When it comes to dog food, there are SO many different options – and differing opinions! So how do you figure out what’s actually the best?

If you ask me, it comes down to a variety of factors:

• Cost
• Nutrition
• Quality
• Variety
• Convenience
• Vet recommendation
• Dog approval!

These past two months I decided to see who comes out on top in a highly contested arena: fresh vs. raw food diets. Our fighters? Ollie (fresh food) and Maev (raw food). 

That’s the sound of the starting bell! Let’s go.

Rave About Maev

I decided to start my dog Shortbread on a month of Maev. They offer a cool 15% off discount for first-timers, and boast vet-formulated, human-grade raw food. According to their website, raw food is the way to go, since it’s unprocessed, easily digested by dogs, and you can see the real, whole ingredients that are going into their tummies. Plus, it’s intended to be served frozen for the ultimate convenience. Sounds pretty compelling to me!

With Maev, you get two options of either flash-frozen Chicken or Beef. For my picky pup, I decided to stick with chicken, which came out to a little over $40/week. Definitely not ideal for my budget, but I would truly do anything for my pup to be happy, so I bit the bullet.

When my package arrived, I appreciated that the ingredients were easily identifiable, clearly human-grade, and super fresh. The food was easy to serve and portion, although storage was a bit of a hassle (I only have so much freezer space!). 

However, I discovered a huge drawback of having such individualized pieces: Shortbread was simply picking out the pieces she liked – namely chicken, peanut butter, and blueberries – and leaving everything else behind. Like I said, she’s a picky pup, but that definitely made me concerned that she wasn’t getting the balanced diet she needed.

Overall: a decent and super convenient option, but may be tough for discerning tastes.

Well Golly, Ollie!

Next comes Ollie, a fresh food brand with the same human-grade and vet-formulated guarantee. It also helps that a lot of my pet parent colleagues are on Ollie and absolutely love it. This fresh food brand has a different approach: their carefully sourced ingredients are cooked low and slow, locking in nutrients at their peak, while still leaving pops of colorful fruits and veggies, so you know exactly what your pup is eating.

They definitely have Maev beat in the realm of variety – with Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Turkey, and Pork recipes, which allowed me to really fine-tune Shortbread’s preferences and give her a more exciting culinary experience.

Ollie’s subscription method means your meal plans are exactly tailored to your pup and their needs, and prices vary accordingly. I’m a big fan of this aspect; not every dog is built the same, and I got to include allergies and health concerns that were factored into the creation of Shortbread’s plan. It came out to be about $30/week – a little more palatable than Maev. Plus, Ollie offers options like Mixed (Ollie fresh food + Ollie kibble) and Half (Ollie fresh food + your own choice of kibble) plans to fit your budget.

My first box arrived on time, and all the food was perfectly frozen. I was also delighted by the scoop and puptainer included, which meant easy portioning and storage (something I was daunted by after the ease of Maev). And Shortbread was overjoyed, too. Every day I fed her Ollie, she licked the bowl clean and seemed fully satisfied afterwards.

Overall: Ollie is super customizable to your dog’s individual needs – and my dog loved the taste.

The Blue Ribbon Prize

After consulting with the judges (my dog), we will be keeping our Ollie subscription! 

If you’d rather go the raw food direction, Maev is absolutely a great choice, but don’t let a fear of cooked foods stop you from giving Ollie a try! At the end of the day, your decision should be based on what’s best for your pup and within your means.

Ready to put Ollie to the test for yourself? Right now, get 50% off your first box!