The Farmer’s Dog Reviews

TL;DR

Reading through lots of owner feedback on fresh, subscription-style dog foods, the big themes are consistent: dogs often love the taste, but cost and storage/logistics can be deal-breakers. If you’re looking at The Farmer’s Dog, it’s worth comparing it against close “fresh cooked” competitors and evaluating fat and calories on a dry-matter basis (fresh foods can look deceptively “low fat” on an as-fed label because they’re so moisture-rich).

Top Recommended Food & Nutrition

Turkey recipe

Best for: Dogs who do best on fresh, gently cooked food and owners who want a subscription plan they can tailor around budget, portions, and delivery cadence.

The Good

• Strong owner-feedback volume: Ollie has a large base of buyer reviews on Trustpilot, which helps you see patterns (not just a handful of anecdotes).
• Fresh-food fit: It’s a directly comparable “fresh cooked” alternative to The Farmer’s Dog, so it’s useful for head-to-head budgeting and logistics checks.
• Convenient portioning: Fresh packs can make it easier to feed consistent amounts (especially for people who struggle with eyeballing kibble scoops).
• Palatability for picky eaters: Many dogs strongly prefer fresh foods’ smell/texture versus dry kibble, which can help with appetite (assuming the diet is appropriate for your dog).

The Bad

• Storage and shipping needs: Like most fresh subscriptions, you’ll likely need meaningful freezer space and a plan for delivery days.
• Cost creep is real: Fresh subscriptions can feel manageable at first, then add up over months — especially for medium/large dogs.
• Not “one-size-fits-all” for medical needs: If your dog needs a therapeutic diet (or has pancreatitis/hyperlipidemia history), you’ll want your vet involved before switching.

Our Take: If you’re reading The Farmer’s Dog reviews because you want a fresh-food subscription but you’re worried about long-term affordability or flexibility, Ollie is a practical comparator. We’d still approach it the same way we’d approach any fresh food: check calorie density, confirm the life-stage statement, and transition slowly so you don’t mislabel a too-fast switch as “intolerance.”

Turkey Fare

Best for: Owners who want another mainstream fresh-cooked subscription option to compare against The Farmer’s Dog on portions, calories, and day-to-day convenience.

The Good

• Solid review base: Nom Nom has a meaningful number of buyer reviews on Trustpilot, which can help you sanity-check common themes.
• Easy-to-serve format: Pre-portioned fresh packs can be simpler than measuring kibble, especially for households with multiple caregivers feeding the dog.
• Good head-to-head alternative: It’s close enough in concept to The Farmer’s Dog that you can compare subscription terms, delivery cadence, and storage needs directly.
• Potential appetite help: Fresh foods are frequently more enticing to dogs than dry diets, which is why many owners try them in the first place.

The Bad

• Budget pressure: As with most fresh subscriptions, full-feeding larger dogs can be expensive, pushing some owners toward partial feeding (mixing with kibble).
• Delivery dependence: If a shipment runs late and you don’t have backup food your dog tolerates, you can get stuck making abrupt changes.
• May not suit sensitive or medically complex dogs without vet input: Dogs with chronic GI disease, pancreatitis history, or lipid issues should be handled more cautiously than review averages suggest.

Our Take: Nom Nom is worth shortlisting if you’re comparing The Farmer’s Dog reviews against other fresh-food subscriptions and you want another well-known brand to price out. Before committing, we’d focus less on “my dog loves it” (common across fresh foods) and more on the measurable fit: calories per day, storage space, and whether the formula suits your dog’s life stage and health history.

Life-stage fit: what matters more than the brand name

One reason The Farmer’s Dog reviews (and fresh-food reviews in general) can feel all over the place is that dogs aren’t all eating for the same goal. A food that looks amazing for a healthy adult dog may be a poor fit for a growing puppy, a dog that needs to gain weight, or a dog with a medical condition that requires a therapeutic diet.

• Puppies: Puppies need a diet intended for growth (or “all life stages”) with appropriate nutrient balance and enough calories to support growth. If you’re considering fresh food for a puppy, confirm the life-stage statement and ask your vet if you’re unsure.
• Healthy adults: Most fresh subscriptions are positioned for maintenance in adult dogs. This is where owner feedback about palatability, stool quality, and coat changes tends to show up most.
• Seniors: Seniors vary a lot. Some need fewer calories, others need highly digestible foods to maintain weight. It’s less about “senior label” and more about calories, protein, fat, and any diagnosed conditions — your vet can help you interpret what’s appropriate.
• Dogs needing therapeutic diets: If your dog has kidney disease, urinary stones, severe food allergies requiring prescription diets, pancreatitis history, or hyperlipidemia, don’t rely on reviews as your decision tool. Work with your vet, because “fresh” doesn’t automatically mean “safe for this condition.”

Nutrition & labeling deep-dive: how to compare fat and calories correctly

A major “gotcha” in The Farmer’s Dog reviews is confusion about fat content. Fresh cooked foods contain a lot of water, which makes the “as-fed” percentages (the numbers on many labels and marketing pages) look lower than you’d expect. That doesn’t necessarily mean the diet is low fat — it often just means it’s high moisture.

Here’s how we’d compare any fresh subscription (including the two options above) to The Farmer’s Dog in a way that’s actually apples-to-apples:

• Compare fat on a dry-matter basis (DMB): Dry-matter calculations remove water so you can compare fresh food to kibble and to other fresh foods more fairly. If the company doesn’t provide DMB, ask customer support for dry-matter protein and fat for the specific recipe(s) you’re considering.
• Check calorie density, not just percentages: Look for calories per package, per gram, or per serving. The practical question is: can your dog maintain a healthy weight on reasonable portions?
• Be extra cautious with pancreatitis/hyperlipidemia history: Evidence and clinical experience suggest higher-fat diets can be a concern for dogs prone to pancreatitis or with lipid disorders. This is a “vet first” category — don’t assume fresh food is automatically appropriate.
• Use a slow transition to reduce GI surprises: A lot of “this food caused diarrhea” reviews (across brands) can be confounded by switching too quickly. A gradual transition over about 7–10 days is a common best practice.

If you want a framework for evaluating pet food claims beyond marketing, the WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines are a helpful checklist-style resource, and AAFCO’s consumer guidance explains what “complete and balanced” means in practice.

Ingredient notes: what to look for (and what not to overinterpret)

Many The Farmer’s Dog reviews focus on ingredients (“real food,” “human-grade,” “no fillers”). Ingredients matter, but they’re not the whole story. Two practical takeaways for US buyers:

• Focus on the whole formula, not a single ingredient: Dogs need a complete nutrient profile, not just appealing ingredients. AAFCO “complete and balanced” language (and how the claim is substantiated) is more informative than buzzwords.
• For sensitive dogs, consistency matters: If your dog has food-responsive GI issues or suspected ingredient triggers, you usually want a consistent recipe and careful transitions. If substitutions happen (or recipes change), sensitive dogs can flare — even if the ingredient list still “looks good.”
• Fat sources and total fat matter for some dogs: This is where dry-matter fat and calories help you more than scanning the ingredient list for “healthy fats.”

Company transparency & best-practice checks (especially for subscription foods)

When owners read The Farmer’s Dog reviews, a common friction point is that it can be hard to compare brands on more than vibes. We’d use a “trust but verify” approach that aligns with widely used best-practice criteria:

• Who formulates the diets? Look for clear information about formulation oversight and qualifications (for example, whether a veterinary nutrition expert is involved).
• How is quality control handled? Ask about manufacturing standards, ingredient sourcing controls, and how the company tests for consistency and safety.
• How is “complete and balanced” substantiated? Some foods meet AAFCO nutrient profiles by formulation; others complete feeding trials. Both can be acceptable, but you should know which applies to the recipe you’re feeding.
• Is calorie and nutrient information easy to obtain? For fresh foods, you want calories per pack and clear feeding guidance that you can actually follow.

For safety and recall due diligence, you can check the FDA recalls, market withdrawals, and safety alerts page. (Any brand can have issues — what matters is how quickly problems are identified and addressed.)

Pricing and How to Buy

Cost and logistics are where a lot of The Farmer’s Dog reviews turn from “my dog loves it” into “we couldn’t keep it up.” Fresh subscription food can work extremely well for some households — and be totally unrealistic for others.

• Estimate monthly cost using calories, not just dog weight: Two dogs of the same weight may need very different daily calories depending on age, activity, and body condition. Your vet can help you sanity-check a target calorie range.
• Plan freezer space before your first box arrives: Fresh shipments often arrive in bulk. Measure your freezer and decide where the food will live. If storage is tight, this alone can push you toward a different option (or partial feeding).
• Have a backup plan for delivery delays: Keep a small amount of your previous food (or another tolerated option) on hand so you’re not forced into an abrupt switch if shipping runs late.
• Partial feeding is common: Many owners use fresh food as a topper mixed with kibble to control cost. If you do this, keep the overall diet balanced and watch total calories — toppers can sneak calories in quickly.
• Track outcomes for 3–4 weeks: Use objective markers (weight trend, stool consistency, itching, energy) rather than relying on the first few days of excitement around a new food.

What to check on the label (or product page) before you commit

Whether you’re evaluating The Farmer’s Dog reviews or comparing it to another fresh subscription, these are the checkpoints we’d want answered in writing:

• Life-stage statement: Is it for growth, maintenance, or all life stages?
• “Complete and balanced” claim + how it’s substantiated: If it’s complete and balanced, does the company say whether it meets AAFCO nutrient profiles by formulation or through feeding trials?
• Calorie information: Calories per pack/portion (and enough guidance to feed accurately).
• Dry-matter protein and fat (or enough info to calculate): Especially important if your dog is prone to pancreatitis, has high lipids, or is struggling with weight.
• Handling and storage instructions: Treat fresh food like you’d treat perishable meat — store correctly, avoid cross-contamination, and don’t leave it out too long.

FAQ

Is The Farmer’s Dog a good choice for dogs with pancreatitis or high lipids?

That’s a “talk to your vet first” situation. Fresh foods can look lower in fat on an as-fed label because of high moisture, so you’ll want dry-matter fat numbers and calorie density before you assume it’s appropriate. If your dog has a current or past pancreatitis diagnosis (or hyperlipidemia), your vet’s guidance matters more than online reviews.

Why can fresh dog food look “low fat” on the label but still be rich?

Because as-fed percentages are diluted by water. Fresh foods are high moisture, so protein and fat percentages can appear smaller than they would in a dry food. Comparing fat on a dry-matter basis is the more accurate way to evaluate richness across fresh foods and kibble.

How long should I transition to a fresh subscription food to avoid stomach upset?

Many vets recommend a gradual transition over about 7–10 days, mixing increasing amounts of the new food with the old. If you see vomiting, diarrhea, or significant gas, slow down the transition (and contact your vet if signs are persistent or severe).

Can puppies eat fresh subscription foods?

Some can, but you must verify the recipe is intended for growth (or all life stages) and that you can feed enough calories for healthy development. If you’re unsure, your vet can help you confirm the food is appropriate for your puppy’s breed size and growth stage.

Do vets generally recommend fresh dog food?

It depends on the dog and the specific product. Many vets focus on whether a diet is complete and balanced, appropriate for the dog’s life stage and medical history, and made with solid quality-control practices. Using the WSAVA nutrition guidelines can help you ask better questions of any brand.

Where can I check whether a dog food has been recalled?

You can review recalls and safety alerts through the FDA’s animal food recalls and withdrawals page. If you’re ever unsure about a product lot you have at home, contact the company directly and keep the packaging for reference.

Is it okay to mix fresh food with kibble to save money?

Often, yes — many owners do this as a budget compromise. The key is to keep total daily calories appropriate and make changes gradually. If your dog has medical issues (especially pancreatitis history, GI disease, or weight problems), ask your vet how to structure mixed feeding safely.

Bottom Line

The strongest through-line in The Farmer’s Dog reviews (and across the fresh-food category) is that many dogs love fresh meals, but the real-world fit comes down to budget, freezer space, and getting the nutrition comparison right. If you want to explore alternatives in the same lane, Ollie and Nom Nom are two close comparators to price out and evaluate — just make sure you’re comparing fat and calories on a dry-matter basis and looping in your vet if your dog has pancreatitis risk, lipid issues, or needs a therapeutic diet.

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