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My sweet Goldendoodle Spaghetti has always been a bit of a round boy. I often joke that he’s “always been a belly,” referencing a video of him as an eight-week-old puppy with four little limbs jutting out from a chonky torso. The vet has told me on many occasions that he needs to lose weight, and we tried just about everything — longer walks, low-calorie treats and even cutting his calories. But he’s a 50-pound dog, and you can only cut back his food so much before he’s still hungry at the end of the day.
When we first got Spaghetti, the vet gave us a list of kibble brands and told us what they thought was best. We went with a more “natural” kibble regardless and never really considered fresh food because of the cost and/or labor that goes into it. But at a wellness visit about eight months ago, after telling the vet that he isn’t losing weight no matter what we do, they suggested a fresh-food diet because sometimes kibble is too carb-heavy for certain dogs. The vet suggested a website called balance.it, which helps you create nutritious, balanced, home-cooked recipes for pets, with the addition of their branded supplements.
Look, I love to cook, but after sifting through these recipes, it was clear how time-consuming cooking Spaghetti’s food would be, even if we made big batches in advance and froze them. That’s when we decided to look into The Farmer’s Dog. After doing some calculations, the price difference wasn’t that extreme between ordering The Farmer’s Dog and shopping for his groceries in NYC, plus buying the nutrients to supplement the meals, at least for a dog of his size. We decided to take a “time is money” approach and give it a try. Below, my honest The Farmer’s Dog review.
The Ordering Process
To get started with The Farmer’s Dog, the website asks you a bunch of questions to figure out what meals will look like and what they’ll cost — think breed, age, weight, activity level and if they have any food allergies. From there, they come back with a few recipes for your dog and the estimated cost of your plan. Spaghetti started with three recipes — beef, chicken and turkey — and we’ve continued with all of them because he loves them so much. I can’t help but thinking how happy he must be, having gone from the same kibble every day to three different types of fresh food.
You get a heads-up via email before the food is shipped so you can adjust the date if needed. I recently went away for the weekend and didn’t want his food to arrive while we were out of town, and two clicks moved the delivery two days. It couldn’t be easier.
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I’ve found everyone at The Farmer’s Dog to be extremely helpful. Not only do they offer clear instructions on portioning the meals and transition your dog from kibble to fresh food, but the on-staff vet has checked in with me numerous times to see how how weight loss journey is going and how he’s liking the food. If I have a question, a response is given within 24 hours at most.
How He Likes It
My dog is very food-motivated, so we knew he was going to like his new diet. Needless to say, he’s crazy for it. When I’m about to serve Spaghetti breakfast in the morning, he’s shaking because he’s so excited to eat — he absolutely loves all of his recipes. And the best part about The Farmer’s Dog is that he’s actually satisfied at the end of the day. When Spaghetti was eating kibble, he would beg for food almost every night because he was still hungry, even though we were feeding the vet-recommended amount. With The Farmer’s Dog, he never begs for food because it actually fills him up and gives him the energy he needs throughout the day. It’s actually been amazing to see.
The Result
Spaghetti has been on The Farmer’s Dog for five months, and I’m happy to say he lost four pounds, which is exactly what we were hoping for when we started. He could probably stand to use another pound or two, which just might happen when the weather gets milder and we can take him on longer walks again (95 degrees is miserable for him, as it is for most living things).
Yes, fresh pet food does come at a higher cost, but if it means he could live a little bit longer, it’s worth every penny. The Farmer’s Dog might not be the right fit for everyone, but it is 100% worth a try, especially if your vet endorses it. Spaghetti, for one, can’t recommend it enough.
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