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How much does a fresh dog food diet actually cost?

Monday, May 07, 2018

By Dan Massey

The idea of freshly cooked meals for dogs sounds great. Delivered to my door? Also great. But the real question: how much does this fabulous luxurious service cost? We can't expect such great things to come at a bargain. Or can we?

For the sake of keeping things simple, we'll use the cost of a NomNomNow subscription as our baseline. (Prices below are averages - to see exact pricing for your dog, create a profile!)

Dog Size	Dog Weight (lbs)	Fresh Food Daily Cost	Fresh Food Weekly Cost (7days/week)
Tiny	Less than 10 lbs	$3 per day	$21 per week
Small	10 - 20 lbs	$4 per day	$28 per week
Small/Medium	20 - 30 lbs	$5 - $6 per day	$35 - $42 per week
Medium	30 - 40 lbs	$7 per day	$49 per week
Medium/Large	40 - 50 lbs	$8 per day	$56 per week
Large	50 - 70 lbs	$10 per day	$70 per week

Tiny dogs

Let's say you have a tiny dog, who weighs less than 10 lbs. Perhaps a chihuahua, or a Yorkie. Something cute, no doubt. Fresh dog food will cost you about $3 per day. That's the cost of 1 can of coconut water. It's also the cost of adding avocado to your sandwich at a restaurant. Do you even question adding avocado? The price is nominal, and you know the avocado is going to make it incredible. What if, in that same quick action, you could give your dog the joy and health of an entire days' worth of balanced meals?

Small dogs

Those of you with a pup who weighs in between 10 and 20 pounds, we're talking to you. Your four-legged friend needs a little more food to meet their nutritional requirements than the tiny dogs. Fresh dog food will cost you about $4 per day. That's the same as your beloved Pumpkin Spiced Latte. It's the ice cream after dinner. It's less than a McDonald's burger, and frankly, even you would benefit from swapping out a burger for two of these meals to eat yourself. Think of your moments with your morning coffee, and imagine if (for the price of your coffee habit), your dog could enjoy a full day's worth of freshly cooked meats and vegetables in their doggie bowl. You're basically buying a friend a coffee, except that friend is the four-legged love of your life, and that coffee is actually two nutritious meals that can keep them around longer.

Small/medium dogs

If your canine is dancing the line between the small and medium categories (meaning less than 30 pounds), this is your category. A home cooked dog food diet will cost you about $5-6 per day. If you're someone who enjoys a breakfast sandwich on the way to work, you probably shell this out alongside your coffee every day. It's also the cost of renting a yoga mat for a yoga class. The cost of renting cycling shoes in a spin class. The cost of a delivery fee to have your favorite takeout brought to you. Whether you're an active soul or the ultimate lounger, this is no more than fees you typically pay to add convenience to your life. So imagine paying the same fee for extreme convenience in feeding your dog (yep, that means free delivery and no need to remember to buy dog food again), and much healthier meals that keep your dog snuggling with you for years and years.

Medium dogs

If your pooch is under 40 pounds, then you know they need plenty of good food to sustain themselves. The cost of serving your dog fresh food made with whole ingredients is about $7 per day. That's the same as having a glass of wine with your dinner. It's equivalent to buying your dog a new toy. While we think you should definitely enjoy your wine (red for heart health!), and we know your dog wants the toys to keep on coming, those are both things we get a lot of joy out of at a small price. You could spend the exact same $7 each day, and have fed your furry family member two nourishing meals that keep them healthy.

Medium/large dogs

For the dogs just under 50 pounds in weight, we know you're eating well. And carefully monitoring weight and vitamins is essential in avoiding health complications. For the same price of building yourself a salad at the salad bar, or perhaps picking up something simple for lunch, you can actually feed your dog two nutritious meals (and have them delivered for free). They're getting a bargain of a healthy breakfast and dinner, for the same cost you spent on lunch (and that's not including drinks or any fun stuff). With high-quality ingredients such as fish oil, coconut oil, USDA-approved meats and locally-harvested veggies, your dog is probably eating two healthier meals for $8 than you can often find one human serving of the same quality. Invest in both of your healthy diets, and thrive together.

Large dogs

For dogs 70 pounds and under, we can assume that the amount of food in the doggie bowl is comparable to the servings on the human's table. So it's a pretty good deal to realize that it will cost you about $10 per day to serve your dog 2 meals, when it often costs us that much to buy one meal out for ourselves. Instead of grabbing that sushi roll, order some fresh dog food for your loved one. Plus, you can rest assured knowing that it's the healthiest meal you can feed them. Whole, locally-sourced ingredients, with high-quality supplements mean that your dog can live a healthy lifestyle just like you! And just think of the extra years you'll get together...

We don't want to totally steal Mastercard's line, but we think it's fair to say that extra years with your beloved dog are...PRICELESS. If you have to put a price on it, we think these daily habits show how simply we can invest in our dogs' health and happiness.

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