Pros
- Uses only the most wholesome and nutritious human-grade meat and vegetables.
- All ingredients are USDA-approved, humanely raised, and free of GMOs and other artificial substances.
- Fully committed to sustainable practices.
- Free shipping, with bulk shipping options available to reduce the carbon footprint of your dog food deliveries.
Cons
- Food has a relatively short shelf life and doesn’t last long once thawed.
- Limited customization options. Site has a profile quiz but it’s harder to tweak the recipe to your liking. Hence not ideal for dogs with strict diets.
When it comes to nutrition, I find that some of us are of the opinion (sometimes strongly) that going 100 percent natural is the only way to go. This opinion often extends to today’s best fresh dog food. After all, if I’m going to go with fresh pet food, why not go all the way? That’s exactly what the people behind The Farmer’s Dog thought.
While they don’t take it as far as insisting raw diets are the best for dogs like some do, they do make it a point to ensure that the ingredients they use in their fresh meals are as unaltered as possible from farm to doggy bowl. Below I talk about why Farmer’s Dog is one of the best dog food delivery service brands today.
Features of The Farmer’s Dog
All-Natural Ingredients and Techniques
The primary selling point of The Farmer’s Dog is its commitment to ensuring that their meals use the most natural ingredients and preparation methods possible. Hence all of their meats and vegetables are human-grade[1], and free of any hormones, fillers, preservatives, or any other artificial substances. These are American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)- and USDA-approved. However, this also means that they leave some animal byproducts in.
Recipes by The Farmer’s Dog are simple as can be. The star of the show is the main protein you’ve chosen, and one or two kinds of veggie mixed in. All their fresh dog foods are grainless, so there’s nothing in the way of your dog enjoying the natural goodness of the meat—real food perfect even for a very picky eater. That also lets you avoid allergic reactions to grains, which is one of the most common food sensitivities in dogs.
Personalization Accounts for Activity and Weight
The main edge of The Farmer’s Dog’s recipe personalization is its considerations for your dog’s weight and activity levels. There are some other fresh dog food services that do this too, but in The Farmer’s Dog’s case, you’re certain that their nutritionists are making recipes and portions that can manage your dog’s weight using 100 percent natural ingredients, with no additives whatsoever.
However, it’s harder to tweak the recipes on the website, and there are fewer personalization options compared to other services. The personalized names on each package are nice though, and they’re helpful if you have more than one dog.
Greatly Beneficial to Health
The simple recipes are also much safer than other dog food brands that rely on additives. Some dogs are sensitive even to natural additives. The sheer simplicity of The Farmer’s Dog meals let you work around that.
The recipes are also carefully formulated by their veterinarian nutritionists to have a positive impact on your dog’s health in general. Satisfied customers report shinier coats and brighter eyes, better digestion, immunity, energy levels, and even a reduction of the symptoms of old age such as arthritis.
First Time Discount
The Farmer’s Dog offers a 20% discount to all first-time orders, to let you try their recipes out at a lower price before deciding if The Farmer’s Dog is right for you. They also sometimes start promo periods wherein they offer 50 percent off instead of 20.
Great For Seniors and Sensitive Stomachs
Since the recipes are made to be as wholesome, unprocessed as possible, and gently cooked, The Farmer’s Dog is great for dogs whose stomachs have issues digesting conventional dog food that’s usually full of artificial ingredients. This makes it great for older dogs as well. Good food can be great for comforting dogs that are dealing with issues such as separation anxiety.
Perfectly Portioned Deliveries
Similar to other fresh dog food subscription services, the meal packs delivered to you will be perfectly portioned to ensure that there’s no food waste. Deliveries are also timed so that you’re never left without a freshly cooked meal for your pup.
Sustainable Production
Since all of their products are made to order instead of mass-produced, their manufacturing process has a much smaller carbon footprint.
And their carbon footprint is driven down even further by the fact that they deliver directly to the consumer, taking emission-heavy middlemen out of the equation. And of course, all their packaging materials are either biodegradable or recyclable. They also offer bulk delivery options to reduce emissions even more.
Budget-Friendly
Much like any fresh dog food brand that offers personalization options, The Farmer’s Dog base their pricing according to dog’s age, weight, activity and other health factors. Although the mid- to higher tiers of quality can be somewhat steep, the prices are still competitive compared to most fresh food brands, and there’s much more flexibility if you’re on a budget.
For example, the price for smaller dogs could start at $2 a day if you choose the cheapest meat option. Coupled with free shipping, it’s a pretty sweet deal.
Is This Right For You?
If you’re absolutely convinced that only the utmost natural ingredients are worthy of your dog’s stomach, then The Farmer’s Dog is most likely the brand for you. The only fresh dog food services that offer fresher and more natural ingredients are mostly those that provide raw meals.
Granted, you can’t really get that much fresher and more natural if you’re already a fresh dog food company, but The Farmer’s Dog really pushes the envelope in that department.
However, because of the focus they give to the quality of their meats and veggies, they have a pretty limited selection of meat proteins. Because of this, The Farmer’s Dog recipes are also limited to only the available proteins they provide. So far they only carry beef, chicken, and turkey, but this list may expand in time.
There’s also the fact that personalization is kind of lacking compared to other subscription services. That may be a dealbreaker for dogs who are on the pickier side, have food allergy, or have dietary needs that call for other meats.
You also can’t view the ingredients of their recipes until you arrive at one when you take their health profile quiz.
Still, they may be the best choice for pet parents who want a fresh dog food delivery service that also places a lot of value on sustainable practices. Hope my The Farmer’s Dog food review helps you and your pup!
