Choosing a healthy dog food can be a challenge and often involves quite a bit of research to determine which brands truly deliver on the benefits they claim. We've done the digging for you, and after sifting through numerous options, custom dog food plans Ollie Dog Food and The Farmer's Dog stood out as the two of the most popular dog food subscription options available today. We took a look at both brands to see which dog food brand is best.  Check out why we chose Ollie over The Farmer's Dog as the best fresh dog food for our pups. 

About Ollie Dog Food

Ollie is a brand built by dog people, for dog lovers everywhere. In a dog food market saturated with fillers, preservatives, and a number of artificial ingredients Ollie is dedicated to delivering a fresh, clean, healthy, human-grade solution that all pups can enjoy.

Ollie partners with canine nutritionists, vets, and a third-party USDA certified human grade kitchen to develop better, healthier dog food for pups everywhere and the people who love them. From its original, two-recipe offering, Ollie has expanded its recipe selection to four fresh flavors and healthy, pup-approved treats.

In addition to their high-quality dog food, Ollie also donates 1% of their revenue to different rescue organizations and shelters and is creating a Canine Council of scientists, behaviorists, and nutritionists to steer the brand's nutrition philosophies, inform product innovation, and help guide dogs to their healthiest lives.

Getting Started: How To Order Your Custom Dog Food Plan

Keeping your pup's food stocked can be a hassle, and thankfully both of these fresh dog food brands make replenishment a breeze. Both Ollie and The Farmer's Dog deliver customized, pre-portioned dog food right to your doorstep, and refill your supply at your preferred frequency and schedule. Both brands also make it simple and easy to get started – and the processes are pretty similar. First, complete a quick intake quiz to provide some details about your pup. Then review the results for the details and recommendations of your pup's personalized dog food plan. From there, adjust your recipe selections, place your order, and get ready to receive your first box – filled with a 2-week supply of fresh, human grade dog food!

While getting started with Ollie or with The Farmer's Dog is a super easy process, I noticed a few notable differences in the details they request on their intake quizzes and in the flexibility of their plan options. These differences helped inform my final decision to go with Ollie over The Farmer's Dog. Here's what I found:

Ollie's dog food quiz asks for information about your pup's specific food allergies –
The Farmer's Dog does not.

I noticed a key difference between the thoroughness of Ollie's intake quiz and The Farmer's Dog quiz when it came to gathering allergy information. For both people and pets, food allergies and sensitivities are an important factor in any dietary change or nutrition plan – especially those claiming to be customized.

In Ollie's quiz, pet owners are able to select from a variety of common allergens that their dogs should avoid. If an ingredient isn't listed in the main section, users have the option to select the specific food allergy from Ollie's (very) comprehensive list.

On the other hand, The Farmer's Dog quiz offers some extra features; such as playful personality descriptors for your pup, illustrations to help you identify your dog's body shape, and a section to rate how picky your pup is at mealtime. Visually, The Farmer's Dog Food quiz looks very detailed, and while it runs a bit longer than Ollie's, these lighthearted elements inject a bit of fun that makes the quiz feel a bit more personal.

However. I was pretty surprised that, as a custom dog food subscription, The Farmer's Dog didn't want to know more about what my dog can safely consume. Users can state that a dog has food allergies, but there isn't a way to communicate what, specifically, your dog is allergic to. 

And while The Farmer's Dog does give users the option of identifying some of the physical and medical issues that may be affecting their dogs, many of these issues aren't resolved by nutrition alone – and won't improve at all if your dog is eating food that triggers an allergic reaction. I found this generalized approach particularly risky since The Farmer's Dog offers a pork recipe option. Pork is a significantly more common food allergy for dogs than say, Ollie's lamb.

Overall, both brands make it easy to order fresh, human grade food for your dog, and both quizzes take less than minutes to complete. For me, while the Ollie Dog Food quiz focused less on flare, its questions highlighted the details I was most concerned about when changing my pup's diet and customizing his meals, which earned them a bit of trust right out of the gate. 

Ollie's Custom Dog Food Plan allows you to try all recipes –
The Farmer's Dog limits your selection to three of its four recipe options.

If variety is important to you and your pup, Ollie is a great option to ensure that your fur baby enjoys a full range of flavors and nutritious ingredients. While The Farmer's Dog also has four different recipe options, users can only select three to include in their plan. You can change and update your dog food recipe selections any time, but you won't be able to include all four in the same delivery.

Get 50% OFF Your First Box of Ollie Dog Food

How Much Does It Cost? Fresh Dog Food Plan Prices

Ollie Custom Dog Food Plan Pricing

For each of these custom dog food subscriptions, the price of your pup's nutrition plan depends on a few factors. Ollie determines pricing based on the following:

• Dog size and weight
• Dog activity level
• Feeding style (mixing with dry dog food vs a full, all-Ollie diet)
• Preferred delivery frequency (larger, less frequent deliveries reduce the price)

Basically, an Ollie nutrition plan customized for a highly-active Mastiff will cost more than a nutrition plan designed for a sleepy French Bulldog.

Generally speaking, Ollie's dog food starts at less than $4/day for small dogs with a 100% Ollie diet (not combined with dry food), and averages $8/day depending on the size of your dog and the size of the portions they eat. Once you complete their quiz and receive your recommendations, you can decide how much you want to spend based on how much Ollie dog food you want to feed your pup.

Ollie also offers a 100% money-back guarantee for your first box, so if your pup isn't feeling a particular flavor, Ollie will fully refund your starter box.

Get 50% OFF Your First Box of Ollie Dog Food

The Farmer's Dog Food Plan Pricing

Similarly, pricing for The Farmer's Dog changes based on your preferences and the need of your pup. The Farmer's Dog determines pricing based on the following:

• Dog size and weight
• Dog activity level
• Preferred delivery frequency
• Recipe selection

Unlike Ollie, The Farmer's Dog pricing also varies based on the recipes you select. The fact that Ollie keeps their pricing consistent across their recipes made managing the cost of my subscription much more straightforward.

On average, if you have a smaller dog, pricing for a subscription with The Farmer's Dog is competitive with Ollie's dog food, so you probably won't see a major difference between the two. At its absolute lowest, a Farmer's Dog food plan costs roughly $2/day. However, for larger dogs, The Farmer's Dog becomes very costly, averaging about $12/day ($135/week)!

Overall, Ollie delivered a better experience in terms of plan flexibility and overall value. Their box also includes extra, useful products, a perk that for me, justifies any minimal price differences between the two brands. 

What's Included? Unboxing Your Dog Food Delivery

Ollie Custom Dog Food Plan

An Ollie Dog Food delivery comes with a ton of perks! Each plan comes with a FREE set of practical tools to help you portion and preserve your pups food between meals. Here's a list of what you'll find in your Ollie Custom Dog Food delivery:

Ollie Ready-to-Serve Dog Food Packs

Each of Ollie's recipes arrive pre-portioned for your pup and ready to serve or store. These packs peel open from the top, for clean, easy serving.

Ollie Custom Feeding Guide

Your pup's custom care instructions ensure a smooth transition to Ollie's fresh dog food and make it easy to keep your dogs nutritional needs and feeding schedule on track.

Ollie Dog Food Preserving "Puptainer"

This free storage container for Ollie's fresh recipes keeps the flavor in the food and your fridge organized. It's easy to clean and also doubles as a nice dog bowl at mealtime.

Ollie Free Dog Food Serving Scoop

Ollie's free, handy serving utensil is the perfect, practical addition to your pup's refreshed feeding routine. The scoop helps dish out the perfect portion for a mess-free meal.

The Farmer's Dog Subscription

The Farmer's Dog subscription includes pre-portioned dog food packs, your pup's feeding guide, a recyclable, disposable container, and a Farmer's Dog tote bag. While The Farmer's Dog includes less than Ollie's dog food plan, their packaging is 100% recyclable, which is a notable, responsible, and convenient solution.

Ollie Dog Food Recipes

My pups, Eli and Chai, both loved Ollie's Turkey with Blueberries recipe. This is their favorite by far, followed closely by Ollie's Lamb with Cranberries recipe. That being said, while my dogs have their favorites, they both enjoy all four flavors, rushing to cleaning their bowls every meal. Since starting Ollie, they've transitioned from dry kibble to a 100% Ollie diet, and the health benefits were practically immediate.

Both Eli (my 6 year old border collie and papillon mix) and Chai (my 3 year old hound mix) had more energy within a week. Eli, who was born with joint issues, enjoyed greater flexibility, increased muscle nourishment, and less joint pain. I watched his condition (one that vets had previously stated would likely remain less active and mellow) evolve and improve as Eli began to express the same bright-eyed vitality of his puppy days. Ollie's custom dog food has been a transformative addition to our daily routine, and has greatly improved the quality of life for my dogs.

Take a look at our rankings for each of Ollie's flavorful recipes below (accompanied by rankings from Eli and Chai, themselves):

Turkey with Blueberries

Nutrition & Key Ingredients:

Ollie's Turkey with Blueberries recipe was one of our favorites. The Turkey recipe has an average protein content of 11%, 7% fat, and 2% fiber. This recipe contains no fillers or added ingredients. Just clean and fresh turkey, kale, lentils, carrots, pumpkin, blueberries, chia seeds, cod liver oil – and a lot of vitamins and minerals.

• Chia Seeds - Great source of copper, zinc, and manganese
• Blueberries - High in antioxidents that fight free radicals
• Carrots - Full of phytonutrients for eye health

Chicken with Carrots

Nutrition & Key Ingredients:

This recipe is made with chicken, carrots, peas, rice, potatoes, spinach, blueberries, chia seeds, and cod liver oil. The Chicken recipe has an average protein content of 10%, 3% fat, and 2% fiber. This recipe contains no fillers or added ingredients.

• Carrots - Full of phytonutrients for eye health
• Spinach - High in iron and antioxidants
• White Rice - Full of phytonutrients for eye health

Beef with Sweet Potatoes

Nutrition & Key Ingredients:

This particular recipe is loaded with beef, peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, blueberries, chia seeds, and rosemary. Out of all of those ingredients, the beef, sweet potato, and peas are the most prominent. The Beef recipe has an average protein content of 9%, 7% fat, and 2% fiber. This recipe contains no fillers or added ingredients.

• Sweet Potatoes - High in essential minerals and dietary fiber
• Peas - Good source of lutein, for skin, eye, and heart health
• Rosemary - Safe, natural anti-microbial

Lamb with Cranberries

Nutrition & Key Ingredients:

This recipe is made with lamb, butternut squash, kale, rice, chickpea, chickpea flour, cranberries, green beans, potatoes, chia seeds, and cod liver oil. The Lamb recipe has an average protein content of 10%, 7% fat, and 2% fiber. This recipe contains no fillers or added ingredients.

• Butternut Squash - Vitamins, minerals, and fiber for digestion
• Kale - High in beta carotene for healthy skin and fur
• Carrots - Full of phytonutrients for eye health

Get 50% OFF Your First Box of Ollie Dog Food

The Farmer's Dog Food Recipes

As mentioned earlier, The Farmer's Dog also offers four dog food recipes. These are also labeled as pre-portioned meals, human grade, and made in USDA-approved kitchens;  however, if you want nutritional information, you'll have to create an account.

Here is the nutritional breakdown of The Farmer's Dog food:

Chicken
Key Ingredients: USDA Chicken, Brussels Sprout, USDA Chicken Liver, Bok Choy, Broccoli, and Fish Oil

• Protein 49%
• Fat 37%
• Fiber 1%

Turkey
USDA Turkey, Chickpeas, Carrot, Broccoli, Parsnip, Spinach, and Fish Oil

• Protein 38%
• Fat 26%
• Fiber 2%

Beef
USDA Beef, Sweet Potato, Lentils, Carrot, USDA Beef Liver, Kale, Sunflower Seeds, and Fish Oil

• Protein 41%
• Fat 31%
• Fiber 3%

Pork
USDA Pork, Sweet Potato, Potato, Green Beans, Cauliflower, USDA Pork Liver, and Fish Oil

• Protein 41%
• Fat 31%
• Fiber 3%

Final Thoughts: Ollie All The Way

Overall, my experience of Ollie's raw, fresh, human grade dog food has been fantastic. My two dogs, Eli and Chai, continue to enjoy the flavors and variety of health benefits that Ollie's Dog Food recipes offer. From quick, easy ordering, direct delivery, and responsive service to wag-worthy, vet-developed flavors that pups will adore, Ollie has secured its place as the top dog food pick (by our team and our pups). Take a look at our dogs' reactions – they certainly speak for themselves.