We give The Farmer’s dog food a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Introduction
The Farmers Dog is a subscription service that provides premium refrigerated dog food to your door. A relatively new company, The Farmer’s Dog joins the growing market to meet the demands of dog owners turning away from commercial dog food and opting for the health benefits of fresh dog food coupled with the convenience of delivery.
The Farmer’s Dog exceeds in its customer care and its amazing quality, earning it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Every recipe has been developed by board-certified veterinary nutritionists and is customized to match your dog’s nutritional needs. Its only significant drawback may be its overall cost. Although The Farmer’s Dog is competitively priced compared with similar fresh dog food delivery companies, it is still expensive.
In this review, we’ll examine why switching your dog’s mealtime from commercial dog food to a fresh food delivery service like The Farmer’s Dog may be worth the price. We’ll go over the ordering, the customization steps, and the delivery process, as well as take a closer look at the ingredient choices in The Farmer’s Dog’s selections.
At a Glance: The Best The Farmer’s Dog Food Recipes:
- Turkey and Parsnip — “Most Popular”
- Beef and Lentils
- Pork and Sweet Potato
The Farmer’s Dog Food Reviewed
Since fresh dog food delivery is a fairly new concept, you may not know much about it. In this review, we’ll cover frequently asked questions about The Farmer’s Dog. We’ll consider the benefits of fresh dog food and its overall value and take a closer look at The Farmer’s Dog’s main ingredients.
Who Makes The Farmer’s Dog and Where Is It Produced?
The Farmer’s Dog was founded in 2014 by Jonathan Regev and Brett Podolsky. The inspiration for the company came from Podolsky’s dog, Jada the Rottweiler, who continually suffered from poor health after eating a variety of store-bought brands.
After searching and trying nearly every solution, Brett eventually began cooking homemade meals for Jada, and her health improved dramatically. Wanting to share his success and newfound knowledge, Brett teamed up with Jonathan to create a company that provided an easier way for owners to give their dogs homemade meals.
What started as a small, local operation in their own kitchens with deliveries from the back of their cars quickly grew in popularity and demand. Today, The Farmer’s Dog has customers across the United States, and it has served millions of meals and counting.
Which Types of Dogs Are The Farmer’s Dog Recipes Best Suited For?
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your dog needs to be sick like the founder’s dog, Jada, for you to consider changing to fresh dog food. The Farmer’s Dog food selections are both appropriate and greatly beneficial for all dog breeds of every age of maturity. Once puppies are weaned and ready for solid food, it can begin eating any of the recipes from The Farmer’s Dog.
Keep in mind that before you change your dog’s food type and diet, we recommend first consulting your veterinarian.
Where Can I Buy The Farmer’s Dog Food?
You won’t find The Farmer’s Dog in any retail or online stores. All purchases are made directly through the company’s website with the prepared meals delivered directly to your door. The Farmer’s Dog also provides quality DIY recipes that allow dog owners to make the food right at home.
Ordering from The Farmer’s Dog is simple and can be completed in a few minutes. After you create an online profile with your basic contact information, you’ll enter your dog’s name, gender, age, weight, and breed. To further customize the dog food to match your dog’s nutritional needs, you’ll be questioned about your dog’s body composition, activity level, and eating preferences. In the final step, you’ll provide information about whether your dog has allergies, the kind of dog food that’s currently being fed, how many treats your dog gets, and if your dog requires a prescription diet.
What Can I Expect When I Receive My First Delivery?
You’ll receive your first package and subsequent packages in a timely manner. The Farmer’s Dog doesn’t use preservatives. Instead, after the food is prepared, it’s frozen, but not to the point of a deep freeze. The product is then packaged with dry ice in environmentally-friendly recyclable cardboard with biodegradable insulation. The insolation can be composted or dissolved under running water in your sink.
When you receive the package, you’ll find individual pre-portioned bags labeled with your dog’s name, as a way of showing personal and individual care.
Once unpacked, you’ll need to thaw one bag. Each pre-portioned bag contains a day’s worth of food. The remaining bags need to be placed in your freezer. Because The Farmer’s Dog freezes their bags flat, the bags don’t take up as much of your freezer space.
When you’re ready to feed your dog, cut open a thawed bag with scissors. Unfortunately, the bags are not resealable. Any food that isn’t offered at your dog’s mealtime can be stored in an included plastic container. While the container is recyclable, it’s flimsy and not airtight. Since the food is fresh, refrigeration is necessary, and any uneaten food should be discarded to prevent spoiling.
The Farmer’s Dog Fresh Dog Food vs. Commercial Dog Food: Which Is the Best Value?
It’s an unavoidable fact that whether you choose The Farmer’s Dog or a similar fresh dog food company, you’re going to pay, on average, four to five times more for fresh dog food delivery than regular purchases of commercial dog food. Also, be aware that the larger your dog is, the more their food will cost.
You may be wondering if it’s worth spending the extra money. If your budget will allow it, a fresh food regimen customized to your dog’s exact dietary needs produces far more health benefits than most commercial dog foods. A healthier dog means lower veterinary bills throughout your dog’s life. On a fresh food diet, your dog will have improved digestion, a healthier coat, increased energy, better weight management, enhanced dental health, and reduced urinary difficulties or infections.
Does The Farmer’s Dog Have Helpful Customer Service?
The Farmer’s Dog does offer caring and helpful customer service. If you have a question or a concern, you’ll be able to contact an actual person to assist you. If your dog doesn’t like the food order, The Farmer’s Dog will send you different recipes to try or issue you a refund if you plan to donate the food to a shelter. The company even sends flowers when a regular customer’s pet passes away.
What Are Other Fresh Food Delivery Companies?
The Farmer’s Dog isn’t the only fresh dog food delivery company out there. NomNomNow has a wide variety of flavors and easy-to-use packaging. Pet Plate provides its meals in recyclable tubs with resealable lids and more meat choices. Ollie helps your dog more easily transition from dry dog food to fresh dog food and offers dog treats. Grocery Pup offers flavors that most dogs seem to love. For dogs with food allergies and sensitivities, Evermore provides organic ingredients and grass-fed meat.
What Are the Main Ingredients in The Farmer’s Dog Recipes?
The Farmer’s Dog uses only human-grade, USDA-certified ingredients that it sources from local farms, restaurant suppliers, and similar human food outlets. Although the ingredients are not certified organic, it never uses feed-grade or processed ingredients. Not to be confused with a raw dog food diet, all of The Farmer’s Dog food is cooked at low temperatures to USDA standards in USDA-approved kitchens.
The Farmer’s Dog only offers grain-free recipes. It gives you a choice of three fresh protein options: turkey, beef, or pork. Its selections also contain fish oil, which is an excellent source of omega fatty acids, as well as fruits and vegetables. These include carrot, kale, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, and spinach, which offer a healthy supply of antioxidants. “The Farmer’s Dog Nutrient Blend” consists of vitamins and minerals such as chelated minerals, which makes proteins more easily absorbed.
As with most grain-free dog foods, The Farmer’s Dog incorporates potatoes and legumes like chickpeas and sunflower seeds into their recipes. Be aware that in the summer of 2019, the FDA issued an alert linking canine heart disease, or dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), with grain-free dog foods, especially those containing potatoes, peas, lentils, or other seeds of legumes. The studies are ongoing and no conclusion has been reached.
Since The Farmer’s Dog works with top nutritionists, we assume that it has taken this FDA alert into account as it crafts its recipes. All The Farmer’s Dog recipes have added taurine, an essential amino acid that contributes to the healthy function of the heart muscle. The FDA study theorized that a taurine deficiency might lead to DCM. The addition of taurine in The Farmer’s Dog’s selections may help prevent this issue.
A Quick Look at The Farmer’s Dog Food
- Fresh food cooked within days of shipping
- Customizable to your dog’s gender, age, breed, and health issues
- Pre-portioned for each days’ worth of calorie needs
- Human-grade and unprocessed ingredients with no preservatives or fillers
- Recipes developed by board-certified veterinary nutritionists
- Meets AAFCO standards
- Prepared in USDA kitchens and cooked to USDA standards
- Shipped and packaged frozen and flat for storage
- Many dogs prefer the taste and texture
- Environmentally-friendly packaging
- Excellent customer service and care
- No recalls in the company’s history
- Lower number of protein options compared to similar companies
- Packaging is a bit flimsy and requires scissors to open
- Possible digestive upset with transition from dry food to fresh food
- Food must be properly stored to prevent spoiling
- More expensive compared to dry dog food
- Contains ingredients listed in FDA alert
- No organic or grass-fed meat options
Ingredients Analysis
- Turkey and Parsnip: 32.1% protein, 17.9% fat, 44.6% carbohydrates
- Beef and Lentils: 32.4% protein, 23.5% fat, 39.1% carbohydrates
- Pork and Sweet Potato: 39.3% protein, 25% fat, 32.1% carbohydrates
The Farmer’s Dog Recall History
The Farmer’s Dog has no recalls in the history of their business.
Reviews of the 3 Best The Farmer’s Dog Food Recipes
1. Turkey and Parsnip
You may want to choose Turkey and Parsnip when you’re first transitioning your dog onto fresh food. Besides USDA turkey as the main ingredient, it also has parsnips, chickpeas, carrots, broccoli, spinach, fish oil, and The Farmer’s Dog Nutrient Blend. Out of the three of these The Farmer’s Dog recipes, this selection contains the highest amount of carbohydrates and the lowest amount of fat and protein.
- Best for transitioning onto fresh food
- Highest in carbohydrates
- Lowest in fat
- USDA-quality turkey
- Highest quality ingredients
- Contains all necessary vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fatty acids
- Lowest in protein
2. Beef and Lentils
Your dog may devour this Beef and Lentils selection. It comes right in the middle for protein, fat, and carbohydrates in comparison to the other two choices. This recipe begins with USDA beef and is followed by sweet potato, lentils, carrots, USDA beef liver, kale, sunflower seeds, fish oil, and The Farmer’s Dog Nutrient Blend. We recommend trying this selection after transitioning your dog to fresh food, since beef may be more difficult for dogs to digest than turkey. Also, the beef used by The Farmer’s Dog is not grass-fed nor organic.
- Dogs seem to like the taste
- More even ratio of protein, fat, and carbohydrates
- USDA-quality beef
- Exceptional quality ingredients
- Beneficial nutrient blend
- Beef may be more difficult to digest
- Not grass-fed nor organic beef
3. Pork and Sweet Potato
This Pork and Sweet Potato recipe offers the highest protein content. Once you’re certain that your dog can handle the elevated protein, you’ll need to slowly transition your dog onto this selection. Along with USDA pork, this recipe features sweet potatoes, potato, green beans, cauliflower, USDA pork liver, fish oil, and The Farmer’s Dog Nutrient Blend.
- Highest protein content
- USDA pork
- Premium ingredients
- Complete and exceptional nutrition
- High protein is not ideal for all dogs
What Other Users Are Saying About The Farmer’s Dog Food
Business Insider: “If you want to improve your dog’s nutrition (and their health by extension) and you’re considering fresh food, we wholeheartedly recommend The Farmer’s Dog.”
Petful: “Try out The Farmer’s Dog. Your dog will feel the difference — and you’ll see it.”
Woof Whiskers: “I’ll cut to the chase and say we love The Farmer’s Dog. Apart from the amazing quality and competitive prices (in relation to fresh dog food), it offer DIY homemade dog food recipes as well, proving the company’s mission is to improve the health of dogs and not to just make a penny.”
Canine Journal: “The Farmer’s Dog does come with a steep price tag, but the premium food may be worth it to enhance the long-term health and well-being of your dog.”
Dog Food Advisor: “The Farmer’s Dog is a grain-free refrigerated dog food using a moderate amount of named meat as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars. Enthusiastically recommended.”
Conclusion
The Farmer’s Dog was founded on the basis of conveniently providing a better nutritional option for the increased wellbeing of pets. As the company has grown, it has maintained its high standards and outstanding quality. While you will pay more for The Farmer’s Dog, you’ll receive much in return. This premium dog food is customized to meet your dog’s dietary needs, which in turn, enhances your dog’s overall health. The Farmer’s Dog offers wonderful customer service and personal touches to let you know it truly cares.
Contents
- Introduction
- At a Glance: The Best The Farmer’s Dog Food Recipes:
- The Farmer’s Dog Food Reviewed
- The Farmer’s Dog Fresh Dog Food vs. Commercial Dog Food: Which Is the Best Value?
- A Quick Look at The Farmer’s Dog Food
- Ingredients Analysis
- The Farmer’s Dog Recall History
- Reviews of the 3 Best The Farmer’s Dog Food Recipes
- What Other Users Are Saying About The Farmer’s Dog Food
- Conclusion
