Farmer’s Dog food is a popular choice among pet owners looking to serve their dogs high-quality ingredients without unnecessary fillers, preservatives, and dyes. Many customers report significant and noticeable improvements in their pet’s appearance, energy, and health. For those that can fit Farmer’s Dog food into their budget, it can be an excellent addition to any dog’s diet. Farmer’s Dog customizes a meal plan for your dog, calculates the best portion size, and can automatically ship the food to your doorstep wherever you are, making them an easy and convenient choice.
Our Score for the Farmer’s Dog
Editorial Rating
What we like:
High-quality ingredients
In This Article
About the Farmer’s Dog
Farmer’s Dog food is formulated by a team of board-certified veterinary nutritionists. It’s also made from real ingredients free of artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. And you won’t find any wheat or corn in the ingredients either, which can be problematic for dogs with allergies or digestive issues. Farmer’s Dog sources their ingredients from reputable suppliers, local suppliers, and human-grade food sources.
When you’re ready to make the leap into quality, fresh dog food, you’ll begin by taking a brief survey. They’ll ask about your dog’s age, breed, size, weight, activity level, preferences, and more. Once they’ve learned all they need to know about your dog, they’ll propose a customized meal plan. This meal plan will not only include any number of their 3 recipes, it will also include appropriate portion sizes for your pet’s diet goals.
Once you’ve decided on a plan, Farmer’s dog will ship directly to you, even if you’re out on vacation. The dog food must be stored in a refrigerator, but it comes in single-use packaging built for the fridge. You can cancel, pause, and resume your subscription at any time on their site.
Important Features
Farmer’s Dog food has a number of important features that make it a great choice for your dog.
- Recipes formulated by veterinary nutritionist
- Follows high standards set by the American Association of Feed Control Officals (AAFCO)
- Human grade ingredients
- Customized meal plans and recipe combinations for your pet
- Good relationships with suppliers
- Shipping included
- Flexible shipment schedules
What We Like
There’s a lot to love about the Farmer’s Dog food. Here are a few of our favorite things:
- Human-grade ingredients. Farmer’s Dog food is not only made with high-quality ingredients; the ingredients are human-grade. There are different standards for human food and pet food. Pet food can include diseased meats and other undesirable ingredients, while human food cannot. By using human-grade ingredients, Farmer’s Dog ensures your pets get the best of the best.
- Relationships with suppliers. We love that Farmer’s dog has excellent relationships with its suppliers. A good relationship can increase transparency, efficiency, and reliability, ultimately leading to a better product for your pet.
- Shipping included. Farmer’s Dog takes a lot of guesswork and calculations for pet owners. Including shipping costs in the final price of the food is an easy step they took to minimize math and unforeseen costs on your part.
- Guided by AAFCO standards. Farmer’s Dog recognizes that the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has high standards but still leaves room for undesirable processes and ingredients. So, they take the high standards of the AAFCO and elevate them, raising the bar for what makes high-quality dog food.
What We Don’t Like
As with any dog food, there are some downsides to Farmer’s Dog food. Here’s what you should consider before ordering this food for your pet:
- It needs to be refrigerated. Farmer’s Dog food needs to be refrigerated because of the extremely fresh ingredients. Despite thebenefit of fresh ingredients, this limitation can make it difficult for pet owners to travel, schedule deliveries, and take the food on the go even for a few hours.
- No allergen-friendly options. The most common dog food allergies are related to chicken, beef, soy, and wheat products. Youcan likely avoid allergens with one of the 3 options in Farmer’s Dog food lineup. However, they don’t explicitly offer an allergen-oriented recipe which may leave some pets without a viable option. But if you’re unsure whether the food matches your dog’s dietary needs, you can easily check the recipe on the website.
- The packaging doesn’t match the price point. Farmer’s Dog food is shipped in single-use plastics, unlike many premium brands today. It’s also shipped with a single-use container for storage in the fridge. However, this container isn’t high-quality. Moisture and fluid from the dog food is easily absorbed into the single-use container in which you store the food after opening. It would be nice if Farmer’s Dog included or offered a better storage solution.
- It can’t easily be used for training. Many dog owners opt to use kibble as a form of reinforcement for training. This can make mealtime more stimulating and slow eating. Training with Farmer’s Dog food isn’t real because it’s not hard or firm like traditional kibble.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Many veterinary nutritionists recommend Farmer’s Dog food. A veterinary nutritionist is a specialist in pet nutrition and holds a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. The recipes are also formulated by these nutritionists.
As of writing, Farmer’s Dog has never had any recalls.
Ultimately, you have to decide this for yourself. However, we believe Farmer’s Dog food is worth it if the cost is affordable for you and your dog can benefit from the food. If you’re unsure if it’s the right choice for your pet, try it out for a month or two. Or, consult your local vet or veterinary nutritionist for professional advice.
Farmer’s Dog food costs begin at $2 a day, or around $60 a month, and only go up. Shipping is included in the price.
Each owner must answer questions regarding their pet to receive a customized nutrition plan. For this reason, the cost of the food will vary from pet to pet and may exceed $10 a day.
Both brands use real meat as their primary ingredient and have a variety of flavors. However, Ollie offers 4 recipes or flavors for your dog, while Farmer’s only offers three. Both are recommended by nutritionists and considered to be excellent choices for high-quality dog food.
Customer Reviews
Positive Reviews
Overall, reviews for Farmer’s Dog food are excellent. Customers report healthier happier dogs, weight loss, and increased energy. In fact, some dog parents even report over-the-top excitement from their pet for meal time and a refusal to eat anything other than Farmer’s Dog food.
“For years, I struggled to find a food that would give my dog zero issues as he has a very sensitive stomach. I tried several high-quality brands of kibble and freeze-dried foods. Eventually, he had to be put on prescription food and although it worked, I wanted to know he was being fed natural ingredients. I took the quiz on the website and haven’t gone back since. Since Farmer’s Dog, he has had little to no issues and absolutely loves breakfast and dinner time. Truly has been a game changer.” – Marina, Thing Testing, 6/1/22
“We have a King Charles Cav that was overweight and consistently getting ear infections. We moved to The Farmer’s Dog and life changed immediately for Hank. He loves the food, his weight is better, and no more ear infections. Our vet was tremendously impressed with the changes in Hank and so are we. In addition, the shipping and communications with the team from Farmer’s Dog are wonderful.
I think the best thing they can do is keep doing what they are doing and maybe add some new flavors. Right now they have three options. Also, at some point, they can expand and build a community of dog owners who can connect with each other. Possibly send a branded refrigerator container that holds the open package better than the cardboard one that arrives each month.” -Kathleen, Thing Testing, 4/1/22
Negative Reviews
Surprisingly, negative reviews for Farmer’s Dog food require some searching. Most negative reviews complain about the packaging of the dog food or the shipment. Many of the customers leaving negative reviews experienced inedible food upon delivery.
“My experience is that the food was not as “Outstanding Fantastic” as some people make it sound! My other issue with it is the packaging. I am only speaking for myself that I have palsy on my left side which includes my hand. The food comes packaged in a long plastic TUBE and you have to squeeze it out like toothpaste or risk a big mess if you cut the plastic any other way. So, for this reason, I will not be ordering any more. The canned food that I was feeding my dog (Science Diet) makes my dog happy, it is canned so I can manage it both to be able to hold only the can as well as manage portion size much better for the money I’m spending.” – Steven, Trust Pilot, 6/16/22
“I am on my fifth delivery of melted food. I live in Arizona and have discussed extra dry ice each time food shows up melted. I am at my wit’s end. This will be the final batch if they can’t get it to me safely to feed my dog. For the price I am paying a little more attention to detail would be nice. I am out of food again and have no choice but to give my dog kibble.” – Robert, Trust Pilot, 7/29/22
Final Verdict
Farmer’s Dog food is a good choice whether you’re looking for a change in diet because of allergies, health concerns, or simply looking to live better with the freshest ingredients. While some customers report issues with shipping and delivery, Farmer’s Dog customer team works hard to ensure quality and correct mistakes. With recipes formulated by certified veterinary nutritionists and customized meal plans, it’s easy to make serve your dog quality ingredients everyday.
Also, check out some of our other dog food and nutrition based resources for your pup:
- How to Add More Fiber to Your Dog’s Diet
- How Long Does it Take for a Dog To Digest Food?
- The Farmer’s Dog vs. Nom Nom Now vs. Ollie’s Dog Food Reviews
- The Best High Fiber Dog Food
- Best Foods for Dogs with Allergies
- The Best Small Breed Puppy Foods
- The Best Dog Food for Dobermans
- The Best Automatic Dog Feeders
- The Farmer’s Dog Food Review
Pet News Daily writers are experts in pet care, health and behavior. We are members of Society for Professional Journalists and practice ethical journalism.
