The Results From Feeding Our Diy Dog Food
Back to the story of Bug
After only a couple of weeks of feeding her a homemade diet, the hubby and I were blown away by how much her mental and physical health improved. And we wholeheartedly believe she was able to bounce back because of her new food.
She went from an ailing, exhausted, incontinent, tail-down dog to a happy, energetic, curious, communicative pup. While she isnt miraculously walking again, her hip dysplasia also hasnt progressed or caused her any pain.
Weve learned to watch for signs that she needs to relieve herself as weve realized she knows when she has to go, she just cant get there without our help.
We feed both of our pugs the same food, with the hope that we can stave off any potential health problems for our older one.
When we travel, well bring their homemade food on the road in a cooler. On occasion, weve even ordered their dinner from a restaurant when we ran out of food .
If were camping, well usually just feed them whatever were cooking in camp they love corn on the cob, hobo packs , and the whole assortment of tri-tip, sausages, and ribs that weve usually got going on.
As you might imagine they lovecamping trips!
Homemade dog food gives us the flexibility to fine-tune their diet as needed. Im forever grateful for the extra time we were given with our beloved Bug as a result of the food we chose to feed her.
Ingredients Of Farmers Market Dog Food
Beef Meal, Chicken Meal, Carrots, Peas, Wholegrain Wheat and Oats, Poultry Fat Stabilised with Mixed Tocopherols , Vegetable Protein, Chicken Protein, Beef Liver, Beet Pulp, Chicken Gravy, Parsley, Whole Linseed , Kelp Meal, Garlic, Salt, Canola Oil Stabilised with Natural Mixed Tocopherols , Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Chicory Root Inulin , Yucca Extract, Essential Vitamins and Minerals, Natural Antioxidants.
About The Farmers Dog
The Farmers Dog is an online service that delivers freshly made pet food to your doorstep. Driven by its motto to make food that involves simple recipes, guided by science, and driven by love, the brand has rethought pet food by blending human-grade ingredients and allowing customers to personalize food plans based on their dogs profiles and preferences.
In short, the brand has turned boring kibble into a fresh fine dining experience for your canine friend. The brand has been featured in notable media outlets including Forbes, Vogue, CBS News, Wall Street Journal, and Fast Company.
Its early advent into the business, coupled with its reputation for transparency, also explains the brands massive following on social media, with 143k followers on Instagram and more than 71k followers on Facebook.
Lets face it, every day is a dogs day. The Farmers Dog just gives it a tasty twist. Thats why The Farmers Dog review is here to tell you why you shouldnt be the only one eating healthy. This company makes it easier for you and your furry friend with its real meat dog food delivered right to your doorstep, and well show you why.
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How Open Farm Gently Cooked Works
Open Farm Grass Fed Beef
Longtime readers of helloBARK! will know that we prefer fresh dog food ahead of kibble or wet food.
Open Farm offer a Gently Cooked range for pet parents who want to try this particular pet food format.
This dog food company keep their cooking process to a minimum and at low temperatures for optimal taste.
Open Farm are one of a couple of dog food companies who use a sous vide method to retain flavour, nutrients and minerals.
Once cooked, their Gently Cooked recipes are flash frozen to preserve freshness.
You wont be surprised to learn that Open Farm only use human grade ingredients in their recipes that have been sustainably sourced.
If curious dog owners want to track the ingredients in the Gently Cooked recipes, Open Farm provide you with the opportunity to do so.
Open Farm have a quiz section on their website that dog owners can complete to learn what the dog food company recommends for their pet.
However, your dogs food wont be pre-proportioned so youll need to follow their feeding guide to ensure you dont overfeed or underfeed your pup.
Instinct Healthy Cravings Grain Free Recipe Natural Wet Dog Food
Instinct Healthy cravings is made of high-quality ingredients for the health of your dog. This formula is also free from grain, potato, corn, wheat, soy, carrageenan, artificial colors and preservatives. The easy to open packages make serving your dog a breeze.
- Healthy formula made without grain, potato, corn, wheat, soy, carrageenan, artificial colors or preservatives.
- Healthy Cravings pouches are easy open pouches to make serving quicker.
- Proudly made in the USA with the finest ingredients from around the world.
Blue Buffalo Divine Delights features meat as the first ingredient in this formula. Divine Delights contains additional vitamins and minerals to support your dogs overall health. With no chicken by-products, Blue Buffalo has no corn, wheat or artificial ingredients.
- Meat is the first ingredient.
- No chicken by-product, corn, wheat or soy.
- Enhanced with vitamins and minerals.
Purina Smartblend features real meat as the first ingredient.This formula is made with antioxidants to support a healthy coat. Added vitamins in this formula promote activity and energy.
- Real meat is the first ingredient.
- Made with antioxidants to help support a healthy immune system.
- This special formula has added MCTs to promote alertness and activity.
- Formulated for easy digestion.
- Crafted with linoleic acid, an omega fatty acid, to support a dogs healthy skin and coat.
- Sensitive formula contains no wheat or soy, artificial colors or flavors.
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What Is The Farmers Dog Food
The Farmers Dog Food is basically a service that strives to deliver fresh pet food using balanced and wholesome ingredients. The recipes are not just simple but are guided by science and prepared with love. The company was founded by Brett Podolsky.
The product contains human-grade meat along with fresh veggies brought together in USDA-certified kitchens. This creates recipes that exceed industry standards for dogs . Furthermore, The Farmers Dog Food is prepared fresh and retains its nutritional value.
The Farmers Dog Food: Our Verdict
Nothing makes me happier than seeing my dogs enjoying their meals, and it was pretty clear that The Farmers Dog is best-in-show, according to Millie and Olive. That makes it a win-win in my book. Sure, it costs more than commercial dog food. But when it comes to my dogs health and satisfaction, I consider the benefits of feeding fresh to be worth every penny.
And if Im going to invest in the long-term health and wellness of my girls, I cant think of a better brand than The Farmers Dog. My not-so-great experience with other fresh and refrigerated dog food has given me an appreciation for the brands commitment to quality and going above and beyond the competition. You cant put a price tag on that!
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How Much Does It Cost To Feed Your Dog
The average person spends up to $550 a year on food for their dog, according to Petfinder.
Food expenses vary, though. Your dogs size and activity levels dictate the amount of food consumed. Of course, the quality of the food also affects the price.
Heres the deal: You get what you pay for. When you go with a highly processed commercial dog food, you could end up paying more down the road in veterinary bills.
Not only can you see the signs of improved health with a more natural dog food, writes Jeffrey Levy, DVM, PCH, but you will also save money in the long run due to fewer and lower veterinary bills.
The healthier your pet is, the less likely s/he will be to have fleas, skin problems, allergies and many other common disease problems.
A Quick Look At The Farmers Dog Food
- Easy to set up the subscription
- Prompt shipment and delivery notifications
- Packed securely and delivered right to your door
- Environmentally friendly packaging
- Pre-portioned and labeled for each dog
- Formulated by board-certified veterinary nutritionists
- Meets the AAFCO standards for quality and safety
- Made in USDA kitchens using fresh ingredients that meet USDA standards
- Contains no preservatives or unnecessary fillers
- Customizable plans with flexible shipments and delivery
- Easy to cancel if need-be
- Expensive, especially for large dogs or multiple dog households
- Takes up room in the refrigerator and/or freezer
- Not available outside the 48 contiguous states in the US
- Not sold in stores
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Go Carnivore Grain Free Salmon + Cod Recipe Review
Go! is a large Canadian brand that is based in British Columbia. However, their products arent just sold in Canada and are also popular in the United States. They are owned by Petcurean, who also own brands such as Gather, Now Fresh, and Summit.
All of Go!s ingredients are sourced from the United States, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, which means you can rest easy about their quality.
Go! recently rebranded its Fit + Free range, and it is now known as Carnivore. This rebranding has added some recipes, including the Salmon + Cod recipe that is shown above.
Salmon and Cod are both highly nutritious fish ingredients. They contain a high portion of protein and fat that is ideal for a dogs diet, especially those that are highly active. In addition to this protein and fat, Salmon is one of the best sources of the Omega 3 Fatty Acids.
Many believe that these fatty acids can provide several health benefits such as a reduced risk of heart disease and improved cognitive function.
The recipe is rounded off with a mix of legume and starch ingredients such as Lentils, Peas, Chickpeas, and Tapioca.
These ingredients provide carbohydrates and dietary fiber. However, the portion of these ingredients is small, ensuring that the fish are the formulas focus.
Many in the western world are not familiar with Tapioca, so we recommend you check out our article Tapioca In Dog Food for more information.
Dry Dog Food Versus Wet Or Canned Dog Food
Freeman argued the amount of water in wet food might make it an unwise investment, and instead recommended you go with dry food. One benefit to dry food , she noted, is that the friction of chewing it can help keep your dogs teeth and gums healthy. Its also less messy. Morgan added that bags of dry food also tend to be more affordable compared to the other options.
However, Morgan noted that kibble typically includes less meat and often includes some sort of grain, legume, or potato. If you go with kibble, Morgan suggested topping the dry food with a bit of canned food, meat from home, or other toppers.
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Gentle Giants Canine Nutrition Chicken
Gentle Giants have produced a chicken-based dry budget dog food that is packed with vitamins and minerals. It uses twelve whole fruits and vegetables including beets, tomatoes, blueberries, cranberries, spinach, celery, and apples.
This means that your dog will not only be enjoying a flavor sensation, they will also be absorbing Vitamin A, Vitamin B 12, and Vitamin C from natural sources. These aim to foster good immune health in your dog. We are a little disappointed in this formula’s protein and fat content.
Containing only 22% protein, this food falls below the average amount in this price bracket. Still, this will adequately meet the nutritional needs of your dog and support their muscles and bones.
This formula has been designed for dog’s with sensitive stomachs, so it might be a good idea to try this if your pet is having digestive trouble with standard canine food.
Whilst, it isn’t really competitive with premium foods, Gentle Giants will be more than adequate for pet parents on a tight budget.
My Experience With The Farmers Dog
We tried The Farmers Dog for the week and here are my two cents.
What I love:
- How excited Remy was to eat. .
- Remys poop improvement. Remys stools have been pretty wet and loose for a while now. Lets just say I spend a solid minute or two trying to wrangle his droppings into a bag out on walks, and Im rarely able to get all of it, inducing quite a bit of dog-mom guilt. After eating Farmers Dog for a week, his stools are much firmer and look healthier. Theyre also much easier to pick up!
- The personalization. I know it doesnt really mean much, but I thought it was so cute seeing my and Remys name right on the packaging. It just made us feel special.
My only disappointment is that Remy has been quite itchy, and I was hoping a change to a higher-quality diet would help. Unfortunately, after a week of The Farmers Dog, he is still as itchy as ever.
This isnt the fault of The Farmers Dog though. It simply means Remy is likely suffering from an environmental allergy rather than a food allergy .
That being said, when I reported my results to The Farmers Dog staff, they actually said that they have seen even environmental allergies improve in dogs over long term use. Its unclear how their food may improve environmental allergies, but maybe Ill see better results with longer use.
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The Farmers Dog Beef And Lentils Review
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Ingredients: Beef, Sweet Potato, Lentils, Carrots, Beef liver, Kale, Sunflower Seeds, Fish Oil, TFD Nutrient Blend
We listed the ingredients because this fresh food recipe uses a limited ingredient approach to your dogs health and well-being. The single protein source is easy to digest and doesnt trigger common beef or poultry allergies the way the other two recipes might in sensitive dogs.
It uses sweet potato as the primary carbohydrate source, which is rich in vitamins and a lower glycemic choice. Regular potato isnt our favorite because of the possible risk of triggering an enlarged heart condition, but other whole fruits and veggies offer critical vitamins and minerals.
The portions are customized to your dogs size and weight and arrive at your door in biodegradable packaging. You could even wet the interior packing materials and send it down the drain . There are several options for meal delivery timelines so that you can find one convenient for you.
The food is going to be a much more significant investment than kibble would be and it requires freezing and/or refrigeration, which could be a hassle for some. You wont have the shelf life of kibble so you may have some food go bad in the beginning until you get your habits down.
How Much Does The Farmers Dog Cost
Its probably no surprise that The Farmers Dog is pricier than your standard kibble.
The Farmers Dog food can cost approximately $2 to $10 per day depending on your dogs size . When we input a sample profile for a 10-pound dachshund, pricing came out to $18.50 per week .
However, dont forget that K9 of Mine readers can get 50% OFF their first order of The Farmers Dog, making it much more affordable to try !
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Putting The Farmers Dog To The Test
As a dog trainer for the past 20 years and the owner of a pet products store for six, I consider myself fairly educated about canine nutrition. I strive to feed my senior dogs Olive, a mixed breed dog, and Millie, a Smooth Brussels Griffon a varied, nutritious diet that tastes delicious and keeps them in peak form. Weve tried other fresh prepared foods so I was excited to reintroduce the concept to my very eager taste testers.
The first step was filling out The Farmers Dog online Q& A, which was quick and actually quite cute! After adding my dogs names, ages, and weights, the questionnaire asked whether they were the cutest, silliest, most loyal, most stubborn, or most normal dogs ever. There was also a section where I could select their body types , their eating habits , activity levels, and any issues, like food allergies, or concerns, like skin and coat problems or bad breath.
Based on these answers, The Farmers Dog recommended which recipes would be best for each of my pets. I could choose a single recipe for my shipment, or up to three different recipes. Then all we had to do was wait for the magic box to show up!
Olive seemed to know shed received a special delivery. The moment I brought The Farmers Dog box into the house, she couldnt stop sniffing it! The packaging was tidy and secure . And the instructions outlining how to store the food and prepare to transition my dogs to it were easy to understand.
Best Dry: Royal Canin
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Formulated by scientists and nutritionists
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Highly palatable to most dogs
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Some formulas can be expensive
Dry dog food is a popular choice for many pet owners thanks to its convenience and shelf stability, and one of the best dry dog food brands is Royal Canin, which offers more than 80 dry formulas. In addition to dry food for adults, puppies, and senior dogs, Royal Canin has a unique line of breed-specific foods, each of which is tailored to that dog breeds traits and common problems. Even the kibble shape is selected based on the breeds jaw structure and biting pattern.
Royal Canin is another brand that Dr. Frione personally recommends, and the company employs nutritional and research teams that help create its products. The brand takes a nutrient-focused approach to pet food, evaluating the specific nutritional needs of dogs and creating optimal diet profiles based on scientific findings.
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