The Farmers Dog vs Ollie vs Nom Nom vs PetPlate & More – CanineJournal.com
If you’re looking for whole-food ingredients without additives and preservatives for your pup’s diet, fresh dog food could be the perfect solution – especially if you and your dog aren’t fans of the usual overly processed dry kibble.
Our experts give you our recommendations for the best companies to get fresh dog food delivered right to your door. It saves you the hassle of preparing food from scratch while ensuring that your dog gets all the nutrients he needs (which is a major concern with homemade dog food).
Article Overview
Best Fresh Dog Food
All of the companies we review here use fresh, human-grade ingredients with no fillers or preservatives and meet the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) requirements for a complete and balanced diet.
How do they work? With many of these companies, you fill out a dog profile on their website, which they use to customize the ingredients and portions for your pup’s specific dietary needs.
We’ve based our rankings and reviews on several factors, including the quality of ingredients, the level of customization for your dog’s specific needs, company reputation, customer service, customer reviews, packaging, pricing, and more.
The Farmer’s Dog Review
#1
We think The Farmer’s Dog comes out on top for the best overall fresh dog food. What gives this subscription service the edge over such tough competition? A combination of high-quality ingredients, an extensive dog profile including most dog’s possible dog health issues, excellent customer service, and eco-friendly packaging that’s not too bulky for easy storage in your fridge or freezer. The downside? They’re among the most expensive (but, you get what you pay for here it seems).
Key Features
- Recipes created by board-certified veterinary nutritionists
- Meal plans are all grain-free and customized to each dog’s unique qualities, health goals, and lifestyle
- Meals slow-cooked in USDA-approved kitchens and flash-frozen (flash-freezing is a process where fresh foods are frozen faster at lower temperatures to better preserve nutrients and prevent ice crystals from forming)
- You can adjust the flavors and quantity of packs in each shipment
- Eco-friendly packaging
- Thin, pre-portioned packages fit well in freezer
- Can cancel, pause, or change your subscription at any time
- Made in the U.S.
Dog Profile Includes
Breed, age, activity level, weight, body shape, ideal weight, and 15+ different health issues (allergies, gluten or grain insensitivity, ear infections, digestive issues, etc.), with the option of adding any other health issues not listed
Menu Options
Beef, Pork, and Turkey
Example Of Ingredients (Turkey recipe)
USDA turkey, chickpeas, carrot, broccoli, parsnip, spinach, fish oil, TFD nutrient blend (tricalcium phosphate, sea salt, vitamin B12 supplement, choline bitartrate, taurine, zinc amino acid chelate, iron amino acid chelate, vitamin E supplement, copper amino acid chelate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, potassium iodide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid)
Personal Experience
Our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Lexie LOVES The Farmer’s Dog! She gobbles it down fast and has had much more consistent bowel movements since switching. She’s also lost weight and maintained a much healthier weight since switching from kibble (and her coat is noticeably more shiny and healthy). – Sadie C., Canine Journal
Price
Plans start at $2 per day and include free shipping. However, when we ran quotes, The Farmer’s Dog was on the pricey side compared to other companies we review here. For a healthy-weight, 38-pound dog, pricing was $53.62 per week.
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Nom Nom Review
#2
Nom Nom is another excellent subscription service for top-quality, fresh dog food delivered to your door. Compared to The Farmer’s Dog, they don’t take as many health issues into account in their dog profile, but they’re more affordable. Nom Nom also stands out for its money-back guarantee and great customer service.
Key Features
- Recipes created by board-certified veterinary nutritionists
- Full money-back guarantee if you don’t see a difference in your pet after 30 days
- Boxes, meal packs, and insulating liners are all either recyclable or made from recycled materials
- Vacuum-sealed, single meal portion packaging with easy tear-off tops
- Access to pet nutritionists via live chat, phone, and email
- Healthy beef and chicken jerky treats available
- Can cancel, pause, or change your subscription at any time
- They also offer fresh meals for cats
- Made in the U.S.
Dog Profile Includes
Breed, age, weight, body size, picky eater, allergies or a sensitive stomach, dull or flaky coat, arthritis or joint pain, or no health issues
Menu Options
Beef Mash, Chicken Chow, Pork Potluck, and Turkey Fare
Example Of Ingredients (Turkey recipe)
Ground turkey, brown rice, eggs, carrots, spinach, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, potassium chloride, fish oil, natural flavor, vinegar, citric acid, taurine, choline bitartrate, zinc gluconate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, copper gluconate, niacin (vitamin B3), manganese gluconate, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), selenium yeast, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12 supplement, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), potassium iodide
Personal Experience
I switched my dog, Tiny, to the Nom Nom fresh diet from his commercial kibble food. He loved it and ate every bite as soon as I put it in his bowl. After a couple of weeks on the Nom Nom diet, I noticed he was vomiting far less than he had been before and was much less gassy. A win for both me and my pup! – Sally J., Canine Journal
Price
Nom Nom offers free shipping and multi-pet discounts. When we ran quotes, their pricing was about average compared to the other companies we review here. For a healthy-weight, 38-pound dog, pricing was $47.10 per week.
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Ollie Review
#3
Another high-quality subscription service, Ollie sets itself apart from the pack with the most affordable fresh dog food in our reviews. And unlike our top two picks, Ollie offers topper plans if you are looking to mix your dog’s current food with fresh dog food. Their food takes a bit of measuring for each meal instead of having individual meal packs, but its quality is just as high as our top two picks. However, Ollie only considers allergies in your dog’s profile and no other health concerns.
Key Features
- Recipes developed by veterinary nutritionists
- Offers full and topper meal plans (you can choose from a variety of topper meal plans, from 25%, 36%, 50%, or 72% of what they offer from full meals)
- All meals contain no soy, corn, or wheat
- Meats sourced from family-run farms in the U.S. and Australia
- Comes with a personalized plan to transition your dog to their diet
- Food comes frozen and requires thawing in fridge for 24 hours before use
- Packs aren’t portioned for individual meals, but they include a measuring scoop and a plastic container to store unused food for later use
- Can cancel, pause, or change your subscription at any time
- Has 4 healthy dog treat varieties
- Made in the U.S.
Dog Profile Includes
Breed, age, weight, ideal weight, body shape, activity level, and allergies
Menu Options
Beef, Chicken, Turkey, and Lamb
Example Of Ingredients (Beef recipe)
Beef, beef heart, sweet potato, peas, potato, beef kidney, carrot, beef liver, spinach, chia seed, dicalcium phosphate, blueberries, fish oil, iodized salt, zinc gluconate, rosemary, vitamin E supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), potassium iodide
Personal Experience
Our dogs love Ollie’s fresh food and gobble it right up! However, we found it a bit messier and slightly wasteful experience compared to what we’ve experienced with competitive products that come in individual servings or ships in plastic containers that you serve directly from. All of that said, the food quality is very high, and the price really cannot be beat. – Michelle S., Canine Journal
Price
When we ran quotes, Ollie was the least expensive of all the companies we review here. For a healthy-weight, 38-pound dog, pricing was $39.99 per week for full meals and $24.80 for a topper plan. Ollie offers free shipping.
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What Are My Other Options?
Although these companies didn’t make it into our top three picks, they’re certainly worth considering for your budget and your dog’s specific needs. The fresh dog food market is very competitive these days, so you may find your best fit with one of these companies.
A Pup Above | Chi Dog | JustFoodForDogs | PetPlate | Spot & Tango
A Pup Above Review
A Pup Above offers four high-protein, low-carb recipes that include natural gravy, which is high in collagen and amino acids. You can make a one-time purchase or subscribe and save 10%. And they have a sample pack you can try out first to see which recipes your dog prefers. While their ingredients and cooking method are top-notch, they don’t customize their food for any health issues or weight loss goals.
Key Features
- Sous vide cooking method to preserve nutrients (slow-cooked in a vacuum-sealed, BPA-free bag in a 180° water bath)
- Ingredients are non-GMO and pesticide-free
- Meals made in USDA-approved kitchens in Texas (U.S.)
- You can look up the source of every ingredient for your food’s lot number on their website
- Bags aren’t pre-portioned — you have to figure out how much to give your pup
- 100% satisfaction guarantee
- Can request a free, pre-paid TerraCycle envelope to help you recycle the plastic packaging
- 1% of revenues are donated to White Buffalo Land Trust to restore the health of our soil, water, and climate
Dog Profile Includes
A Pup Above doesn’t offer customizable fresh dog food.
Menu Options
Texas Beef Stew, Chicka Chicka Bow Wow, Porky’s Luau, and Turkey Pawella
Example Of Ingredients (Pork recipe)
Ground pork, pork liver, sweet potatoes, green beans, pineapple, monocalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium chloride, magnesium oxide, salt, ferrous sulfate, L-tryptophan, zinc oxide, selenium, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, calcium iodate, vitamins D3, and E
Price
A Pup Above starts at $3.37 per day for a five-pound dog. Compared to the quotes we ran for other companies we review here, A Pup Above was the most expensive. For a 40-pound dog, pricing is $70 per week for full meals and $35 for half meals. They offer free shipping.
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Chi Dog Review
Lesser-known Chi Dog takes a unique approach to fresh dog food — it’s based on the Eastern Medicine philosophy that “food is the first medicine.” Each of their five recipes (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) are designed to address specific imbalances in a dog’s health, whether suffering from diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, or arthritis, or experiencing common issues like obesity, digestive problems, allergies, or anxiety.
You can search to find the right recipe fit based on your dog’s health concern(s) or browse the recipes — each one lists the imbalances it addresses, characteristics of a healthy balance, Chinese medicine indications, ingredients, and more. Chi Dog gets great customer reviews for the quality of food and customer service.
Key Features
- Recipes developed by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist
- All meals include lightly cooked whole foods made in USDA-certified kitchens
- Each recipe is designed to help with specific health concerns, e.g., the Wood diet (chicken) addresses picky appetites, sensitive stomachs, liver support, ligament injuries, and seizures
- Eco-friendly shipping boxes lined with green cell foam, which is sustainable and biodegradable
- Sample packs available for one-time purchase
- Can cancel, pause, or change your subscription at any time
- Made in the U.S.
Dog Profile Includes
Breed, age, weight, body type, activity level (each recipe is designed to aid with special health concerns, so you can browse the recipes to find one that best fits with your pup’s health issues)
Menu Options
- Wood Diet (Chicken and Eggs)
- Fire Diet (Turkey and Millet)
- Earth Diet (Eggs and Tofu)
- Metal Diet (Beef and White Potatoes)
- Water Diet (Pork and Barley)
Example Of Ingredients (Earth Diet recipe)
Eggs, tofu, sweet potatoes, peas, spinach, mushrooms, flaxseed meal (source of ALA), algal oil (source of DHA), macro minerals [tricalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, monosodium phosphate, magnesium oxide], trace minerals [zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, magnesium proteinate, calcium iodide, selenium yeast], choline chloride vitamins [L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate (source of vitamin C), d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, niacin, d-biotin, vitamin B12, vitamin A acetate, vitamin E supplement, folic acid, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement]
Price
Meal pricing starts at $3.30 per day. When we ran quotes, Chi Dog was among the most expensive of all the companies we review here. For a healthy-weight, 38-pound dog, pricing was $61.63 per week for full meals. Sample packs are $52.90 for five 13.8 ounce trays. Chi Dog offers free shipping.
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JustFoodForDogs Review
One of the first fresh dog food companies, JustFoodForDogs offers six fresh-frozen recipes that contain whole, human-grade foods and locally sourced produce. You can make a one-time purchase or sign up for auto-shipping every one to eight weeks.
While they have a feeding calculator to help you figure out how much of their food your dog should eat, JustFoodForDogs doesn’t customize the food for any health concerns (unless you pay a hefty $250 formulation fee). And you still have to calculate how much food to buy, how long it will last, and then you have to measure it out every feeding time. Other companies take this hassle off your plate. Still, it’s one of the more affordable options for fresh dog food.
Key Features
- Several recipes are grain-free and gluten-free
- Year-long research feeding trials determined that their meals improved immune health
- Nutrition team can formulate a custom diet based on your dog’s medical records (requires a one-time $250 fee)
- Also offers PantryFresh food, vet-prescribed custom food, treats, nutrient blends, and supplement
- 100% satisfaction guarantee
- Vet-trained consultants available by phone and live chat
- They also offer a fresh food for cats
- Company is active in on-going research into the benefits of fresh dog food
- Made in the U.S.
Dog Profile Includes
JustFoodForDogs only offers customizable fresh dog food for a $250 formulation fee. Their fresh food recipes have a feeding calculator that helps you figure out how much food to buy and how much to feed your dog each day based on his age, weight, and activity level.
Menu Options
Chicken & White Rice, Beef & Russet Potato, Turkey & Whole Wheat Macaroni, Fish & Sweet Potato, Venison & Squash, and Lamb & Brown Rice
Example Of Ingredients (Venison & Squash recipe)
Ground venison, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, cranberries, safflower oil, Icelandic premium fish oil, and JustFoodForDogs (JFFD) nutrient blend
Price
Compared to the quotes we ran for other companies we review here, JustFoodForDogs is among the most affordable options. When we calculated the amount of food for a healthy-weight, 38-pound dog, pricing came out to approximately $41.60 per week for full meals. They offer free shipping over $99.
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PetPlate Review
PetPlate made an appearance on Shark Tank back in 2016, and while they didn’t get a nod for funding, the company found its way into homes across the U.S. Their subscription-based, human-grade fresh food is top quality, and they’re one of few to offer a topper plan.
However, their dog profile doesn’t take any health issues into account. And the food comes in large plastic containers rather than individually packaged servings. While they’re recyclable (#5 plastic), they take up a ton of freezer space.
Key Features
- Recipes developed by veterinary nutritionists
- Offers a full meal and a 50% topper plan
- Meals cooked in USDA-approved kitchens and flash-frozen to preserve nutrients
- 100% money-back guarantee
- All packaging is BPA-free and recyclable
- Bulky plastic containers take up a lot of freezer space
- Can cancel, pause, or change your subscription at any time
- Has organic, grain-free dog treats
- Made in the U.S.
Dog Profile Includes
Breed, age, weight, ideal weight, and activity level
Menu Options
Beef, Chicken, Turkey, and Lamb
Example Of Ingredients (Lamb recipe)
Ground lamb, sweet potatoes, apples, lamb liver, quinoa, broccoli, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, salt, natural flavor, calcium carbonate, salmon oil, minerals (ferrous fumarate, zinc oxide, manganese gluconate, magnesium oxide, potassium iodide, sodium selenite), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], vitamin D3 supplement), mixed tocopherols (preservative), taurine, parsley
Price
When we ran quotes, PetPlate was among the least expensive of all the companies we review here. For a healthy-weight, 38-pound dog, pricing was $44.94 per week for the full plan. PetPlate has free shipping.
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Spot & Tango Review
Another subscription-based service, Spot & Tango offers three fresh and three shelf-stable recipes (called Unkibble) that are all made with human-grade, whole-food ingredients. They take a lot of health concerns into account when customizing both types of food.
Spot & Tango is another great option for fresh meals, and their Unkibble is an excellent solution if you want high-quality “fresh” dog food but don’t have storage space in your freezer. However, they didn’t make it into our top three because we’ve seen some negative feedback online about poor customer service experiences.
Key Features
- All recipes developed by a certified vet nutritionist
- Ingredients are sourced from local farms and human food suppliers
- Fresh recipes are flash-frozen to preserve nutritional value
- All fresh recipes are gluten-free and contain no wheat, corn, or soy (lamb recipe is also grain-free)
- Unique shelf-stable UnKibble dry dog food is made from human-grade meats and fresh starches, veggies, and fruits that are dehydrated under low temperatures to preserve nutrients
- Slim, single-portion packaging fits well in freezer
- Risk-free 2-week trial — they’ll give you a full refund if your dog doesn’t like it
- Can cancel, pause, or change your subscription at any time
- Made in the U.S.
Dog Profile Includes
Breed, age, body shape, weight, activity level, and 20+ health concerns (allergies, arthritis, digestive issues, diabetes, etc.)
Menu Options
- For Fresh Meals: Beef & Millet, Turkey & Quinoa, and Lamb & Brown Rice
- For Unkibble: Beef & Barley, Chicken & Brown Rice, and Duck & Salmon
Example Of Fresh Meal Ingredients (Lamb recipe)
Lamb (50%), brown rice, blueberries, spinach, carrots, peas, egg, parsley, apple cider vinegar, safflower oil, vegetable stock, and Spot & Tango’s natural blend of vitamins and minerals
Price
When we ran quotes, Spot & Tango’s fresh meal pricing was about average compared to the companies we review here. For a healthy-weight, 38-pound dog, pricing was $46.14 per week for the full plan. For the same dog profile, their Unkibble quote was $25.68 per week. They offer free shipping and a two-week money-back trial period.
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Read Our Full Review Of Spot & Tango
How To Transition Your Dog’s Food
No matter what type of food you’re feeding your dog (kibble, canned, fresh, raw, etc.), switching to a new food type and even a new brand takes some time and consideration. Dogs’ tummies are notoriously sensitive, so we have a handy guide on how to slowly introduce new food to your dog to help minimize transitional digestive issues.
Consider Fresh Fruits For Dog Treats
If you’re into the healthiest food options for your pup, why not consider replacing regular dog treats with fresh fruit? This video tells you which fruits are safe and recommended serving sizes. Learn more about which human foods are dos and don’ts to give to dogs.
Are You Looking For Other Types Of Dog Food?
All of the fresh dog food companies we review here offer at-home delivery. But if you’re looking for dog food delivery for all-natural or brand-name kibble, check out our comprehensive reviews of the best dog food delivery services. We also have reviews of the best raw dog food if that’s an alternative you’re considering for your pup.
Do you think fresh dog food is worth the higher price?
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