Fresh Dog Food: Is It Worth the Switch? A Buyer's Guide and Brand Showdown
Is fresh dog food worth the switch? A veterinarian explains fresh formats, labels, calories, and safe transitions, then compares the top fresh brands with Get Real by Chewy as the featured pick.
BVMS, MRCVS
A gently cooked fresh meal looks and smells closer to home cooking than kibble.
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Fresh dog food is worth the switch for many dogs, especially picky eaters, seniors with a fading appetite, and owners who want to see recognizable ingredients in the bowl. It is not a requirement for a healthy dog already thriving on a complete and balanced kibble, and the right choice depends on your budget, your freezer space, and how you plan to serve it.
As a veterinarian, I judge fresh dog food the same way I judge any diet: the nutritional adequacy statement, the calories, the storage rules, and whether the dog will actually eat it. This guide covers all four, then puts the leading brands side by side, with Get Real by Chewy as our featured pick and worked example for portions, thawing, and life stage.
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What Is Fresh Dog Food, Exactly?
Fresh dog food is dog food made from whole meats, vegetables, and sometimes grains that is gently cooked at lower temperatures than kibble, then refrigerated or frozen instead of being made shelf-stable. The best recipes are also complete and balanced, meaning they meet AAFCO nutrient profiles and can be fed as a dog's entire diet.
- 1Fresh dog food is worth the switch for picky eaters, seniors with a reduced appetite, and owners who want minimally processed food, but it is an upgrade rather than a requirement for a dog thriving on complete kibble.
- 2You can serve fresh food as a full meal or topper, or mix it into kibble, and each option changes how many calories you need from it.
- 3Get Real by Chewy is our featured pick: three human-grade, gently cooked recipes made for all life stages, sold only at Chewy.
- 4Portion fresh food by calories, not by bowl size, and switch over 7 to 10 days.
- 5Keep packs frozen, thaw in the fridge, and use thawed food within 3 to 5 days.
What makes food fresh versus kibble, raw, and refrigerated comes down to two things: how it is cooked and how it is stored. Kibble is extruded at high heat and dried so it keeps in the pantry. Raw food skips cooking entirely. Refrigerated fresh-cooked dog food is sold from a store's cold case, while frozen fresh dog food ships to your door and lives in the freezer until you thaw it.
That cold storage is the trade-off. Fresh food holds far more moisture than dry kibble (Get Real's guaranteed analysis allows up to 75 percent), which many dogs find more appealing, but it spoils faster once thawed and takes up freezer space.
A simple way to try fresh food: Get Real's Chicken & Brussels Sprouts Recipe is gently cooked, frozen in pre-portioned packs, and made for all life stages.
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So what are the healthiest fresh foods for dogs? The healthiest fresh foods are complete and balanced recipes built on a named lean protein (chicken, turkey, or beef), plus dog-safe vegetables such as sweet potato, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and spinach, with added vitamins and minerals to close the nutrient gaps that whole foods leave. Healthy fresh dog food is about the whole recipe, not one superfood: single ingredients fed alone are never balanced.
What Are the Best Fresh Dog Food Brands?
What is the highest rated fresh dog food? No official body rates fresh dog food, so any "highest rated" claim depends on the source. Two kinds of ratings exist, and each needs a careful read:
- Customer star ratings on retailer and brand product pages shift as new reviews arrive, so check how many reviews sit behind the score and how recent they are.
- Editorial ratings from independent review sites such as Dog Food Advisor score recipes by their own published criteria, so check what the site actually measures.
Treat any rating as a tiebreaker, never a substitute for the label. The best fresh dog food brands share the same markers: an AAFCO complete and balanced statement for the right life stage, a published guaranteed analysis and calorie content, clear storage rules, and a format that fits how you feed. Those basics are what a veterinarian looks for first, so a "vet recommended" claim means little without them.
Below, each brand entry opens with who it suits and its format, full meal or topper, so you can scan the options on the market. Get Real is our featured pick, followed by the other top rated fresh dog food options readers ask us about.
| Brand | Format | Subscription or retail | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get Real by Chewy (featured pick) | Gently cooked, frozen packs; full meal, topper, or mixer | Chewy subscription or Sampler Box | Owners who want flexible portions and all-life-stages recipes |
| The Farmer's Dog | Gently cooked, frozen, portioned to your dog | Subscription | Owners who want a personalized plan delivered |
| Freshpet | Refrigerated rolls and bags | Retail cold case | Owners who want to buy fresh food in stores |
| Open Farm Gently Cooked | Gently cooked, frozen | Retail and online | Owners who value ingredient traceability |
| Ollie | Gently cooked, frozen | Subscription | Owners of picky eaters who want delivery |
| Stella & Chewy's FreshMade | Gently cooked, frozen pouches | Retail | Owners who shop pet specialty stores |
| Spot & Tango UnKibble | Gently cooked dry format | Subscription | Owners who want fresh-style food without freezer space |
Get Real by Chewy: Our Featured Fresh Pick
Who it suits: owners who want one fresh food that works as a full meal or topper, or as a kibble mixer, for a dog of any life stage. Get Real launched in September 2025 and is available only at Chewy, in select markets.
Get Real's Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe pairs beef and beef liver with sweet potato, carrots, and spinach, gently cooked and frozen in ready-to-thaw packs.
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Get Real makes three recipes, each with 10 ingredients or less plus vitamins and minerals, made from human-grade ingredients that are gently cooked and then frozen. Chewy says the recipes were formulated with certified pet nutritionists, and every recipe meets AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages, including growth of large size dogs (70 pounds or more as adults).
What sets Get Real apart in this showdown is its flexibility:
- Get Real Chicken & Brussels Sprouts Recipe, a chicken-first recipe with the fewest calories per pack of the three.
- Get Real Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe, with beef, sweet potato, carrots, beef liver, cranberries, Brussels sprouts, and spinach leading the ingredient list.
- Turkey & Cranberry, the most calorie-dense of the three per pack.
- Pack sizes of 5 oz (a pre-portioned mixer pack), 12 oz, and 24 oz, so a toy breed and a large breed can both be fed without waste.
- A subscription you can change, pause, skip, or cancel, plus a Sampler Box if you want to test recipes first.
For ingredient lists, calories, and how each recipe fits different dogs, read our full Get Real dog food review.
The Farmer's Dog: Personalized Subscription Plans
Who it suits: owners who want portions planned for them and delivered. The Farmer's Dog launched in 2014 and is one of the best-known fresh dog food delivery brands. It ships gently cooked, frozen recipes portioned from a profile of your dog's weight, age, activity level, and body condition. Buying is by subscription, and the frozen packs need freezer space.
Freshpet: Refrigerated and Sold in Stores
Who it suits: owners who want to buy fresh food at the grocery store. Freshpet sits in branded refrigerated cases at major retailers such as Walmart, Target, and Kroger, and its Deli Fresh, Roasted Meals, and Vital lines list real chicken or beef as the first ingredient.
Is Freshpet dog food actually healthy? For most healthy dogs, a Freshpet recipe that carries an AAFCO complete and balanced statement for your dog's life stage is a reasonable fresh option. It is refrigerated rather than frozen, so check the use-by guidance on the package once it is opened, and compare calories per serving when you portion.
Open Farm Gently Cooked: Ingredient Traceability
Who it suits: owners who want to trace where ingredients come from. Open Farm's gently cooked recipes are made with human-grade ingredients, and the brand publishes lot-code traceability so you can look up the source of each ingredient. It offers grain-inclusive and grain-free fresh recipes formulated to AAFCO standards.
Ollie: Subscription Recipes for Picky Eaters
Who it suits: owners of fussy dogs who want a delivered plan. Ollie ships gently cooked recipes (beef, chicken, lamb, and turkey) portioned to your dog's profile, by subscription. Like other frozen subscriptions, it needs freezer space and thaw planning.
Stella & Chewy's FreshMade: Gently Cooked and Frozen
Who it suits: owners who prefer buying fresh food at pet specialty stores. FreshMade is Stella & Chewy's gently cooked, frozen, human-grade line, prepared sous-vide per the brand. It is separate from the company's raw-frozen and freeze-dried lines, and pouches need a day or more of fridge thawing before serving.
Spot & Tango UnKibble: Fresh in a Dry Format
Who it suits: owners who want fresh-style ingredients without freezer space. UnKibble is a gently cooked dry-format food that Spot & Tango describes as fresh dry rather than extruded kibble, and it does not need refrigeration. It is a middle ground between kibble and frozen fresh dog food.
How Much Fresh Food Should You Feed Your Dog?
How much fresh food to feed a dog depends on calories, not the size of the bowl. Fresh food is mostly water, so a cup of it carries far fewer calories than a cup of kibble. The way to portion fresh food by calories is to start from your dog's daily calorie needs and divide by the calories per pack.
Your veterinarian can give you a daily calorie target based on your dog's weight, age, body condition, and activity. Chewy's online plan also sets Get Real portions from those same factors. With that number in hand, the calories per pack below tell you how many packs make a full meal, and how much of a pack to use as a topper.
| Get Real recipe | Calories per pack, 5 oz | Calories per pack, 12 oz | Calories per pack, 24 oz | Guaranteed analysis: protein / fat (min) | Fiber / moisture (max) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken & Brussels Sprouts | 179 | 428 | 856 | 10% / 8.5% | 1% / 75% |
| Beef & Sweet Potato | 188 | 451 | 902 | 9% / 7% | 1.5% / 75% |
| Turkey & Cranberry | 198 | 474 | 948 | 8% / 10% | 1% / 75% |
Most ranked lists treat serving style only as an aside, but the full meal versus topper versus mixer decision sets how many calories fresh food should supply. Here is how the calories per pack settle the topper versus full meal choice:
- Full meal: if your vet sets your dog's needs at about 850 kcal a day, two 12 oz Chicken & Brussels Sprouts packs (856 kcal) cover the day. Large dogs usually do better with 24 oz packs.
- Topper: a 5 oz mixer pack adds roughly 180 to 200 calories, so reduce the kibble portion by the same number of calories to avoid weight gain.
- Mixer: split the day's calories between fresh and kibble, and use the calories on each label to set both portions.
Get Real's Turkey & Cranberry Recipe is the most calorie-dense of the three, a practical pick for active dogs and larger full-meal portions.
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Weigh your dog every two to four weeks after the change. If your dog gains or loses more than you expect, adjust by about 10 percent and recheck. For a dog that needs more fuel, the Get Real Turkey & Cranberry Recipe delivers the most calories per pack. For help timing those meals across the day, see this dog feeding schedule guide.
Is Fresh Dog Food Actually Better Than Kibble?
Is fresh dog food better than kibble? For some dogs, yes. In the fresh dog food vs kibble comparison, fresh food is more palatable for most dogs, carries much more moisture, and is less processed. That makes it useful for picky eaters, seniors with a reduced appetite, and dogs recovering from illness when a vet approves the diet.
Fresh is not automatically better for every dog. Complete and balanced kibble from a well-established manufacturer still has deep research behind it, includes prescription therapeutic diets for specific conditions, and costs less to feed. A healthy adult dog doing well on a good kibble does not need to switch.
Do vets recommend fresh dog food? Many veterinarians are comfortable recommending fresh dog food when it is complete and balanced for the dog's life stage and made by a company that can answer nutrition questions. The WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines focus on that: who formulates the food, how adequacy is confirmed, and quality control, rather than on whether food is fresh or dry.
How to Switch Your Dog to Fresh Food
A 7 to 10 day transition gives your dog's gut time to adjust to the higher moisture and different fat content. For sensitive dogs, Chewy's Get Real guidance stretches the switch to 10 to 14 days. Our full guide to switching dog food gradually explains why sudden changes cause loose stools. Pause the switch and call your veterinarian if vomiting, diarrhea that lasts more than a day or two, or appetite loss appears.
A typical schedule looks like this:
- Days 1 to 3: about 25 percent fresh food, 75 percent current food.
- Days 4 to 6: about half and half.
- Days 7 to 9: about 75 percent fresh food.
- Day 10: fully fresh, if you are feeding it as a full meal.
If you plan to use fresh food as a topper, Chewy advises starting small and increasing gradually. On Get Real full-meal plans, Chewy ships the second order an extra week later to allow for the transition. Keep meal times the same through the switch so you can judge how your dog's stool and appetite respond to each step.
Not ready to commit? Chewy offers the Get Real Sampler Pack as a trial, so you can start fresh food before deciding on a subscription.
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If you would rather test fresh food before subscribing, Chewy offers the Get Real Sampler Pack as a trial, and you can subscribe later.
What's the Difference Between Fresh, Raw, Refrigerated, and Air-Dried Dog Food?
Pet food marketing uses "fresh" to describe several production methods that are not interchangeable:
- Frozen fresh dog food is gently cooked, then frozen and shipped in insulated boxes. It lasts the longest unopened but needs freezer space and thaw time.
- Raw frozen food is not cooked at all, so it carries more risk of bacteria such as Salmonella for both dogs and the people handling it.
- Refrigerated fresh food is cooked and sold from a store cold case, with a shorter shelf life once opened.
- Fresh dry formats, air-dried or gently cooked and then dried, keep in the pantry, trading some moisture for convenience.
| Format | Cooking method | Storage method | Shelf life after opening or thawing | Example brands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gently cooked, frozen | Gently cooked | Freezer, then fridge to thaw | About 3 to 5 days thawed | Get Real, The Farmer's Dog, Ollie, Stella & Chewy's FreshMade |
| Raw frozen | Not cooked | Freezer, then fridge to thaw | Follow the brand label | Raw-frozen lines from specialty brands |
| Refrigerated | Cooked | Refrigerator | Follow the package use-by guidance | Freshpet |
| Air-dried or fresh dry | Gently cooked or air-dried | Pantry | Longest of the four | Spot & Tango UnKibble |
Is Freshpet considered a high quality dog food? Freshpet is a refrigerated, cooked food that lists real meat first and carries AAFCO statements on its complete recipes, which puts it among the reasonable fresh options. Its strength is convenience in stores. If you want the best fresh frozen dog food with pre-portioned packs delivered, a frozen brand such as Get Real fits better; if you want the best fresh dry dog food for travel, an air-dried format makes sense.
How Do You Read a Fresh Dog Food Label?
Knowing how to read a fresh food label protects you from marketing language. Fresh dog food labels follow the same AAFCO model rules as kibble, and our guide to what to look for in healthy dog food covers the basics.
Which dog food to stay away from? Avoid any food you plan to feed as a full diet that lacks a complete and balanced statement, food labeled "for intermittent or supplemental feeding only" used as a main meal, labels with no calorie statement, and raw diets in homes with young children, older adults, or anyone with a weakened immune system.
Ingredient list
Ingredients are listed by weight before cooking. Because fresh food is so moist, whole meats and vegetables appear first. Get Real's Beef & Sweet Potato, for example, lists beef, sweet potato, carrots, and beef liver first.
Guaranteed Analysis
The guaranteed analysis gives minimum protein and fat and maximum fiber and moisture. To compare fresh food with kibble, convert to a dry matter basis: divide the nutrient by (100 minus moisture). As an illustration of the method, Get Real Chicken & Brussels Sprouts lists a 10 percent protein minimum and a 75 percent moisture maximum, which works out to about 40 percent on a dry matter basis. That number is computed from guaranteed minimums and maximums, not actual nutrient values, so treat it as a demonstration of the math.
Nutritional Adequacy Statement
The nutritional adequacy statement tells you whether a food is complete and balanced and for which life stage. "All life stages" covers puppies and adults; a food for large breed puppies should also mention growth of large size dogs. Get Real's all life stages and growth of large size dogs statement is a good example of what to look for. Our explainer on AAFCO dog food standards explains the difference between formulation and feeding-trial claims.
Feeding chart and caloric density by life stage
The calorie statement, in kcal per kilogram and per pack or cup, is what makes accurate portioning possible. Fresh foods usually carry far fewer calories per ounce than kibble, so you feed more by weight to hit the same calorie target.
How Is Fresh Dog Food Regulated? (FDA, AAFCO, USDA Roles)
Three groups shape what a fresh dog food label can say, and the boundaries matter.
FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM)
The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine regulates pet food in the United States. It requires pet food to be safe, produced under sanitary conditions, free of harmful substances, and truthfully labeled, and it oversees recalls.
AAFCO model regulations
AAFCO, the Association of American Feed Control Officials, is not a regulatory agency. It publishes model regulations and nutrient profiles that states adopt, and claims such as complete and balanced and human-grade trace back to them. AAFCO's consumer guide explains how to read those claims.
USDA FSIS for human-grade fresh brands
A human-grade claim means every ingredient, and the facility making the food, meets standards for human edible food. Meat and poultry for human food come from plants inspected by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, which is why human-grade fresh brands talk about USDA-inspected ingredients.
What Does Fresh Dog Food Cost?
If you are looking for the most affordable fresh dog food, compare brands by cost per day rather than by box price. Comparing prices by the box hides big differences in calories, pack size, and how much your dog actually needs.
Use this method to compare any two brands, delivery services, or subscriptions fairly:
- Find your dog's daily calorie need from your veterinarian.
- Divide it by the calories per pack (or per pound) for each food.
- Multiply the packs per day by the price per pack to get cost per day.
- Add any delivery charges, and remember that first-order offers rarely match the ongoing rate.
Dog size and format drive the price more than brand does. A large dog on a full meal of fresh food costs far more than a small dog, and using fresh dog food as a topper is the least expensive way to add it. For our ranked picks, see the guide to affordable fresh dog food.
For packs-per-week math and freezer planning for big dogs, see our guide to fresh dog food for large dogs.
How Fresh Dog Food Delivery and Subscriptions Work
Most fresh dog food delivery works as a subscription: you pick recipes and how often boxes arrive, and the food ships frozen or chilled in insulated packaging. If you would rather not subscribe, store brands and sampler boxes let you buy fresh food without committing. Our roundup of dog food subscription services compares the main options.
Get Real ships in an insulated box with dry ice that stays cold for up to 8 hours after delivery, depending on the weather, and is available in select markets. You can change, pause, skip, or cancel the subscription anytime. When the box arrives, put the packs in the freezer right away, thaw in the fridge before serving, and use within 3 to 5 days of thawing. The thaw times by pack size are in the tip below, along with the 3 to 5 day use window.
- Thaw in the fridge: 12 to 24 hours for 5 oz and 12 oz Get Real packs, 35 to 48 hours for 24 oz packs. Use within 3 to 5 days of thawing, and discard food that smells off or sat out for more than two hours.
These thaw and storage rules follow general food safety guidance: keep the cold chain unbroken, never thaw on the counter, and refrigerate leftovers promptly.
Should You Switch Your Dog to Fresh Food?
Fresh dog food is worth the switch when your dog is a picky eater, a senior with a smaller appetite, or a dog that does better on minimally processed, high-moisture food, and when your budget and freezer can handle it. If your healthy dog thrives on a complete kibble, a fresh topper is a lower-cost way to add variety.
If you decide to try it, Get Real is our featured pick for its flexible pack sizes, all-life-stages recipes, and full meal, topper, or mixer options. For a dog with a confirmed food allergy, also read our guide to the best dog food for allergies, and for every format beyond fresh, see what is the best dog food.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only if it stayed cold. Get Real's guidance is that thawed food at 40F or below may be refrozen or refrigerated, so you can refreeze thawed packs that never warmed up. Discard anything that smells off or sat out at room temperature.
It can be, if the label says the food is complete and balanced for all life stages or for growth. Puppies that will weigh 70 pounds or more as adults need a food that also covers growth of large size dogs. Ask your veterinarian to set calorie targets as your puppy grows.
Yes. Using fresh food as a topper on kibble is a popular way to add variety at lower cost. Count the topper's calories and reduce the kibble portion by the same amount so your dog does not gain weight.
No more than two hours at room temperature, and less on a hot day. After that, discard leftovers rather than putting them back in the fridge, and wash the bowl.
Not always. Store brands are sold without one, and Chewy offers the Get Real Sampler Pack as a trial before you subscribe. If you do subscribe, you can pause or skip deliveries when you need to.
Often, yes. Fresh food palatability is a key reason owners switch: the higher moisture and aroma appeal to many picky eaters. If a dog suddenly stops eating, though, rule out dental pain or illness with your vet.
BVMS, MRCVS
Dr. Pippa Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS, is a veterinarian with nearly 30 years of experience in companion animal practice. Dr. Elliott earned her Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from the University of Glasgow. She was also designated a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Married with 2 grown-up kids, Dr. Elliott has a naughty Puggle named Poggle, 3 cats and a bearded dragon.
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