The Farmer’s Dog Review 2025

Over the course of several months in 2023, I tested the best fresh dog food delivery services with my pup. Among them, The Farmer’s Dog is arguably the most popular — and one of the most established. It launched in 2014 with convenient home delivery of fresh frozen dog food.

In this review, I assessed The Farmer’s Dog across several key features, from ease of ordering to overall quality. I’ve also incorporated insights from Jaclyn Turner, senior home editor for Business Insider Reviews, who tried the service herself this year.

For my trial, I fed my 50-pound pit mix, Lyla, two of The Farmer’s Dog recipes: beef and turkey. Throughout our two-week testing, I paid close attention to my experience with ordering, delivery, ease of feeding, and, most importantly, Lyla’s enthusiastic tail wags at mealtime. Turner, meanwhile, tested several recipes for a month with Reese, her 20-pound cavapoo.

How it works

Recipes: The Farmer’s Dog recipes meet the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutritional standards for puppies and adult dogs. The company also fulfills all of the Global Nutrition Guidelines set by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA). These are the gold standard for pet food and apply to all of Insider Reviews’ picks for the best dog foods.

The Farmer’s Dog offers five recipes: beef, chicken, turkey, pork, and chicken and grain. Each one includes salmon oil, an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Research shows that the best fish oil for dogs can support skin, joint, immune, and cardiovascular health.

Ordering: You’ll need to complete 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. You can accept those suggestions or choose your own combination of up to three recipes. However, the food cannot be customized for food intolerances or allergies.

Delivery: Delivery times vary, but food is shipped on a recurring schedule to ensure you never run out. You can also pause or change your delivery schedule whenever you need.

Packaging: Food is packed in a large box and kept frozen with dry ice and corn starch insulation. Recipes come in vacuum-sealed plastic pouches that are easy to stack in the freezer. A plastic container to store opened bags of food in the refrigerator is also included.

Our review of The Farmer’s Dog

After completing the questionnaire on The Farmer’s Dog website, I placed my order. It ended up being one of the most affordable services I tested. Currently, two weeks of food for a 50-pound active dog like mine ranges from about $85 to $110, depending on the recipes you choose.

My recipes shipped a few days after I ordered them, and the box arrived promptly. Trial boxes come with a storage container, shopping bag, and a complimentary bag of treats.

Although I picked the box up immediately after delivery, the dry ice had already converted to gas, and the recipe on top had thawed. Turner’s food, on the other hand, was completely frozen on arrival and came just two days after she placed her order. While the food I received was still cold and safe to feed, I recommend unpacking and storing it as soon as it arrives.

I was pleased with how neatly the pouches fit inside my freezer. The Farmer’s Dog packages its food in long, stackable pouches that fit well in deep, narrow freezers. With some other fresh dog food delivery services, the tall, square packaging was a poor fit for my narrow freezer.

I was also impressed by how convenient the food was to serve. A feeding guide was included in my box, and each pouch was labeled with feeding instructions. With many services, I had to log in to my account to find feeding instructions, but The Farmer’s Dog took the hassle out of that. 

Each ingredient was clearly visible, and the meals looked more like something I’d eat myself than traditional wet dog food. “I love being able to identify the ingredients inside of the food, whether I spot lentils, carrots, kale, or spinach,” Turner says, adding that the food smelled fresh, like a meat casserole.

Lyla was a fan, too. She happily ate both the beef and turkey recipes, consistently returning to her bowl for breakfast and dinner — something that’s tough to get her to do with most dog foods.

Reese tried the chicken and grain, beef, chicken, and turkey recipes. He favored the chicken and grain and beef, meats which he eats regularly, but he also enjoyed the turkey. “He’d even return a few hours later, looking for more, which I’m not sure is out of hunger or just wanting more,” Turner says. “He’d keep eating and eating if I didn’t portion control.”

Cons to consider

A few factors have kept The Farmer’s Dog from rising to the top in our fresh dog food rankings. For one, it’s hard to find detailed information about the recipes just by browsing the website. You have to complete the ordering questionnaire and provide your email address before you can view ingredient lists or nutritional information for the recipes. Even after placing my order, I found it difficult to navigate the site to find specific recipe details.

Another drawback is that the Farmer’s Dog offers only one grain-inclusive recipe, which it began offering more recently. If you’re looking for more grain-inclusive options, I recommend JustFoodForDogs or Nom Nom.

While The Farmer’s Dog meets all the AAFCO and WSAVA standards Insider Reviews uses to evaluate dog food, the company claims that fresh food is healthier than shelf-stable kibble and wet food. At this time, there aren’t enough studies to back that up. That said, the brand announced in March 2025 that it had completed a yearlong feeding study in collaboration with the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. The results will be released later in 2025, a press representative says.

The bottom line

The Farmer’s Dog is an excellent fresh dog food delivery service, offering recipes that were a hit with our tester dogs. The food is a breeze to store and serve. While I wish they offered more recipe options, The Farmer’s Dog may be your best bet if you’re looking for one of the most affordable and convenient fresh food subscriptions.