The Farmer’s Dog Ultimate Review 2024

One of the most commonly asked questions for dog owners involves researching healthy dog food. What brands are the most fresh, nutritious and of course, flavorful and enticing? This question is important because subpar dog food has been shown to decrease pets’ quality of life due to health problems as they age.

The Farmer’s Dog is a company that strives to bring fresh, nutritious and delicious food right to your doorstep. With so many dog food subscription services, it’s hard to pick the right one. Our The Farmer’s Dog review will help you decide if it’s worth the higher price point.

Let’s explore more about this company, how the service works, and what makes them different from store-bought food and other meal services. Here is our The Farmer’s Dog review for 2024.

Origins of The Farmer’s Dog

Every business, person, and comic book character has an origin story. For The Farmer’s Dog, their origin story begins with a pup named Jada. As a puppy, she suffered from severe digestive issues and her owner Brett Podolsky tried every food on the market, to no avail. 

A vet recommended that Brett make Jada home-cooked food. He simply followed the ingredients list on store-bought food but noticed something — it looked, smelled and tasted like real food a human would eat. Even better, Jada’s digestive issues quickly vanished.

So, Brett teamed up with his business partner Jonathan Regev to make their own dog food, which became The Farmer’s Dog. The company quickly grew larger after receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from their initial customers. Today, it’s one of the largest dog food subscription companies; they even had a commercial air during the Super Bowl.

Research For Revolutionary Dog Food

So what did Brett and Jonathan do? What kind of research did they delve themselves into to create the best and healthiest dog food?

• Listened to the vet who suggested home cooking
• Researched decades of pet nutrition research
• Worked with the best that nutritionists
• Created human grade food that is nutritionally balanced 

Both Brett and Jonathan realized that this could be a good business venture. They decided to create a dog food subscription and delivery system for the entire nation.

How The Farmer’s Dog Meal Subscription Service Works

Using The Farmer’s Dog is quite simple and creates a meal plan that’s customized for your furry friend. 

• Fill out information about your dog.

These details include age, weight, breed, activity level, any special dietary needs and whether or not your dog is on a prescription diet.

• Next, The Farmer’s Dog creates a custom meal plan for your dog.

The food is human-grade and cooked fresh. 

• Your shipment is sent.

Your food is frozen, which locks in nutrients. The Farmer’s Dog doesn’t use preservatives.

This is the basic subscription model and their marketing pitch. Let’s go a little more in depth on how The Farmer’s Dog meal subscription service works.

The Food

What are the benefits of fresh food versus store-bought kibble? There are a few reasons The Farmer’s Dog touts on its website.

• On their website, The Farmer’s Dog cites that VCA Animal Hospitals says 80% of dogs develop dental disease. This is the same percentage of dogs that eat dry food, though they don’t offer evidence that these figures are related.
• However, contrary to popular belief, dry food doesn’t do more to clean a dog’s teeth than regular food.
• Nearly 60% of dogs are overweight or obese, and a meal plan can help keep your dog trim and at a healthy weight.
• Half of dogs over the age of 10 develop cancer — while ultra processed kibble isn’t the only culprit, it’s certainly not helping.

The Farmer’s Dog food uses a variety of proteins and vegetables that provide the nutrients a dog needs for a healthy lifestyle. They have a board certified veterinary nutritionist to ensure the recipes are 100% complete and balanced.

The food has all the minerals, vitamins, and nutrients that your dog needs. All of the ingredients are also human grade and sourced from local farms and quality food suppliers. 

Kind of Food Your Dog Needs

How does The Farmer’s Dog know the kind of food your dog needs? It basically works like this:

• They work with vets to find the best and most nutritious meal plans based on the dog’s age, breed, weight and activity level.
• They have a team to help you monitor your dog’s food intake and progression in case adjustments are needed. 

The Meal Plans

The meal plan is a personalized creation that The Farmer’s Dog, with the help of vet nutritionists, figures out. Each meal plan is different because every dog is different. 

How does The Farmer’s Dog know the amount of food to pack in each meal plan?

• That’s determined based on the dog breed, age, weight, and activity level of your dog.
• Vet nutritionists ensure that everything is calculated to the optimal calorie needs of each dog.

You can choose which meal plan you want and they will send you packages every week or however you opt. All packages are frozen which means that you need to thaw the package in the fridge before serving, which requires some planning ahead.

The Costs

The costs associated with each meal plan is different. The reason for that is because each dog is a unique and individual creature. Because all meal plans are personalized, all meal plans will vary.

• Each box costs between $1.50 to $17.50, depending on the dog breed.
• Subscription plans per month can range from $40 to $500 per month.

The fact is, The Farmer’s Dog meal subscription is pricier than other dog food options. However, if you have the means, it’s certainly a “cleaner” choice for your pup. Even within human-grade dog food, there are variations in quality — just because it’s human-grade doesn’t mean it’s high quality. Luckily, The Farmer’s Dog is one of the highest quality brands on the market.

How Does The Farmer’s Dog Differ From Other Pet Food Subscription Services?

Customization and Personalization

• The Farmer’s Dog provides your dog with highly personalized meal plans based on information about your dog.
• Customization helps ensure your dog receives the right nutrition and amount of food.
• Most subscription services offer personalization, but the level of attention and detail varies with each one.

Convenience and Packaging

• The Farmer’s Dog delivers food pre-portioned and ready to serve, making it more convenient for dog owners. 
• The packaging is eco-friendly and easy to store.
• Some services don’t offer pre-portioned meals or use less sustainable packaging materials.

Customer Support and Service

• The Farmer’s Dog is known for its excellent customer service.
• They have over a hundred staff members including a robust customer service team. 
• You can also speak with a team member about your dog’s progress and food intake.
• When it comes to other subscription services, customer service quality can vary — especially for newer, less-established businesses.

Speaking of less-established dog food companies and new startups, the success of The Farmer’s Dog is another benefit in itself. What if your dog falls in love with a certain type of food and *poof* the company goes out of business? Barring unforeseen circumstances, this is very unlikely to happen with The Farmer’s Dog.

Veterinarian-Formulated Recipes

• One thing that makes The Farmer’s Dog stand out is that its recipes are designed by veterinarians and pet nutritionists. 
• All recipes have to meet Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) standards for complete and balanced nutrition.
• Other subscription services work with veterinary experts, but you should verify that their recipes meet the same standards as The Farmer’s Dog.

Food Transparency

• The Farmer’s Dog makes it clear on their website where they get their food. 
• They also state that their foods contain little to no processed food — all cooked in the US, too. Other subscription services may be more opaque about food processing or where they source their ingredients.

“As a Proud Partner, we’re offering you a Special Discount on your first box of The Farmer’s Dog!”

Why Does My Dog Need The Farmer’s Dog Instead of Store-Bought Kibble?

The simple answer is that The Farmer’s Dog is fresh and uses human-grade food. Major brand kibble is often made using low quality ingredients. 

Quality of Ingredients

• The Farmer’s Dog uses human-grade, whole ingredients like fresh meats, vegetables, and grains. 
• The meals are also nutritionally balanced and made with high-quality, real food.
• Store-bought kibble — especially lower-priced brands from grocery stores — can contain lower-quality ingredients, including meat by-products, fillers, artificial preservatives and additives. 
• The high-temperature processing can strip away essential nutrients, which is not a good thing for your dog.
• As a result of losing nutrients, some kibble brands rely on synthetic supplements to meet nutritional requirements. This may not affect the health of your dog, but why risk it?
• Plus, would you want to eat dried-out pellets of chicken meal and other low-quality ingredients every day for the rest of your life?

Digestibility

• The Farmer’s Dog is fresh and minimally processed, making it easier for dogs to digest and absorb nutrients. 
• This can result in smaller, firmer stools and a healthier digestive system.
• Store-bought kibble can have high starch and filler content. 
• This, in turn, can be harder to digest and may lead to gastrointestinal issues, such as bloating, gas and irregular stools.

Taste and Palatability

• The Farmer’s Dog is made from fresh ingredients, making it more appealing to dogs.
• This can be beneficial for picky eaters or dogs with reduced appetite.
• Store-bought kibble can be less palatable due to the processing and use of artificial flavors and preservatives. 
• Some dogs may be less enthusiastic about eating the store-bought kibble.
• Plus, dry kibble may be difficult to chew for dogs with advanced dental issues.

Customization

• As mentioned before, The Farmer’s Dog offers a personalized meal plan.
• Low quality kibble is just a bag of food that doesn’t hone in on the individual dog’s health needs.
• Instead it offers a one-size-fits-all formula that may not cater to your fur baby’s specific nutritional needs.

Transparency and Trust

Low quality kibble brands may list ingredients, but they can be vague about them or where they come from. They also may not provide clear information about the quality of the ingredients — instead just meeting the bare minimum standard of food sourcing, quality and nutritional value.

The Farmer’s Dog Review: In Conclusion

In our opinion, The Farmer’s Dog is the gold standard of meal subscription services. There are many strong competitors, but between its customization, quality of ingredients, high standard of nutritional value and transparency of ingredient sourcing, we would recommend it over others.

The biggest downside? Cost. The subscription service isn’t exactly the most affordable option, at least in the short term. 

However, feeding your dog healthy, nutritious food that isn’t over processed reduces obesity and may even reduce the rate of cancer. Obesity often leads to health problems and obvious cancer is a dog owner’s worst nightmare, leading to pricey vet bills and treatments. 

Feeding your pet The Farmer’s Dog by no means guarantees those health ailments won’t happen. However, like the company’s inspiration, Jada, this food is a great choice for owners with dogs who suffer from digestive issues.

When your dog is being transported, healthy food and plenty of water is extremely important. The dog-loving transporters on CitizenShipper have experience with feeding and storing fresh food while on the road. If you need to transport a dog, look no further than our #1-rated dog transportation marketplace.

Disclaimer: CitizenShipper is a partner of The Farmer’s Dog and may earn commissions by referring customers.