I try not to be a pushy, know-it-all dog mom. I’ve learned the hard way that no one appreciates you telling them what you think is best for their pet. So, I tend to keep my mouth shut unless my advice is directly solicited.

Imagine my delight when my sister finally asked me what she should do to get her dog, Decoy, to eat! Decoy was refusing her kibble, and she was losing weight – not good, especially when this Shiba Inu was pretty small to begin with.

I immediately recommended Ollie, the fresh, human-grade food I’ve been feeding my dog for years. It’s been keeping her healthy, happy, and pooping great (a seriously underrated win), so I couldn’t wait to share the scoop with my sister. And now, I’m sharing it with you, in case it can help your dog!

The Trouble With Kibble

Picture, if you will, a nutritionally balanced, fresh, wholesome meal. Say, roast chicken with a side of whole grains and some veggies. With a salad. That’s an undeniably healthy dinner, one that hits all the points on the food pyramid in the right proportions. You could eat that for dinner tonight and know that you’d wake up tomorrow feeling great. That is an Ollie dinner.

Now, to turn that into a kibble dinner, here’s what you need to do: 

Get the sketchiest meat you can find – Kibble uses all sorts of nasty stuff. I won’t go too deep into this here, but it’s basically cuts of meat unfit for human consumption – not the kinds of things you want in your BFF’s food.

Blast it in the oven – The high temp cooking process (also known as extrusion) doesn’t just kill the taste of mass-produced kibbles. It can also kill up to 40% of the nutritional value, meaning that some companies need to go as far as spraying vitamins back onto their kibbles to compensate.

Spray some meat flavoring on it – Speaking of spraying things… Yep, some kibble producers even have to add meat flavoring to their kibble to make it palatable to dogs’ sensitive noses and taste buds. 

Add a dash of dubious claims – Last but not least, terms like “Premium” don’t have actual definitions that need to be met. So that “Premium” kibble you get may only be premium in price.

Throw all of that together and what you wind up with is basically… a charred fast food dinner that promises to be healthy. It’s a far cry from the tasty, balanced dinner that you get with fresh, human-grade dog food like Ollie, and it’s no wonder that Decoy was getting frustrated having to eat it 7 days a week!

Why We Love Ollie

If that image of a kibble meal is haunting you, you’re not alone. Thankfully, feeding your pup an actually healthy meal is as simple as switching your dog foods. I’ve tried a number of different fresh dog foods but my absolute, all-time favorite is Ollie. They bring a lot to the table that other fresh foods don’t, and they do it at an amazing price.

Here’s a few reasons why I love Ollie’s fresh, human-grade dog food (and their whole company!) so much: 

1. It’s always human-grade – Look, I’m never going to try my dog’s dinner. But I could! And honestly, that gives me so much more confidence in what she’s eating. I want the best for my dog and that includes not feeding her sketchy meat!
2. Vet-crafted, nutritionally balanced meals – I don’t ever need to worry that I’m feeding my pup the right proportions of food or that she’s getting all the nutrients she needs. Ollie’s fresh meal recipes are all vet-crafted to ensure that they’re providing your dog with all the nutrition they need and they’re portioned out based on your dog’s breed, size, activity level, target weight, and any allergies or sensitivities they may have, to ensure that they’re getting the right amount of everything. 
3. There’s plenty of variety – This is a big one for the picky pups out there! Ollie offers 5 different fully fresh meal options – enough to change it up with plenty of frequency – and if your dog just loves the texture of kibble, they also have a gently baked food with two recipes you can mix in, so that they can get the texture they crave while still eating human-grade ingredients. 
4. They’re more than just food – For me, this has been the biggest differentiator about Ollie. Yes, they make great dog food that I’m happy to feed my dog. But beyond that, they’re genuinely out to keep every dog who eats their food happy and healthy. From poop screenings to weight screenings to dental health checkups, Ollie’s app makes it easy to keep track of your dog’s health on your phone. You can literally upload a pic of your dog’s poop and ask an Ollie team member, “Is this normal?” And they’ll get back to you, in detail! Having quick access to information like this is so, so valuable.

Let Them Eat Fresh

In just a few weeks of switching over to Ollie, Decoy feels like a whole new pup. She’s put on just the right amount of weight and it’s easy to tell that she’s happier and healthier – her coat’s shining, her energy levels are back up to their practically-a-puppy peak, and most importantly she’s eating every last bite of dinner once again. And all it took was a simple change in diet.

P.S. If you order today, you can save a whopping 50% on your first box of Ollie!