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Comparing The Cost of The Top Fresh Dog Food Brands

Key Takeaways

  • Since every brand calculates a dog’s nutritional requirements in different ways, a better fresh dog food price comparison should be on a dollars/pound basis.
  • Other calculations based on your preferred category are the dollars/1,000kcal and dollars/100g of protein bases.
  • The cost of fresh dog food on the dollars/pound basis ranges from $5 to $13 depending on the brand.

The pet food market is changing, and today’s pet owners are spending more than ever on high-quality foods.

Already decided to switch your pet to a fresh, high-quality diet? If so, you’re probably wondering how the prices for fresh dog food compare across brands. Read my guide to help you decide on your next buy.

In this fresh dog food price comparison, I’ll share three different ways you can evaluate the cost of six popular brands on an apples-to-apples basis.

I’m not going to use the $/day or $/week breakdowns that the brands give you after you complete their questionnaires. That’s because every brand uses a different calculation to determine your dog’s nutritional requirements, so it’s not a reliable point of comparison.

It’s important to remember that all prices in this review are from before any discount is applied. If your pup is eager to try a new fresh dog food brand, be sure to use my links below to get the best current deals and discounts I know about. I’ll always keep these up to date.

CLICK HERE: See my best deal for Ollie → CLICK HERE: Try PetPlate Today → CLICK HERE: Get my best deal for The Farmer’s Dog → CLICK HERE: See my best deal on Nom Nom’s fresh dog food → CLICK HERE: See my best deal for Spot & Tango → Try A Pup Above today and SAVE $50

How We Calculated and compared costs

A quick note before we dig into the numbers: I want to explain our calculation methods. All information was pulled directly from the brands’ websites.

First, remember that all fresh dog food brands (with the exception of A Pup Above) require you to fill out a questionnaire. After you complete the questionnaire, they send you a recommended meal plan for your pet.

The recommended meal plan includes breakdowns for price per day, portions per day, and $/lb value. To keep things fair, we based our calculations for A Pup Above on their 3-lb multipack. Their multipack offers a similar amount of food and variety as the other brands.

We also created a fictional profile for the dog who would be eating the food. This is important, because it shows how different brands calculate the nutritional needs for the same pet.

Here’s the profile for the dog we used when completing the questionnaires. The dog:

  • is a male Labrador retriever weighting 73 pounds
  • has been neutered (which makes me feel bad, but it’s probably for the better)
  • was born in January 2018
  • maintains an active lifestyle, but not higher than average
  • does not have any allergies, sensitivities, or other health concerns

Lastly, for the purpose of this review, we limited our comparison to three recipes from each brand. In general, we compared beef, chicken, and turkey. The only exception was Spot & Tango, which by comparison only offers beef, turkey, and lamb (no chicken).

Alright — let’s see the results!

The Dollars-per-Pound Basis

A bar graph representation of fresh dog food price comparison for Ollie, PetPlate, The Farmer's Dog, Nom Nom, Spot & Tango, and A Pup Above in terms of the dollars per pound basis.

I like looking at the $/lb comparison first. Not only is it something tangible, but it’s also reflects how we tend to buy food at the grocery store.

It’s also reasonably fair because the moisture content for each brand is pretty similar. In other words, the amount of water you’re paying for doesn’t vary that much.

On a strictly $/lb basis, the cheapest is Ollie, which comes in at $5.44/lb.

In second place is PetPlate, which averages $6.55/lb.

The Farmer’s Dog comes in third place at $6.76/lb, and Nom Nom is $7.04/lb. Altogether, these four are close to comparable.

Spot & Tango is on the high end at $9.84/lb, while A Pup Above‘s $12.66/lb made it the most expensive. As you can see, there’s quite a bit of variation.

The Dollars-per-/1,000KCal Basis

A bar graph representation of fresh dog food price comparison for Ollie, PetPlate, The Farmer's Dog, Nom Nom, Spot & Tango, and A Pup Above in terms of the dollars/1,000 Kcal basis.

Next, let’s take a look at each brand’s value based on $/1,000 kcal, or $/1,000 Calories with a capital “C,” like we’re used to seeing on a nutrition label. I like this method because it shows how much usable energy (caloric value) each brand offers for the price.

Once again, Ollie is the cheapest at $8.53 per every 1,000 Calories. PetPlate follows them at $10.42 per 1,000 Calories.

The Farmer’s Dog came in at $10.88 per 1,000 Calories while Nom Nom costs $11.79 per 1,000 calories.

And again, Spot & Tango’s $15.58 per 1,000 Calories and A Pup Above’s $19.12 per 1,000 Calories puts them both on the high side.

So when we look at it on a $/1,000 Calories basis, the brands rank in the same order as they do when comparing $/lb. That’s why I still think $/lb is a fair metric that really makes sense to our human minds.

The Dollars-Per-100g of Protein Basis

A bar graph representation of fresh dog food price comparison for Ollie, PetPlate, The Farmer's Dog, Nom Nom, Spot & Tango, and A Pup Above in terms of the dollar/100g of protein basis.

Last but not least, we’ll look at each brand’s value based on $/100g of protein. I appreciate this method because it respects the fact that protein is often the most expensive element of food. While I’m certainly not a vet, I’d also guess that protein is the most relevant macronutrient for a dog.

On a strictly $/100g of protein basis, Ollie is (for the third time!) the cheapest at $12.11 per 100g of protein. The Farmer’s Dog comes in second place at $15.21 per 100g of protein.

Up next is PetPlate at $15.95 per 100g of protein, followed by Spot & Tango at $17.64 per 100g of protein. 

After Spot & Tango is Nom Nom, at $17.72 per 100g of protein. Finally, A Pup Above came in last place at $20.75 per 100g of protein.

No matter which comparison we use, Ollie is consistently the cheapest and A Pup Above is the most expensive.

A FEW MORE TAKEAWAYS

Of course, there are more things to think about than price when buying fresh dog food. Always consider which brand can offer the best macronutrient profile for your dog (your vet is the best person to help you with this).

You may also want to examine how each of these brands’ recipes look, smell, and taste. Lucky for you guys, I’ve already done this — taste test included!

And remember, if you choose any of these brands for your pup, make sure to use my links to get the best deals that I have access. I’ll always keep these up to date.

CLICK HERE: See my best deal for Ollie → CLICK HERE: Try PetPlate Today → CLICK HERE: Get my best deal for The Farmer’s Dog → CLICK HERE: See my best deal on Nom Nom’s fresh dog food → CLICK HERE: See my best deal for Spot & Tango → Try A Pup Above today and SAVE $50

Summary: Fresh Dog Food Price Comparison

Average Cost Of Fresh Dog Food Brands

Brand$/lb$/1,000 kcal$/100g protein
Ollie5.448.5312.11
Petplate6.5510.4215.95
The Farmer's Dog6.7610.8815.21
Nom Nom7.0411.7917.72
Spot and Tango9.8415.5817.64
A Pup Above12.6619.1220.75

FAQs

1. What is the average cost of fresh dog food?

Each fresh dog food retailer has its own average meal plan cost. The average cost of a meal delivery service is between $25 and $33 per week.

2. What’s the cheapest fresh dog food?

Just Food for Dogs and Spot & Tango offer meal plans starting at $2.61 per day.

3. Is there a cheaper alternative to The Farmer’s Dog?

The Farmer’s Dog has an average price for meal delivery services. There are cheaper alternatives to The Farmer’s Dog.

4. Is fresh dog food more expensive?

Kibble costs an average of less than $1 per day. However, fresh food offers a healthier option. The expense of fresh food pays dividends toward your pooch’s quality of life.

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