Just Food For Dogs vs The Farmer’s Dog: Main Differences, Pros & Cons

It can be overwhelming to attempt to navigate the world of dog food, especially when you’re looking for a fresher option than kibble and canned food. It can be confusing trying to work out the differences between various brands and what makes one better than the other. We want to make this easier for you so you can make the right decision for your dog.

Just Food For Dogs and The Farmer’s Dog are both fresh dog food options that offer a variety of recipes and options to meet the needs of dogs, even those with special food needs. Both of these brands are excellent brands that produce high-quality, safe food for dogs, so how can you choose between them?

A Sneak Peek at the Winner: Just Food For Dogs

Just Food For Dogs is the clear winner for us because this company employs board-certified veterinary nutritionists that formulate all of their recipes to meet specific dietary needs, including the needs of dogs that would otherwise be on prescription diets. They also run feeding trials on their foods to ensure they are palatable and produce health-centered results in dogs. They offer consultations to help guide you in selecting the right recipes to meet your dog’s specific needs.

About Just Food For Dogs

Just Food For Dogs Basics

Just Food For Dogs is a company that was founded in an effort to create healthy, whole food recipes for dogs. They were distraught to find that the dog food industry is largely self-regulated, which means that dog food companies are held to very few standards. They seek to fulfill their core values that include advocating for the health of pets, transparency, using scientific evidence, driving change, and supporting rescue efforts.

Marketing

This company uses minimal marketing, instead choosing to focus on its core values. They are recommended by a large number of veterinarians, which serves as a great marketing tool for them. By focusing on values instead of marketing, they are able to formulate healthy dog food that is nutritionally sound, safe, and able to make a difference for many dogs.

How Are They Different?

Unlike the vast majority of pet food companies, Just Food For Dogs has a team of veterinarians on staff. These staff vets help formulate and verify the quality of their foods. They also run year-long feeding trials, which allow a clear picture of the benefits offered by their foods. Feeding trials also allow them to identify areas that need improvement and then make those improvements before releasing a recipe to the general public.

About The Farmer’s Dog

The Farmer’s Dog Basics

The Farmer’s Dog was founded by two pet lovers who were concerned that dog food was not meeting the nutritional needs of their dogs. They are working to reimagine dog food from the ground up by using science-backed practices and transparency in their production. While their first recipes were based on little more than the pictures of ingredients in a bag of dog food, they have since moved on to using veterinary nutritionists and science to formulate healthy, whole foods.

Marketing

The Farmer’s Dog is one of a handful of subscription dog food plans, so they rely pretty heavily on marketing to draw in consumers. While their marketing seems to be successful, it doesn’t seem like it has detracted from their focus on creating healthy foods that maintain health and longevity for dogs.

How Are They Different?

The Farmer’s Dog has sought to stick to high standards that are outside the norm within the pet food industry. Their aim is to provide healthy dog food right to consumers’ front doors via their subscription plans. Although they do not employ a large team of veterinarians like Just Food For Dogs does, they do have veterinary nutritionists who consult on their recipes.

The 3 Most Popular Just Food For Dogs Dog Food Recipes

1. Lamb & Brown Rice Recipe

The Lamb & Brown Rice Recipe food is one of the most popular recipes offered by Just Food For Dogs. This recipe has a moderate protein content, making it suitable for most senior dogs. It’s a calorie dense recipe that helps to maintain muscle mass and a healthy weight in dogs.

It’s a good source of zinc and iron, which means it helps support healthy metabolism levels. B vitamins provide energy and help support a healthy digestive system. It contains ground lamb, which is a great source of carnitine, which is an amino acid that supports energy levels and cardiac health. It’s a great source of omega fatty acids, which support skin and coat health, as well as supporting brain health, even in aging dogs.

Some people with pickier eaters report their dog not caring for this food.

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2. Venison & Squash Recipe

The Venison & Squash Recipe is a gluten-free and grain-free recipe. Grain-free diets are not appropriate for all dogs and have shown a link to heart disease, so make sure to discuss this with your vet before switching. It is free of legumes, though, which often replace the grains in grain-free foods.

This food contains venison as the protein, which is a novel protein that has a low allergen potential, making this a good option for dogs with food sensitivities. This is a high-protein diet that is a good option for people looking to transition their dog from a raw diet.

It’s rich in B vitamins, which help support healthy metabolism and energy levels. Iron provided by venison is also a good way to support red blood cell production and energy, and stamina. It’s high in fiber to support healthy digestion, even in dogs with sensitive digestive tracts.

This food is one of the pricier options offered by Just Food For Dogs.

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3. Turkey & Whole Wheat Macaroni

The Turkey & Whole Wheat Macaroni recipe is the most cost-effective recipe offered by Just Food For Dogs, and it is ideal for feeding large breed dogs. It’s also a great option for active or underweight dogs of any size. It’s high in protein to support muscle mass and a healthy weight.

It contains B vitamins to support digestion, metabolism, and energy levels. It contains whole wheat macaroni, which is a good source of whole grains and is rich in fiber and B vitamins. It also contains broccoli and zucchini, which are low-calorie additions to support satiety and a healthy weight. This food is a good source of omega fatty acids to support skin, coat, and joint health.

This food doesn’t seem to be a favorite among picky eaters.

The 3 Most Popular The Farmer’s Dog Fresh Food Recipes

1. Turkey Recipe

The Turkey Recipe from The Farmer’s Dog is a nutrient-dense recipe that contains turkey as the primary protein. It’s a good source of protein from turkey and chickpeas. This is a grain-free diet, and it does contain legumes, which have been linked to heart disease in dogs. Make sure to discuss this with your vet before switching your dog.

This food contains broccoli and spinach, which are good sources of vitamins and minerals, as well as being low-calorie options for increasing food volume and satiety. It’s a good source of omega fatty acids and will help support skin and coat health. The protein and fat content in this food make it a good option for feeding underweight dogs and supporting healthy body weight.

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2. Chicken Recipe

The Chicken Recipe food from The Farmer’s Dog is a grain-free diet, but it is also free of legumes, so it may be better suited for most dogs. Chicken is a common allergen for many dogs, so this may not be a good option for dogs with food sensitivities.

It’s a good source of iron from chicken liver, which helps support energy levels and red blood cell health. Broccoli, brussels sprouts, and bok choy are good options for enhancing satiety in dogs that need to lose a little bit of weight. Like the turkey recipe, this food is a good source of omega fatty acids. It’s a high protein option that can help support a healthy weight in active dogs.

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3. Pork Recipe

The Pork Recipe from The Farmer’s Dog is a grain-free recipe that contains potatoes, which have also shown a potential link to heart disease in dogs. This food is a more moderate protein and fat option than most of the other recipes from The Farmer’s Dog, making it suitable for many senior dogs.

Pork is an uncommon allergen for many dogs, so this food may be suitable for dogs with food sensitivities. It contains sweet potatoes, which are a great source of beta carotene to support eye health. It also contains green beans, which are high in fiber and are a great option for increasing satiety for dogs working on losing weight.

Recall History of Just Food For Dogs and The Farmer’s Dog

In 2018, Just Food For Dogs issued a voluntary recall of three of their diets after one person reported their dog getting sick from the food. The Turducken, Fish & Sweet Potato, and Beef & Russet Potato recipes were recalled due to the risk of potential Listeria contamination on the green beans in these recipes. The recall applied to foods manufactured between November 1, 2017 and January 14, 2018.

To date, The Farmer’s Dog has had no recalls.

Just Food For Dogs VS The Farmer’s Dog Comparison

Taste: Tie

Both of these brands produce highly palatable dog foods. While picky dogs seem to enjoy food from The Farmer’s Dog, Just Food For Dogs offers more recipe options to meet the needs of dogs with any taste preference. Both brands make food with human-grade ingredients and aim to enhance palatability as needed.

Nutritional Value: Just Food For Dogs

Just Food For Dogs offers a better nutritional value than The Farmer’s Dog. This is primarily because their recipes are formulated by veterinarians and reviewed by multiple veterinarians. They also offer recipes to meet specific nutritional and medical needs, while The Farmer’s Dog mainly focuses on generalized feeding requirements for the average dog.

Price: Tie

Both of these brands sell foods at premium prices. Both of them offer a breakdown of per meal or per ounce costs to make it easier to understand their pricing practices. They also offer calculators to make it easy to determine how much food your dog needs to eat, allowing you to better plan for the budgetary needs of a more premium dog food.

Selection: Just Food For Dogs

Just Food For Dogs simply has far more recipe options available than The Farmer’s Dog does. They offer prescription-type and normal dog foods to help meet the specific nutritional needs of many dogs, even those with medical conditions with specialized nutritional needs. They also offer lots of recipes, so even the pickiest eaters have something to choose from.

Overall: Just Food For Dogs

Overall, Just Food For Dogs is simply the better option. They offer more recipes and employ a large team of veterinarians to ensure their foods meet all nutritional requirements. They also offer specialty diets to meet the needs of dogs with medical conditions that would otherwise be on a prescription diet.

Conclusion

We think both of these brands offer high-quality dog food options for those looking for fresher and healthier dog foods. However, Just Food For Dogs is simply the better food option because of the recipes they offer and the large team of veterinarians they employ to ensure their foods meet dogs’ varying nutritional needs.

Both of these brands are more expensive than your average dog food, though, so plan on shelling out a premium price for these premium foods. They do contain human-grade and premium ingredients, though, so you can feel good about what you are feeding your dogs.