Are Dog Food Delivery Services Worth The Money? Vets Explain

1 month ago

It happens to nan champion of us: You spell to provender your excited canine for nan night, only to find that you ran retired of their favourite wet food and person to make a last-minute pet shop run. Or, perhaps, your canine is simply a picky eater and you haven’t rather recovered the correct food for his very peculiar tastes. Dog nutrient transportation services adhd immoderate easiness to your life by delivering dog food straight to your doorway astatine nan nonstop clip you request it (so you conveniently won’t tally retired of refills). Plus, astir brands person a awesome assortment of recipes that mightiness make your canine much excited for repast time.

To thief you find nan champion canine nutrient transportation work for your pup’s needs, I said to 4 veterinarians astir what to see erstwhile shopping for one. I besides sewage their recommendations for nan champion services to shop, arsenic good arsenic options NBC Select staffers provender their ain dogs.

SKIP AHEAD How I picked nan champion canine nutrient transportation services | Best canine nutrient transportation services | What are nan benefits of canine nutrient transportation services? | Why spot NBC Select?

Best for delicate stomachs

How I picked nan champion canine nutrient transportation services

When shopping for a reliable canine nutrient marque that delivers to your door, vets urge considering nan pursuing factors:

Meets AAFCO standards: The astir important point to look for erstwhile shopping for pet nutrient is quality. “Many nutrient companies for pet nutrient are not regulated by FDA, truthful galore mendacious claims tin beryllium added to food,” says Dr. Miriam Fink, aesculapian head astatine Bond Vet. The easiest measurement to cheque is whether aliases not nan fare has been approved by nan Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), which intends nan nutrient has been tested by an independent laboratory to guarantee nutrient information by an extracurricular source. “If nan nutrient is not AAFCO approved, this tin mean that testing was only done internally, and nary regulating assemblage performed a secondary confirmatory test,” says Fink. All of nan services I urge meet AAFCO standards.
Your dog’s circumstantial nutritional needs: This includes their age, breed, activity level, allergies and immoderate wellness conditions. All canine nutrient packaging should person a visible guideline that indicates really overmuch nutrient your pet needs connected a regular ground based connected their weight and age. Each work I urge has circumstantial nutritional accusation connected nan packaging and/or website, arsenic good arsenic various repast plans for different breeds, weights and/or ages.
Customizability: Most brands person an introductory questionnaire that lets them cognize much astir your dog’s needs and preferences, which helps nan work tailor nan circumstantial nutrient and repast plans to your pet. Consider really often you’ll beryllium receiving your pet’s nutrient and whether you tin customize aliases modify transportation dates, too. All of nan beneath brands fto you alteration nan wave of your deliveries aliases delay/skip a transportation erstwhile needed.
Cost: Dog nutrient subscriptions and transportation services are typically much costly than shop bought food, truthful see costs ratio versus convenience.

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Best canine nutrient transportation services

Best overall: Ollie

What we like

Customizable plans
Both caller and barren options
Resealable packaging

Something to note

Nothing to statement astatine this time

Ollie is simply a favourite of NBC Select elder head of commerce analytics Amanda Smith, who feeds this work to her picky, 3-year-old rat terrier Mac. “I started adding a caller nutrient to Mac’s statement up and it has wholly changed nan game. He’s ne'er been very nutrient motivated and abruptly he’s begging for repast time,” she says. “I bought him talking buttons years agone and he’s yet utilizing nan nutrient one. He’s been excessively frightened [to usage nan buttons] until past week erstwhile we started utilizing Ollie.”

The work first requires you to return a short quiz that asks your dog’s existent weight, perfect weight, spay/neuter position and activity level. You tin take betwixt 3 plans: afloat caller (pouches that see existent meat, fruits, veggies and grains), mixed (half information of Ollie’s caller nutrient and half of Ollie’s barren food) and half caller (half information of Ollie’s caller nutrient to operation pinch your dog’s emblematic food). Here’s a costs breakdown for each plan:

Full fresh: $22 per week (small dogs), $55 per week (medium dogs), $69 per week (large dogs)
Mixed bowl: $19 per week (small dogs), $45 per week (medium dogs), $59 per week (large dogs)
Half fresh: $15 per week (small dogs), $38 per week (medium dogs), $41 per week (large dogs)

You tin take from up to 5 caller recipes, including pork, chicken, beef, lamb and turkey, and 2 barren nutrient options if you prime nan mixed vessel plan. (Once you motion up, you’ll get a two-week starter container that’s 50% disconnected nan price.) The nutrient comes sealed successful pouches to support it airtight, and they’re resealable truthful you tin easy shop them. You’ll request to put it successful nan refrigerator aft you person it, and nan nutrient is bully to service to your canine for up to 4 days, according to nan brand. Ollie besides has treats and supplements to adhd to your shipment.

Number of recipes: 5 | Delivery frequency: weekly, bi-weekly aliases four-week interval | Cost per day: $4 | Shipping cost: free | Trial: 2-week starter box

Best budget-friendly: The Farmer’s Dog

What we like

Personalized plan
Extensive questionnaire

Something to note

May require modulation period

This subscription-based work delivers fresh, ready-to-eat canine nutrient to your door. Each prepared repast comes pinch nan nonstop portions your canine needs based connected their age, weight, breed, activity level and build. Before you spot an order, you’ll capable retired a questionnaire truthful nan marque tin find nan scheme that champion fits your dog’s nutritional needs.

The Farmer’s Dog comes successful pouches that you tin shop successful your fridge aliases freezer, and each 1 lasts up to 4 days successful nan fridge aft you thaw it, according to nan brand. NBC Select societal editor Sadhana Daruvuri feeds this work to her 3-year-old maltese and poodle mix, Bandit, aft her friends each became large fans for their dogs. “It was evident he liked it measurement much than his kibble,” she says. And while Bandit was ever a picky eater erstwhile it came to kibble, Daruvuri says she noticed a immense quality successful really excited he was to eat aft switching to The Farmer’s Dog (Bandit typically eats nan turkey, beef and chickenhearted meals). Plan pricing varies based connected your dog’s weight, breed, activity level and more. You tin besides easy make tweaks to your transportation erstwhile you motion up — you tin alteration addresses, hold shipments aliases edit nan magnitude of nutrient they send.

Number of recipes: 4 | Delivery frequency: 1 week to 2 months | Cost per day: starting astatine $2 | Shipping cost: free | Trial: 2-week starter box

Best for gathering wellness goals: Nom Nom

What we like

Extensive questionnaire
Pre-portioned meals
Good for circumstantial concerns

Something to note

Can beryllium expensive
Not arsenic galore recipes

Nom Nom, which comes recommended by Dr. Abel Gonzalez, a veterinarian and nan objective head astatine Dutch, a pet telehealth company, creates a repast scheme based connected your dog’s wellness and nutritional goals, including weight management, tummy issues and tegument sensitivities. You’ll commencement pinch an first questionnaire that asks astir your dog’s breed, weight, property and diet-related issues (including whether they’re a picky eater aliases person nutrient allergies). Based connected your answers, Nom Nom will springiness its proposal for nan look that champion fits your dog’s needs (you tin prime up to four). Recipes see proteins for illustration chicken, pork, beef and turkey. All meals are pre-portioned for each dog’s unsocial caloric needs, according to nan brand. For bigger dogs complete 100 pounds, Nom Nom offers afloat meals (which meet 100% of their caloric and nutritional needs) and half portions to operation pinch existing food.

Number of recipes: 4 | Delivery frequency: every four weeks | Cost per day: $4 | Shipping cost: free | Trial: 2-week starter box

Best for delicate stomachs: Just Food for Dogs

What we like

Several repast plans
Less calories
Resealable packaging

Something to note

Nothing to statement astatine this time

Just Food For Dogs is different favourite of Gonzalez owed to its high-protein nutrient pinch a little calorie count, which makes it awesome for older aliases little progressive dogs. It has much than a twelve recipes, each of which person 1 root of macromolecule for a constricted ingredients diet, including turkey, venison and lamb. You tin take betwixt 4 main categories: Fresh Frozen, JustFresh (comes successful resealable packaging), Pantry Fresh (shelf stable) and DIY Homemade (includes a recipe, but you’ll request to proviso nan ingredients). The meals are made for each life stages, and they see a feeding guideline connected nan packaging truthful you cognize really overmuch to provender your dog.

My 7-year-old havanese and bichon frise mix, Bella, loves nan brand’s caller JustFresh recipes — I operation a hefty spoonful pinch her kibble erstwhile a time and she eats it faster than I’ve ever seen her eat before. I emotion nan resealable packaging, particularly since 1 pouch lasts maine astir a week astatine nan complaint I’m feeding her (and I don’t person to usage a pesky silicone lid aliases aluminum foil to reseal it for illustration I do pinch her canned food).

You tin acquisition pouches individually aliases take to autoship your dog’s food, which will vessel to your location astatine nan wave you take (anywhere betwixt one- and 12-week intervals, and your bid ships wrong 3 to 5 business days). You tin besides make edits to your autoship order, including adding aliases removing items aliases changing nan wave of a recurring order. All pouches past up to 18 months successful nan freezer, and thawed meals enactment caller erstwhile sealed successful nan original package for up to 7 days, according to nan brand. Once you unfastened nan pouch, nan marque recommends utilizing it wrong 5 days.

Number of recipes: 25 | Delivery frequency: weekly to 12-week intervals | Cost per day: $2 | Shipping cost: $19.99 aliases free connected bid complete $99 for stiff meals aliases $49 for dry/non-frozen | Trial: n/a

Best variety: Open Farm

What we like

Extensive options
Food for circumstantial concerns
High magnitude of protein

Something to note

More expensive

Open Farm comes recommended by Dr. Nell Ostermeier, a board-certified veterinarian and veterinary advisor astatine Figo Pet Insurance, owed to its caller ingredients and precocious magnitude of macromolecule per meal. You tin shop meals a la carte and group up autoship truthful you get them consistently delivered to your door. The champion portion astir this work is its extended options, which fresh astir dogs’ dietary needs. You’ll find frost dried foods, grain-free formulas, earthy blends, bedewed nutrient and more, positive recipes specifically formulated for digestive health, tegument and overgarment health, and weight management. The marque is good known for its human-grade caller food, which includes 7 recipes that travel successful 8- aliases 16-pound sealed pouches.

Number of recipes: 12+ | Delivery frequency: weekly to 16-week intervals | Cost per day: starting astatine $5 | Shipping cost: $5.99 per bid aliases free connected bid complete $50 | Trial: n/a

Best kibble alternative: Spot & Tango

What we like

Both barren and caller food
Snacks available

Something to note

Can beryllium expensive

Bella is besides a immense instrumentality of Spot & Tango’s treats and supplements. The brand’s subscription exemplary includes its ain type of kibble, called Unkibble recipes, that’s made up of a dehydrated meat, starch, consequence and veggies that’s much palatable for dogs and doesn’t person immoderate preservatives, fillers aliases additives, according to nan brand. Unkibble recipes see cod and salmon, beef and barley, chickenhearted and brownish rice, and turkey and saccharine potato. Spot & Tango besides has caller recipes, which are cooked successful mini batches and delivered successful pouches. Fresh recipes see turkey and quinoa, beef and brownish rice, and lamb and saccharine potato.

Like astir different options connected this list, Spot & Tango has you complete an first questionnaire that asks astir your dog’s weight, age, breed, activity level and immoderate wellness issues. It past determines your pup’s perfect repast scheme and caloric intake based connected that accusation (and whether you chose Unkibble aliases caller meals). The marque besides has snacks, including turkey strips and food bites, that you tin adhd connected to your transportation for an further fee.

Number of recipes: 7 | Delivery frequency: weekly, bi-weekly, 4-week aliases 8-week intervals | Cost per day: Unkibble scheme starts astatine $1, caller repast scheme starts astatine $2 | Shipping cost: free | Trial: 2-week starter box

What are nan benefits of canine nutrient transportation services?

The vets I said to work together that canine nutrient subscription and transportation services are convenient and consistent, truthful they make it moreover easier to provender your pup a nutritious diet. “They destruct nan hassle of regular shopping, ensuring pets person their nutrient reliably,” says Gonzalez. Plus, galore services person customizable plans that are tailored specifically to your dog’s dietary needs, weight, breed, property and wellness conditions, he says.

Frequently asked questions

Fresh canine nutrient typically refers to minimally processed meals made pinch whole, earthy ingredients for illustration meats, vegetables and grains, which are usually slow cooked to clasp nutrients, says Gonzalez. However, that doesn’t needfully mean caller nutrient is amended than immoderate different option.

“Fresh nutrient is often associated pinch ‘high quality’ and ‘good ingredients,’ [but] what it ends up being is refrigerated food,” says Fink. “I do not deliberation it is ‘better’ than regular kibble aliases bedewed nutrient because nan main deciding facet is whether they’re safe for their pet.” The astir important point is that you’re feeding your pet nutrient they for illustration and is safe for them to eat, she says.

When it comes to canine nutrient transportation services, galore recipes will beryllium branded arsenic human-grade. This intends nan ingredients and mentation methods meet FDA standards for quality consumption, and it often indicates higher value ingredients that person stricter information standards, says Gonzalez.

Yes, stiff canine nutrient tin supply nan basal nutritional worth for dogs while preserving nutrient value without needing artificial preservatives, says Gonzalez. However, make judge you are decently thawing and storing stiff nutrient to support its information and nutritional integrity; astir canine nutrient transportation services will bespeak really to decently shop and thaw stiff food, arsenic good arsenic really agelong it’ll past successful your fridge aliases freezer.

Generally, each of our vets do not urge earthy nutrient for dogs because earthy nutrient tin beryllium infected pinch salmonella and different germs and organisms that tin origin your canine to beryllium sick, says Dr. Nicole Savageau, a board-certified veterinarian astatine The Vets.

“If our pets get sick pinch this, it tin easy get transmitted to america and get america sick too,” says Fink.

If you do take a work that offers earthy nutrient (handled and prepared by nan service), make judge nan marque meets AAFCO nutritional guidelines and follows rigorous value power measures, says Gonzalez. “Commercial earthy canine nutrient prepared by reputable services tin beryllium safe erstwhile strict hygiene standards are followed. However, earthy diets airs a higher consequence for pathogens, requiring observant handling and hygiene practices,” he says. Gonzalez does not urge immoderate earthy diets for pets aliases family members who are immune-compromised. Experts propose consulting your veterinarian earlier starting immoderate earthy diet.

As pinch immoderate repast transportation service, they’re not for everyone, and location are a fewer imaginable downsides to support successful mind. That includes higher costs compared to store-bought foods, constricted contiguous readiness if you tally retired unexpectedly and capable freezer aliases fridge abstraction for caller aliases stiff options, according to Gonzalez.

Meet our experts

At NBC Select, we activity pinch experts who person specialized knowledge and authority based connected applicable training and/or experience. We besides return steps to guarantee each master proposal and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

Dr. Miriam Fink is nan aesculapian head astatine Bond Vet
Dr. Abel Gonzalez is simply a veterinarian and nan objective head astatine Dutch, a pet telehealth company.
Dr. Nell Ostermeier is simply a board-certified veterinarian and veterinary advisor astatine Figo Pet Insurance
Dr. Nicole Savageau is a board-certified veterinarian astatine The Vets, a mobile veterinary service.

Why spot NBC Select?

I americium an updates editor astatine NBC Select who has written astir pets and canine nutrient for complete 5 years. For this article, I said to 4 veterinarians astir really to shop for canine nutrient transportation services and researched dozens of options connected nan marketplace to urge nan champion ones to shop.

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