Pet food has come a long way with many brands, options, and ingredients claiming to be this or that. Pet food manufacturers go the extra mile with their marketing efforts, claiming their brand is complete, balanced, and wholesome for your dog.  Sometimes, the options can get confusing, leaving you frustrated and unsure of what to feed.

All pet owners want the best for their four-legged friends, and that heavily involves feeding the utmost nutrition for a healthy life. With all the options for dog food, we have done some of the work for you and compared two brands: Dr. Marty Dog Food and The Farmer’s Dog. Both of these brands offer fresh ingredients with no fillers or artificial flavors. But how do you choose? Come with us and learn the comparisons between the two so that you can make the best decision that suits both your dog and you!

A Sneak Peek at the Winner: The Farmer’s Dog

When comparing the two brands, The Farmer’s Dog comes in as our winner. Here’s why:

The Farmer’s Dog looks like human food, and it’s no wonder with the human-grade ingredients. Unlike Dr. Marty’s dog food, The Farmer’s Dog is not kibble but rather fresh ingredients that dogs love. They produce turkey, beef, chicken, or pork recipes as opposed to combined flavors all rolled into one, like Dr. Marty’s.

About Dr. Marty’s Dog Food

Dr. Martin Goldstein (Dr. Marty) is a renowned veterinarian who has been in practice for over 40 years. During that time frame, he’s learned a thing or two about dog and cat nutrition, and what he’s learned compelled him to formulate a healthy pet food with all the vital nutrients that dogs and cats need to thrive.

This food is not quite as expensive as its competitors, but it’s not cheap either. However, with better quality and wholesome ingredients without any unnecessary and harmful ingredients, this food may be worth the extra expense if you want to stick with kibble. Dr. Marty also makes dog treats and supplements, and cat food, treats, and supplements.

How Is Dr. Marty’s Food Made?

Dr. Marty’s food is freeze-dried to preserve all the nutrients. The website does not give much information about where the food is made, but you can buy this food on multiple online sites and select retail stores. Their headquarters are located in Woodland Hills, California.

The freeze-dried method retains as much of the vital nutrients as possible, and if your dog prefers kibble to fresh food, Dr. Marty’s could be the better option for you.

What Ingredients Are in Dr. Marty’s Natural Blend?

Instead of having multiple recipes to choose from, the Natural Blend recipe gives your dog a multitude of ingredients that include things like turkey, beef, salmon, duck, beef liver, turkey liver, turkey heart, flaxseed, sweet potato, apples, blueberries, carrots, pumpkin seed, and more.

How Is the Food Packaged?

Unlike The Farmer’s Dog, this food comes in a package that does not require refrigeration, nor does it need to be frozen. Feeding instructions are on the package, and it goes by your dog’s weight. All you do is pour the food into your dog’s bowl with water, let it sit for 3 minutes, and serve.

What if My Dog Doesn’t Like This Food?

If it turns out that your dog does not like the food, Dr. Marty offers a 100% money-back guarantee within 90 days of purchase. However, you will need to send back any unused portions of the food.

About The Farmer’s Dog

The Farmer’s Dog takes a different approach with their food. You won’t see any kibble here—only fresh, human-grade ingredients that look scrumptious to even humans. It all began with one co-owner’s dog, Jada.

Jada suffered from digestive issues, and her owner tried just about every food on the market with no improved results. His veterinarian recommended cooking for Jada at home with fresh ingredients, prompting The Farmer’s Dog owners to recruit board-certified veterinary nutritionists to help formulate the healthiest dog food possible. The rest is history.

This food is on the expensive side, but with the human-grade ingredients and complete and balanced meals, the price is worth the expense if it fits into your budget. You’ll also need to sign up for a subscription, but you can pause, cancel, or resume at any time.

How Is The Farmer’s Dog Food Made?

All food is prepared in USDA kitchens and adheres to AAFCO’s nutritional standards. The food is gently cooked at low temperatures to retain all the nutrients, and then it’s frozen (not deep-frozen) for shipment.

What Are the Ingredients in The Farmer’s Dog’s Food?

The Farmer’s Dog offers four different recipes: turkey, beef, chicken, and pork. All of them have similar ingredients, with some having a little variation. All recipes have USDA-certified meat as the first ingredient, followed by wholesome vegetables, vitamins, and minerals.

The company formulates a meal plan based on the information you enter about your dog, such as weight, age, breed, and activity level. However, in order to see the recipes they offer, you must enter your dog’s information. They then recommend which recipes will work best for your dog. All ingredients come from trusted local farms and reputable suppliers.

How Is the Food Packaged?

The food comes frozen. All you need to do is thaw and serve it. It comes pre-portioned, taking the guesswork out of how much to feed. The box comes with instructions on how to store and feed your pup, and you can add hot water if your doggie prefers hot food. The food may take up freezer and fridge space, but the easy serving offsets this mild inconvenience.

What if My Dog Doesn’t Like the Food?

In the chance your dog turns its nose up at the food, The Farmer’s Dog offers a 100% money-back guarantee, but with a twist: you must donate the unused food to an animal shelter of your choosing.

The Most Popular Dr. Marty Dog Food Recipes

As far as dog food recipes, Dr. Marty has only one, so let’s take a look at this recipe more in-depth.

1. Dr. Marty’s Nature’s Blend Essential Wellness

Dr. Marty’s Nature Blend consists of turkey, beef, salmon, and duck as the first four ingredients. Beef liver¹ and turkey liver¹ are the next listed ingredients, which are nutrient-dense and excellent to add to your dog’s diet for protein, vitamins, and minerals. This high-protein dog food provides more energy and helps promote healthy skin and coats. It’s loaded with fruits and vegetables, and it’s easily digested. It also has no fillers, additives, artificial flavors, or any synthetic ingredients.

This food only comes in a 16-ounce bag and is pricey for the size, especially if you have a large dog. Also, some pet parents have a hard time getting their dogs to eat the food. While the ingredients are superb, the most common complaints about this food are the price for the bag size. They do offer free shipping when you subscribe on the website, which helps with the cost a bit.

The 3 Most Popular Farmer’s Dog Food Recipes

The Farmer’s Dog has more variety with different recipe options. Let us now examine three of these recipes up close.

1. The Farmer’s Dog Fresh Beef Recipe

The beef recipe has USDA beef as the first ingredient and it’s packed with vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin B12, E, D3, and taurine¹. It also contains beef liver, which provides excellent nutrition for dogs. It has a rich protein content of 11% and 721 calories per cup. The carrots, kale, and sweet potato provide excellent fiber sources, and all the quality ingredients make this food complete and balanced. It also has fish oil for healthy skin and coats.

It does contain lentils, which is a bit of a controversial ingredient due to the FDA’s ongoing investigation¹ of whether or not lentils are linked to dilated cardiomyopathy¹. This study has not yet been concluded.

---

2. The Farmer’s Dog Fresh Chicken Recipe Dog Food

The Farmer’s Dog chicken recipe has USDA chicken as the first ingredient, and it also contains chicken liver, which is another excellent nutrition source. It has a slightly higher protein content than the beef recipe (11.5%), and it includes Brussels sprout, broccoli, and bok choy. It does have a higher fat content of 4.5%, but it also contains plenty of vitamins and minerals to keep your dog energized and healthy. The calorie content is 562 calories per cup, and dogs seem to love this recipe. It contains fish oil for healthy skin and coat.

If your dog has a chicken allergy, you’ll want to avoid the recipe. However, the company would not recommend it if you list this in your dog’s information that it has a chicken allergy, which is a perk of using this company for your dog’s diet.

---

3. The Farmer’s Dog Fresh Turkey Recipe

The Farmer’s Dog turkey recipe has the same vitamins and minerals as the beef and chicken recipes, only with USDA turkey as the first ingredient. Turkey liver is among the ingredients, as well as fish oil for healthy skin and coat. Other ingredients include chickpeas, carrots, broccoli, parsnip, spinach, and fish oil. It has the lowest protein content of 8% compared to the other two recipes, a fat content of 4.5%, and a calorie content of 562 calories per cup.

The company may not suggest this recipe if your dog requires a higher protein content.

Recall History of Brand Dr. Marty’s Food and The Farmer’s Dog

To date, neither Dr. Marty’s Nature’s Blend Essential Wellness nor The Farmer’s Dog have any history of recalls.

Dr. Marty’s Dog Food vs. The Farmer’s Dog Comparison

Availability

Dr. Marty’s dog food is available through multiple online sites and a few retail stores, such as Walmart or Tractor Supply. The Farmer’s Dog, on the other hand, is only obtainable through their website. Before you can see the recipes, you must enter your dog’s information so that they can recommend which recipes will work best for your dog. You also have no choice but to wait on the shipment from The Farmer’s Dog, whereas you can buy Dr. Marty’s dog food in person at certain retail stores.

Nutritional Value

Both companies offer fresh ingredients with no fillers, additives, or artificial flavors. They both provide human-grade ingredients, and all meals are complete and balanced.

The biggest difference is in the texture of the food. Dr. Marty’s is freeze-dried kibble, and The Farmer’s Dog uses fresh ingredients that look like human food. Both companies use methods of cooking that retain all the nutrients as opposed to dry kibble from other manufacturers, which can be stripped during the manufacturing process.

Price

Dr. Marty’s offers free shipping on orders $50 or more, but you can receive free shipping by subscribing via their website. Check the website often, as they run limited deals from time to time. The 16-ounce packages are expensive, especially if you have large dogs because you’ll run through them quicker.

The Farmer’s Dog offers 50% off your first order, and they always offer free shipping. You’ll receive 20% off your first order, and you can pause, cancel, or resume your subscription at any time.

Selection

Dr. Marty’s only offers one recipe for dog food, but they do offer treats and supplements. If you have a feline in your household, Dr. Marty’s offers cat food, treats, and supplements for the kitties, too.

The Farmer’s Dog does not offer treats or cat food, but they have four different recipes to suit your dog’s needs.

Convenience

The Farmer’s Dog’s food comes pre-portioned, and all you need to do is thaw and serve it. You can purchase their DIY packets, which contain all the necessary nutrients to ensure your dog is getting a complete and balanced meal if you make your own dog food. You don’t need a subscription to purchase the DIY packets.

Dr. Marty’s food is easy to serve. You simply pour the required amount of kibble into your dog’s bowl based on the feeding guidelines on the package, add water, wait 3 minutes, and serve. There’s no refrigeration or freezing required, and the package is resealable.

Conclusion

The Farmer’s Dog is our winner due to the different recipes, customizable options, and the fresh, human-grade ingredients used. While both companies use human-grade ingredients, dogs tend to love the texture of The Farmer’s Dog over the freeze-dried kibble of Dr. Marty’s Nature’s Blend Essential Wellness.

Both companies are pricey, but you only get a 16-ounce package from Dr. Marty’s, which isn’t a substantial amount, and you’ll run through it pretty quick. The package is resealable, whereas The Farmer’s Dog’s packaging is not.

The Farmer’s Dog food comes pre-portioned and easy to serve, but it requires fridge and freezer space. Dr. Marty’s does not require refrigeration or freezer space, and you have to figure out the serving size.

In the end, both companies offer the utmost nutrition for dogs without any harmful ingredients, and it will depend on your budget to determine which to go with. However, you can’t go wrong with either one regarding nutrition.

Disclaimer: The term “human-grade” is not legally regulated and serves largely marketing purposes only.