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Open Farm Dog Food Review 2024: An Expert Guide

Brooke Billingsley

By Brooke Billingsley

Open Farm Dog Food Review copy

Our Final Verdict

We give Open Farm dog food a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars.

* Use code HEPPER20 and save on your first auto-ship order.

Choosing a dog food can be a stressful task because there are so many options on the market, and many of those options don’t align with the ideals of sustainability, transparency, and animal welfare. Not only that but the ingredients and nutrients provided by dog foods are a concern for some people, so they actively seek out foods that are more natural and palatable for dogs.

Open Farm is a pet food brand that has set out to change the pet food industry by providing pet parents with highly nutritious foods that are made with traceable ingredients, sustainable practices, animal welfare, and transparency. We’ve been lucky enough to receive some of their products and will review them below.

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A Quick Look at Our Favorites

Rating Image Product Details
Our Favorite
Winner
Gently Cooked Homestead Turkey Recipe Gently Cooked Homestead Turkey Recipe
  • Highly palatable
  • Free of legumes and potatoes
  • Easy-to-open, pre-portioned pouches
  • Second place
    Grass-Fed Beef Freeze Dried Food Grass-Fed Beef Freeze Dried Food
  • Easy to chew
  • Safe, raw food
  • Can be fed as a topper or primary food
  • Third place
    Grain Free Homestead Turkey & Chicken Dry Food Grain Free Homestead Turkey & Chicken Dry Food
  • High in protein
  • Good source of prebiotics
  • Palatable kibble for picky eaters
  • Harvest Chicken Freeze Dried Raw Food Harvest Chicken Freeze Dried Raw Food
  • High in protein and fresh chicken
  • Non-GMO Coconut Oil
  • No meat byproducts
  • Grain Free Grass-Fed Beef Dry Food Grain Free Grass-Fed Beef Dry Food
  • High in protein and fresh beef
  • Meats from audited higher welfare farms
  • Prebiotic fibres to support healthy digestion
  • Open Farm Dog Food Reviewed

    open farm freeze-dried raw dog food recipes

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    Who Makes Open Farm and Where Is It Produced?

    Open Farm was founded by Jacqueline Prehogan along with her husband, Isaac Langleben, and her brother-in-law, Derek Langleben. Jacqueline and her family co-founded Open Farm after Jacqueline adopted her first dog, Bella.

    Open Farm was founded out of a desire to find high-quality pet food without compromising important values that are often overlooked in the pet food industry. In fact, Open Farm believes in the simple idea that dog food can do good for dogs, as well as doing good for the environment and farm animals.

    Open Farm is a privately owned company based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Their products are manufactured in Minnesota from traceable and ethically sourced ingredients.

    Which Types of Dogs Is Open Farm Best Suited For?

    Open Farm offers a variety of food textures and flavors to suit most adult dogs. They currently offer grain-free and grain-forward recipes, as well as providing a selection of wet, dry, frozen, and freeze-dried foods. These foods are all nutrient-dense and are suitable for adult dogs with all activity levels. However, they currently don’t offer any recipes that are specifically formulated for puppies or senior dogs.

    dog eating open farrm recipe

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    Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and bad)

    Chicken

    Chicken is a lean protein that is low in fat and lower in calories than many other animal protein sources. It’s a great source of B12, which is an important nutrient for metabolic processes within the body.

    Beef

    Beef is an excellent source of protein, but it is higher in fat and calories than chicken. It’s a good source of multiple nutrients, including iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium.

    Turkey

    Turkey is another source of lean protein that is relatively low in calories. It’s an excellent source of multiple B vitamins, as well as being a good source of zinc, iron, and phosphorus.

    open farm turkey & chicken and beef recipes

    Kale

    Kale is a leafy green that is packed with nutrients, including vitamin K. Due to its high vitamin K level, it may be contraindicated to feed to some dogs with clotting disorders. It’s high in vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and copper, and it’s extremely low in calories.

    Carrots

    Carrot is a root vegetable that is widely known for its extremely high content of vitamin A. They’re also a good source of biotin and potassium.

    Garbanzo Beans

    Garbanzo beans are a good source of plant-based protein and fiber. These beans are a type of legume, and some legumes have shown a potential link to heart disease in dogs, so it’s important to discuss this and other legumes with your vet before switching your dog to a food containing legumes.

    open farm bone broth bundle

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    A Mission to Do Good

    Open Farm is committed to a variety of important missions that ensure the health and well-being of your dog, as well as improving the world we live in. They source all of their ingredients from humane and ethical farms, producers, and fisheries. They partner with certification partners that support transparency, accountability, and high standards.

    Supporting animal welfare for the animals used for feed ensures that all animals are treated with kindness and fairness throughout their lives. They also use responsible manufacturing processes that help reduce carbon footprints via emissions measurements, emissions reduction, emissions offset, and sustainable packaging.

    High-Quality Ingredients

    Thanks to their high standards for ingredients and sourcing, you can feel comfortable knowing that Open Farm foods will provide your dog with excellent nutrition. All of their ingredients are packed with a variety of nutrients, providing dogs with a balanced diet that meets all of their needs. The nutrient density of the foods from Open Farm provide good sources of energy to keep dogs active while supporting muscle mass and healthy body weight.

    open farm freeze-dried raw dog food

    Variety

    Regardless of what type of proteins or textures your dog prefers, Open Farm offers something for them. They currently offer a line of kibble, wet food, frozen food, and freeze-dried food, as well as treats, broths, and supplements.

    Their foods offer multiple protein sources, including chicken, turkey, beef, fish, lamb, pork, and venison. They even offer a plant-based kibble and an insect protein kibble, both of which can be a good option for dogs with food sensitivities or specific dietary needs.

    Grain Free and Containing Legumes

    Not all of the foods offered by Open Farm are grain-free, but the majority of them are. Many of these foods contain legumes or potatoes, which have been linked to heart disease in dogs. Due to the potential risks associated with these ingredients, it’s important to discuss these foods with your vet before switching your dog.

    dog eating open farm recipe

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    A Quick Look at Open Farm Dog Food

    Pros
    • Wide variety of options
    • Plant and insect proteins available for dogs with food sensitivities
    • Treats, supplements, and food toppers available
    • Ethical and sustainable practices
    • Traceable ingredients
    • Nutrient-dense foods for adult dogs
    Cons
    • Primarily grain free
    • Many recipes contain legumes and/or potatoes
    • Premium prices

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    Reviews of the Open Farm Dog Food We Tried

    1. Open Farm Gently Cooked Homestead Turkey Recipe

    Open Farm Gently Cooked Homestead Turkey Recipe

    * Use code HEPPER20 and save on your first order.

    The Open Farm Homestead Turkey Recipe is a fresh food recipe that offers a highly palatable, high-quality food option. This food can be stored in the freezer and refrigerator, but it is not shelf-stable food due to its freshness. It’s cooked via sous vide, which ensures food safety without eliminating nutrients, and it’s free of legumes and potatoes.

    It features an easy-to-open design, so you won’t have to fight with scissors or knives to get this packet of food open. The pouches are pre-portioned to make the food easy to measure, and they are made from plastic that can be recycled at special facilities. This food is considerably more expensive than many other options, and it does require significant storage space in your freezer.

    Pros
    • Highly palatable
    • Can be stored in freezer and refrigerator
    • Sous vide cooking ensures safety and nutrient retention
    • Free of legumes and potatoes
    • Easy-to-open, pre-portioned pouches
    • Packages can be recycled at specialty recycling facilities
    Cons
    • Premium price
    • Requires storage space

    2. Open Farm Grass-Fed Beef Freeze Dried Dog Food

    Open Farm Grass-Fed Beef Freeze Dried Dog Food

    * Use code HEPPER20 and save on your first order.

    The Open Farm Beef Freeze Dried Dog Food features freeze-dried nuggets of meat and other nutritious ingredients. It is palatable and easy for dogs with dental problems to chew while still giving a similar texture to kibble. This is a raw food, but the freeze-drying process eliminates many pathogens, making this much safer than traditional raw diets.

    It can be used as a food topper or a primary food, and its texture allows it to easily be broken into smaller pieces, or you can add water and serve it in a softened form to your dog. It is free of legumes and potatoes.

    This is an expensive food to be fed as a primary food source for most dogs. Since it is a freeze-dried food, it has a shorter shelf life once opened than kibble.

    Pros
    • Easy to chew
    • Safe, raw food
    • Can be fed as a topper or primary food
    • Easy to break into smaller pieces
    • Free of legumes and potatoes
    Cons
    • Premium price
    • Short shelf life once opened

    3. Open Farm Grain Free Homestead Turkey & Chicken Dry Dog Food

    Open Farm Grain Free Homestead Turkey & Chicken Dry Dog Food

    * Use code HEPPER20 and save on your first order.

    The Open Farm Homestead Turkey & Chicken Dry Food is a traditional kibble diet, but it is free of grains. This food contains legumes, including field peas, garbanzo beans, and green lentils, and it contains potatoes. It’s a good source of prebiotic fiber, which supports healthy digestion. It’s high in protein and highly palatable, even to picky eaters.

    It has a longer shelf life once opened than the other types of foods offered by Open Farm, and it’s prepared in a way that supports the preservation of nutrients.

    Like many of the foods offered by Open Farm, it retails for a premium price, but its price is in line with other premium dog food brands.

    Pros
    • Good source of prebiotics
    • High in protein
    • Palatable kibble for picky eaters
    • Longer shelf life once open compared to other food types
    • Prepared to preserve nutrition
    Cons
    • Contains legumes and potatoes
    • Premium price

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    Our Experience With Open Farm

    dog eating open farm dog recipe

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    I received multiple products from Open Farm to let my dogs try, and all of them seemed to be a hit. Penny is a 12-year-old mixed breed that weighs around 45 pounds, while Eva is a 4-year-old American Bully mix that weighs around 58 pounds. There have been no complaints with any of the Open Farm products they’ve tried.

    They had the Gently Cooked Homestead Turkey recipe for Christmas dinner, and they both loved it. It is a bulky food, though. The bulk of each pack took up at least twice the space of their typical kibble meal, to the point that the bowls were overflowing with food. The dogs didn’t have complaints about it, but it was impractical, and the storage space required in the freezer was significant.

    They also tried out the beef flavor and turkey and chicken flavors of the kibble. Eva has a sensitivity to chicken, so she got the beef food, while Penny got the turkey and chicken food. They both enjoyed the kibble, but they didn’t seem to like it more or less than their regular kibble. Neither food is something I would feed them long-term, though, due to the presence of legumes and potatoes.

    Open Farm sent us both the chicken and beef freeze-dried foods, which were both a hit with the girls. Both dogs love the beef flavor, while Penny seems to enjoy the chicken flavor, but maybe slightly less so than the beef flavor. While this variety is intended to be rehydrated, the dry consistency makes a great high-value reward for my pups.

    The chicken, turkey, and beef broths made a nice addition to the dogs’ food, as well as their frozen treats. They seemed just as popular as any other brand of broth they’ve tried, but the nutritional value of the broth makes me feel good about giving it to them as a special part of their diet.

    All in all, I’ve been happy with the products from Open Farm, but the prices of most of the products are high enough that, in a home with multiple dogs and cats, they just aren’t practical for me to purchase regularly.

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    Conclusion

    Open Farm is a pet food brand that is committed to providing high-quality pet food through ethical and sustainable practices. They offer foods that are prepared in ways that retain maximum nutrition without risking the safety and health of your pet. This premium pet food brand offers multiple varieties of food, as well as treats and supplements to support the health of your animals.

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