Let’s say you’ve been curious about fresh dog food for a while. You know that at least one of the brands on the market is right for your pet, but you have no idea where to start your search.
That’s where I come in. I’m going to help you pick the best fresh dog food that’s not only convenient and fairly priced, but will also satisfy your dog’s taste buds.
I’ll keep things simple today by limiting my review to two fresh dog food brands: PetPlate and A Pup Above. To determine which brand is better, I compared their quality, convenience, and cost.
Who should get A Pup Above?
I would say that everyone should buy A Pup Above. Their food tastes better and the recipes provide a higher-than-average serving of delicious proteins.
CLICK HERE: Get my best deal for A Pup Above →Who should get PetPlate?
Frankly, PetPlate comes up short in one very important area. Keep reading to learn about my experience.
CLICK HERE: Try PetPlate Today →Whether you decide to buy A Pup Above or PetPlate for your dog, make sure to use my links above to get the best discount I currently know about. I’ll always keep these links up to date.
Quality
When I assess the quality of fresh dog food, I look at four things. Appearance, smell, taste, and ingredients.
Appearance
Since the first thing we do when we’re about to eat is to look at the food, let’s start with an overview of each brand’s appearance.
First, I did a side-by-side comparison of A Pup Above’s Texas Beef Stew and PetPlate’s Bark and Beef.
I immediately noticed that PetPlate provides big, juicy chunks of ingredients. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and green peas. The beef recipe from A Pup Above also included chunks of veggies, but not nearly as large or appetizing as what you see with PetPlate.
The other thing I noticed about these two recipes is the difference in the texture of their beef. A Pup Above’s beef looks like it has a pleasant, firm texture, whereas the beef from PetPlate appears a little mushy. However, I’ve seen worse.
Although A Pup Above could use bigger portions of veggies, their meat looked tastier and their veggies were brighter. But at the end of the day, I think the huge chunks of vegetables in PetPlate’s Barkin’ Beef recipe gives it the upper hand.
I compared the two brands’ pork recipes next: A Pup Above’s Porky’s Luau and PetPlate’s Power Packed Pork Entrée.
The difference was clear to me in this case. PetPlate’s recipe had ample portions of pork. I could also see plenty of grains, carrots, and whole green beans.
Unfortunately, A Pup Above’s recipe just didn’t stack up. It didn’t have much going for it beyond green beans and pork, but at least the pork had a nice texture. The quality was still nowhere near what you appear to get from PetPlate’s rather generous Pork Entrée.
After pork, I moved on to turkey and compared A Pup Above’s Turkey Pawella against PetPlate’s Tail Waggin’ Turkey.
Both brands’ turkeys had a similar, firm texture, with similar-sized vegetables. PetPlate’s turkey meat had a brighter and more attractive color, making for a pleasant contrast against the brown grains of rice. I nevertheless think that the vegetables in A Pup Above’s turkey recipe were much more vibrant. But if I had to choose, I’d still say that PetPlate’s Tail Waggin’ Turkey wins the appearance category.
Last but not least, let’s take a look at the chicken recipes. There’s the Chicka Chicka Bow Wow from A Pup Above and the Chompin’ Chicken Entrée from PetPlate.
The chicken from A Pup Above’s dish, as usual, looks nice and firm but the vegetables leave something to be desired. PetPlate’s chicken recipe, on the other hand, contains a bounty of sweet potatos, gorgeous red lentils, and whole green beans. There’s a lot going on here, and a lot to like.
PetPlate’s recipes also look a little sloppy compared to A Pup Above, but their overall appearance still makes them the clear winner in this category.
Smell
Let’s see how these two brands compare when it comes to smell.
A Pup Above’s beef dish smells warm and spicy. It’s almost what you’d expect from a chili recipe, and has a nice herbal, aromatic profile with no off-putting smells. I’d definitely call it appetizing.
PetPlate’s Barkin’ Beef smelled like beef (woohoo!) and wasn’t unpleasant. However, it wasn’t as enticing as A Pup Above. I preferred the spicy herbal notes of their beef recipe.
I noticed that same spicy, herbal profile when I smelled A Pup Above’s pork recipe. It was a bit strong for my taste, but at least it didn’t remind me of dog food.
Unfortunately, PetPlate’s pork recipe had a fishy odor. It reminded me of cod liver oil and gave me the impression that I was smelling regular dog food — which shouldn’t be the case for a fresh dog food brand. Without a doubt, A Pup Above’s pork recipe smelled better.
The aroma of A Pup Above’s turkey recipe did not disappoint with its balanced, herbal notes. PetPlate’s turkey dish certainly smelled interesting, but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, if I’m being honest. I just couldn’t tell from the scent alone whether I’d enjoy it or not. I liked the way A Pup Above’s turkey recipe smelled much more.
Last but not least, I gave the chicken recipes a good whiff. A Pup Above’s chicken recipe had a mild but balanced aroma, but the least-pronounced herbal aroma of their four recipes. PetPlate’s chicken recipe smelled mild and sweet, but I couldn’t pick out the source of the actual scent. It wasn’t unappetizing, but it didn’t smell quite as clean or fresh.
When it comes to aroma, A Pup Above’s recipes win across the board.
Taste
After tasting all four recipes from both brands, here’s my conclusion.
On the one hand, PetPlate’s recipes have a rather strong and unfortunate flavor. Some of their recipes were worse than others, and reminded me of old dog food. As a result, I haven’t really wanted to try them again after eating them a few times.
But on the other hand? A Pup Above’s recipes are delicious.
Despite the strong flavors, PetPlate does have some nice textures that really elevate the eating experience. Meanwhile, A Pup Above’s recipes were a genuine pleasure to eat. The meat was tasty, and the “herbal” notes I detected during the smell test really came through in the flavor profiles, as well.
Even though PetPlate has a lot going for it, A Pup Above is a way more delicious dog food.
Ingredients
Both PetPlate and A Pup Above use veterinary nutritionists to formulate their recipes. PetPlate says that their experts are board certified, while A Pup Above doesn’t mention board certification on their website (as far as I could tell).
The recipes from both brands are nutritionally balanced and complete to comply with AAFCO standards. Both companies cook their recipes in USDA-grade kitchens, which means they’re responsible to meet the same safety standards as kitchens that prepare human foods.
When it comes to variety, A Pup Above offers four recipes while PetPlate offers six.
In terms of nutrition, I consider protein content as fed to be the most important factor, but you should always speak to your veterinarian to find out what’s best for your dog. There’s a real protein disparity between these two brands: while A Pup Above’s recipes are on the high end with 13% to 14% protein as fed, PetPlate’s recipes come in at about 8% to 11% as fed.
Even though PetPlate’s protein content is lower, it’s still in line with the standard you see across most fresh dog food brands. All this difference really means is that your dog will get a bit more delicious protein with each bite of A Pup Above.
Convenience
What about convenience? Is it really worth it for pet owners to shell out the money for fresh dog food?
To find out, I compared my experiences with each brand’s purchasing, shipping, and packaging.
Purchasing
A Pup Above is definitely a standout when it comes to convenience.
They’re the only brand I’ve tried that doesn’t require you to have a subscription in order to purchase their fresh dog food. Wow!
PetPlate, like most fresh dog food brands, does require you to carry a subscription. Fortunately, they also make it easy to cancel. All you need to do is log on to your account dashboard on the website, click a few buttons, and you’re done. No need to call customer service.
Since subscription services tend to cost consumers a little more in the long run, A Pup Above’s no-subscription model definitely gives them an advantage.
Shipping
Well, this was disappointing. Both A Pup Above and PetPlate were among the slowest shipping experiences I’ve ever had.
A Pup Above was by far the slowest. I placed my order with them on a Sunday night, and my package arrived not the following Thursday, but the Thursday after that. So, that’s a whopping total of eight business days between when I placed my order and when my shipment arrived.
PetPlate was the second slowest. I also placed my order with them on a Sunday night, and didn’t receive my package until not the following Tuesday, but the Tuesday after that. Six business days in transit altogether.
Of course, it’s important to remember that shipping times will vary based on your location within the United States.
Packaging
Based on my experience, I wasn’t a huge fan of the shipping materials that A Pup Above uses for their fresh dog food. It was some sort of plastic wrap mixed with another material, and I had no idea how to dispose of it other than to throw it in the trash. Throwing things in the trash never makes me feel good.
PetPlate’s packing materials, however, were completely recyclable. I was able to unpack the box and throw the shipping materials right in my recycling bin.
These brands also use different methods to package the food portions. A Pup Above gives you one-pound, frozen patties that are vacuum-sealed in plastic. There’s no easy-peel tab, so you’ll have to dirty a pair of scissors every time you want to open one. The upside is that it’s not a lot of food to defrost all at once.
PetPlate’s frozen patties were a bit smaller at three quarters of a pound (about 12 ounces or 340 grams). They also feature the ingredients and nutrition facts right on the label.
Both companies say that you should feed your dog the defrosted food within seven days, so their shelf life is identical in that regard.
Cost
Finally, let’s examine A Pup Above and PetPlate in terms of costs.
I like to evaluate the cost of fresh dog food on a dollars-per-pound basis. This keeps the comparison fair and even.
A lot of brands give you a dollars-per-week or dollars-per-day figure, which doesn’t really account for how much food their plan actually gives you. Plus, every brand uses a slightly different calculation to determine your dog’s nutritional needs.
If you purchase a similar amount of food from A Pup Above and PetPlate, my calculations put A Pup Above’s recipes at about $12.66 per pound. That’s nearly twice the cost of PetPlate, which comes in at about $6.55 per pound.
Keep in mind that A Pup Above gives you a lot more protein. Protein is usually the most expensive component in food.
In summary, there’s no question that PetPlate is more affordable. But if you’re looking for delicious, fresh food [1] for your dog, then I think A Pup Above is the way to go.
If the price of PetPlate’s food sounds a little bit more appetizing, you might want to check out The Farmer’s Dog. Their fresh dog food is delicious and they price it similar to PetPlate.
Remember that if you do choose A Pup Above or PetPlate for your dog, make sure to use my links below to get the best deal that I currently know of. I hope this helps you find a delicious food for your pup. Keep those tails wagging!
CLICK HERE: Get my best deal for A Pup Above → CLICK HERE: Try PetPlate Today →