I’m Officially Hooked On The Farmer’s Dog: My Strategy For Affording It

For the past several months, I’ve been testing The Farmer’s Dog food, commonly touted as one of the best fresh dog food delivery services available, with my pup, Lyle. I’m on my fourth delivery of Farmer’s Dog, and I can confidently say that it’s worth the upgrade. 

No doubt, fresh food is more expensive than kibble, but The Farmer’s Dog (TFD) claims it’s worth the price, and I have to say that I agree — I don’t think I’ll buy anything else at this point. 

As a dog parent, there’s not much I wouldn’t do for Lyle — my only children have four legs, after all. If my husband had his way, he’d have paid for TFD even before its viral 2023 Super Bowl commercial made all of us bawl like babies. But, as much as I love Lyle (which is more than anything in this world), $100+ a month was hard for me to justify, even if I do want to keep him with me for as long as possible. 

Luckily, one of the biggest advantages of The Farmer’s Dog is how customizable its plans are. It took a box or two to get it right, but I’ve figured out that mixing The Farmer’s Dog with dry kibble helps me give Lyle healthier food and keep my costs low. Even introducing a smaller amount of fresh food into his diet upped his energy, softened his coat, and reduced the number of hot spots we saw.

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Here’s my honest review of the Farmer’s Dog and how I use it to feed Lyle better than ever.

How Is The Farmer’s Dog Different?

The Farmer’s Dog stands out from dry kibble and dog food formats by prioritizing human-grade, whole ingredients. Unlike many kibbles packed with artificial additives, by-products, and “meat meals,” The Farmer’s Dog uses USDA-approved meat and fresh vegetables, such as green beans and sweet potatoes. Basically, it’s got all the good stuff we know in our hearts is good for our furry loved ones and none of the bad stuff. 

Their commitment to quality is backed by rigorous standards; all recipes meet American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutritional standards for all life stages and adhere to the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Global Nutrition Guidelines, considered the gold standard in pet nutrition. This ensures your dog gets a complete and balanced diet, which in turn, helps improve digestion and support healthy weight management.

How The Farmer’s Dog Food Works

The Farmer’s Dog uses a quick online survey to build a customized subscription plan for your dog. They ask a few short questions about your dog so they can create a meal plan to meet their unique needs, and then deliver it right to your door. 

Each meal delivery comes pre-portioned for your dog, taking into account their age, weight, body condition, breed, activity level, spay/neuter status, and other factors. This more precise portioning system (no weighing or eyeballing scoops) makes it easier to manage your dog’s weight. It’s also easy to change your portions as your dogs grow or as their needs change.

Ordering: You’ll start by completing a quick questionnaire about your dog, covering details like their age, weight, breed, and activity level. Once your order is ready to ship, The Farmer’s Dog will send you an email with billing details and a shipping confirmation.

Customization: After you enter your dog’s information during signup, The Farmer’s Dog provides recipe recommendations. TFD makes customizations simple — you can accept TFD’s suggestions or choose your own combination of recipes. However, you cannot customize for food intolerances or allergies.

Delivery and packaging: Food is shipped on a recurring schedule to ensure you never run out. You can also pause or adjust your delivery schedule at any time. Food is packed in a large box and kept frozen with dry ice and insulation. Each box includes a feeding guide, and each pouch is labeled with feeding instructions. (Your first box will include even more helpful resources for customizing future orders.)

Storage: Recipes come in vacuum-sealed plastic pouches and a cooler bag. I store the meals in the cooler bag in my outside freezer, but they’re flat enough to stack in your everyday freezer without taking up too much space. A plastic container to store opened bags of food in the refrigerator is also included.

Feeding With The Farmer’s Dog

I initially signed up for a two-week trial to try out a tailored meal plan for Lyle. My plan included the beef recipe, chicken recipe, and turkey recipe, and my portion suggestion was half a package per day (1/4 package per meal). If this seems low, The Farmer’s Dog food often requires feeding smaller portions compared to kibble due to its high nutrient density.

TFD advises transitioning slowly to fresh food to ensure your dog’s digestive system adjusts. I followed the recommended timeline, which involves starting with about 75% dry dog food and 25% fresh food. Then, you’ll gradually increase it each day until your dog is eating 100% The Farmer’s Dog.

It was super simple to introduce fresh food into Lyle’s diet. Every packet came labeled with feeding instructions, which made it easy for my husband and me to keep track of what to do. I also see ready-made labels being a big benefit when Lyle goes to sleep-away camp and the dog sitter needs to feed Lyle while we’re on a humans-only vacation.

There’s no food scoop with TFD (this is one of the main drawbacks), but you can store the packet in the fridge using the provided plastic container. This keeps everything neatly contained, which is good, considering it sits beside my eggs and produce.

As I mentioned earlier, you can mix The Farmer’s Dog with dry kibble, too. After consulting with my veterinarian to ensure I was feeding Lyle enough food, I dialed back my usage ratio to about 50% fresh, 50% kibble, and it still has the desired effects. Mixing food types allows me to give Lyle better food without breaking the bank. (More on this below.)

What Changed After Switching to The Farmer’s Dog

Lyle suffers from skin and gut sensitivities, which is what I was hoping to address by transitioning to fresh, less processed food. Almost immediately, I saw a noticeable change in Lyle’s health and energy, possibly because he’s older and a little more sensitive to food. He wasn’t lethargic after eating, and — sensitivity warning — he didn’t vomit it up later, like he often does with dry food.

Even introducing a smaller amount of The Farmer’s Dog fresh food into Lyle’s diet upped his energy, softened his coat, and reduced the number of hot spots we saw.

Wet, fresh food also helped slow down my dog’s eating pace. One of the unexpected benefits of transitioning to TFD is that it forced Lyle to eat more slowly. This, paired with a slow-feeder bowl like this one, significantly reduced vomiting after meals.

After about a week, his coat was shiny and softer, to the point that even my parents commented on the change during a visit. 

Many people also report a noticeable change in weight with TFD, but Lyle is not an overweight dog, so I can’t speak to this benefit. I’m also not sure if my mixed approach would be as successful as a 100% TFD diet if this were my goal. 

Farmer’s Dog Food Cost 

The Farmer’s Dog cost per day depends on your dog’s size, appetite, and energy level. TFD says online that costs start at around $2 per day and can increase to about $12 per day. 

Lyle is a seven-year-old, 45-pound beagle mix with a low energy level (he’s a big couch guy). For me to feed Lyle a 100% Farmer’s Dog food diet, the cost is $129 per 28 days of food, or $4.61 per day plus tax. Shipping is free.

To lower the cost of TFD, I mix The Farmer’s Dog food with kibble. TFD offers mixing plans, which you can set up online quite easily. Because TFD food comes pre-portioned and frozen, you can also “bulk buy” to save about $0.50 per day (in my case, at least).

Mixing Famer’s Dog with Dry Kibble

My dashboard calculates food deliveries based on the assumption that I feed Lyle 1/2 pack per day (100% usage of the fresh food plan). This is what TFD recommended for daily portions based on Lyle’s caloric intake, weight, activity level, and more. 

However, I mix TFD fresh food with dry kibble to lower my cost of The Farmer’s Dog to about $3 per day in total — basically, using it as a little more than a topper. This means I only feed Lyle about 1/4 pack per day. (See image below for a visual representation of his meal portions.) With this ratio, I go through one pack about every eight meals, or four days. Note: I wouldn’t recommend stretching your portions any further than this  — TFD states the food is freshest if used within four days.  

Here’s a breakdown of my costs when mixing TFD and dry kibble:

• TFD fresh food (50% portion): Lasts just under eight weeks, which is about $2.30 per day. Cost is even lower if you double your order size.
• 30-pound bag of dry dog food: About $50 and lasts about 10 weeks, equating to $0.70 per day

Important: We settled on a fresh food/kibble mixture only after consulting with our veterinarian and the TFD customer service team. This ensures Lyle receives an adequate amount of calories and nutrition for his weight and lifestyle. Your costs, meal plan, feeding schedule, and results may differ.

A Few Notes About My Experience With The Farmer’s Dog

All in all, my experience with TFD is overwhelmingly positive. But, here are a few other things you might like to know if you’re considering the brand:

• Customer service is incredible: The online chat feature is extremely responsive. I had a question about my free trial expiration date and got an answer in minutes. I also love the text notifications I get for every impending delivery. Every single one of my boxes has been delivered on time so far.

• It’s a little messy. My dog has never really been a clean eater, but I do notice that I have to clean up the area around his bowl every now and again because wet food is…well, wet. 

• It smells better than most brands: Call me crazy, but I was worried that TFD would smell like canned dog food, which is very pungent. However, I think TFD smells better than brands like Freshpet and Hill’s Science and Prescription Diets. 

• Freezer space is key: Unlike some other fresh food brands that stay in the fridge, TFD must be frozen until you’re ready to use a pack. I have plenty of freezer space, so storing a month’s worth of food or more isn’t an issue, but storing a big order might not be ideal for everyone.

Final Verdict: Is The Farmer’s Dog Worth It?

The Farmer’s Dog meals offer a healthier approach to dog food than some traditional dry dog foods or canned dog foods, but it’s also more expensive. Still, I think it’s an excellent value for the money, considering the intention behind its service principles, commitment to quality ingredients, and ease of everyday use. Consider the higher costs and the need for freezer space.