In this Ollie vs A Pup Above comparison, I assessed the quality of each company’s fresh dog food as a whole, the convenience of the services from the pet owner’s perspective, and how much each costs.
As we’ll discuss further below, one brand is excellent quality while the other, let’s just say, is a little off-putting. Both brands do well in some aspects but when it comes to quality, one obviously outshines the other.
Who should get Ollie?
Unfortunately, I would not recommend Ollie to anyone. I think there are better options out there. But if you insist, use my link below to get the best discount I currently have access to:
CLICK HERE: Get my best deal for Ollie →Who should get A Pup Above?
A Pup Above is a great choice for pet parents who do not want to commit to a subscription and are looking for a delicious tasting dog food that is packed with a higher-than-average amount of protein. As a bonus, the company produces their fresh dog food with traceable ingredients and cares for the environment in many ways. However, note that A Pup Above is one of the most expensive fresh dog foods out there… Although my discount below should help!
CLICK HERE: Get my best deal for A Pup Above →Quality
To evaluate the quality of each fresh dog food, I checked out how each looks, smells, tastes, and did a quick review of their ingredients.
Appearance
Ollie’s supposed “fresh meals” look more like a homogenous paste similar to traditional commercial wet dog food with only a few specks of the whole ingredients. This is consistent with expectations from the images in their website, however.
When you look at A Pup Above’s recipes, each meal has whole pieces of ingredients—you can see carrots, grains of rice, and other ingredients in the recipe. However, the food does not look as nice as advertised on the website.
Smell
With Ollie’s recipes there is no distinct smell of the primary ingredients like the proteins and the vegetables. Ollie’s recipes actually have a heavy aroma, quite like I might expect from regular dog food.
All of the meals by A Pup Above smell generally nice and pleasant. Compared to other brands, each A Pup Above meal has more complex aromatic notes like herbs and spices—much like human food.
Taste
Ollie has an off-putting and strong taste, probably from the excessive inclusion of organ meat. The dry and grainy texture of Ollie also add to its unappealing dining experience.
A Pup Above meals are all quite tasty. Although not decisively the most delicious fresh dog food out there, the use of herbs and spices definitely elevated the eating experience.
Ingredients
Both companies use whole ingredients in their recipes and supplement with a nutrient mix so that the food meets AAFCO standards. Both Ollie and A Pup Above recipes are designed by veterinary nutritionists to provide nutritionally complete meals for every dog. Both are also made in USDA-inspected kitchens.
When it comes to nutrition, there is a stark contrast between Ollie and A Pup Above. Ollie has 9-11% protein, while A Pup Above has 13-14% protein as fed.
CLICK HERE: Get my best deal for A Pup Above →Convenience
How convenient are Ollie and A Pup Above when it comes to customer experience? Check out how each brand performs when it comes to purchasing, shipping, and packaging.
Purchasing
Although a subscription is required to purchase dog food from Ollie, it is quite easy to cancel from their website dashboard.
No subscription is required if you want to get A Pup Above, but you can opt in and save up to 15%.
Shipping
My Ollie order took four full business days in transit. I ordered on a Saturday, and the package arrived on the next Friday. The food comes frozen in an insulated shipping container with dry ice on top. The packaging materials are all recyclable, nothing to dissolve in the sink.
I ordered my fresh dog food from A Pup Above on a Sunday and received it not the following Thursday, but the Thursday after that— a total of 8 full business days in transit. This is the longest shipping time I’ve experienced out of all fresh dog food providers I have tried. The food, however, stayed frozen. It is packed in cellulose insulation which needed to be dissolved in water and rinsed down the sink to dispose—a little bit cumbersome compared to just throwing it at the recycling bin.
Packaging
Ollie comes in 1.50-1.75lb patties that are quite large in size. Although this is quite a lot for one serving, Ollie provides a puptainer where you can store defrosted food that can stay good for four days.
A Pup Above fresh dog food comes in 1lb patties. Once thawed, you should use the food within seven days.
Cost
Finally, let’s compare Ollie and A Pup Above on price.
Ollie is an affordable fresh dog food. It comes in at $6/lb, one of the cheapest in the market. A Pup Above fresh pup meals cost an average of $13/lb—more expensive than most brands.
Ollie is way more affordable than A Pup Above, but with the quality of the dog food, is it really worth the few dollars you can save? With A Pup Above, you are definitely paying a higher rate, but with that comes a high-quality, delicious fresh dog food your canine companion will surely thank you for.
My Recommendation
Between these two I’d definitely go with A Pup Above. Their food is delicious. That said, they’re quite expensive. If you choose A Pup Above for your dog make sure to use my link below to get the best discount I have access to:
CLICK HERE: Get my best deal for A Pup Above →Other fresh dog foods that are also delicious and a bit more affordable include The Farmer’s Dog, Nom Nom, Spot & Tango. While it’s not my favorite, PetPlate is also better-tasting fresh dog food than Ollie. If you’re dead set on Ollie, I’m sure you’ll still be happy enough – just do yourself a favor and apply my discount:
CLICK HERE: Get my best deal for Ollie →