The Farmer's Dog (food)

[Steve Carlton]

Seeing all these commercials got me thinking about this. I feed my dogs pretty good stuff, but if there's something they'd like better and it's healthier, I'm up for it. Looking online, there's lots of recommendations and it's hard to tell if some of these sites are biased. The Farmer's Dog and Ollie tend to come out at the top, with the edge to TFD (one site said it's more gently cooked, preserving more nutrients). I'm going to call my vet tomorrow to see what he thinks. Years ago I bought raw food frozen and the dogs gobbled it up. I was a little nervous about raw and still am. Thoughts?

[KFC911]

Purina Pro Plan....

There is no substitute

[Zeke]

I think vets are a good source of general infp but just like medical docs, reps stop by and promote brands. So I think not totally unbiased. YMMV.

[jrj3rd]

My daughter is a Vet. Recommends dry kibble and prefers Purina because they actually have Vets doing research on nutrition (not all companies do). Unless their is a specific health issue. To me Farmers Dog is marketing to owners preferences and not what dogs need. Just like all the gluten free dog foods being marketed lately. Vast majority of dogs need gluten in their diet for cardiac health. Just because some "influencer" recommends something doesn't mean it is good for your pet....

[rcooled]

We switched our dog 'Jack' from Nutrisource kibble to Farmer's Dog and he appears to be doing really well on it. He seemed to be getting bored with the kibble, but now he just about inhales the FD. I have to admit that the kibble was easier to deal with...we just put out his daily ration in the morning and he ate whenever he pleased 'till he finished it. Now, he's fed twice a day with a set amount recommended by FD for a dog his size. The FD food is a bit messier, as it's about the consistency of uncooked meatloaf and needs to be portioned out from a plastic pouch for each feeding.
At first, I didn't think he was getting enough to eat (wasn't pooping as much as before), but his weight has remained stable and he's in excellent health. FD claims that the reduced poop is 'cause there's no filler in their food.
Their plans are individually tailored for each particular dog and the one we're on ships us 28 days of food at a time, frozen in pre-measured pouches (2 days worth in each pouch). Adequate freezer space is needed to store the food and you need to remember to always have another pouch thawed out and ready to serve after the previous one is emptied.
FD's customer service is first rate and there's always a live person available to answer any questions we might have. All in all, very satisfied with their product.

[masraum]

One theory is that dogs in the wild kill and eat other critters, so they get raw meat, and whatever is in the guts of the critters that they eat (potentially greens/veggies/etc...).

We fed our pup Stella and Chewy's frozen, raw food (primarily meat).
https://www.stellaandchewys.com/dog-food/frozen-and-freeze-dried-raw-dog-food/frozen-raw-dinner-patties/

[Bill Douglas]

Choose something with no grains or cheap fillers.

[Rusty Heap]

CBD = Happy Dogs.

[HobieMarty]

Our dogs have always had Hill's Science Diet foods.

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[KFC911]

This is gonna be like a "which oil is better for my car?" thread .

The dog (or a small child) does not get to choose their meals because they wag their tails, gobble it down, or like cookies better ... jmho.

Fillers produce more poop ... no doubt. There is NO set (recommended) amount that applies to all dogs of their size .... their metabolism, amount of exercise, etc. enter into the equation for each dawgy ... (child), and maintaining their individual weight will vary, and change as they progress through stages in life and the amount might need to be adjusted too.

Purina Pro Plan (large bred formula) is my choice, and always has been for all of my dogs ... for decades.... dry kibble is all they ever know and they are healthy, and live long lives .

Just pick a high quality dry kibble and call it a day....

Brad Penn

[Seahawk]

Our JRT is 12 years old. The vet recommended we shift him and D to 4Health grain free.

So far, so good.

BTW, I just buy what I am told

From yesterday.

[wdfifteen]

I wish we could just buy food for Owen, but he's got some digestive system problem - pancreatitis or something. At the vet's suggestion, to keep him from puking and feeling sick all the time, we make him food from boiled chicken breast, fat free chicken broth, peas, and carrots plus some vitamins the vet gives us.

Gratuitous photo of Owen enjoying the blast from the truck's AC.

[stealthn]

We used to do the raw food, frozen, pain in the butt, but our girls coat got nicer, she seemed to have more energy and she pooped a lot less. She was a good dog!

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I wish we could just buy food for Owen, but he's got some digestive system problem - pancreatitis or something. At the vet's suggestion, to keep him from puking and feeling sick all the time, we make him food from boiled chicken breast, fat free chicken broth, peas, and carrots plus some vitamins the vet gives us.

I had seen good things said about JustFoodForDogs and ran a seach against TFD.

Customization

A subscription-based service, The Farmer’s Dog has an online dog profile that you fill out so they can personalize your pup’s meals and portions based on your dog’s breed, gender, age, activity level, current weight, and body condition (which indicates if your pup is underweight, ideal, or overweight). Their questionnaire also allows you to indicate if your furry friend has any health issues (allergies, gluten or grain insensitivity, ear infections, digestive issues, arthritis, etc.).

While you can search JustFoodForDog’s website for ideal recipes by life stage and specific health needs, they only offer personalized fresh dog food for a $250 formulation fee. But their site does have a feeding calculator that helps you figure out how much food to buy and how much to feed your dog each day based on his age, weight, and activity level.

It’s also important to note that The Farmer’s Dog ships your food in pre-portioned packaging, which makes mealtime a breeze. There’s no need to measure out food and store unused food for later. JFFD doesn’t offer this convenient feature.]

https://www.caninejournal.com/just-food-for-dogs-vs-farmers-dog/


I currently give my dogs wet food in the morning and kibble in the evening. Even though they eat it (one got tired of the kibble, but I switched brands and he's okay now), I feel bad for such plain food. I wouldn't want to live my life eating that, and judging by the way they go after the wet food it's clear they have preferences. So I look at it as a kindness to make eating more of a pleasure for them.

[Bugsinrugs]

Just dropped $400 at the Vet for one shot and blood work. My Border Collie vomits her food almost immediately after eating. She has dropped from 45 lbs to 38. Her blood work came back as completely healthy. Vet said to give her smaller portions three times a day. We have switched to Nom which is just like Farmers Dog. So far so good.

[wdfifteen]

Anybody feed their dogs chicken backs? My vet gives them to her Golden mix.

[Arizona_928]

The family dogs have been fed Kirkland adult food and pedigree for their entire lives. Shepard is 13 years old and healthy. Previous Shepard made it to 15.

I see a lot of the no kill shelters switch to a rice "gumbo".

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stealthn

We used to do the raw food, frozen, pain in the butt, but our girls coat got nicer, she seemed to have more energy and she pooped a lot less. She was a good dog!

Yep, good food can make a big difference. We had a dog many years ago, where we shifted from "good" kibble to raw. When we were on kibble, the dog smelled like a dog so they got a bath every week. When we switched, we almost never bathed them unless we went somewhere that they went swimming or got into some mud or something. The smell just went away. And yes, there was less poop and it would generally disappear on its own in a short period, and the dogs coat was much better on the better food.

I've taken vitamins on and off over the years. I never notice a difference either when I start or when I stop. But we've changed dog food on multiple dogs a couple/few times over the years, and that always makes noticeable differences in the dog.

[Rodsrsr]

Science Diet twice per day. Second meal supplemented with cooked ground turkey and chicken. My dogs eat well.

[Zeke]

Gross as it seems, if the dog's poop is really stinky, you're not giving it good food. Exactly what is best is subjective. Not all dogs are the same.

I'm a bit surprised at the no grain comments. We had a Dalmation that had all kinds of problems. I think the dog was poorly bred. Anyway, after a battery of tests the vet recommended only cooked rice with vegetables. All skin problems went away and the dog was very lively and lived to 12.

Funny story: we are out to dinner and it's getting late and we are tired as well. Thinking of cooking the dog's dinner when we got home was too much. So we ordered a real doggie bag. Most expensive meal that dog ate.