Is the farmer’s dog cooked or raw? Essential Tips

First, There Was Heartache and Frustration

The food came about as a result of health problems and setbacks that co-founder Brett Podolsky was experiencing with his beloved Rottweiler, Jada, who was suffering from horrible stomach problems.

Brett tried what felt like every kibble on the market for Jada, but it just made her condition worse. So he finally went to a holistic vet, who suggested home cooking. And so he did, and her symptoms disappeared overnight.

He would stop cooking and switch back to kibble, but poor Jada would just get sick again. Every time. It was frustrating for both of them. And this went on for months.

“It broke my heart to know that my baby was essentially living with a stomach ache,” says Brett.

One thing was clear, though: Jada was thriving when she ate real, freshly cooked food — not dry brown balls of processed kibble.

Cooking meals for a pet every day is hard work, though. It’s not for everyone. I know it’s not for me. I would last maybe a week. How about you? Not to mention, if you feed an unbalanced diet, your pet will be worse off than they’d be on a cheap commercial pet food!

Curious, Brett started doing more and more research.

He wondered: “Is there a dog food brand out there that already exists that I can trust to feed my dog — that’s honest and really just doing what they say that they do?”

And that honest, trustworthy brand he was looking for simply did not exist — yet.

That’s when he decided to build it himself. And that’s where The Farmer’s Dog enters the picture…

More energy than ever

A shinier coat and brighter eyes

A stronger immune system and healthier digestion

A better chance at a longer life

This isn’t processed pet feed. It’s REAL pet food.

Sourcing of The Farmer’s Dog Ingredients

The Farmers Dog website doesnt go into detail about where they source their ingredients. But this isnt unusual for a pet food brand. While some pet parents want to visit the farm, this pet parent just wants to makes sure that the meat isnt sourced from factory farms or dumpsters filled with rotting carcasses.

What I do know is that The Farmers Dog uses human-grade ingredients. When I initially wrote this review, I asked the question “isnt all food human-grade?” Now, after years of following The Truth About Pet Food, I know that NO, all food IS NOT human-grade.

Today, when I see human-grade, this means that the food doesnt contain 3D or 4D (down, diseased, dying, dead) meat, the food doesnt contain feed-grade ingredients, and the food is sourced from the same places restaurants shop for ingredients.

Why Feed The Farmer’s Dog To Your Dog? Benefits & Research

There are several benefits of feeding The Farmer’s Dog to your pet.

Healthier digestions

Better skin and coat

Helps with food allergies

No additives or harmful chemicals

Weight management

Better stools

Great for picky eaters

And much more!

A feeding research trial over six years proved that The Farmer’s Dog food is complete, balanced, and bioavailable. While AFFCO only requires a minimum of 4 blood values to be tested in dog food feeding trials to deem a kibble up to standard, The Farmer’s Dog measured 49 blood values for all participating dogs during its trial. Each dog also received a full medical exam by Lisa Lippman, DVM, that showed they were all healthy. The Farmer’s Dog test surpassed existing standards in terms of the number and variety of dogs tested, the blood values tested, and the duration of the trial.[3]

Here is what the research on feeding fresh food like The Farmer’s Dog to canines says.

Longer lifespan. Research shows that dogs that eat fresh food diets are linked to a 20% longer lifespan than those who don’t. A year-long study of 522 dogs by Lippert and Sapy found that dogs fed high-quality, freshly made, real food had an average life expectancy of 13.1 years versus just 10.4 years for dogs fed commercially processed pet food.[4] That’s an extra two and a half years added to your dog’s lifespan.

Increases macronutrient digestibilities. Human-grade dog food improves protein digestibility, increases amino acid availability values (indicators of protein quality), and reduces fecal output compared to dogs consuming extruded diets (kibble). Digestibility of dry matter, fat, nitrogen-free extract, and calories were significantly higher in all four fresh foods.[5]

Higher protein absorption. Protein digestibility values for fresh dog food were between 92% and 94% (versus 82% for kibble).

Less and better stools. Dogs fed the fresh-cooked foods had significantly lower fecal (poop) frequency and volume than when fed the kibble.[6]

Improved microbiome diversity, coat and immunity. When dogs are fed fresh food compared to dogs fed dry pet foods, pets’ digestion improved, their immune systems strengthened, their skin and coats were healthier, and their vitality increased, a study revealed.[7]

All those fillers, preservatives, and highly processed ingredients in commercial dog food can affect your dog’s health over time, whereas a fresh, human-grade diet produces increased energy and improved long-term health. Sadly, studies have shown that feeding your dog processed foods like kibble throughout their life may increase their cancer risk due to the presence of toxic chemicals, mycotoxins, free radicals and carcinogenic chemicals. [8],[9],[10]

Raw Vs. Cooked Pet Food – Which Is Better?

The Farmer’s Dog is a well-known custom dog food that we decided to test out with two of our canine companions. This review will help you better understand whether The Farmer’s Dog’s all-natural, fresh dog food is right for you and your dog.

Before you find yourself subscribing to The Farmer’s Dog, here is our experience after feeding it to our dogs for a month including, price, ingredient quality, taste, and any other questions you may have about the experience as a whole. Let’s get started!