The Farmer’s Dog Food Review – We Tried The Fresh, Delivery Service And…
Quick Guide
- Why should I feed my dog fresh food?
- How do they know what kind of food my dog needs?
- How are the meals made?
- How does the delivery schedule work?
- The Farmer’s Dog Review – An Owner’s Perspective
- A Real Dog’s Opinion of TFD
- In Summary – What Makes The Farmer’s Dog Food Great
- Potential Drawbacks
- The Final Verdict
Their ingredients are human-grade, which means less processing and higher safety standards.
The plans are personalized for your dog’s breed, age, size, and tastes, and can be customized to suit your pet’s needs. They are pre-portioned, so you just have to open the package and serve.
All food is made fresh just days before delivery. It is never stored on a shelf or deep-frozen–locking in important nutrients for your dog.
Why should I feed my dog fresh food?
Most dog foods will provide your pet with the right nutrients to survive, but Farmer’s Dog says that they believe “there’s a big difference between surviving and thriving.” Scientific research supports the fact that a fresh food diet is best for pets, whether they are healthy or struggling with medical issues, young or old, active or not. Just like humans should try to eat less processed foods, so should pets. It’s nothing new…it’s just back to the basics!
How do they know what kind of food my dog needs?
The Farmer’s Dog works closely with veterinarians to determine the optimal combinations for different breeds, ages, weights, and activity levels. Once you get your dog started on The Farmer’s Dog food, The Farmer’s Dog team will monitor your dog’s progress and make adjustments to his or her recipe as needed!
How are the meals made?
The Farmer’s Dog meals are made in USDA kitchens, according to USDA standards, and gently cooked at low temperatures. They are then quickly frozen (never deep frozen) before being delivered to you. Because they are delivered on a subscription basis, they are always fresh!
How does the delivery schedule work?
The Farmer’s Dog delivers to the 48 contiguous states. Deliveries are made on a regularly scheduled but flexible basis. The food arrives in an environmentally friendly, refrigerated package. At any time you can rush, delay, or change your delivery.
The Farmer’s Dog Review – An Owner’s Perspective
So now that we have covered all the basics, I am going to tell you about my personal experience feeding my dog The Farmer’s Dog food! We had previously been feeding him a grain-free, dry dog food from the grocery store. He is 8 years old, and he is active and in good health other than a troublesome knee at times. I was really excited to try fresh food with him because I was aware of all of the benefits.
Ordering Process
The Farmer’s Dog website was very user-friendly and easy to navigate. The ordering process was streamlined, but I also felt confident that they were getting to know my dog enough to be able to formulate a recipe for him.
Aside from your basic contact information, they ask you your dog’s name, age, weight, activity level, medical conditions, and favorite protein. If you don’t know what protein he or she prefers, you can choose one or try them all, which I thought was great.
For our first shipment, we chose to try them all to see what he liked the best. Once I had answered those questions, I was able to see when the first shipment would be sent and when I would be charged next. *We were offered a free 2-week trial by TFD to assess the food for this review.
The Delivery
Once I had signed up, I received an email explaining when I would receive future shipments and how to transition my dog from what he was eating to The Farmer’s Dog. I found that email to be helpful to understand the process, but also to know what to do for my dog so that he could transition easily to his new food, since I had no idea!
The box arrived on the scheduled delivery day in a refrigerated package. They use dry ice to keep the food cool and include instructions for feeding and storing.
I removed the food packages from the box and put them in the freezer as instructed, leaving one in the refrigerator to thaw.
The packages lay flat which is great because they don’t take up much space, and it is easy once you have cut them open, to get all of the food out so there is very little waste.
A Real Dog’s Opinion of TFD
I always thought that my dog was a “grazing” type eater. He has never been the type to eat all of his food in one feeding. I feed him each morning, and he would eat the food throughout the day. I am wondering now if he just didn’t like his food!
He devoured both The Farmer’s Dog food and his regular food (he would eat both during the transition) right when I fed him. He was licking the bowl clean so thoroughly that he was chasing it around on the floor as he pushed it with his snout!
They recommend taking 7-14 days to transition. We transitioned within a week because I could tell that he was loving it and he wasn’t having any adverse side effects.
Once we were fully transitioned, he was eating half a package per day. The packages are personalized with your pet’s name and the recipe as well as the calorie count and how much to feed them. Our dog eats a half a package per day. I can’t tell which recipe is his favorite yet, because he truly has loved every single one we have tried.
Now that our dog is fully transitioned and enjoying his fresh food, I have also noticed an energy change. He is healthy, but he is getting a bit older, and a little bit less active. He has been running around our yard more and even playing fetch with my kids, something he hadn’t done much in the last year or so. I truly think that fresh food gives him more energy and provides nutrients that he wasn’t otherwise getting. I also think he is fueling himself more than he was simply because he likes the food better!
In Summary – What Makes The Farmer’s Dog Food Great
- Simple ordering and delivery process. The ordering and delivery couldn’t have been simpler or more efficient. I was able to navigate the website quickly and easily and the food arrived on time and fresh.
- I know I’m getting quality. The Farmer’s Dog is fresh and made from quality ingredients. It is tailored to suit my dog’s breed, age, and needs. My dog’s energy level has changed since we began feeding him The Farmer’s Dog food. The fresh ingredients and nutrients make a difference in the quality of life of our dog and that matters the most to us.
- No more trips to the store or running out. Subscription-service dog food was a new thing for my family, but now I am not sure we could go back. We don’t have to double-check how much food we have or run to the store to get more when we run out. Our dog’s food is just conveniently delivered to our house, already portioned, ready to serve.
Potential Drawbacks
- Cost. The Farmer’s Dog, although it is high quality and fresh, is expensive as compared to other dog food brands. We bought higher-quality dry food, but not nearly as expensive as this brand. However, I do think that the benefits outweigh the cost if it is within your budget to give this food a try.
- It has to be eaten in one feeding. If your dog is used to free feeding, he or she might not eat all of the food at once like my dog does. Because it is fresh it can go bad quickly and it needs to be eaten once it is served. This is something you can work on training your dog to do, though.
The Final Verdict
Miles loved The Farmer’s Dog and seems to be benefiting from the change in his diet! He is showing more energy and is definitely enjoying the different recipes. Although the cost and the fact that it has to be eaten all in one feeding might be drawbacks, I think that the pros certainly outweigh the cons when it comes to fresh pet food, and especially The Farmer’s Dog. The ordering and delivery processes were simple, the food is easy to store and easy to serve, it is specifically tailored to suit your pet, and there are many scientifically-backed reasons to feed your dog fresh food. I recommend that you give The Farmer’s Dog a try and see what your dog thinks!
Be very careful with any undercooked food that claims to be fresh. It only takes one bad batch to make you snd your dog very sick or worse