Best Dog Food Delivery Companies | Ollie Review
Ollie’s Fresh, Human-Grade Food Turned My Picky Pup Into a Doggie Dishwasher
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When it comes to food, to call my dog "picky" would be an understatement. In fact, for years, Beau wouldn't even eat in front of me, you know, the person who feeds him.
I would dish out expensive, grain-free kibble before I left for work . . . and I'd return to a full bowl. Shortly after I got home, he would start to eat but, if I stepped foot in the room, he'd promptly stop again. It was as if he didn't want to appear to be enjoying his food just in case I suddenly whipped out a steak (which obviously never happened).
Over the years, I tried a wide-range of packaged pet-food brands and he behaved the same way with them all. Because he was eventually eating, I wasn't that worried, but it still wasn't exactly the reaction I'd ever seen any animal have to mealtime.
Then, a few years ago at Summer Streets, we happened upon a booth for Ollie, a human-grade dog food company that ships right to your house. I was hesitant to have Beau try it as he also has a cute habit of taking a treat from a stranger . . . then promptly spitting it out and walking away. I brought a pack home instead, took it out for his dinner, and the rest is history.
Ahead, learn how he responded to his first taste of Ollie, why we both love it now, and how he acts whenever it's mealtime today (bonus blurry photo and video included).
How to Get Started With Ollie
The moment Beau got his first glimpse of Ollie, I could tell something was different. He sat right next to me as I filled a bowl with his sample and, the minute I put it down, he gobbled it all up. Naturally, not long after I went online to look into ordering more for ourselves.
First, there's a short survey where you share weight, age, energy level, and allergy information before seeing the exact formulas with calorie recommendations for your dog. My results showed that my 13-pound Boston Terrier needs 308 calories daily, which is a 0.44-pound tray of their beef recipe, conveniently packaged per day.
It comes frozen, wrapped in a felted, insulated bag inside the box with dry ice. (Note: I'm usually home when the food comes but there was one time over the summer when I didn't get home until many hours later and the ice was still frozen and the food was still cold when I arrived.)
What's Inside Ollie Human-Grade Dog Food
Beau's prior lukewarm reaction to kibble could have very likely had to do with his well-trained palate as a puppy. (And I'm only half joking.) While he doesn't have any allergies, his breeder fed him human food only, and had strong feelings about not serving dogs any grains. Alas, as a vegetarian (and overall lazy person who rarely cooks for herself), this was never going to fly as I don't want handle raw meat or spend hours preparing meals even for a beloved pet.
Enter Ollie, a whole-foods diet coming in beef, chicken, turkey, and lamb options with no soy, corn, or wheat fillers inside. It is also human-grade — which I'm taking their word for (again re: vegetarian) — and is "gently cooked," according to their site. The full ingredient list for each flavour is available online but the highlights of Beau's recipe are beef (including beef heart and beef liver), plus sweet potatoes, peas, and carrots, which can all still be easily identified inside the tray when I dig around.
I love that it's so easy to serve, whether we're at home, or if Beau is at a doggie hotel without me. I move the pre-portioned daily trays into the fridge from the freezer to serve two-thirds of a pack in the morning and one-third at night, storing the extra in the "pup-tainer" until it's dinnertime. And, even though I exclusively feed this, it's possible to customise and order Ollie for a portion of a dog's meal to combine with other food as desired instead.
How Beau Reacts to Mealtime When Ollie Is Being Served
As I mentioned (repeatedly), before this food, Beau would take forever to finish a meal, and was even lukewarm on many treats. But, as you can see from the video here, that's most definitely not the case with Ollie which I've been buying for years now.
The vet praises his ideal weight and shiny coat on each visit which I love, but Beau's actual enthusiasm is also impossible to ignore. As a bonus, he poops much less which may sound silly to note but, since the amount of poop is directly connected to the amount of indigestible ingredients in food, less poop is actually a very good thing beyond just being less poop to pick up.
Ollie's price depends on your pet's size and weight, but I order a box that has a two-month-supply for just under $200. Now, getting that much food does take up a huge section of my small New York City freezer, but it's worth it. There are often deals on the site — as of right now, you can get 50 percent off your first box and 25 percent off the next two when you sign up — so, if you're ready to up your dog's diet, get started here.
And, if nothing else, consider this a two-paws-up review from one of the toughest food critics in town . . . that is, until his bowl is empty and doesn't automatically refill itself until the next meal.
