Petco seems to want to poach fresh pet food delivery service The Farmer’s Dog’s customers. Here’s how the promo served pet owners.
In a viral video, dog groomer Danny (@dogsbydanny) and his Goldendoodle, Theo, go to Petco. He takes an empty container of The Farmer’s Dog food with him. Danny says he heard online that he could trade the empty pack for free food.
When he walks into the store, he asks a worker about the promo. She leads him to a fridge of food that says, “FREE PACK OF FRESH DOG FOOD. Trade in The Farmer’s Dog & try one of E-I-E-I-Oh so many options.” He asks if the fridge has fresh food in it, and the worker confirms. “Ollie’s a really good brand. I love Ollie,” she adds.
He peruses the options and turns his attention to a fridge of Stella & Chewy’s Raw and Natural Pet Food. Danny then lets Theo choose between the duck and lamb Dinner Morsels. He chooses lamb, ignoring the duck entirely.
When he gets to the register, Danny tells the worker, “I have a Farmer’s Dog that I’d like to trade in.” The worker scans something above the register and tells Danny he’s free to take the food. She then offers Theo a cookie after Danny already said he wasn’t allowed to have one, which many commenters found humorous.
“So the ad that I saw was not a scam, and you have ‘til the 26th to bring in your empty Farmer’s Dog food packet to Petco for some free food. Fresh food,” Danny concludes.
What else do I need to know about the deal?
Well, for one, you should know that the promotion ended. While Danny’s video has recently gained traction with over 3.3 million views, it was posted on May 24. The promotion ended two days later on May 26.
However, there is still something to glean from the promotion. It seems to have been a ploy to get customers interested in fresh pet food to try brands sold at Petco rather than maintain a subscription with The Farmer’s Dog.
In an Instagram post, the Petco location in Monrovia, California, shared an image of a brochure about the promotion. The brochure states that the Farmer’s Dog trade-in was eligible for select varieties of Freshpet, Instinct, JustFoodForDogs, Merrick, Ollie, and Stella & Chewy’s food. All of these are fresh dog food brands or brands that offer fresh dog food. This begs the question: Is fresh dog food really better?
Fresh pet food: The next big thing in pet nutrition or another marketing gimmick?
To get the scoop on whether fresh pet food is better, The New York Times spoke with spoke with Dr. Lindsey Bullen, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.
According to the article, fresh pet food “has fewer or no preservatives, and it is kept in the fridge, to maintain freshness between servings.” However, Bullen tells the NYT that the term “fresh pet food” doesn’t have a specific definition and “just refers to pet food that’s made with fewer or no preservatives. It could be made at home with boiled chicken and cooked plain rice, or it could be produced with recognizable ingredients in a facility, packaged without preservatives, and then frozen.”
So, now that we know what it is, let’s settle this: Is fresh pet food better than dry pet food?
Bullen told the NYT, “In terms of being nutritionally superior, [fresh pet food diets] are not. It’s just going to be dependent on what that pet needs, and the individual diet that client has provided for that pet.”
Ultimately, you should consult your veterinarian before making any major changes to your pet’s diet.
OK, it’s not technically better, but I still want to feed my pet fresh food. Which brand should I buy?
We get it: Kibble looks unappetizing. Why would you want to feed your fur baby sad, dry pellets? If you’re committed to a fresh food diet for your dog, here are some expert recommendations.
The NYT rounded up a few fresh pet food brands that you might consider. However, it doesn’t make judgment calls on which is best for your pet; that choice is up to you.
The brands it recommends are “those that offer food that’s commercially produced and thoroughly cooked at a low temperature, and that contain some combination of meats, grains, fruits, and vegetables.” The outlet also notes that its choices are “gleaned from Bullen’s expertise, interviews with each company, deep dives into third-party reviews, and comparison of each site’s pricing model, recipes, and shipping availability.”
While some of the brands are available for purchase at places like Petco, NYT focused on direct-to-consumer brands. So, its data on price will be based on the price you would pay if you subscribed directly to the brand. Since these brands tend to tailor diets based on your pet’s characteristics, NYT used a fictional 70-pound, 2-year-old golden retriever. They are one of the country’s most popular dog breeds.
The Farmer’s Dog
The brand’s meals start at $2 per day ($12.96 per day for a 70-pound, 2-year-old golden retriever). Its recipes include turkey, beef, and pork. You can customize your delivery schedule via customer service. They are scheduled to arrive before you run out of food. The company ships to 48 contiguous states and offers refunds.
Nom Nom
Meals start at $3 per day ($9.69 per day for a 70-pound, 2-year-old golden retriever). The brand’s recipes include turkey, chicken, beef, and pork. You can choose a delivery frequency of every two or four weeks, and the brand ships to 48 contiguous states. There are no refunds, but there is a money-back guarantee.
Ollie
Ollie has a starting price of less than $2 per day ($10.63 per day for a 70-pound, 2-year-old golden retriever). Its recipes include turkey, chicken, beef, and lamb. Delivery frequency is customizable, anywhere from every two weeks to every eight weeks. The brand ships to 48 contiguous states. It also offers a 100% money-back guarantee.
Spot & Tango
The brand offers both fresh kibble (UnKibble) and fresh food. “The fresh kibble is cooked in a vacuum chamber at low temperatures and dried, and it resembles typical dog kibble,” the NYT states. The brand’s recipes include turkey, beef, and lamb (fresh), and chicken, beef, and duck (kibble). Delivery frequency is every two weeks for fresh food and every four weeks for kibble, with free two-day shipping to 48 contiguous states. There is a money-back guarantee.
Forbes Vetted compiled its own list of the best fresh dog food brands based on information from veterinarians and Vetted staffers who feed their dogs fresh food. At the top of the list is The Farmer’s Dog.
Forbes states, “The Farmer’s Dog is one of the premier names in fresh dog food, and for good reason; most of the veterinarians I spoke with recommend it, and several Forbes Vetted staffers feed it to their pups and give it glowing reviews. The brand works with on-staff, board-certified nutritionists to create pre-portioned meals for your dog based on their breed, age, activity level, ideal weight and food sensitivities.”
It’s $80 and up per month.
Forbes ranks Ollie as the best fresh pet food for picky eaters. It says, “Ollie offers five fresh food recipes, each formulated with ingredients intended to address a particular health concern.” It also notes that many customer reviews say that dogs with otherwise particular palates are happy to finish every last bite of their Ollie food.
It’s $88 and up per month.
How about others?
The outlet ranks PetPlate as the best fresh dog food for dogs with allergies. “The service—which came recommended by several experts I spoke with—makes it easy to vary your dog’s diet, with chicken, turkey, venison, lamb, beef and pork formulas,” it states.
It’s $99 and up per month.
Next up is the best fresh dog food for pets with prescription needs, JustFoodForDogs. Forbes says the brand is “one of the only fresh dog food brands that offers prescription diets designed to target issues like kidney or liver disease. Every veterinarian I spoke with recommends JustFoodForDogs, particularly because of its prescription meal selection. The brand also provides individualized nutrition consultations, allowing pet parents to create a truly customized recipe tailored to their dog’s needs.”
It’s $95 and up per month.
Forbes ranks Nom Nom as the best fresh dog food service with a trial. It notes that there are sample options if you’re not yet ready to subscribe, and it is available in standalone packages at Chewy and PetSmart.
The outlet states, “One notable thing about how Nom Nom prepares its meals is that every ingredient is cooked separately, rather than all together within the same recipe or alongside other ingredients; this helps maintain each one’s optimal nutritional value. The brand’s recipes are also evaluated by board-certified veterinary nutritionists.”
It’s $140 and up per month.
Best affordable fresh dog food
Rounding out the list is the best affordable fresh dog food, FreshPet. Forbes notes, “In addition to its food packaged in roll form, the brand also carries a fresh shredded chicken recipe made with carrots, spinach and cranberries. While the rolls and the bagged chicken recipe are more affordable than most of the other options on this list, the pricing of FreshPet’s tailored meal plan, delivered to your door, is on par with—if not a bit less expensive than—most of the services above. Plus, you can try out its meal plan delivery service for a one-week trial before committing.”
It costs $6.47 per roll at Walmart and $7.19 per roll at Petco. Meal plans start at $2 per day.
@dogsbydanny Free fresh food at Petco? #dog #food #petco #petsmart ♬ original sound – DogsByDanny
So, where should I buy my fresh dog food from?
Which brand you choose and which retailer you choose to buy from ultimately depends on your pet’s nutritional needs and your preferences.
If your dog has allergies or other health concerns, you may go with a brand like PetPlate or JustFoodForDogs. For more recipes, you might consider FreshPet. If you want the best combination of convenience and affordability and don’t mind only having four recipe options, The Farmer’s Dog might be your best option.
Based on the experts’ choices, it seems your best bet is to buy a customized meal plan directly from the brand of your choice rather than a pre-packaged option from a pet supply store.
However, if you’re not concerned with a customized meal plan and just want the most affordable option, you might consider getting a FreshPet roll from Walmart, which starts at $3.48 per pound; a pack of Nom Nom frozen food from PetSmart, which starts at $9.99 per 14 oz (though this retailer has a smaller variety of Nom Nom than Chewy); or a pack of Ollie fresh food from Petco, which starts at $10.99 per pound.
While the promotion Danny took advantage of positioned Petco as a better fresh food supplier than The Farmer’s Dog (the Instagram brochure mentioned earlier had an “us vs them” section on the back), experts find The Farmer’s Dog to be the better choice as a basic, affordable customized fresh dog food option.
The Mary Sue contacted Petco, The Farmer’s Dog, and Stella & Chewy’s via press email.
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