We Walk Woofs is puppy powered and supported by you, our readers. If you look at our reviews and then subsequently decide to make a purchase through some of the links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Please be assured that this in no way affects our choices when it comes to looking for the very best products for your animals . Read more.
As busy pet owners, we always strive to provide the best for our dogs, yet sometimes we lack the time to prepare and cook the healthy and tasty meals our canine friends deserve. Thankfully, there's a growing number of companies dedicated to offering bespoke, nutritious, and flavourful hand-cooked meals delivered directly to our doors.
Different Dog stands out in this ever expanding fresh dog food market as a company specialising in fresh, home-delivered dog food that offers a tasty and delicious range of meals containing a minimum of 60% meat or fish. Each dish is tailored specifically for your dog and delivered fresh to your doorstep on a regular schedule.
In this article, we'll take an in-depth look at Different Dog and their tasty range of hand cooked doggy meals, exploring why they might just be the perfect choice for your canine companion.
Different Dog Fresh Dog Food Review 2024
Table Of Contents
Different Dog Food Review
5. Different Dog - The Food 6. The Charlie Taste Test 7. Human Taste Test! 8. Feeding Guidelines 9. Different Dog Pricing 10. Different Dog Food - Conclusion
Pros
✅ High quality fresh dog food
✅ Good selection of recipes
✅ Tailored to your dog
✅ Recyclable & compostable packaging
✅ Carbon neutral deliveries
✅ Two or four weekly delivery
Cons
❌ Premium pricing
❌ Requires freezer space
Introducing Different Dog Fresh Dog Food
We were keen to sample the fantastic range of meals created by Different Dog, the fresh dog food creators based in Shrewsbury. They offer a nutritious and delicious range of recipes made with high-quality, locally sourced ingredients. From chicken casserole to pork ragu, Different Dog offers a fine selection of appetising recipes designed to satisfy even the most discerning palates.
Founded in 2017 by the husband-and-wife team, Charlie and Alex Thurstan, Different Dog was inspired by Charlie’s insights gained while touring pet food factories for his previous job. Seeing firsthand the ingredients, processing, and cooking methods that went into traditional dog food production, he realised the poor quality of conventional, processed dog foods when it came to his own dogs' health. Motivated by his discovery, Charlie embarked on a mission to produce real, wholesome food for his dog, Crumble.
Fast forward to today, and Different Dog is one of the leading manufacturers of lovingly created, healthy, freshly cooked meals for dogs. They currently offer a range of thirteen high-quality, mouth-watering recipes delivered directly to your dog's bowl.
With a range of five-star reviews across Trustpilot, Google, and social media, Different Dog is definitely doing something right, and the impressive 93% score on All About Dog Food confirms that this is definitely dog food of the highest quality.
What Makes Different Dog Stand Out in The World Of Fresh Dog Food?
Different Dog's unique selling proposition is their ongoing commitment to providing hand-cooked, fresh, and nutritious dog food made with the highest quality ingredients and without the use of cheap fillers, grains, or legumes. Their meals are designed by expert nutritionists to improve your dogs' health and are ethically sourced, emphasising human-grade quality ingredients. Containing 100% locally sourced British meat and fish, with zero grains and zero legumes, Different Dog offers personalised meal plans, carbon-neutral delivery, compostable packaging, and support from in-house vets and nutritionists, making them a key player in the fresh dog food industry.
The Different Dog Range of Recipes
At the time of writing, Different Dog offers an extensive range of thirteen mouthwatering recipes, all using 100% British and locally sourced meat and fish. These are all combined with fresh fruits and vegetables, but notably without the addition of grains or legumes.
Each recipe has been meticulously crafted and is hand-cooked to ensure the highest quality and freshness. The current selection of recipes includes:
🐶 Braised Beef
🐶 Chicken Casserole
🐶 Comforting Chicken
🐶 Hearty Beef & Berries
🐶 Keep Me Trim Turkey
🐶 Lamb Hotpot
🐶 Low Purine & Phosphorus
🐶 Pawfect Picnic
🐶 Pork Ragu
🐶 Shepherd's Pie
🐶 Stay Supple Fish Supper
🐶 Turkey Fricassee
🐶 Venison & Thyme
Get 40% off your first two boxes with the
Different Dog discount code WALKIESCC40
Different Dog Ordering & Delivery
Like other pet food delivery services, Different Dog provides an easy-to-navigate online ordering and subscription service. Your dog's bespoke nutritional plan is assembled after you answer a series of questions about their age, breed, activity levels, etc. The Different Dog website then formulates the ideal feeding regimen and suggests suitable recipes. A standout feature for many owners is the option for a free consultation call before ordering, where you can speak directly to a vet or nutritionist about your dog's dietary needs and receive guidance on suitable recipes, especially if your dog has any medical conditions or allergies.
A couple of points to note: firstly, Different Dog offers a starter box option, which is a smaller-sized first delivery that allows you to try their food without committing to a larger, ongoing order immediately—a thoughtful touch. Secondly, you have the option of placing a full plan order for Different Dog food, meaning your dog will exclusively eat Different Dog fresh food delivered every two weeks, or a partial plan, which involves mixing Different Dog food with your dog's current food or kibble in a 50/50 mix. In this case, the same amount of fresh dog food is delivered but every four weeks instead of two.
It's important to plan ahead when ordering your dog's food, as consideration will need to be given to storage and the amount of freezer space required for each delivery. Unused tubs need to stay frozen, and once in use, each tub can defrost and last for around five days in the fridge.
In addition to their range of dog food, Different Dog also offers a variety of treats and bone broths to further enhance your dog's dining experiences. Treats range from turkey snacks and pixel chews to plant-based pumpkin bar chews and calming treats containing chamomile and lavender. Bone broths are available in either lamb or venison, and all treats and broths can easily be added to your order for delivery alongside the main food order.
Different Dog Packaging & Recycling
Once our order was placed, the meals were delivered promptly to our door, arriving well-packed and frozen in fully insulated and recyclable packaging. It's noteworthy that all of Different Dog's deliveries are carbon-neutral, which, along with their compostable or recyclable packaging, ensures that your carbon "pawprint" is kept to a minimum.
Different Dog have clearly taken the time to thoughtfully consider their packaging. We must admit that, upon delivery, we were impressed by the presentation. Each meal arrives in its own super cute, compostable cardboard container that is not only easy to handle and visually appealing but, most importantly, is fully recyclable. Additionally, each tub comes with its own clip-on lid, making it easy and convenient to reseal partially used tubs.
The one trade-off for the excellent packaging is the freezer space required for storage. As previously mentioned, it is important to plan ahead to ensure you have sufficient storage space. However, we personally preferred the smart, eco-friendly packaging over the more freezer space-friendly options offered by some of Different Dog's rivals.
Different Dog - The Food
As soon as we popped the lid on the first tub of Different Dog, it was clear that this was high-quality dog food.
As we've mentioned before, Different Dog’s recipes use a minimum of 60% high-quality, locally-sourced meat and fish. They avoid grains and legumes and incorporate a range of seasonally available fruits and vegetables, all hand-cooked in small batches.
Their website and the individual pots provide a comprehensive breakdown of exactly what goes into each dish, allowing you to know precisely what your dog will be eating before you serve their dinner.
Once opened, the Different Dog recipes look absolutely fantastic! We were really impressed by how appetising the food looked, even to us! As evident from the pictures, every dish appeared very fresh, was packed full of plump and easily identifiable ingredients, and seemed to be bursting with flavour. So much so, that we had major issues keeping our cats away from the food during the photo shoot, and we had to restrain ourselves from taking a big bite—but more on that later!
The All Important Charlie Taste Test !
As mentioned elsewhere on our site, our dog Charlie has never been a fussy eater and is happy to eat most things that are placed in front of him although you can judge how much he likes something by the speed of the wolfing down!
We initially tried giving Charlie the Pawfect Picnic, and he literally dived in headfirst, not coming up for air until the bowl had been licked clean for the fiftieth time! It was a definite thumbs-up from Charlie. Feeling bad that we had to shoo the cats away so often during the photo shoot, we gave them a small bowl each, and again, they finished the food in record time.
Both dogs and cat seemed to really, really like the food from Different Dog.
Different Dog Food - The Human Taste Test Time!
There is no denying that, of all the fresh dog foods available, Different Dog is probably the best-looking food from a human perspective, so there was no question about us trying it!
All the recipes looked tasty, chunky, and wholesome, so we went ahead and tried every recipe and can safely say that all of them tasted really good! Of all the meals, our favourite was the Pawfect Picnic, which tasted absolutely fantastic.
Get 40% off your first two boxes with the
Different Dog discount code WALKIESCC40
Different Dog Feeding Guidelines
Like most other fresh dog foods, Different Dog feeding guidelines are calculated on your dog's breed, weight, age, and activity levels, with the online questionnaire taking all of these details into account when calculating your first order. On arrival, the Different Dog delivery provides pre-weighed cartons that are used to provide the exact amount of food and calories your dog requires for each meal, making feeding easy and straightforward. Depending on whether you have ordered the 100% or 50% Different Dog feeding package, it dictates whether you will need to add additional food to each meal, but the 100% option makes feeding very straightforward.
🐶 Small Dogs: Under 10kg
For small dogs, due to their lower caloric needs compared to larger breeds, their daily food intake will be less. If you're feeding your small dog Different Dog food, the amount will normally range from 100g to 350g daily, assuming the dog gets a moderate level of exercise.
🐶 Medium Dogs: 10kg to 25kg
A medium-sized adult dog, with typical daily exercise, will require between 350g and 700g of Different Dog food each day.
🐶 Large Dogs: Over 25kg
Large dogs, needing more calories, will consume a greater quantity of food. For those on Different Dog, the daily intake ranges from 700g to over 1kg. For large breed dogs, some owners choose to use Different Dog as a supplementary addition to their primary food. Incorporating just 10% of fresh food like Different Dog into their diet can offer significant health advantages. This approach is both cost-effective and beneficial for the dog's well-being.
Different Dog Pricing
At the time of writing, the costs for Charlie, our ten-year-old, 21kg, very active Wheaten Terrier, were as follows:
4 weeks - 28 x 700g - £93.78/£3.34 per day
3 weeks - 21 x 700g - £80.04/£3.81 per day
2 weeks - 14 x 700g - £59.82/£4.27 per day
Different Dog Review - Conclusion
So, is Different Dog a winner, winner, turkey & insect dinner? We would say yes! This innovative approach to fresh dog food hits the spot with its combination of high quality ingredients, taste, value and ease of ordering & delivery. Our dog Charlie was a big fan of all of the Different Dog recipes with Pawfect Picnic being his (and our!) favourite recipe.
Get 40% off your first two boxes with the
Different Dog discount code WALKIESCC40
Related:
Mud Daddy review