10 Best Dog Food Delivery Services

• Four pre-portioned dog recipes offered
• Eco-friendly and individually packaged
• Caters to your dog’s dietary needs based on age, weight, breed and health

One dog food delivery service that comes highly recommended by several of the vets we talked to is Nom Nom, which offers well-balanced, fresh pre-portioned meals for both dogs and cats. “Nom Nom is my personal favorite dog food delivery service,” says Dr. Erica Irish, DVM, a veterinary advisor for Woof Whiskers. She adds that the brand’s diets are crafted by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist who follows guidelines established by Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).

Dr. Renee Streeter, DVM, DACVN, Veterinary Nutritionist, also noted that NomNom works closely with nutritionists to design their meals, and that they have supplements and kits to help manage your dog’s microbiome.

Nom Nom’s system is easy to use. The brand sends pre-packaged meals (two a day), so all pet parents need to do is open one and pour it in the bowl. Each package has the name and a list of all the ingredients in it, so there’s no question about what you’re feeding your dog.

Nom Nom offers four dog recipes—Beef Mash, Chicken Cuisine, Pork Potluck and Turkey Fare—and you can select from several delivery frequencies, including every week, every two weeks or every four weeks. The pre-portioned meals cater to your pet’s unique dietary needs and have been shown to improve energy in the first week and stamina after the first three months. Plus, if you don’t know which recipe your pet will like best, you can try samples with no subscription necessary.

Pros:

• Samples offered with no subscription
• Large variety available
• Full-time veterinary nutritionist on staff to advise on meals
• Fresh food made in-house, not frozen

Cons:

• Can get expensive
• Difficult to customize meals and plans online

• Six recipes offered
• Frozen ready-to-serve meals
• Recyclable packaging

This vet-recommended dog food delivery service strips away the hassle of sourcing, cooking and measuring. Unlike other dog food delivery services, each day’s meals also includes organic treats and supplement cookies (meant to help with digestion and mobility).

Dr. Streeter is a veterinarian responsible for developing PetPlate’s meals, making recipes and balanced meals for dogs of any breed. “Depending on your dog’s needs it is nice to have a diet that is made from whole meats, digestible carbohydrates, has various fiber sources and contains fruits, and vegetables,” says Dr. Streeter.

Consequently, PetPlate meals are made with human-grade and whole ingredients—essentially, the same sorts of ingredients you’re eating with a knife and fork. Meal options include Barkin’ Beef, Chompin’ Chicken, Tail Waggin’ Turkey and Lip Lickin’ Lamb.

When it comes time to order, PetPlate asks that you share your pup’s unique characteristics to get a timely meal plan catered to fit their nutritional needs and preferences. All meals can be served cold or warmed-up in the microwave-safe (and recyclable) containers.

Pros:

• Includes organic treats for digestion
• Made with human-grade preservative-free ingredients
• Catered to your dog’s nutritional needs

Cons:

• Expensive
• Large containers take up storage space in refridgerator
• Food doesn’t last long after defrosting

• Four human-grade recipes
• Includes fruits and healthy dog treats
• Recyclable packaging

Another well-known delivery service that gets a stamp of approval from Dr. Irish is Ollie, which she says offers nutritionally sound dog food developed by animal nutritionists. There are four human-grade recipes to choose from, including beef, turkey, chicken and lamb. Each also includes fruit (like blueberries and cranberries), plant-based proteins (like chickpeas, lentils, and peas), and leafy greens and root vegetables (like kale and sweet potatoes). Ollie does not use fillers, artificial flavorings or preservatives.

Unlike some of the other brands on this list in which you can see the chunks of meat and veggies, Ollie is very well ground up, so it looks very uniform in texture and color aside from some visible peas or other veggies in certain recipes.

Dr. Streeter also notes that “Ollie only uses 100% human-grade ingredients which are highly digestible, and similar to PetPlate and NomNom, personalize its meal plans based on your dog’s caloric needs.”  

Should you try it, the starter box has everything you need to get going, including two weeks’ worth of packs that can be stored in your freezer until serving time, a feeding guide (customized based on the profile you filled out on your dog to help ensure the transition goes smoothly), a “pup-tainer” to store leftovers in and a serving scoop to help dish out portions.

“The packaging and easy-to-follow directions on how much to serve your particular pup made Ollie very simple,” Forbes Vetted content director Cory Baldwin noted after testing Ollie at home. “I was also shocked to find that some of the recipes actually smelled appetizing, and of course my dog went crazy for the stuff—especially the lamb flavor. The only drawback for me was finding room for all the meals in my freezer.”

Pros:

• Human-grade, preservative-free recipes
• Recipes developed by veterinary nutritionists
• Includes a scoop for easy portioning

Cons:

• Cannot be customized to all your dog’s health needs—only calories and allergies

• Four recipes and pre-portioned meals
• Eco-friendly packaging
• Locally-sourced ingredients

“Human-grade” is one of the many buzzwords that brands throw around when describing dog food. But don’t mistake it for something you can eat, too. The term refers how the food is handled, not the actual ingredients. According to Tufts University, human-grade dog food must be stored, handled, processed and transported according to the same regulations used for human food. But with pet cancer, diabetes and obesity on the rise, some studies have shown that there is an increase in overall health when dogs consume fresh pet food versus the processed kind, which is why brands like Farmer’s Dog lean into minimally processed human-grade food.

To start a personalized plan with Farmer’s Dog, you’ll need to enter information like your dog’s breed, age, activity level, weight and food sensitivities. The food—made fresh under the guidance of a veterinarian to meet industry standards for dogs—are then shipped to your home a few days later as pre-portioned meals. There are no preservatives or fillers, nothing is processed, and all of the ingredients and kitchens used meet the USDA standards for human consumption.

We especially love Farmer’s Dog’s packaging. It’s made of a cornstarch wrap that literally melts away when run under hot water in the sink. Each package also has your dog’s name on it, so you know for sure that it was customized specifically for them.

Pros:

• Minimally processed, preservative-free, human-grade food
• Prepared following veterinarian guidance
• Personalized plans based on your dog’s health needs

Cons:

• 100% raw food
• Made with human-grade meat
• Lasts six months when frozen

Raw diets, which involve feeding your dog raw meats, organs and bone, have become increasingly in vogue over the last few years. Despite their rising popularity, raw diets are somewhat controversial and not recommended by all vets. Dr. Irish warns there’s an increased risk of illness—most notably caused by salmonella and E.coli—for both you and your pet.

But according to Dr. Countner, some dogs do well on this kind of diet and if you want to feed raw, delivery services offer safely prepared meals to minimize your own handling of raw meat. “There are some great raw foods on the market that are well balanced, safely prepared with minimal pathogen risk and that dogs love,” says Dr. Countner.

We Feed Raw is one of the most popular raw diet delivery services today, offering meal plans that consist of 80% muscle meat, 10% organ meat and 10% edible bone, as well as a vitamin and mineral mix. The recipes are formulated by an animal nutritionist, and the brand uses USDA human-grade meats from farms in the USA. There are no preservatives, artificial flavors, added antibiotics or hormones. The brand also offers meal plans, bulk patties, treats and bones. Plus, all ingredients are subject to high-pressure processing, designed to neutralize pathogenic bacteria. 

Pros:

• Recipes made by a veterinarian nutritionist
• Preservative-free and processed to neutralize bacteria
• Tons of variety in meat choices

Cons:

• Increased risk of illness
• Expensive
• Expires in less than a week after defrosting

• Six recipes offered
• Works with a team of veterinarians and nutritionists
• Specializes in meals for dogs with medical needs

JustFoodForDogs focuses on making well-balanced daily meals for healthy pets and those who need extra help due to medical needs. Just Food for Dogs emphasizes that it works closely with veterinary nutritionists to design their meals. Dr. Streeter also points out that JustFoodForDogs has prescription meals.

For prescription meals, the process is a bit more involved. Pet parents submit their dog’s medical records and the JustFoodForDogs nutritional team builds a customized diet. Once the diet formulation is complete, you have two options: prepared or DIY.

The prepared diets operate much like others on this list, with the brand making and packaging the meals in their custom kitchens to be sent to you. For the DIY option, you prepare your dog’s food yourself and JustFoodForDogs prepares a custom nutrient blend to include. The blend is meant to pair with your specific pet’s diet to ensure it’s complete. Of course, you should always consult with your own veterinarian before switching your dog’s diet, especially if they have medical issues. 

Pros:

• Offers customized prescription meals based on your dog’s medical records
• Works with veterinary nutritionists to make recipes
• You can consult veterinarians with meal questions

Cons:

• One-stop shop for everything from frozen to human-grade dog food
• Offers treats, dog toys, accessories and more

If you’re happy with your dog’s current kibble or wet food diet, you can still get the convenience of delivery through Chewy. The online pet retailer sells dog and cat food from top brands like Hill’s Science Diet, Purina, Iams, Pedigree and more, and you can use the AutoShip feature to have pet supplies delivered on a customized recurring schedule. Plus, many products are available for discounted prices when you sign up for AutoShip, helping to save you money each month.

Additionally, Chewy is known for superb customer service—to ensure you’re happy with your purchase, Chewy allows you to return items for up to a year.

Pros:

• Wide variety of easily-accessible brands and foods
• You can customize scheduled deliveries
• Inexpensive
• 24/7 customer service

Cons:

• Unreliable inventory and delivery times (things can sell out)
• Not customized to your dog’s dietary needs

• Pre-portioned
• Available in three flavors
• Eco-friendly packaging

If you’re not looking to ditch dry kibble but still want a better option for your pup, try Spot & Tango’s UnKibble. Unlike traditional kibble, this UnKibble is made without meat meals or powdered “mystery meats,” and it’s available in three flavors: Duck & Salmon, Beef & Barley and Chicken & Brown Rice.

Like others on this list, Spot & Tango offers ready-to-serve meals made with no artificial additives, preservatives or fillers. The brand’s fresh recipes are made from only a dozen GMO- and hormone-free ingredients, and each one is complete and balanced for puppies and adults according to AAFCO’s nutritional standards. Recipes include Turkey & Red Quinoa, Beef & Millet and Lamb & Brown Rice.

Pros:

• Fresh preservative-free recipes
• Locally-sourced, human-grade ingredients
• Customizable options

Cons:

• Only three recipes
• Expensive compared to traditional kibble options

• Sustainable dog food with a small carbon footprint
• Hypoallergenic
• Humanely-sourced ingredients

Good for your dog and good for the planet, Jiminy’s is known for their commitment to making tasty, sustainable dog food. The brand uses insect protein (largely cricket) and complex carbohydrates (like oats, sweet potato, and flax seed), both necessary for maintaining healthy muscles and joints, as well as giving your dog the energy to play and go for walks. It’s also hypoallergenic, meaning it’s good for dogs who have allergies or tend to get upset stomachs.

What makes it stand out, though, is how small of a footprint it has compared to other dog food brands, because it uses less water and less land to produce. For instance, Jiminy’s uses 67 percent less land than a brand that uses chickens and saves 220 gallons of water per bag. At $46 for a 10 pound bag, it’s more expensive than many of the dry food bags you’d find in your local pet food store, but given the quality and eco-friendliness, we’re here for it. Be sure to start small, though, to make sure your pooch likes the flavor.

Pros:

• Eco-friendly
• Helps your dog maintain healthy muscles and joints
• Easy to order on Amazon

Cons:

• Expensive for a bulk bag
• Not customizable

• Four meal options with option of supplements and protein mix-ins
• Made with nutritionists and veterinarians in tow
• Eco-friendly packaging

While most pet food delivery brands want to know your dog’s age, breed and activity level in their initial assessment, Hungry Bark goes a step beyond: It wants to know your health goals for your dog. That helps the brand build a custom meal plan for your pet that not only includes dry food (recipes include Superfoods with Lamb and Turkey, Superfoods with Salmon, Superfoods with Chicken, Turkey, and Brown Rice and superfoods with Turkey and Duck), but also supplements and high protein mix-ins.

The supplement chews may look like treats, but they help with things like anxiety, joint, heart health, digestion, allergies and just getting in their regular vitamins.

Pros:

• Shelf-stable
• Customizable meal plan options based on your dog’s health goals
• Made with farm-raised, hormone-free meat

Cons:

• Not pre-portioned
• More expensive than traditional dry foods and kibble