its own tracking number, separate from anything ordered from our own kitchen. Returns go back to Addiction Pet Foods USA; email us and we will start that process for you. None of these recipes are made, packaged, or shipped by Sniff and Shift, and none of the raw alternative or Wishbone air dried food is eligible for our own free local delivery, which applies only to the treats we make ourselves.