Here is our Freshpet Review
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Are you looking for high-quality food for your furry companion?
Well, you are not alone.
With the market flooded with diverse dog food brands and products, it can be overwhelming to identify the best food to meet your dog’s dietary needs as adequately as possible. To make it even more complicated, there are loads of contradicting reviews on the internet, leaving you more confused than ever. Worse still, each manufacturer touts their food as the best, all claiming to use the best ingredients.
The right nutrition is essential in ensuring dogs’ optimal health and performance. Feeding the right kind of food can help your dog live a long, healthy, and happy life with you. And that’s what you want, right? The wrong diet, on the other hand, can lead to nutrient deficiencies and, consequently, health issues.
So, how do you determine the best amidst all this confusion? Relax, we are here to help.
As a loving dog parent, you must fully understand your dog’s specific needs based on its age, breed, size, and health. This will guide your search as you know what to look out for.
To make it easier for you, we analyze different brands in terms of ingredients quality, availability, variety, safety, and cost to give you an honest review.
In this article, we delve deep into Freshpet dog food to help you determine if it’s what your dog needs. We will touch on who owns the brand, where and who produces the food, any recalls it may have had, and some of its top products.
Touted as among the best fresh dog food brands, Freshpet claims to use only human-grade ingredients to make complete and balanced dog meals.
However, is this brand true to its word?
Let’s find out together.
About Freshpet
Founded in 2006, Freshpet is an American-based pet food company that provides refrigerated fresh dog food using high-quality ingredients. The food includes real farm-raised meats, fresh fruits and vegetables without meat, by-product meals, artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives.
Who owns Freshpet?
Fresh pet was founded in 2006 and is owned by Scott Morris, Cathal Walsh, and John Phelps. The company is based in Secaucus, New Jersey, but all its products are produced in a single facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
What are the sub-brands of Freshpet?
FreshPet has various product lines to cater to dogs’ needs and preferences. These include:
- Freshpet Select: This is the largest sub-brand offering 100% natural dog food in grain-free, wet, and dry forms.
- Freshpet Vital: This is a grain and chicken-free line formulated for dogs with allergies and fussy eaters.
- Freshpet Nature Fresh: This line takes a holistic approach to providing wholesome nutrition for dogs
- Deli Fresh: This line consists of high-protein, grain-free recipes with superfoods and antioxidants, making the bulk of the food
- Freshpet Treats: The brand also offers healthy treats packed with nutrients.
What Is the Nutritional Profile of Freshpet?
It’s important to have a keen look at the nutritional content of any dog food before settling for it. This will give you important insights into its suitability and ability to meet your dog’s needs.
By looking at the carbohydrate, protein, and fat contents on the ingredients list, you can gauge the nutritional value of any food. This is what the nutritional profile of FreshPet dog food looks like:
Carbohydrate Value of Freshpet
Carbohydrates make good sources of energy that dogs need to fuel their activities. Dogs need the energy released when carbohydrates are broken down to play and work. The brand uses low-glycemic carbohydrates like peas, oatmeal, and whole wheat as their carbohydrate sources. Freshpet dog food has a below-average carbohydrate level of 21%
Protein Value of Freshpet
Proteins are essential for healthy muscles and tissues and boosting dogs’ performance. Proteins supply dogs’ amino acids to build, repair, and maintain healthy cells, tissues, ligaments, and muscles. Freshpet dog food has an above-average protein level of 44%.
Fat Value of Freshpet
Fats are essential for keeping your dog’s skin and coat healthy and supple but also helpful in lowering cholesterol levels, minimizing inflammations, building stronger cell membranes, and improve brain health. This dog food has an above-average fat level of 27%.
What Are the Best Freshpet Recipes and Flavors?
Freshpet dog food comes in a wide range of recipes and flavors. The brand has grain-free recipes for dogs with allergies, grain-inclusive, and formulas for puppies and adult dogs. It also offers formulas for small-breed dogs.
All the recipes and formulas offer complete and balanced nutrition and feature real animal meat as the primary source of protein.
What Makes Freshpet Unique?
These are some of the things that make Freshpet dog food unique:
- Animal proteins as the primary ingredients: All Freshpet recipes feature real animal protein as the first ingredient. For quality proteins, the brand uses sources such as chicken, turkey, beef, salmon, and bison.
- Complete and balanced food: Freshpet dog food provides dogs with everything they need to thrive. It’s formulated with all the nutrients and in the right proportions to support overall health.
- High-quality ingredients: This brand uses only the US’s finest, high-quality, and natural ingredients. It does not include fillers, animal by-products, or artificial ingredients like flavors and preservatives.
- Offers grain-free and grain-inclusive options: This brand has grain-free recipes to cater to dogs with grain sensitivities and allergies, as well as grain-inclusive formulas for pups that don’t mind some grains
- Wide variety of products: Freshpet offers various products to choose from. It offers formulas for puppies, adults, and small-breed dogs. It also has wet and dry food options.
- No fillers or artificial ingredients: Freshpet dog food is free from filler ingredients or artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives without nutritional value. It includes wholesome ingredients that are beneficial to your dog’s health.
- Adherence to AAFCO standards: This dog food is designed to meet or exceed all safety and quality standards set by AAFCO. All the recipes are formulated as per the set requirements for specific uses.
What Are the Individual Dog Food Recipes from the Freshpet Brand?
The following are some of the best recipes from Freshpet dog food:
Freshpet® Select Fresh From the Kitchen™ Home Cooked Chicken Recipe for Dogs
Featuring locally sourced shredded chicken as the key ingredient, this recipe offers a high-protein dog food that can help your dog build healthy muscles and remain active. The meal is loaded with essential vitamins and minerals from fresh fruits and vegetables, including cranberries, carrots, and spinach, for a completely healthy dog food that supports overall health and body wellness.
Better still, this food is completely free from meat, by-product meals, artificial preservatives, or fillers, presenting wholesome nutrition that’s gentle on the stomach.
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Cranberries, carrots, Pea protein, and Pea Fiber
- Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein 17% min, Crude Fat 6.5% min, Crude Fiber 1% Max.
- Calories: 171 kcal/ cup
- Suitable for which dogs: Dogs of all breeds; small, medium, and large breeds.
- Feeding: Appropriate feeding amounts differ depending on the dog’s weight, age, health status, and activity level.
- Key Benefit: High-protein diet to help build healthy muscles in dogs of all breeds
- Type of product: Wet food, Grain-free, No corn, No By-product meals, No meat meals
- Life stage: Adult
- Best for Muscle Health, Skin, and coat health
- Price: $56.98 for a 22-lb bag
Benefits
- Rich antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables are essential for combating free radicals, fighting infections, and boosting immunity.
- Contains natural sources of essential vitamins and minerals for a completely balanced meal that supports overall health
- Made with real chicken as the first healthy source of easily digestible proteins that help maintain lean muscle mass.
- Free from meat meals, by-products, fillers, and artificial ingredients hence easy on the digestive system
Freshpet® Select Tender Chicken Recipe With Carrots, Peas & Brown Rice for Dogs
This recipe uses wholesome ingredients like real meat and organic fruits to offer optimal nutrition. It features fresh chicken as the main ingredient for lean protein sources loaded with amino acids, which dogs need to thrive.
The meal adds whole brown rice as a good source of carbohydrates and fiber to supply energy and improve digestibility. Additionally, the meal includes fresh fruits and vegetables like vitamin-packed carrots and peas for rich sources of nutrients that support general body well-being.
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Carrots, Chicken Broth, Peas, and Eggs
- Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein 9.5% min, Crude Fat 6% min, Crude Fiber 2% Max.
- Calories: 256 kcal/ ½ lb
- Suitable for which dogs: Dogs of all breeds; small, medium, and large breeds.
- Feeding: Appropriate feeding amounts differ depending on the dog’s weight, age, health status, and activity level.
- Key Benefit: Highly-digestible food suitable for dogs of all breeds and sizes.
- Type of product: Wet food, No corn, No By-product meals, No meat meals
- Life stage: Adult
- Best for: Muscle Health, Overall body health
- Price: $97.09 for a 1.5-lb bag
Benefits
- Includes brown rice for healthy sources of carbohydrates and fiber to supply energy and promote digestion
- Packed with vitamins and antioxidants from fresh vegetables like carrots and peas to support immune health and fight oxidative stress
- Features real meat from chicken for easily digestible proteins that help to build and maintain healthy muscles
- Nutritionally complete and well-balanced food that supports overall health.
Freshpet® Select Chunky Beef Recipe With Carrots, Peas & Brown Rice for Dogs
Boasting a meaty flavor that dogs can’t resist, this food is made with 100% natural US-based beef as the first ingredient for a protein source packed with all the essential amino acids that dogs need to thrive.
Formulated without any meat meals, by-product meals, or artificial preservatives, this food delivers high-quality nutrition with the ingredients that matter most. The meal also contains healthy vegetables like carrots and spinach for good sources of vitamins and minerals that support good health.
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken, Beef Broth, Beef liver, and Carrots
- Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein 10% min, Crude Fat 6% min, Crude Fiber 2% Max.
- Calories: 323 kcal/ ½ lb
- Suitable for which dogs: Dogs of all breeds; small, medium, and large breeds.
- Feeding: Appropriate feeding amounts differ depending on the dog’s weight, age, health status, and activity level.
- Key Benefit: High protein and nutritionally balanced food that supports muscle health and overall health
- Type of product: Wet food, No corn, No By-product meals, No meat meals
- Life stage: Adult
- Best for: Muscle Health, Overall body health
- Price: $82.98 for a 6-pound bag
Benefits
- Loaded with high-quality protein from beef to help your dog build strong, healthy muscles
- Completely balanced with all essential vitamins and minerals from natural sources to support overall body well-being.
- Completely free of low-quality ingredients, including meat meals, by-product meals, preservatives, and other fillers, making it great for sensitive dogs
- Contains natural sources of antioxidants and fiber that boost immunity and keep the digestive system flowing smoothly
Freshpet® Select Chunky Chicken & Turkey Recipe With Carrots & Brown Rice for Dogs
With not one but two proteins from natural sources, this recipe is formulated to provide a nutrient-packed diet that dogs need to remain at their best. It’s crafted with real chicken and turkey for great sources of easily digestible proteins and amino acids that aid in building and maintaining healthy muscles.
Since it’s crafted to support optimal health, the recipe includes brown rice for carbohydrates and fiber and vitamin-rich carrots for a balanced meal for dogs of all sizes and ages. Better still, this food avoids unnecessary fillers and preservatives and includes only wholesome ingredients.
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Liver, Carrots, and Chicken Broth
- Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein 11% min, Crude Fat 6.5% min, Crude Fiber 2% Max.
- Calories: 280 kcal/ ½ lb
- Suitable for which dogs: Dogs of all breeds; small, medium, and large breeds.
- Feeding: Appropriate feeding amounts differ depending on the dog’s weight, age, health status, and activity level.
- Key Benefit: Highly digestible and protein-rich food for dogs of all breeds and sizes.
- Type of product: Wet food, No corn, No By-product meals, No meat meals
- Life stage: Adult
- Best for Muscle Health, Overall body health
- Price: $97.09 for a 1.5-lb bag
Benefits
- Dual-protein food crafted with chicken and turkey to help support good muscle health
- Includes fresh vegetables for natural sources of vitamins and minerals for complete and balanced nutrition that promotes a dog’s general health
- Contains brown rice a good source of carbohydrates and fiber to supply energy and keep the digestive system flowing smoothly
- Avoids filler and artificial ingredients such as by-product meals, meat meals, flavors, and preservatives; hence gentle on the tummy and great for sensitive dogs.
Freshpet® Select Roasted Meals® Tender Chicken Recipe With Garden Vegetables for Dogs
This recipe is made with 75% chicken meat and 11% chicken liver and added with essential vitamins and minerals for a 100% balanced diet for adult dogs of all breeds. The food has no meat or by-product meals, plus it’s also completely free from artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, making it great for dogs with sensitivities.
Other wholesome and nutrient-packed ingredients like oats, carrots, and spinach for optimal nutrition support dogs’ overall health and well-being.
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Liver, Ground Oats, Rice Bran, and Eggs
- Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein 14% min, Crude Fat 11% min, Crude Fiber 1.5% Max.
- Calories: 318 kcal/ cup
- Suitable for which dogs: Adult dogs of all breeds; small, medium, and large breeds.
- Feeding: Appropriate feeding amounts differ depending on the dog’s weight, age, health status, and activity level.
- Key Benefit: Highly-digestible food suitable for dogs of all breeds
- Type of product: Wet food, No corn, No By-product meals, No meat meals
- Life stage: Adult
- Best for: Muscle Health, Overall body health
- Price: $97.09 for a 1.5-lb bag
Benefits
- Features real chicken as the first ingredient for high-quality and easily digestible protein to build healthy muscles
- Does not contain any meat meals, by-product meals, fillers, or artificial ingredients; hence easy on the tummy.
- Made with wholesome ingredients for optimal nutrition to support overall health
- Includes nutrient-packed oats for complex carbohydrates and fiber to help supply energy and aid digestion.
Deli Fresh® Grain Free Chicken Recipe With Spinach & Potato for Dogs
This protein-rich recipe features real chicken as the first ingredient for lean protein sources to support muscle health. The meal adds potatoes, spinach, and other nutrient-dense ingredients for a completely balanced meal that dogs need to thrive.
This food also includes multiple sources of fiber and omega fatty acids, including omega 3 & 6 fats, to promote digestion and keep your dog’s skin well-nourished. It’s also rich in inulin, a prebiotic that helps absorb nutrients in the bloodstream.
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Spinach, Potatoes, and Eggs
- Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein 11% min, Crude Fat 6% min, Crude Fiber 1.5% Max.
- Calories: 280 kcal/ ½ lb
- Suitable for which dogs: Dogs of all breeds; small, medium, and large breeds.
- Feeding: Appropriate feeding amounts differ depending on the dog’s weight, age, health status, and activity level.
- Key Benefit: Highly-digestible food suitable for dogs of all breeds and sizes.
- Type of product: Wet food, No corn, No By-product meals, No meat meals
- Life stage: Adult
- Best for: Muscle Health, Overall body health
- Price: $97.09 for a 1.5-lb bag
Benefits
- Loaded with high-quality proteins from chicken to help build and maintain healthy muscles
- Contains fiber from multiple sources to boost digestion and promote gut health
- Has plenty of omega fatty acids that support the skin, coat, eye, and brain health of dogs
- Added with Inulin, a prebiotic that aids in the absorption of nutrients in the bloodstream
Freshpet Vital Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Small Breed Fresh Dog Food
Formulated to the needs of small dogs, this recipe features bite-sized pieces loaded with wholesome nutrition. The food is made with chicken as the first ingredient and adds antioxidant-rich sweet potatoes plus fruits and vegetables like cranberries and carrots for a balanced meal for your small furry friend.
Better still, all the ingredients in this food are gently cooked to preserve their nutritional integrity and fulfill your dog’s energy needs.
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Liver, Carrots, Sweet potatoes, and Pea Protein
- Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein 16% min, Crude Fat 12% min, Crude Fiber 1.5% Max.
- Calories: 261 kcal/ cup
- Suitable for which dogs: Small breeds
- Feeding: Appropriate feeding amounts differ depending on the dog’s weight, age, health status, and activity level.
- Key Benefit: Protein-packed food formulated in bite sizes for small dogs
- Type of product: Frozen food, No corn, No By-product meals, No meat meals, high-protein
- Life stage: Adult
- Best for Muscle Health, sensitive digestion, and Overall body health
- Price: $53.94 for a 1-lb bag
Benefits
- Packed with fiber that helps improve digestion and maintain a healthy weight
- Made without grains, preservatives, rendered meats, or meat by-products making it ideal for sensitive pups
- Added with real fruits and vegetables for natural sources of vitamins and antioxidants that boost immune health
- Features real chicken as the first ingredient for high-quality proteins to help build lean muscles
- Complete and balanced nutrition formulated in small pieces for small breed dogs.
Dog Joy® Chicken Treats for Dogs
These are nutrient-dense, bite-size treats with real chicken as the first ingredient, plus ground oats for wholesome nutrition full of flavor and taste. Without added fillers, artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, these treats are great for sensitive pups and are perfect rewards for your fur baby.
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Carrots, Chicken Broth, Peas, and Eggs
- Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein 10.5% min, Crude Fat 11.5% min, Crude Fiber 1% Max.
- Calories: 14 kcal/ treat
- Suitable for which dogs: Dogs of all breeds; small, medium, and large breeds.
- Feeding: Appropriate feeding amounts differ depending on the dog’s weight, age, health status, and activity level.
- Key Benefit: Nutrient-rich treats for dogs of all breeds and sizes.
- Type of product: Wet food, No corn, No By-product meals, No meat meals
- Life stage: Adult
- Best for: Treats
- Price: $16
Benefits
- Free from fillers and artificial ingredients such as flavors, colors, and preservatives hence ideal for sensitive dogs.
- Includes ground oats for good sources of carbohydrates that supply energy to keep your dog going
- Features real chicken as the primary ingredient to help build healthy muscles.
Customer Reviews
Like any other dog food brand, Freshpet has positive and negative reviews. Check out what some customers had to say about this dog food.
Positive
‘’Freshpet is similar to homemade pet food. My rescue, Shih Tzu, enjoys it immensely. The first ingredient is the meat, and all the grains appear fresh. My only complaint is that I can’t find it just anywhere. It has to be refrigerated’’.
Customer review
Negative
‘’We have been feeding our dogs Freshpet for years. Lately, I have been questioning the freshness as I’ve gotten slimy and mushy rolls, and my dogs have been randomly sick when I open new logs. I’ve returned some thinking it was a refrigeration issue, but after reading all these bad reviews, I’m concerned it’s what killed my dog yesterday. I had a 7 yr old, extremely healthy Pekingese mix’’.
Customer review
Freshpet Recalls
Despite being a good dog food, Freshpet has had some recalls in the past. In June 2021, the brand recalled the Freshpet Select Small Dog bite-size Beef and Egg recipe with a sell-by date of 10/30/2021 due to potential contamination with salmonella bacteria. The contaminated product was accidentally shipped to retailers in a limited geographic area.
In June 2022, the brand recalled its FreshPet Select Fresh from the Kitchen Home cooked Chicken recipe due to potential salmonella contamination.
What is the quality of ingredients in Freshpet?
FreshPet dog food utilizes only high-quality ingredients, including real meat, whole fruits and vegetables, and other wholesome carbohydrate sources. Real animal meat is always the first ingredient in all recipes. The food does not include fillers like corn, wheat, soy, or artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. It also excludes meat by-products and other ingredients that are considered low quality.
Do Freshpet products include chicken?
Yes, Freshpet dog food includes real chicken as the primary ingredient in some recipes. It also includes chicken broth as a source of concentrated protein in its formulas. Chicken is a good source of easily digestible proteins that help to build lean muscle mass in dogs. However, chicken is also a major cause of allergies in dogs.
Are Freshpet produced from slaughterhouse waste?
No, none of FreshPet’s products include any slaughterhouse waste. The brand only uses high-quality, non-GMO ingredients such as real animal meats, organic fruits, and vegetables in all its formulas. The brand does not include artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, additives, or unnamed meat meals in its recipes. It also uses wholesome grains with no fillers, like soy, wheat, or corn.
Discussion of Most Important Ingredients – Good and Bad
Freshpet dog food takes pride in using high-quality ingredients in all its formulations. These are some of the good ingredients found in this dog food.
- Beef: This consists of the clean flesh of slaughtered cattle. It also includes skeletal muscles and muscles of the heart, esophagus, tongue, and diaphragm. Beef is packed with essential amino acids necessary for building healthy muscles.
- Chicken: Chicken is a good source of easily digestible proteins packed with essential amino acids to help build healthy muscle mass.
- Turkey: Turkey, like chicken, is a good source of easily digestible proteins. However, turkey is lower in fat and calories than chicken.
- Beef liver: This is organ meat from slaughtered cattle. Animal organs are beneficial as they contain various minerals and vitamins that support overall health.
- Beef broth: Besides enhancing flavor and adding moisture to dog food, broths also have some nutritional benefits.
- Bison: This novel protein source is perfect for dogs allergic to common proteins like beef, chicken, and turkey.
- Carrots: These are rich in beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant that promotes eye health, fiber that aids digestion, and multiple vitamins and minerals.
- Peas: These provide additional proteins and some energy for dogs. They are also good fiber sources that keep the digestive system flowing smoothly.
- Cranberries: These are antioxidant-rich fruits that help to boost immunity, fight diseases, combat oxidative damage, and slow down the aging process in dogs.
- Spinach: These green leafy vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin C, iron, potassium, fiber, and other important minerals and vitamins.
- Brown rice: Besides being a complex carbohydrate, brown rice is an excellent source of natural fiber plus multiple minerals like phosphorus, magnesium, and manganese.
Controversial ingredients
While most ingredients used in FreshPet dog food recipes are of high quality, the brand also includes a few others that are considered not-so-good. These include
- Sodium selenite: This is considered inferior to the natural selenium mineral.
- Pea protein: This is a source of plant-based protein, which is lower in biological value compared to animal-based proteins.
Freshpet Advantages: What We Like About It
There’s just so much to love about FreshPet dog food. These are some of the things we like about this food.
- Complete and balanced nutrition: FreshPet dog food is formulated with all the necessary nutrients and in the right portions for nutritious meals for dogs. It’s thus suitable for all life stages, from puppies to seniors.
- Real meat is the first ingredient: All the recipes and formulas of this brand feature real animal meat, such as beef, chicken, and turkey as the first ingredient.
- Includes healthy fats: All FreshPet formulas are enhanced with fats from flaxseed or fish oil for healthy sources of omega fats that nourish the skin and coat and promote nervous system health.
- High-quality ingredients: FreshPet dog food uses high-quality ingredients such as real animal proteins, wholesome carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables that support overall health. All the recipes feature animal meat as the first ingredient.
- Wide range of products: This brand offers multiple product lines and formulas to cater to the needs of different dogs. This makes it easy for you to choose what best suits your dog.
- Fresh, refrigerated food: FreshPet offers fresh food similar to home-cooked dog meals. This food also comes refrigerated to keep it fresh.
- No fillers: This dog food is free from filler ingredients that add no nutritional value to dogs, such as by-product meals, meat meals, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. The brand includes wholesome ingredients that are filled with nutrition.
- Adherence to AAFCO standards: Crave formulates all its recipes exceeding AAFCO’s standard for all life stages.
Freshpet Disadvantages: What We Don’t Like About It
These are some of the things we dislike about FreshPet dog food:
- It’s expensive: Like any other fresh dog food, FreshPet dog food comes at a high cost. This price is prohibitive to many dog owners.
- It’s available in small quantities only: This food comes in small packages making it unideal, especially for large dogs.
- Requires refrigeration: Being a fresh food option, this dog food needs to be refrigerated to keep it from going bad.
Is Freshpet a good food dog brand?
Yes, FreshPet dog food utilizes only high-quality ingredients to provide balanced nutrition with real animal proteins, high-quality plant proteins, minerals, and vitamins from natural sources, making it a good brand.
Is Freshpet good for dog skin?
Yes, FreshPet dog food is loaded with omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, which help to improve your dog’s skin and coat health. These omega fatty acids are mainly from fish oil and flaxseed.
Is Freshpet good for itchy skin?
Yes, FreshPet offers grain-free and limited-ingredient recipes in its vital product range that caters to dogs with itchy skin. This line of products avoids common food allergens like grains and chicken making it good for itchy skin.
Is Freshpet good for puppies?
Yes, FreshPet dog food has formulas that are specifically crafted with the needs of growing puppies in mind. This has all the nutrients puppies require to thrive in their early years.
Is Freshpet good for older dogs?
Yes, FreshPet is great for senior dogs as it’s made with high-quality fresh fruits, vegetables, and proteins that are gently steam-cooked to preserve essential nutrients. The brand recommends the Select Grain-Free chicken with potato and spinach recipe for older dogs.
Is Freshpet healthy for a dog’s growth?
Yes, FreshPet dog food is good for the dog’s growth. The brand uses high-quality proteins, including real animal meats, animal organs, and eggs, to supply the amino acids that dogs need to build healthy muscles and support healthy growth.
Is Freshpet expensive?
Yes, this food comes at a high cost that many may find unaffordable. Fresh foods cost more than kibble. However, the great quality of the food justifies the high price.
Is Freshpet AAFCO approved?
Yes, all FreshPet dog food recipes are formulated to meet or exceed all AAFCO standards. It adheres to all nutritional and safety requirements set by AAFCO.
Is Freshpet grain free?
Yes, FreshPet offers a grain-free line of products that cater to dogs with grain and gluten allergies. However, it also offers grain-inclusive recipes that include wholesome grains such as oatmeal, barley, and whole wheat.
Is Freshpet high energy for dog food?
Yes, Freshpet dog food is crafted with high protein amounts of up to 44% from real animal sources, making it high-energy dog food. It’s thus a good choice for working, sporting, or highly energetic dogs.
Is Freshpet produced in the USA?
Yes, FreshPet is an American pet food company based in Secaucus, New Jersey. All the brand’s products are produced in a single plant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Where to buy Earthborn Holistic dog food products in the USA?
FreshPet dog food is available from the company’s website and other online distributors like Amazon, Walmart, PetSmart, and Petco.
How is Freshpet shipment speed?
Freshpet dog food comes with a good shipment speed of 1-2 days, depending on your location.
Comparable Brands
FreshPet dog food is a good food brand. However, it may not be suitable for all dogs for different reasons. In this case, you can check out the following brands comparable to this dog food.
Cesar
Owned by Mars PetCare, Cesar dog food takes pride in crafting food products that dogs love and deliver the nutrition and quality they deserve. This dog food is renowned for its wet foods, which started out as a limited line of pates. However, the brand expanded over the years to include other lines. It also offers dry dog food plus dog treats.
Pros
- It meets all the minimum nutrient requirements as set by AAFCO.
- Includes additional vitamins and minerals in its formulations
- Completely balanced and highly flavorful food
Cons
- Uses synthetic vitamin and mineral supplements
- Includes many controversial ingredients
- Contains corn, wheat, and soy in most recipes
The Farmers Dog
This is a subscription-based service that delivers fresh dog food made with wholesome human-grade
ingredients and specially tailored to suit your dog’s needs. All the meals come pre-portioned according to your dog’s weight, breed, and activity level. What’s more, all recipes are formulated by a certified nutritionist to create balanced and nutritious meals for all dogs. Furthermore, all Farmer’s dog products meet or exceed AAFCO standards.
Pros
- Offers personalized meals that are preportioned to meet your dog’s specific needs
- Made with human-grade ingredients and does not include any fillers or preservatives
- It’s easy to store
Cons
- Requires refrigeration
- Causes allergies in some dogs
- Come in non-reusable packages
We Feed Raw
We Feed Raw is a pet food company that produces biologically-appropriate raw dog meals for all dogs using human-grade meat. This food is crafted with 80% muscle meat, 10% organ meat, and 10% edible bones. The brand cuts out mysterious ingredients, artificial colors, flavors, fillers, and preservatives and replaces them with easily-digestible, human-grade meat.
Pros
- It’s high in protein, with 90% real animal meat and organs
- It promotes dental health
- Safe for dogs of all life stages
- Has no fillers, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
Cons
- Requires freezer space
- It’s costly
- Takes some time for dogs that are new to raw food to adjust
Is Freshpet Worth It? Our Verdict
Yes. Based on our review, FreshPet is worth it.
While this dog food is cost-prohibitive, it includes only wholesome ingredients, including real animal meats and fresh fruits and vegetables, which justifies the price. Additionally, the brand provides complete and balanced nutrition from natural sources to cater to the needs of different dogs.
Moreover, this food is prepared by gently steaming the ingredients, ensuring maximum flavor and nutrient preservation. This is it if you are looking for high-quality food with no fillers or artificial ingredients.