The Farmer’s Dog Review: Complete Farmer’s Dog Food Review (Vet Approved)

A dog is a loving friend and guardian of the house, and to keep them healthy and happy, it is our responsibility, fellow pet parents, to provide a healthier diet as possible.

Many dog owners choose natural products for feeding their pet; if you select this type of food, you need to immediately calculate the necessary daily portion for the animal, considering its age and breed. It is important to remember that the products served should contain all the essential vitamins, minerals, and other helpful trace elements in the correct ratio. If there are difficulties with your pup’s diet, consult an experienced veterinarian.

Some people may not have enough time to cook a nutritious meal for their dog. However, the health benefits of fresh food are undeniable. Therefore, The Farmer’s Dog company is ready to take on all the hassle of preparing food for your pup.

Photo by Massimo Negrello on Unsplash

The company’s employees will make an individual diet for your pup and deliver meals to your home. The Farmer’s Dog has conducted a lot of research in the field of pet nutrition. The company’s founders worked side-by-side with leading veterinarians and nutritionists to create the best fresh food for dogs.

Short Preview of Fresh Dog Food Brand

• Price per serving – $$$ ( relatively high price)
• Multi-pet formulas – Only dogs
• Natural/alternative options – Flavor-free, preservative-free, gluten-free
• Customer service – Subscription

How We Tested the Farmer’s Dog Food?

We analyzed companies, and in the process, we consider customer reviews of pets and the composition of all the ingredients in the meals. We also consulted with board certified veterinary nutritionists.

Analysis: Farmer’s Dog Food Reviews

Company history

The history of The Farmer’s Dog began with a pet named Jada. This puppy suffered from serious digestive problems. The pet’s owner, Brett, who is the co-founder of The Farmer’s Dog, decided to change his pup’s diet to improve their condition by making his own dog food.

One veterinarian advised Brett to prepare homemade dog food for Jada. After that, Brett read the list of ingredients on industrial feed and made food from these products. However, Jada liked the freshly cooked food much more than the industrial food. After that, Jada’s problem disappeared.

Brett realized that commercial feeds are not as good as they are advertised, especially for pups with health issues. Brett teamed up with Jonathan (and his puppy, Buddy) to start a company that produces a much healthier diet for pups. With the help of a small but strong team, they expanded deliveries throughout the country without sacrificing a single crumb of care, love, and quality of their first homemade batch.

Today, The Farmer’s Dog employs more than 100 people. Many customers order millions of meals, and their pets are happy. So, the story of one pet, Jada, helped to change for the better the lives of many dogs.

The main purpose of the company’s products

The Farmer’s Dog is one of the most popular brands of fresh pet food on the market. The mission of The Farmer’s Dog is to create the best pet care. Caring dog owners want to feed their dogs a healthy diet. Therefore, the creators of the company decided to rethink pet meals from scratch.

Farmer’s Dog Pricing

The dog’s meal plan cost starts from $2 per day. Delivery is free. But there are no fixed prices. It all depends on the nutritional needs of your pet.

We calculated the approximate cost of a full meal plan for a 50-pound, mixed-breed male using the price calculator on The Farmer’s Dog website: $7 per day. If you have a 30-pound pouch, you will pay a couple of dollars less per day. For the diet of a 6-pound Yorkshire terrier, you will pay about $2.80 per day.

Source of materials

The Farmer’s Dog prepares its food observing all quality and safety standards. The result is perfectly balanced, human-grade fresh food.

Unlike industrial feed, fresh recipes are prepared only from real food. All components of the feed are suitable for human consumption. The company always follows the highest standards in the preparation of food. Specific ingredients can be viewed on the website in the “Your plan” section.

All ingredients come from reliable suppliers local farms that meet USDA standards. The company claims that it does not process the ingredients with any preservatives. Each recipe uses the best animal protein sources, mixed with simple ingredients and balanced with vitamins and minerals.

The meals are prepared with the participation of certified veterinary nutritionists who carefully formulate each recipe. Therefore, all the recipes of The Farmer’s Dog are 100% balanced and in accordance with American Feed Control Officials’ standards.

All the ingredients of The Farmer’s Dog are high-quality and nutritious for pets. The composition contains real meat and fish. Such elements make up the main part and provide pets with fats and high-quality proteins, which are very important for their bodies.

Poultry, meat, or beef are also used very often as ingredients. Due to the low cost and high prevalence of such products, animal feed manufacturers add them to saturate the feed with natural meat.

The Farmer’s Dog ingredients from pork or beef liver in the production of its feeds. Such products are also useful for pets, because of the content of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and dietary fiber, making the food even more nutritious, as well as improving the taste, which is why the dog will eat better. This also lowers the risks of food allergies.

The Farmer’s Dog company uses sweet or white potatoes. Such ingredients are widely distributed among other manufacturers of pet food. Potatoes are a source of vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates and also contain dietary fiber. It is not uncommon for manufacturers to use potato by-products, such as potato protein. This ingredient is of low quality and is not used in the production technology of The Farmer’s Dog. However, potato starch, chickpeas, lentils, beans and other legumes are used. The ingredients of The Farmer’s Dog exclude peas, as they are very common among all pet foods.

Carrots, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and parsnips are also used as vegetable products. Such components are very different from beans and starches since they are not the primary and full-fledged source of protein, carbohydrates and other useful substances.

The Farmer’s Dog recipes are balanced diets that consist of basic nutrients for dogs. The proportion of fats and proteins is much higher compared to meals from other feed manufacturers. ^[1]

The Farmer’s Dog diet is great for pets of all activity levels, ranging from miniature domestic pets to large and giant breeds of pets that have a high level of activity and expend a lot of physical energy. These conditions are met with strict compliance with the serving size for your pup, and it is recommended that the pet parents to monitor the portion size.

Portion size control is very important because overeating may cause health problems or the appearance of excess weight and fat. If the portion is too small, the pet may change its usual behavior and lifestyle.

Manufacturing location

The Farmer’s Dog makes pet food in the USA. Recipes are strictly controlled, and the technological process of cooking is carefully controlled by internal services. The preparation takes place at low temperatures by USDA requirements and standards.

Packaging

Fresh food delivered in packages and ready for use – just open the pack and invite your pet to lunch. If your pet likes warm food, you can add some hot water, which will improve assimilation and increase the pleasant smell for pets.

Lab testing, transparency, availability, recalls 

For many years, The Farmer’s Dog has not had negative reviews or problems. The company complies with strict safety standards during the preparation of its food and purchases the necessary ingredients only from trusted suppliers and manufacturers.

Farmer’s Dog’s Fresh Food Recipes

At the beginning, The Farmer’s Dog company had three primary and unique dog food recipes recently, it increased to four, all of which are sufficient and suitable for all dogs, regardless of their size, breed, or activity level. Also, the proposed recipes can add variety and nutritional value to the diet of your pooch. If your pup does not like one of the recipes, the company offers three other options that will surely appeal to your pet.

The Farmer’s Dog offers four different food options for purchase. Each diet has various components, such as turkey meat, chicken meat, beef, or pork. You can get acquainted with the full list of ingredients for each feed on the website.

• Turkey recipe. Ingredients: Turkey, carrots, chickpeas, spinach, broccoli, fish oil, a mixture of nutrients.
• Chicken recipe. Ingredients: Chicken meat, chicken liver, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, bok choy, fish oil, a mixture of nutrients.
• Beef recipe. Ingredients: Beef meat, sweet potatoes, carrots, lentils, beef liver, cabbage, sunflower seeds, fish oil, a mixture of nutrients.
• Pork recipe. Ingredients: Pork meat, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, green beans, pork liver, fish oil, a mixture of nutrients.

The Farmer’s Dog pet food recipes allow each pup to get all the necessary nutrients and provide a balance of useful trace elements and vitamins. The ratio of fats and proteins is higher than average compared to the feeds of other pet food manufacturers, and the amount of carbohydrates is lower than in other feeds.

The main part of the useful fats and proteins present in The Farmer’s Dog feed are of animal origin, which is more favorable for animals than vegetable analogs. ^[2]

Such diets from The Farmer’s Dog company are ideal for pets of various activity levels, both for less active and hyperactive ones. These conditions are met when feeding the appropriate portion size for your dog.

Portion size control is significant in the life of a dog. A dog that overeats may have health problems or excess overweight. A pup with a small portion of food may experience digestive discomfort and health problems.

Get 50% off your first box.

Not “dry” or “wet” food. The Farmer’s Dog cooks and delivers human-grade quality dog food.
Fresh, preservative-free dog food delivered to your door. Get 50% off your first box.

Guarantees and refund policy

If your dog did not like the diet offered by The Farmer’s Dog, the company provides additional food recipes so that your pup can try other tastes. Also, The Farmer’s Dog company offers a refund, provided that you donate food for dogs to a pet shelter.

Customer service

To order healthy food for your pup, you need to fill out the dog’s profile on the website, providing information about your dog: its breed, age, weight, body type, medical issues, and current diet.

After providing all this information, the company’s specialists will make an individual diet for your pet. You can study each recipe in detail, check all the ingredients or remove any products that you do not like or your pup has food allergies.

The country served, delivery and shipping

The Farmer’s Dog delivers its products to 48 USA states and provides its customers with the constant availability of fresh food for their pets, allowing them to regularly receive fresh and high-quality products at a convenient time at the specified address. You can set up delivery at any time on The Farmer’s Dog manufacturer’s website.

When ordering, you can choose or change the address, choose an urgent or scheduled delivery, postpone the delivery time or change the amount of feed sent. After registration, you can conveniently set up a fresh food delivery plan according to your preferences by delivery date and time. You can change the address for the delivery. If you want to send new rations to a new address, we recommend updating the address data before sending them.

The rations are carefully packed in cardboard boxes. We care about the environment, and the cardboard box for transporting food are recyclable, biodegradable and not toxic to the environment. The Farmer’s Dog is very responsible for environmental protection and uses materials that can be recycled and reused.

Farmer’s Dog comparison with other fresh dog food brands

Pet Plate

• Pricing: $52-for a meal plan for a 50-pound dog with an average level of activity.
• Source of materials: Ingredients are made from products suitable for human consumption. Each serving is balanced and contains natural ingredients, minerals and vitamins. The recipe does not contain artificial colors, by-products, preservatives or flavors.
• Safety: Wet Plate prepares its diet for dogs under the strict supervision of veterinary nutritionists and from high-quality human-grade ingredients.
• Shipment and customer service: To purchase Pet Plate products, you need to create an account for your pet on the manufacturer’s website and enter basic information about the pup (gender, neutered pet or status, breed, age, current weight, activity level and preferred ingredients or recipe). Up to 4 different recipes are available to order.

READ FULL REVIEW: Pet Plate Review

Darwin’s Pet

• Pricing: $52 – $85 – for a 50-pound dog with a normal activity level.
• Source of materials: Liver, heart, neck, stomach, wings, celery, carrot, yellow pumpkin, dried parsley, yams, romaine lettuce, natural zucchini, fish oil, vitamins E, B12, D3, iodine.
• Safety: Darwin’s Pet recipes are developed by specialists and veterinarians. All produced feeds do not contain gluten, grains, hormones or steroids.
• Shipment and customer service: To order food, the pet owner must specify their pup’s name, weight and protein preferences. After that, you will receive individual portion packages that are adapted to the needs of your pup.

Spot and Tango

• Pricing: $70 – for a 50-pound dog with a normal activity level.
• Source of materials: Ingredients certified by the US Department of Agriculture: turkey, beef, lamb, natural vegetables, millet, cranberries, spinach, carrots, peas, eggs, red quinoa, pure apples, parsley, brown rice and a natural mixture of minerals and vitamins.
• Safety: This meal does not contain growth hormones, preservatives, artificial additives, gluten, grain, soy, wheat or corn.
• Shipment and customer service: Spot and Tango provide a big discount if you transfer your pet to a new diet. The ordering process in Spot & Tango is similar to other services.

Raw Paws

• Pricing: Raw Paws offers several different diet options, each of which has a different cost.
• Source of materials: Chicken, ground beef, duck, heart, liver, fish oil, vitamins B, K, niacin, selenium.
• Safety: The food does not contain antibiotics, hormones. All products are grown in environmentally friendly conditions, produced in accordance with quality standards.
• Shipment and customer service: Fresh dog food can be purchased with delivery in one-and five-pound packs rather than individual portions. The manufacturer provides free consultations, gives recommendations on feeding your pooch and will help to correctly calculate the nutrition plan.

READ FULL REVIEW: The 5 Best Fresh Dog Food Delivery Services

FAQs

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Final words: Is it worth it?

The Farmer’s Dog is one of the reputable food suppliers in the fresh meal delivery niche. All recipes are premium. Delivery is carried out directly to their customers’ doors. This service is currently available in 48 US states. Unfortunately, the firm does not ship outside of the United States.

If your pup regularly suffers from various health issues such as stomach and digestive problems that can be alleviated with an improved diet, then The Farmer’s Dog meals could be worth its relatively high price tag.

Photo by @wayhomestudio from Freepik

Pros & Cons of choosing The Farmer’s Dog

Article Sources:

1. Cocchi, Monia. “Canine Nephrotoxicosis Induced by Melamine-Contaminated Pet Food in Italy.” PubMed, 13 Nov. 2021, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19915330/.
2. “Identification and Characterization of Toxicity of Contaminants in Pet Food Leading to an Outbreak of Renal Toxicity in Cats and Dogs.” OUP Academic, 1 Nov. 2008, academic.oup.com/toxsci/article/106/1/251/1708342.