My dog Jimmy used to be a bit of a chunky boy. He was never full on chonk status, but he definitely hit a point where he could stand to lose a few pounds. So, we made the switch from traditional kibble to fresh cooked dog food, and it helped him shed those extra pounds. 

We started with Ollie, one of the most popular fresh food options. But, I’m always on the hunt for the best of the best when it comes to my best friend, so recently we gave Just Food For Dogs a try. I’ve put together all the details in the following sections if you want to get the full behind the scenes look at why we wound up going with the dog food we did. 

Spoiler Alert: Ultimately, we wound up coming back to Ollie. Their textural variety, digestion scans, personalized meals, and overall excellent customer service just made them feel like the better, more convenient service to me and kept Jimmy happier at dinner time. 

Why We Love Ollie

Ollie was the first fresh dog food that Jimmy and I tried. And while we did wander (I love to check out whatever is new and/or popular), we came back to Ollie and we’re sticking with it for the long haul. Because at the end of the day, Ollie has a lot to offer. Here’s a few of the things that won me over the first time – and the second time:

1) Variety, variety, variety

At 5 different fresh meal options, Ollie technically falls behind Just Food For Dogs. But what I didn’t think to consider (until I was staring down a frustrated dog at dinner time), was that Ollie’s Baked food makes a huge difference. Not only does it allow you to mix and match for additional flavor variety, but it also adds in some much-needed textural variety that helps keep extra-picky eaters like Jimmy happy. 

2) Best-in-class customer service

I freaking love the Ollie customer service team. Not only are they incredibly helpful, they’re just downright nice. When I needed help figuring out Jimmy’s ideal weight in the onboarding process, they were on it. When a porch pirate stole my shipment, they were right there. Any time I’ve had a question or a problem, they’ve gone above and beyond to help me figure out the answer or make it right, and that makes a huge difference to me.

3) They have an app! 

I’m something of a helicopter dog parent: I like knowing everything about my boy and have access to all his info whenever I need it, so the Ollie app is like a dream come true for me. In addition to allowing me to manage my Ollie subscription, it tracks his weight screening, lets me get a dental opinion, and provides updates on his digestion scan. All in one place!

4) The digestion scan

If you’ve never transitioned your dog from kibble to fresh food before, pay close attention to this one. Because for some dogs, that transition can be a difficult period for digestion. And it can be frustrating to see your pup going through tummy troubles when you’re making what you know is a long term positive change for their health. Thankfully, Ollie offers free digestion screenings that let you snap a pic of your dog’s poop to be analyzed by the Ollie Health team, who will provide you with guidance on any necessary diet tweaks or reassurance that you’re on the right track. 

5) Weight screening

If you’ve done any research on helping your dog lose weight, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Just Food For Dogs as part of the conversation. And while they have a huge amount of content online where they talk about helping dogs lose weight, Ollie actually has tools to help. As part of their overall health screening (which includes the digestion scan and dental screening), Ollie offers weight screening for your dog. Just snap a pic and their pup-health experts will get back to you with advice on how to keep your dog on track.

6) Convenience

This one might seem kind of petty, but I honestly found Ollie to be so much more convenient than Just Food For Dogs. Is portioning out your dog’s food a huge deal? Absolutely not. But when it’s 6:30am and you have to feed him and walk him and still make it out the door for work, the little things start to matter. And Ollie’s easy-open packaging and personalized meals honestly just make the whole process as hassle-free as possible. 

Trying Just Food For Dogs

First things first, there were definitely quite a few things that I liked about Just Food For Dogs. For one, they have a lot of different options when it comes to fresh food – with around 10 individual recipes and a solid half dozen or so variety packs. That being said, unlike Ollie, not all of the JFFD meals are for all dogs. Puppies and senior dogs have limited selection with JFFD, whereas with Ollie, all meals are approved for dogs of all life stages. 

Another thing that they do which I really enjoyed is their “Pantry Fresh” meals. These are shelf-stable versions of their fresh dog foods that don’t need to live in the fridge, a huge win for those who are light on fridge space (and one that I may explore for my next road trip!). They also have the ability to whip up a completely customized meal for your dog if he/she has additional dietary restrictions or specific nutritional needs. 

But when it comes down to it, the real reason I prefer Ollie is actually pretty simple: I just feel that they do more for both me and Jimmy. As I mentioned before, Jimmy is a huge fan of the Mixed Meal Plan from Ollie – something about the combo of textures gets him crazy excited about eating his meals; it also cuts down the monthly cost of his food! That option for variety, along with Ollie’s super convenient app, their health screenings, their personalized meals, and how responsive their customer service team makes them our forever favorite.

The Best Fresh Food For Everyone

While JFFD is out there making great dog food, Ollie goes beyond just the food. Yes, they make human-grade, nutrient-dense recipes crafted with vet nutritionists. But more than that, they’re focused on making the experience as seamless and pain-free as possible for dog owners. From their excellent customer service team, to their digestion screenings, to the free shipping with every order, Ollie is constantly going above and beyond. And if they can care that much about making my life better, it shows how much they care about making Jimmy’s life better.

If you want to try Ollie for your dog, you can get 50% off your first box!