Many pet parents have started exploring fresh food as a healthier option for their dogs for a number of reasons.

For some, it may be because their fur kids have existing health issues. Others may want higher-quality food for their pets after discovering the ingredients that go into kibble aren’t ideal. But the process can be confusing with so many choices out there.

Here we’ve done the hard work for you and narrowed down the top 5 fresh dog food services in the US based on convenience, meal variety, and price.

Read on to find out what’s unique about each service so you can determine which is the best for you and your dog.

5 Best Dog Food Delivery Services 2020

1. Nom Nom: Best for Convenient Packaging
2. The Farmer’s Dog: Best For Dogs With Health Issues
3. Ollie: Best for Variety of Meals and Treats
4. Spot & Tango: Best for Mix of Fresh Food and Fresh Ingredient Kibble
5. Pet Plate: Best for Storing Leftovers

What’s Wrong With Kibble?

Kibble is usually the first option for most pet parents when it comes to feeding their dogs.

Some might not even know there are other choices out there apart from dry or canned food.

However as owners are starting to see an increase in health problems in their pets, some are wondering if diet is to blame.

The main problem with kibble is its ingredients. Many manufacturers use poor quality meats (sometimes from dead or diseased animals) and low-quality grain fillers that have very low nutritional value.

These ingredients may help to keep your dog feel full, but they don’t benefit your dog’s health — in fact, they could do more harm than good.

Another problem is the way the ingredients are cooked. To preserve the shelf-life of the food, the ingredients are heated to high temperatures.

However most nutrients get killed off because of this, and you’re left with food that has almost no health benefits to your dog.

In order to further preserve the storage lifespan and boost the nutritional value of the food, preservatives and nasty synthetic additives may be added to the food. Some of these chemicals have even been known to cause cancer.

Experts are also saying that the highly processed nature of the food could be the cause of a whole host of chronic health issues like obesity, allergies, and skin problems.

Why Choose Fresh Dog Food Delivery Services?

Fresh dog food companies create meals that are made from wholesome, human-grade ingredients and cooked at low temperatures.

This means your dog will receive proper nutrition to help support its health. The benefits can include:

1. Healthier digestive system
2. Maintaining weight in the optimal range
3. More energy
4. Improved coat appearance
5. Longer life expectancy

There has even been a study showing that fresh dog food can increase a dog’s life expectancy by up to 3 years compared to dry food.

The best part about these services is that they ship the food straight to your home (most even offer the shipping cost for free).

So you never have to worry about heading to the store to buy dog food anymore.

Top 5 Fresh Dog Food Delivery Services

There are many dog food delivery companies out there. And choosing the right one for your dog can be overwhelming.

To help you with this process, we’ve done the research for you and narrowed down the top 5 brands that deliver to the US.

All 5 offer a great fresh dog food service but each one excels in one thing in particular. See which is best for your preferences below:

50% off first meals: Nom Nom

Nom Nom: Best for Convenient Packaging

We Love ❤

Nom Nom provide 1 meal portion per packet with no leftovers and no scissors needed for opening.

What immediately stood out about Nom Nom was its space-saving, convenient packaging.

Firstly, each pack is customized to be 1 meal portion for your dog so you won’t have to save the leftovers for the next meal.

Secondly it doesn’t need scissors to open the packets, it’s an easy-peel solution.

Thirdly, the meals come in soft plastic pouches that are compact and take up as little space as possible in the freezer.

Price Range

$3-$13 per day (depending on dog’s size and other details).

Benefits of Nom Nom Dog Meals

• Healthy, human-grade ingredients used in the recipes without nasty additives or preservatives that affect your dog’s health.
• Meals are nutritionally-balanced by a veterinary nutritionist.
• Easy peel packaging (no scissors required).
• Free shipping.

What Else Does Nom Nom Offer?

• Healthy dog treat options.
• Digestive probiotic supplements are available to boost your dog’s immune system.
• Microbiome kit to help test your dog’s gut health.
• Fresh cat food is also available from Nom Nom.

Nom Nom Customer Reviews 

Nom Nom has an impressive score of 4.4 out of 5 stars based on 1,232 reviews from 2 different websites (Consumer Affairs and Trustpilot).

Firstly, the vast majority of dogs loved the food (including picky eaters!). Some pet parents felt that the food looked appetizing as they could see chunks of real vegetables in the meals.

Overall, the convenient packaging was also a big plus for many and they were pleased with the positive health benefits that the fresh food had on their dogs.

Nom Nom Meal Options

• Beef Mash
• Chicken Cuisine
• Pork Potluck
• Turkey Fare

Money-back Guarantee Offered

Yes a 30-day money-back guarantee is offered on the first box.

50% off first meals: The Farmer’s Dog

The Farmer’s Dog: Best For Dogs With Health Issues

We Love ❤

The Farmer’s Dog is great for dogs with health issues or specific dietary needs.

It was very thorough in gathering information about any allergy or health issues (for example if your dog has cancer or issues with her coat).

Other brands also ask about allergies but we liked that The Farmer’s Dog made it very easy to specify the customizations right from the start.

Price Range

$2-$12 per day.

Benefits of The Farmer’s Dog Meals

• Your dog will be getting proper nutrition from meals made from 100% human-grade ingredients with no preservatives or artificial chemicals.
• Food is prepared in USDA-certified kitchens to ensure high safety standards.
• Nutritionally-balanced meals, based on your dog’s needs.
• Free shipping on all orders.

What Else Does The Farmer’s Dog Offer?

• Your dog’s name appears on the packets which we felt was a nice personalized touch.
• Completely recyclable or compostable packaging — including the insulation!
• Responsive and helpful customer service.

The Farmer’s Dog Customer Reviews

The Farmer’s Dog had a great average of 4.7 out of 5 stars from 2,549 reviews on Google and Influenster.

Most pet parents reported their dogs loved the food and even those that were usually picky eaters liked the meals.

We found many reviewers saying they liked the personalized meal packets they received from The Farmer’s Dog. Several also reported they received flowers from the company after informing them of their dog’s passing which was a gesture they greatly appreciated.

The Farmer’s Dog Meal Options

• Beef
• Turkey
• Chicken

Money-back Guarantee 

The Farmer’s Dog offer a full refund on your first order if you agree to donate the food to an animal shelter.

50% off first meals: Ollie

Ollie: Best for Variety of Meals and Treats

We Love ❤

Ollie has a great mix of both 4 meal and 4 treat recipes to choose from. This is helpful for those with picky eaters who like to change recipes once in a while.

Price range

$2-$9 per day.

Benefits of Ollie meals

• Only fresh, human-grade ingredients are used in Ollie meals so you can be sure your dog is getting proper nutrition.
• Customized to your dog’s needs based on things like breed, age, activity level, and more.
• Veterinary-nutritionist formulated meals.
• Convenient, free shipping to your home.

What else Ollie offers

• Great easy-peel packaging.
• Hard plastic reusable tupperware provided for storage of left-overs.
• Comes with a customized scooper so you won’t have to worry about over or under-feeding your dog.
• Many treat options: Beef, sweet potato, chicken, and turkey

What Ollie reviews have to say

Ollie is well loved by dogs as it scored an average rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars from 634 reviews on Influenster and Trustpilot.

The majority of reviewers were pleased with the quality of food produced by Ollie. Most dogs like the meals and happily finished it.

Some were happy that they offered chicken as a recipe option because this protein is sometimes missing with other brands.

Ollie meal options

• Beef
• Turkey
• Chicken
• Tasty

Money-back guarantee offered

Yes they have a 100% money-back guarantee on the first box.

20% off first order: Spot & Tango

Spot & Tango: Best for Mix of Fresh Food and Fresh Ingredient Kibble

We Love ❤

Spot & Tango offer the same wet meals from fresh, human-grade ingredients. But their other unique product is Unkibble which is dry dog food, also made from fresh ingredients.

This is a great option for pet parents who want the convenience of kibble (no freezing required), but also the health benefits of fresh ingredients.

Price Range

• Fresh food: $2-$17 per day.
• Unkibble: $1-$9 per day.

Benefits of Spot and Tango Meals: 

• Only fresh, wholesome, human-grade ingredients are used to make their fresh food and Unkibble recipes.
• You have the option to choose between fresh food or Unkibble (fresh-dry food).
• Partial meal plans are available for those who want to mix their dog’s regular food with Spot & Tango.
• Convenient free home delivery.

What Else Does Spot and Tango Offer?

• Meals come with a clip to seal off leftover food in the soft plastic packaging provided.
• You have the option of choosing either wet or dry food made from fresh ingredients.
• Unkibble comes with a customized scoop so you’ll know exactly how much to feed your dog.

Spot and Tango Customer Reviews

Spot & Tango had a good overall score of 4 stars out of 5 from 5 different websites.

Most dogs were both fans of their fresh meals and their Unkibble, so they’re both good options if you’re looking for food for a picky eater.

Unkibble was especially popular for those wanting a healthy but more cost-effective option.

Many noticed the health benefits of feeding their dogs meals made from fresh ingredients — including less bad breath and better weight maintenance.

Spot & Tango Meal Options

Fresh food:

• Turkey and red quinoa
• Beef and millet
• Lamb and brown rice

Unkibble:

• Duck and salmon
• Beef and barley
• Chicken and brown rice

Money-back Guarantee

Spot and Tango offer a full money-back guarantee on the first box within 30 days.

50% off meals: Pet Plate

Pet Plate: Best for Storing Leftovers

We Love ❤

Pet Plate uses hard plastic tubs (similar to large yogurt tubs) which makes saving leftovers a lot easier. You pop open the lid, scoop out whatever you need for the meal and close it back to save the rest.

There’s no need to squeeze out the meals and keep the remainder in another tray — which is what you would need to do with the soft plastic packaging found for other brands.

Price range

$2.50-$10.50 per day.

Benefits of Pet Plate meals

• Only fresh, human-grade ingredients go into the meals. So you can be sure your dog is not consuming harmful additives like grain-fillers or preservatives.
• Meals are customized to your dog’s needs based on various factors like breed, weight, activity level, and more.
• Meals are formulated by a veterinary nutritionist who ensures all your dog’s nutritional needs are met.
• They offer convenient, free shipping straight to your home.

What Else Does Pet Plate Offer?

• The tubs are microwaveable so you can easily heat up your dog’s food.
• You can see chunks of food, so you know it’s real ingredients going into the meals

Pet Plate Customer Reviews 

94% of users gave Pet Plate a 4 or 5-star rating on the Pet Plate website, so there were many satisfied dogs and pet parents. Many dogs would get really excited the moment they smelled the food.

As a plus, the majority were also pleased with the customer service staff who were helpful whenever there were issues with logistics.

Pet Plate Meal Options

• Barkin’ Beef
• Chompin’ Chicken
• Tail Waggin’ Turkey
• Lip Lickin’ Lamb

Money-Back Guarantee

Pet Plate offer a 100% money back guarantee on your first box.

How Do I Get Started with Fresh Dog Food?

The best way to get started is to take a quick quiz about your dog with any of the above fresh dog food providers.

They’ll be able to give you an accurate quote based on your dog’s nutritional needs.

You can personally see all the various customization options available (e.g. different recipes or partial meal plans).

Don’t forget to use the different offers here below to get a discount on your first box of food.

All 5 fresh dog food services also have money-back guarantees (each with slightly different terms), so you can always try the first box risk-free. If your dog doesn’t like the food you can contact the respective companies to ask for a refund.

A number of dog owners have reported health transformations in dogs after switching to fresh food, so it’s definitely worth giving fresh dog meals a try.

You’ll be giving your dog a much healthier lifestyle with the benefits of wholesome, fresh ingredients in their diet.

FAQS: Fresh Dog Food Delivery Services

What is the healthiest thing to feed your dog?

Nutritionally-balanced, fresh meals are one of the healthiest things to feed your dog. Fresh is best because it doesn’t contain any harmful additives, fillers, or preservatives known to exist in kibble. 

The brands that we have included in this shortlist, create their recipes in collaboration with a veterinary nutritionist — so you can be sure that each meal is balanced as well. 

Is fresh dog food bad?

Fresh dog food is great for your pup because it’s made from whole, fresh ingredients that are full of beneficial nutrients — just like we would eat.

But their meals also need to be balanced because dog’s nutritional needs are different from humans.

This is why the brands that are mentioned in this article consult with veterinary nutritionists to ensure that your dog is getting the nutrition it needs from each meal. 

Is kibble better than fresh food?

Fresh food that is carefully formulated by veterinary nutritionists to meet your dog’s needs will typically be better than kibble. 

Meals made from whole, fresh ingredients do not contain the additives or preservatives that are often present in kibble. This means your dog will be getting high-quality nutrition it needs to stay healthy and active.