I thought I was feeding my dog something healthy. 

I was feeding my dog Daisy a well-known brand of kibble. It had descriptors like ‘natural’ and ‘complete nutrition’ on the front of the bag. And I thought that was all I needed to do to keep her healthy. But I was wrong. 

One day I sat down and read the ingredients list on the back of the bag, and I realized I didn’t really know what half of it meant.

Powders. Meals. Fillers. Preservatives. Vague ingredient names that sounded more scientific than nutritional. I pay attention to what goes into my own food, so why had I never questioned what was going into my dog’s bowl every single day? 

That’s what first drew me to Freshpet.

Reading ingredients lists vs. understanding ingredients lists

Lately, it feels like everyone is paying closer attention to what goes into their food. People are reading ingredient labels more carefully, asking questions about sourcing and preservatives, and becoming more aware of how processed foods can affect overall health. How could that same mindset not extend to our pets?

The more I looked into it, the more I realized how difficult traditional pet food labels can be to understand. Some ingredients are heavily processed, while others are listed in ways that make them hard to identify. 

Dogs are family members, and more and more pet parents are realizing vague marketing terms like ‘premium’ don’t really help when it comes to knowing what’s in their bowl. We want recognizable ingredients, transparency around how the food is made, and reassurance that we’re making a thoughtful choice for the long term health of our dogs. 

Switching to Freshpet Custom Meals®

Freshpet is fresh dog food that you keep in the fridge. It’s made with real ingredients you can actually recognize such as chicken, carrots, green beans, pumpkin, and eggs, rather than the mystery powders and meals. Steam-cooked and then kept cold to preserve freshness, it’s formulated by veterinary nutritionists to be completely nutritionally balanced for dogs. 

Once I started paying closer attention to ingredient labels, switching to Freshpet Custom Meals® felt like an easy decision. The sign up process was straightforward, simply requiring a few quick details about Daisy’s size, age, and dietary preferences. I liked that there were different protein-focused recipes to pick from (the Shredded Chicken is Daisy’s new favorite). 

It was even delivered straight to my front door. I liked that I could actually recognize the ingredients, and the transition process was simple. I mixed it in with Daisy’s old food over the course of a week, and she adjusted quickly, with no problems with fussiness or digestive issues.

Transparency builds trust

There’s something comforting about opening the fridge, looking at Daisy’s food, and actually recognizing what’s inside it. I stopped feeling like I had to blindly trust claims on the packaging, and could relax knowing that I was feeding Daisy healthful, nutritious food every single day. 

Freshpet also emphasizes their Clean Label Project Purity Award and third party contaminant testing, which added another level of trust for me. Transparency is baked into the brand.

Fresh dog food just makes sense

I started noticing positive changes in Daisy after feeding her Freshpet for a few weeks. She became even more excited than usual about dinnertime, seemed more energetic on walks, and her coat looked healthier.

Freshpet’s veterinary nutritionist-designed recipes support digestion, healthy skin and coat, energy levels, and weight management. That definitely checks out with the improvement I’ve seen in Daisy’s health. No more marketing buzzwords, just good old fashioned results.

Always check the ingredient list

Once you start looking closely at ingredient lists, it becomes hard to ignore the difference between highly processed food and food made with recognizable ingredients. Freshpet helped me finally feel truly informed about my dog’s diet and about Daisy’s long term health. It gives me peace of mind that I never want to be without again.