Get Joy vs Sundays: Freeze-Dried Raw or Air-Dried for Your Dog?

Updated: July 2026 · Reviewed against verified competitor data and Get Joy product facts · See our vet & nutrition experts

Both Get Joy and Sundays are a genuine step up from standard kibble, so the honest question is not which brand is better in the abstract. It is what the food actually does for your dog once it is in the bowl, and which approach fits your household. If your priority is truly raw nutrition with a gut-health system built in, Get Joy is likely the better fit; if you specifically want a genuinely convenient, pantry-stable, jerky-like food with no prep, Sundays is a strong choice.

Here is what most comparisons miss. The question is not just how easy a food is to serve. It is what the food actually does for your dog once it is in the bowl, and how much of its raw nutrition survives to get there. That is where Get Joy takes a different path: we start with the gut, because gut health is whole-body health, and we build our Belly Biotics blend of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics directly into every meal. Get Joy is freeze-dried raw. Sundays is air-dried, which uses heat, so it is technically cooked rather than raw. That single distinction shapes everything below.

What is the main difference between Get Joy and Sundays?

The main difference is that Get Joy is truly raw while Sundays is air-dried, which means it is cooked with heat. Get Joy uses gentle freeze-drying at a max of 125°F to remove moisture without cooking, so the food stays raw. Sundays uses low-heat air-drying to create a shelf-stable, jerky-like food; because air-drying uses heat, it is technically cooked rather than raw. Both are convenient and shelf-stable, so the decision often comes down to whether raw nutrition and a built-in gut system matter to you.

There is also a gut-health difference. Get Joy builds a live pre-, pro-, and postbiotic system into every meal at 3 billion CFU per pound. Sundays adds probiotics after drying but does not headline a live-strain CFU count, and its heat step limits live-culture claims. So the Get Joy vs Sundays choice is really freeze-dried raw with a built-in gut system versus convenient air-dried food with a broad produce list.

Get Joy vs Sundays at a glance

Here is the head-to-head on the factors dog parents ask about most.

Freeze-dried raw vs air-dried: what is the difference?

The difference between freeze-dried raw and air-dried comes down to heat. Freeze-drying, which Get Joy uses, removes moisture through a gentle low-temperature process at a max of 125°F, so the food never gets cooked and stays raw. Air-drying, which Sundays uses, gently circulates warm air to dry the food; because that step uses heat, air-dried food is technically cooked, not raw.

Both methods create a convenient, shelf-stable food, and both are miles ahead of heavily processed kibble. But if your goal is true raw nutrition, that distinction is the whole ballgame. Get Joy's gentle freeze-drying supports up to 97% nutrient retention and keeps live probiotics intact, while any heat-based drying step naturally limits how many live cultures can survive. That is why Sundays adds its probiotics after drying rather than relying on them to make it through the process. For more on the format, see our guide to freeze dried dog food vs kibble.

Which is better for your dog's gut health?

Get Joy is the stronger choice for gut health because it builds a live pre-, pro-, and postbiotic system into every meal and publishes its potency. Our Belly Biotics blend delivers 3 billion CFU per pound across five probiotic strains (Bacillus coagulans, Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei, L. reuteri, and Bifidobacterium animalis), plus inulin as a prebiotic and yeast culture as a postbiotic. This is not a sprinkle-on afterthought. It is a structural part of the recipe.

Why does this matter so much? Gut health drives far more than digestion. A balanced microbiome supports immune function, skin and coat, steady energy, and a healthy inflammatory response. Sundays does add probiotics after drying, which is a nice touch, but its heat-based air-drying step limits live-culture claims, and it does not headline a live-strain CFU count the way Get Joy does. If you want the science first, start with Gut Health 101 and our guide to pre, pro, and postbiotics. For the research backdrop, this PubMed collection on the canine gut microbiome is a good starting point.

Which has better ingredients?

Both brands use clean, quality ingredients, and Sundays earns credit for its human-grade kitchen and thoughtful produce list. Sundays pairs 90%+ meat with a wide range of whole foods, including quinoa, millet, pumpkin, kale, blueberries, and chicory root, made in a USDA-monitored human-grade kitchen. Some dog parents love that variety.

Get Joy takes a simpler, single-protein approach. Our Freeze Dried Raw uses 100% USDA-sourced beef or chicken with organ meat, plus purpose-chosen whole foods like pumpkin, flaxseed, and the ancient grain sorghum, which is gluten-free and low glycemic. We hold the Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio at no more than 3:1 for anti-inflammatory support, keep it non-GMO and gluten-free, and include no seed oils, fillers, byproducts, or artificial anything. Single-protein simplicity can be easier on sensitive dogs, and Get Joy reaches 99% starch digestibility (95%+ gelatinization) with up to 97% nutrient retention for high bioavailability and a smaller, firmer stool.

Is Get Joy safe, and how is it processed?

Yes, Get Joy is made with safety built in, and it does it without cooking the food. Get Joy uses Competitive Inhibition, an FDA-approved natural kill step where beneficial probiotics claim the space and resources that harmful bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria would need to survive. Picture a dog park where all the good dogs already took the best spots, so the troublemakers have nowhere to go.

Because we do not lean on high-pressure processing, high heat, irradiation, or acidifiers, and we keep our max product temperature at 125°F, we preserve the nutrients, texture, and probiotics that make raw worth doing in the first place. Sundays reaches shelf stability through low-heat air-drying and is made in a USDA-monitored human-grade kitchen, which is a legitimate, safe approach too. The core difference is that Get Joy keeps the food raw while Sundays cooks it lightly through its air-drying step.

Which is more convenient?

Both are genuinely convenient, and it is fair to say Sundays is built around convenience. Sundays is pantry-stable with no prep and a palatable, jerky-like texture that many dogs love, and there is no thawing or refrigeration to manage. If pure grab-and-go is your single top priority, Sundays delivers on it.

Here is the good news: Get Joy is just as easy to live with, and it does not ask you to trade away raw nutrition to get there. Get Joy Freeze Dried Raw is shelf-stable and scoop-and-serve, dry or rehydrated with a little water or bone broth. Because freeze-drying removes nearly all the moisture, about 1 lb of Get Joy equals roughly 4 lbs of fresh food, so a light bag goes a long way. See how much freeze dried raw to feed for portions. So the real question is not convenience versus inconvenience. It is which convenient food also delivers truly raw nutrition and a built-in gut system, and that is where Get Joy pulls ahead.

The final verdict: Get Joy or Sundays?

Get Joy is the best choice for dog parents who want truly raw nutrition, higher nutrient retention, and a built-in gut-health system, all in a convenient, shelf-stable meal. Sundays is a strong fit if grab-and-go convenience with a jerky-like texture is your top priority and you are comfortable with an air-dried, technically cooked food.

Frequently asked questions

Is Get Joy better than Sundays?

For dog parents who want truly raw nutrition and a built-in gut-health system, Get Joy has an edge because it is freeze-dried raw (no cooking) with pre-, pro-, and postbiotics at 3 billion CFU per pound. Sundays is a strong choice if grab-and-go convenience and a jerky-like texture are your top priorities.

Is Sundays raw dog food?

No. Sundays is air-dried, and because air-drying uses heat, it is technically cooked rather than raw. Get Joy is freeze-dried at a max of 125°F, which removes moisture without cooking, so it stays truly raw.

Does Sundays have live probiotics?

Sundays adds probiotics after drying, but its heat-based air-drying step limits live-culture claims and it does not headline a live-strain CFU count. Get Joy builds Belly Biotics into every meal at 3 billion CFU per pound across five live strains.

Is air-dried or freeze-dried better for dogs?

Both are convenient and shelf-stable. Freeze-drying uses no cooking and supports up to 97% nutrient retention, keeping the food raw and live probiotics intact. Air-drying uses heat, so it is technically cooked. If raw nutrition is your goal, freeze-dried raw like Get Joy has the edge.

Can I use Get Joy as a topper?

Yes. Get Joy Freeze Dried Raw works as a complete meal, a topper over your dog's current food, or a training reward. Even a small daily scoop adds real raw nutrition and gut support.

Competitor details (air-drying process, ingredient list, human-grade kitchen, probiotic approach) are drawn from Sundays for Dogs' own website and public listings as of July 2026; prices and specs can change, so confirm current details on each brand's site. Get Joy figures are from getjoyfood.com and internal product documentation. This article is for education and is not veterinary advice; consult your vet for your dog's individual needs.