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Fresh dog food appeals not only to those dogs with sensitive tummies and allergies but busy dog lovers who want exceptionally high quality dog food with stress-free home delivery.
For those of us who simply don't have the time to research and hand-cook meals for our four-legged friends, a growing number of fresh dog food companies in the UK market offer some great alternatives.
Different Dog provides nutritious meals to nearly 10,000 dogs each month, winning over picky eaters with their 13 recipes. A massive 92% of customers say their dogs are healthier thanks to Different Dog.
Using only British meat, blended with a selection of fruit, vegetables and superfoods, seriously, their food looks good enough for the whole family to eat.
UPDATED : OCTOBER 2024 - Refreshed the Trustpilot review figures and ensured recipe info is current. |
We take a closer look at Different Dog, a fresh dog food company offering a selection of gently hand-cooked recipes delivered directly to your door. An alternative to the better known Butternut Box.
For 40% OFF your first two boxes
Use discount code SMARTBARKCC40
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DIFFERENT DOG REVIEW
1. Who are Different Dog ?
Different Dog are an established, leading fresh dog food brand and definitely a key part of the current dog food revolution.
After working in the pet industry for four years, husband and wife Charlie and Alex Thurstan decided to start creating their own dog food and Different Dog was born.
The company has gone from strength to strength and now has over 18000 Trustpilot reviews ( 1702 of them are 5 ⭐️).
With an 'All About Dog Food' nutritional rating of an exceptionally high 90 –93% (recipe dependent), you'll struggle to find a more nutritious dog food on the UK market.
As Different Dog has evolved, so has the product range they offer dog-lovers :
⭐️ 13 hand-cooked recipes
⭐️ Recipes designed specifically to support dogs with common health conditions
⭐️ Extensive dog treat range
⭐️ Long-lasting chews
⭐️ Lamb & venison bone broths
⭐️ Probiotic pastes & sprays
⭐️ Poo Bags
For us (and for most people I suspect), a one-stop shop for all those regular canine products simply makes life a lot easier. Plus if you're going to feed your dog high quality fresh dog food then ideally you should match it with high-quality natural dog treats.
2. Different Dog Review : Ordering
Offering an online subscription service (you won't find Different Dog on the High St), their website offers a wealth of information about their food alongside a short questionnaire.
Using all the information you enter including age, sex, weight, physique, daily activity levels, medical conditions and allergies, Different Dog offer a tailored plan of recipes to suit your dog.
As a popular reason to change dog food is an allergy or medical condition, we particularly liked that you can ask a vet or nutritionist at Different Dog for further advice when placing an order.
Their Health+ range of recipes has been tried and tested for a number of years. Nutritionally designed meals to support common conditions, these 5 recipes offer a variety of low calorie, sensitive tummy and healthy heart options.
The ultimate in stress-free dog food, whichever selection of meals you choose, they are delivered frozen directly to your door, all you need to do is defrost each meal and dish up either direct from your fridge or it can be gently warmed to release the aromas.
We would strongly recommend that you bear in mind your available freezer storage space when you order along with the delivery schedule.
While Different Dog might not be the most budget-friendly option, you're definitely getting what you pay for in terms of quality nutrition. After testing numerous dog foods, we prefer Different Dog's recipes, ingredients, look and feel compared to other high quality dog foods such as Butternut Box and Marleybones.
Of course, you could consider using their fresh meals as a topper for kibble. This will reduce the daily price significantly whilst improving the overall nutritional value of your dog's meal.
We love this budget-friendly idea as not everyone can afford to feed their dog solely on fresh delivered dog food.
The menu is personalised for each dog but generally if you chose to feed your dog exclusively on Different Dog, small dog (6kg) plans are around £2.20, medium (12kg) £3.30 and large (26kg) from £5.28 a day. Clearly using Different Dog as a topper, will reduce the daily cost.
As we mentioned previously, Different Dog now offer an extensive range of high-quality dog treats and bone broths. We especially love their broths, perfect for freezing and defrosting when your pup has a sensitive stomach and needs a bland diet for a few days.
Once you have selected your food, simply add these to your order. We found this really convenient and one less thing to organise every month.
Different Dog also offer a Starter Box which is a great way of dipping your toe in the water before committing to larger orders and of course it's not like that dreaded gym membership, you can cancel or amend your subscription at any time.
3. Different Dog : The Food
The first thing to say about Different Dog's food is that it is hand-cooked following nutritionist designed recipes.
Their recipes are not only legume and grain free but they contain at least 60% of high-quality meat cuts sourced locally from British suppliers.
These proteins alongside seasonal fruit, vegetables and superfoods are cooked gently to retain all the nutrients before being frozen for delivery.
A good rule of thumb is that the more specific the label is, the better. A dog food label should be designed to be clear and easy to understand. If a company is making a great food, it’s only natural to tell the customer exactly what's in it!
Different Dog offer extensive nutritional information about every ingredient in each recipe on both their website and their packaging so you can relax knowing exactly what you're feeding your four-legged friend.
In testing, we were astonished by just how appetising the Different Dog recipes looked. You can easily identify key ingredients within the dish and to be honest each meal looks fit to serve up to the family as well as the dog.
Once defrosted, their fresh food lasts up to five days in the fridge, so each meal could easily be portioned and used as a topper for several days.
Importantly, out of all the fresh foods we've reviewed, we found that Different Dog had the only packaging that was easy to reseal - so no need to decant.
Their packaging is also easy to stack, eco-friendly and compostable, plus with their carbon-neutral delivery, you are helping to minimise your carbon pawprint.
Ultimately, Different Dog are so sure your dog will love their food, that they offer your money back if the bowl isn't licked clean!
OUR VERDICT
The bottom line is that if you're looking for a top-quality fresh dog food, from a company with years of experience, personalised to suit your dog and delivered to your door, then we'd suggest taking a closer look at Different Dog.
We love that their website is very transparent offering lots of information about their recipes and their Health+ range is the perfect choice if your dog suffers with a sensitive tummy or allergies.
Their selection of other products including treats, chews, broths and poo bags means they can offer a convenient one-stop-shop for busy dog parents.
Lastly, you can opt to feed exclusively Different Dog meals or add it as a topper to keep the price down plus they offer Starter Boxes alongside significant discounts on your first two boxes.
For 40% OFF your first two boxes
Use discount code SMARTBARKCC40
THE RIVALS
Not convinced by Different Dog ?
There are other fresh dog food options available.
Why not take a look at our in-depth review of the Best Fresh Dog Foods in the UK where we compare 5 companies offering a subscription service delivering fresh meals to your door - Years, Pets Love Fresh, Tuggs, Different Dog and Butternut Box.
We also offer an extensive range of tried and tested dog food articles including-
Best Dog Foods - featuring the best in each category Raw, Dry, Wet, Air Dried, Insect, Tailored & Fresh
Best Raw Dog Foods - featuring Naturaw, Paleo Ridge, Pro Dog Raw & Wilsons
Best Delivered Dog Foods - featuring Tails, Pure, Butternut Box, Different Dog & Years
Best Puppy Foods - featuring Forthglade, Pooch & Mutt, Pure, Naturaw, Years, Tails & Royal Canin
Thanks for dropping by and reading our in-depth review of Different Dog
