Pros, Cons & Final Verdict – Dogster Leave a comment

Ollie Pets delivers fresh premium dog food straight to your door. All the recipes were crafted by experts in the field and contain very nutrient-dense ingredients.

If you’re looking to make mealtimes more convenient, you’ll want to consider Ollie. Once you complete its simple questionnaire, you’ll receive a portion guide so that you don’t have to spend time worrying about underfeeding or overfeeding your dog.

I’ve tested out Ollie’s delivery service and had our dog try out three recipes. Keep reading this Ollie review to get an honest review of this pet food company and see if it’s a service that your dog will love.

At a Glance: What We Reviewed

Ollie Dog Food Reviewed

Who Makes Ollie Dog Food and Where Is It Produced?

Ollie Pets was founded in 2015 by Randy Jimenez, Alex Douzet, and Gabby Slome. The main headquarters is in New York City, and the company works with farmers and manufacturers located throughout the United States.

Ollie is very deliberate and intentional about the production and manufacturing companies it chooses to partner with to make sure that they’re working with organizations that prioritize sustainability, ethical practices, and producing high-quality food.

Which Types of Dogs is Ollie Dog Food Best Suited For?

Ollie is suitable for puppies and adult dogs that are relatively healthy and don’t have any serious chronic health concerns. The ingredient lists are also very simple, so you can easily select recipes that avoid certain meats that trigger allergic reactions.

Some recipes are more appropriate for different types of dogs. For example, the Chicken Dish With Carrots recipe is a good recipe for dogs with sensitive stomachs, and the Lamb Dish With Cranberries is great for dogs prone to allergies.

Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)

Ollie is committed to using fresh ingredients that are prepared and packaged in human-grade facilities.

Ollie strives to make sure that all the ingredients in the recipes are purposeful and packed with nutrients. For example, you’ll find spinach, blueberries, and rosemary in a lot of the recipes.

Spinach is a rich source of several different kinds of vitamins, and also contains iron and antioxidants. Blueberries are also rich in antioxidants and packed with fiber. Small doses of rosemary are also good for dogs as it has antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties.

The ingredient lists for Ollie’s recipes don’t contain any artificial flavors or filler ingredients. They’re all relatively healthy and nutritious. If I had to be nitpicky, our one hesitation is the mix of fish oil in the chicken, beef, and lamb recipes. Some dogs have fish allergies, so they might have a reaction if they eat these recipes. However, fish allergies are typically rarer than other meat allergies.

Single Source of Protein

Other than the presence of fish oil, Ollie’s recipes only contain one source of meat. For example, the beef recipe only contains beef and beef organs, and the chicken recipe contains chicken meat and whole dried eggs.

For the most part, all of Ollie’s recipe lists are short and simple, so it’s easy for owners of dogs with food allergies and sensitivities to navigate.

High-Quality Vet-Crafted Recipes

Ollie’s recipes were all developed by a veterinarian team. The company also has its own Canine Council, which consists of animal scientists, behaviorists, and nutritionists. The Canine Council exists to develop and innovate recipes and other products that benefit a dog’s health.

Along with using fresh ingredients, Ollie’s recipes are all minimally processed to significantly reduce nutrient loss. The recipes also omit any filler ingredients and don’t contain any wheat or soy. All the batches are also tested for quality control and pass through a metal detector to scan for any foreign materials.

Convenient Experience

Ollie aims to provide a convenient experience for its customers. After you complete its initial questionnaire, you’re given a list of recommended recipes. Then, Ollie sends a package containing enough food that will last until your next delivery date.

The initial package comes with a convenient food scoop and storage container. Both products are dishwasher-safe, so they’re very easy to keep clean. The package also comes with feeding instructions, so you can make sure that you’re feeding your dog accurate daily portions.

Customers can also easily make changes to their order by logging into their online account. Some specific changes you can make is skipping a delivery, changing up recipes, and adding snacks to the box.

No Specialized Diets

All of Ollie’s dog food recipes meet the nutritional levels set by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages. So, most puppies and dogs can eat their recipes without adding supplements. However, this dog food may not be the best option for dogs that require even more specialized diets. For example, there isn’t a recipe that’s specifically developed for weight loss.

Although Ollie factors in high-energy dogs, it doesn’t specify if the dog food can sustain athletic and actively working dogs, such as search and rescue dogs. If the recipes can be fed to these types of dogs, the costs may add up quickly if the volume of food you have to feed the dog is significantly larger.

Ollie Reviewed: A Quick Look at Their Food

Reviews of the Ollie Dog Food We Tried

Let’s take a closer look at three of Ollie’s best dog food recipes, all of which our pups had a chance to test out.

1. Chicken Dish With Carrots

This recipe is our favorite because it takes the standard chicken recipe and elevates it with fresh and nutritious ingredients. Chicken is listed as the first ingredient, and it’s supplemented by carrots, spinach, and blueberries. You’ll also find fish oil and cod liver oil mixed throughout, which are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

This recipe contains the lowest number of calories out of all the Ollie dog food recipes. So, if you’re concerned about your dog’s weight, your best bet would be feeding your dog the chicken recipe.

As we’ve mentioned before, this recipe contains fish oil and cod liver oil. So, if your dog has fish allergies, it won’t be able to enjoy this meal. Other than that, this is a great recipe for a wide range of dogs.

2. Beef Dish With Sweet Potatoes

The Beef Dish With Sweet Potatoes is another solid recipe developed by Ollie. It’s labeled as one of the most nutrient-rich dishes, and we believe it. Along with listing beef as the first ingredient, the recipe also contains beef liver and beef kidney. Beef liver is extremely nutrient-dense and is an excellent source of iron, zinc, phosphorus, copper and selenium.

Again, if I had to be really nitpicky, our only critique is that this recipe tends to have a mushy consistency, which may be due to the starch in the sweet potatoes. So, if you have a particularly picky pup that doesn’t like pate textures, they probably won’t enjoy this recipe.

3. Lamb Dish With Cranberries

This recipe is a great choice for dogs with food allergies and sensitivities. It doesn’t contain any common food allergens, but it does incorporate butternut squash, which is easily digestible. Similar to the beef recipe, this lamb recipe is nutrient-dense and contains lamb liver.

Cranberries are also very nutritious and are good sources of antioxidants, calcium, and potassium. However, they’re pretty tart, so dogs may not enjoy the flavor of this recipe.

Keep in mind that this dish contains the highest number of calories. So, it’s important to make sure that you feed your dog the correct proportions to prevent weight gain.

Our Experience With Ollie Dog Food

I ordered a box of Ollie dog food and I was overall pleased with the experience. To begin with, the packaging was superb. It contained a pack of dry ice to keep the food frozen, and the starter box came with a dishwasher-safe food scoop and silicone container.

I also received a nice feeding guide, which gave me step-by-step instructions for transitioning to the new dog food and the exact portions to give our dog. This inclusion was especially helpful because my dog has a sensitive stomach and takes a while to adjust to new food and treats.

The recipes I received were the chicken, beef, and lamb dishes. All of the food came in vacuum-sealed packages, and it was very convenient for because our dog just had to eat one pack of food every day.

However, since I am used to feeding our dog dry food, it took me a little time to get used to thawing out the food. Therefore, there were times when I’d forget to pull the food out the freezer and into the fridge. Fortunately, I could heat up the food in the microwave for a few seconds if I was short on time.

Due to the recipes being nutrient-dense, I noticed that the portion size was significantly smaller than the portion size of our dog’s previous dog food. This left our dog feeling hungry, and she would beg for more food while she was adjusting to the new food.

I chose to follow the food transition guide religiously because my dog has a sensitive stomach, and she didn’t have an upset stomach as she learned to eat the new food. The recipes were apparently very delicious because she gobbled them all down enthusiastically. This is a high compliment because she tends to be a very picky dog and has been known to spit out popular dog treats.

While Ollie’s delivery service is mostly very convenient and hassle-free, one minor issue I noticed was the extra step you have to take to cancel your subscription. While other changes, like switching up recipes and updating delivery dates, are easily completed through your online account, you have to send a separate email to Ollie’s customer service to completely cancel a subscription.

Conclusion

Overall, Ollie dog food is a great choice if you’re interested in fresh dog food subscriptions. It does take some time to get used to thawing out the food beforehand, but all the recipes are packed with nutrients and also seem to be delicious to dogs.

My dog and I were both satisfied with our experience with Ollie. The only reason why I couldn’t give it a 5-star review is due to some minor details and inconveniences. However, once a dog completely transitions to eating the recipes, feeding times become a much more convenient and worry-free experience.

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