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NutriCanine makes doggy dinner time healthy, simple and delicious with their personalized meal plan service. Fill out the online questionnaire to have a customized fresh-food meal plan created for your dog’s unique nutritional needs,
With NutriCanine, what stands out is the quality of the food and the convenience of the service. Not only is each of their four recipes made with only human-grade ingredients, but they’re also formulated by an agrologist for complete and balanced nutrition based on AAFCO guidelines – no need to add any supplements.
The recipes have also been developed with picky eaters in mind, so they’re extremely palatable and delicious, with no fillers whatsoever. In fact, NutriCanine’s recipes, prepared in an Ontario kitchen with locally sourced ingredients, contain more meat per pound than any other cooked dog food brand in Canada.
Whether you choose the full meal plan or the topper plan, the food comes in pre-portioned, easy-peel meal packs that are delivered right to your door on a regular basis, so there’s no guesswork and you never run out of food. In all of Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba, delivery is free, and they also offer delivery in most major cities across Canada for a fee.
NutriCanine is the company that we feel deserves the title of best overall dog food company in Canada because the quality of their fresh food is top-notch, their personalized meal plans include meal packs that are actually pre-portioned and vary in size based on our dog’s needs, and they offer a wide free delivery range – all at prices that are more affordable than any other company that offers the same. Plus, they offer “pack perks,” including free treats, toys, and virtual vet appointments.
Founded in 2014, Farmer’s Dog is one of the most well-known fresh dog food delivery companies. Perhaps you saw their top-rated commercial during the big game in February 2023.
Like many of our other top picks, Farmer’s Dog offers custom-made fresh-food meal plans delivered directly to your door. Just create a profile, choose your meals and delivery schedule, and meal packs arrive pre-portioned based on your dog’s calorie needs within days of being cooked.
Top veterinary nutritionists formulated Farmer’s Dog’s recipes to be nutritionally complete and balanced for dogs, exceeding AAFCO guidelines. For top safety and quality standards, their fresh food is made with only human-grade ingredients in a USDA kitchen. Though you won’t be able to find their food in stores, delivering directly to you helps keep prices low, as the most affordable fresh food company on our list. By skipping the stores, they skip those retail markups as well as the need for preservatives – the food is made fresh and delivered right to you without being stored for months on a shelf or in a freezer.
The biggest downfall for Farmer’s Dog? Unfortunately, Farmer’s Dog isn’t available in Canada yet. However, as you can see, we have some pretty great alternatives that are just as good (if not better!) and Canadian-made.
What do we love about Open Farm’s gently cooked fresh food? It’s slow-cooked using a sous-vide method, made with 100% human-grade ingredients, and comes in five delicious and nutritious, balanced recipes: Surf & turf, Grass-Fed Beef, Homestead Turkey, Harvest Chicken and Puppy.
In line with Open Farm’s focus on sustainability, ethics, and traceability, they use ingredients like antibiotic-free, humanely raised chicken and non-GMO fruits and veggies, as well as recyclable packaging. However, their gently cooked food is the most expensive on our list, and despite being a Canadian company, they use US-sourced meat.
One big difference between Open Farm and the other companies we’ve reviewed is that their gently cooked food can only be purchased in-store in 8lb or 16lb boxes. Though this might work for you if you live in a city with lots of pet stores nearby and are looking to pick up food right away, we tend to find online shopping and home delivery more convenient (especially when it’s free!). This also means that the food isn’t custom or pre-portioned at all, so you’ll need to figure out how much to feed your dog and portion it out yourself – and there isn’t really an affordable way to try the recipes to determine if your dog likes them before committing to buying a lot at once.
Kabo is another custom dog food subscription service that, after filling out their questionnaire, delivers pre-portioned fresh meals right to your door. Their food is made in an industrial kitchen in Ontario using human-grade, locally sourced ingredients, and their recipes are formulated to meet AAFCO guidelines. With pre-portioned, easy-to-peel meal packs, and regular delivery, we love how convenient Kabo makes it to feed our fur babies fresh food.
Additionally, Kabo offers one perk that makes them stand out: free vet support and on-demand consultations with their in-house licensed pet health experts for members. Connecting with pet health experts who are well-versed in fresh food can be a challenge, so having access to this service is a welcome benefit.
However, there are a couple of downsides with Kabo. Firstly, it’s the most expensive of all the companies we reviewed by a long shot, and though they use human-grade ingredients, the quality doesn’t look and feel quite as high as with some of the others. Additionally, all of their gently cooked recipes contain pea fibre, which is widely known as a filler ingredient. Lastly, their delivery area is quite limited. They don’t service Eastern Canada, Northern Canada or Saskatchewan at all. And while they offer free delivery in bigger cities like Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, in Ottawa and areas outside of these cities, you have to pay for delivery – if they even ship to you at all.
For fresh food that’s balanced by pet nutritionists, made with natural ingredients, and delivered to your door, Tom&Sawyer is another great option. With nine different recipes, including Kangaroo, Buddha Bowl, and Rosemary Venison, Tom&Sawyer offers the most diverse and unique range of recipes on our list.
Once you build an online profile for your dog, you have the option of making a one-time purchase or choosing to “subscribe and save” 5% on every recurring order. Though the meal plans are personalized in the sense that you get to choose your recipes and the number of meal packs you get, you must order a minimum of 14 meal packs and they aren’t pre-portioned for your dog. With their “one-size-fits-all” approach, all meal packs are 1 pound, and you’re told how much to feed your dog each day, which requires a bit of extra work to portion out the food, especially if you have a smaller dog.
What’s special about Tom&Sawyer is that they have chefs hand-make their food in their independently-owned commercial kitchen in Toronto, where you can actually visit and see your dog’s meals being prepared. We also love that you can find their food in many pet stores, so you can try each recipe before deciding to place a larger order online.
What needs improvement? Delivery is free and easy if you’re in Toronto, but outside of Toronto, you’ll need to pay. Additionally, not only are the meal packs not pre-portioned, but they don’t have easy-peel packaging, so you need to use scissors. Lastly, the food is expensive compared to some of the other companies on our list.
Now that you’re familiar with some of the best dog food options, you might be wondering exactly how to make your decision. Below we go into detail about some of the factors you might want to consider when choosing the food that best fits your pooch.
Though all of the foods listed above contain quality ingredients, some contain ingredients that are a cut above the rest, but not surprisingly, that comes with a higher price tag. Overall, you want to look for dog foods from companies that are transparent about their ingredients and don’t contain preservatives, anything artificial or unnecessary fillers. Just like the food you eat yourself, fresh is best.
In order to ensure your dog is getting a complete and nutritious diet, their food should be balanced, developed by an agrologist, veterinarian, or pet formulation specialist, and meet nutrition guidelines, like those provided by AAFCO. Otherwise, you might find yourself needing to include special supplements into their meals, which adds additional cost, can be inconvenient – and let’s face it, you’re simply not an expert. We prefer companies that include a vitamin mix in their recipes to ensure all your dog’s nutritional needs are met from the jump.
Depending on your dog’s life stage, body composition, breed, and whether or not they have any specific health issues, you’ll want to ensure that the food you chose will meet their needs. With companies that allow you to create custom meal plans, you can feel good knowing that your dog’s age, breed, weight and activity level will all be taken into account when determining their recipes as well as portion size.
However, if your dog suffers from specific health concerns, like diabetes, obesity, pancreatitis, or arthritis, it’s best to have a look at the recipe’s nutritional information (specifically, the amount of carbs, fat and protein) and discuss with your veterinarian. Many dog food companies have food that caters to specific health concerns, so it’s always best to reach out and ask. If companies aren’t transparent about sharing their ingredients or nutrient profiles, that’s definitely a red flag.
It may or may not be important for you to have a personalized meal plan built just for your dog, but it sure takes out all the guesswork and makes feeding your dog healthy food incredibly easy. While some companies give you meal packs in a standard size (either 0.5 lbs or 1 lbs) and tell you how much to feed, others truly personalize even the meal pack size, providing truly pre-portioned meal packs. With standard meal packs, you might be stuck leaving the leftover food in the fridge for days, making it not-so-fresh by the time it hits the bowl. It’s also worth considering how easy it is to make changes to your meal plan and how reliable the customer service is.
If you’re tired of running out of food or running to the pet store in the middle of winter, dog food companies that provide delivery service can be very convenient. The personalized meal plan services automatically send food when you’re scheduled to run out, so you don’t even need to place a new order. Some companies offer free delivery in many parts of Canada, so keep this in mind as you’re making your choice.
Depending on the quality of the product and service you’re looking for, there will be some differences in price. Not surprisingly, the more premium the food and the more personalized and convenient the service, the more you can expect to pay. It’s worthwhile to think about the best value for your money depending on your needs and lifestyle. For example, do you prefer having a meal plan that’s personalized and truly pre-portioned rather than having to portion it out yourself? Do you value having food delivered to your door instead of visiting the pet shop when you run out? Take these things into consideration when making your selection.
When it comes to choosing healthy, nutritious food for your dog, there are several companies that provide great offerings. Depending on what you value, your budget, and your lifestyle, one company might be a better fit for you than another.
For us, NutriCanine came out on top because of its unparalleled quality, convenient and personalized service, reasonable price and free delivery options in many parts of Canada. Overall, we felt that this made NutriCanine the best value option out there.
Both NutriCanine and Kabo are the only options that actually pre-portion their food, tailoring the meal pack size to your individual dog. Since dog obesity is the most common preventable disease in dogs, with over 50% of dogs in North American being overweight,, we feel that ensuring your dog is truly getting the right portion is of the utmost importance in combating weight issues – and having pre-portioned meal packs ensure this. Additionally, both NutriCanine and Kabo are all-in-one meal solutions that contain vitamin mixes and don’t require additional supplements or broths. However, we found the NutriCanine’s quality was better and it came in at a more affordable price point.
No matter what company you choose, remember that deciding the proper nutrition for your furry family member shouldn’t be taken lightly, as diet is a prominent contributor to their overall health and longevity.
