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- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
Disclosure: JustFoodForDogs offered our product testers free samples in exchange for an honest editorial review.
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the pet food market, you might know that it’s being flooded with appealing new fresh and subscription dog foods. That’s great news for interested pet parents, but it also makes it a little hard to choose among brands that offer seemingly similar high-quality, healthy goods. We’re here to break down what’s on offer so you can find the right fit.
We’ve taken a close look at JustFoodForDogs, a pet food company specializing in gently cooked, whole-food human-grade meals. The company has distinguished itself with its customizability, including fresh food in three styles—freezer-ready, shelf-stable, and a DIY kit with partial ingredients and recipes—plus options for prescription and custom diets. Read on for our full review.
Digging In to JustFoodForDogs
Our review’s starter pack of JustFoodForDogs included 12 packages of fresh frozen dog food, enough for about two weeks, in the turkey and whole-wheat macaroni recipe. The feeding recommendation for our 39-pound test pup Pepper is 2 1/4 cups per day, which is similar to her kibble portions of 2 cups per day.
Choose from several different styles of fresh food
Like most fresh foods, Just Food’s frozen-fresh meals come as a pâté that leans a bit more wet than crumbly. Human-grade ingredients are easily recognizable in the mix as meat, pasta, and veggies, and we’re pleased to report there’s no strong odor (to human noses, at least).
All JustFoodForDogs recipes use a single source of protein, whole-food ingredients, and locally sourced produce. There are also seasonal specials that include novel proteins, as well as a fish and a plant-based (tofu) option.
While we tested the fresh frozen meals, JustFoodForDogs offers two other choices. Their “pantry-fresh” meals come in a carton and can be stored in your pantry for up to two years, then refrigerated after opening. If you have a pet that needs a vet-prescribed diet option, you’ll likely be looking at one of the pantry recipes.
JustFoodForDogs also offers novel DIY meal kits—these are nutrient packets that come with a recipe and feeding and storage guidelines. You’ll need to provide and cook the main elements of the recipe. For example, in the Beef and Russet Potato Mix, you’ll buy your own ground beef, beef liver, potatoes, and a few other veggies, cook them per the provided recipe, and then mix them with the nutrient blend.
JustFoodForDogs makes it easy to buy on your terms
A lot of fresh dog foods are available only by subscription—but JustFoodForDogs has made things easy. You can:
- purchase orders of whatever size you like on their website and have them shipped directly to you
- choose a store near you for pick-up
- buy online with your regular pet shopping on Chewy or Petco
If you’d rather set it and forget it like a subscription, you can turn on autoship.
Curious pet parents can also visit the company’s retail kitchens—located in California, New York, Chicago, and Seattle—which are open to the public so anyone can watch the food preparation process.
In terms of pricing, JustFoodForDogs touts better affordability because they make their own food and don’t use middlemen. That’s somewhat true—though whether it’s really a better deal than competitors likely depends on how much you’re buying and when.
One big plus is how easy the company makes it to figure out the quantities of food you’ll be dealing with—a real boon, our testers have learned, when you’re working on a budget and with limited freezer space.
As soon as you create a profile with your pet’s info on the JustFoodForDogs website, it shows you what each product would cost to feed your particular dog on a daily basis, and how long each order should last.
Customizability and prescription diets are a big win
JustFoodForDogs recipes stick to whole foods, locally sourced produce, and one protein per recipe, so they can be a good choice for pups with allergies—particularly the seasonal specials that often include novel proteins. Also available are a fish recipe and a plant-based tofu recipe.
But the company goes beyond that, offering a number of specialty recipes for different needs, such as a variety pack for dogs with sensitive stomachs, a joint-and-skin support recipe, and mixes for puppies and large breed adults.
It also offers prescription diets, mostly in the pantry-fresh format, including renal (kidney), metabolic, and hepatic (liver) low-fat support.
Comparing JustFoodForDogs With Other Fresh Foods
JustFoodForDogs | Ollie | |
---|---|---|
Price per ounce | $0.54 per ounce (for small box) | $0.50–$0.68 per ounce (weekly to every four weeks subscription) |
Dry and fresh options | Fresh options in two forms: freezer and shelf-stable, plus a DIY kit option | Yes: fresh and baked |
Subscription frequency | No subscription required; autoship available weekly to every 8 weeks | Weekly, every 2 weeks, monthly |
Shelf life/storage | Unopened thawed food, 7 days; opened, 5 days (fish-based meals, subtract two days). | Freezer six months; fridge up to 4 days |
Texture | moist pâté | coarse pâté |
Protein options (single, insect, plant) | Meat, fish, and plant-based options; single-source proteins | Single-source meat proteins. No fish. |
Human-grade | Yes | Yes |
Ingredient source transparency | Somewhat | Somewhat |
Customizability | Options based on weight, age, breed, and allergies, plus prescription diet support and DIY kits | Recipe recommendations available; portion sizes are customized |
Discounts | Free shipping on autoship and frozen over $99; flat rate for non-autoship items. 40% off first and 5% off recurring autoship orders. | 60% off starter box; less frequent deliveries are cheaper |
JustFoodForDogs Review: Our Recommendation
As we’ve detailed in other reviews, our test pup, Pepper, gets pretty excited about most foods. Even so, she’s reserved a level of excitement above her usual for JustFoodForDogs. She loved the turkey and whole wheat pasta recipe.
While we wondered if the pasta was more a visual attraction for the humans than for the dogs (who are probably less picky about their carbs), it was certainly an effective and visually fun way to get those grain servings in. The leftovers were easy to serve up and store.
It’s harder to love the cost, however, especially if you’re comparing this to a dry kibble-based diet, which is what Pepper usually eats.
But if you’re already in the market for fresher foods that are closer to home-cooked than traditional dog food, JustFoodForDogs’ price point is comparable (see our chart above), especially with autoship—the company has a goal of staying under the price points of several similar brands.
Who will like JustFoodForDogs:
- Pet parents looking for fresh brands with a wide selection of recipes
- Those who need prescription or custom diets for their dogs
- Pet parents who like having the option of a subscription with delivery, an in-store pick-up, or a simple addition to their regular Chewy or Petco cart
- Pet parents who have less freezer space—the pantry-fresh version stores with dry goods
- Pet parents whose pups like a fish- or plant-based recipe
Who might not love JustFoodForDogs:
- Pet parents aiming to keep a dog’s food budget to a healthy minimum
- Those who don’t like fiddling with storage containers or messing around with measuring out softer foods
- Dogs who prefer dry kibble
- Pet parents prioritizing extreme commitments to sustainability and sourcing transparency or exceptionally limited-ingredient recipes