My dog Zephyr is a pit mix. He loves toys, playtime, and sleeping in bed with mom and dad. He's a rescue mutt, and he is absolutely a handful. Something we did not expect when we got him is that he's not incredibly food driven. This became obvious when we started doing training classes with him and found that baiting him with treats was less enticing than baiting him with toys or rewarding him with playtime.
Zephyr generally eats dry dog food. We mix it up from month to month with a variety of brands and have tried grain-free, high-end, mid-range, and more affordable dog food brands. Zephyr doesn't seem to have much of a preference. To be fair, he would rather eat what's on my plate, and, if I'm honest, I do sneak him tastes all too often.
One thing to note is that we gave Zeph wet food from a can one time and he wouldn't even taste it. He took one whiff and walked away, leaving the food to congeal overnight until we cleaned out his dish the next morning and scooped him a fresh helping of dry kibble. No big deal, we thought. Kibble is cheaper!
All of this changed when we decided to try out Ollie Pets subscription meal plan. With Ollie, you get to customize your choices, and that includes choosing the right food for your dog's size, dietary restrictions, and preferences. We chose a lamb-based meal plan. The key ingredients are butternut squash and kale.
Full Ingredient List
Here is the full list of ingredients: lamb heart, lamb liver, butternut squash, rutabaga, kale, lamb, chickpeas, cranberries, potato, chia seeds, dicalcium phosphate, iodized salt, calcium carbonate, zinc gluconate, taurine, vitamin E, iron sulfate, pantothenic acid, manganese gluconate, thiamin HCL, potassium iodate, and folic acid.
The food is fresh, is minimally processed, has no artificial flavors or fillers, and is actually safe enough for a human to eat. I considered trying it, but the husband is a really good cook, so I figured I shouldn't waste my calories on dog food.
The food arrived in a box packed with dry ice, and we got two weeks' worth of prepackaged frozen food that fit neatly in our freezer. We put two packages in the fridge so they would thaw for the following day. Zephyr had to wait it out. But he totally knew that something in that box was for him!
The day came for the big test! Would he eat it? When we started dishing out the full portion, he became pretty excited and was watching me with hawk eyes. I made him sit and give me a high-five, which is standard when I feed him. I want him to know who's the boss and who he should love the most!
And whaddya know? He dug right in and started chomping down that food so fast. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him clean his dish so quickly. And when I say clean his dish, I mean it. He was licking up every last bit of lamb about as quickly as a dog with one mouth can.
For the first day or so, we gave him the full portion of food but after a little while, we started to mix a half or a third of a portion in with his dry kibble. He likes it either way, and this way we can get more mileage out of the food packs.
The order came with a very useful resealable container and spoon, which helps me portion out the food and keep it in the fridge. I always know where it is and have the perfect-sized container to keep it in. Plus, it's nice to have "flatware" that's just for Zeph!
Something that happens quite frequently when you switch up your dog's food is digestion issues. Notably, Zephyr's bowel movements have been pretty consistent and solid since he started eating Ollie. Sorry for the TMI, but us pet owners like to know how these things affect our pups' daily BMs.
Full disclosure: Ollie Pets sent me its food free of charge, but I would absolutely buy it again! I'm interested in trying the turkey, chicken, and beef recipes, and because you can divide one package into three meals, it ends up being a pretty economical way to feed your pet something besides boring old kibble!
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