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In partnership with Sundays For Dogs. Editor’s Note: We only select and work with partners that meet our quality standards, so you can rest assured we only endorse products we believe in.
The dog food market has exploded in recent years, as pup parents realize that there can be more to a dog’s life than stale kibble from pet store shelves. Dog food quality is directly tied to pet health, general wellbeing, and longevity. So of course, many dog parents want to expand their dogs’ palates and try out some of the many high-quality dog food options on the market.
Two of the more popular names in that realm are The Farmer’s Dog and Sundays for Dogs. Both are direct-to-consumer brands that promise fresh food with human-grade ingredients and potential health benefits like more energy, better digestion, and improved weight for your pup.
We decided to put both brands to the test with Kenzo, my family’s beloved dachshund. Kenzo loves to eat but can be stubborn about certain foods (read: kibble) so we were interested to see how he responded to both brands. Since Kenzo also has a sensitive tummy, we wanted to take that into account with both dog food brands as well.
Nutrition
Both brands set themselves apart from generic kibble by prioritizing whole foods and human-grade ingredients. But there is a major difference in how the different foods are processed.
Sundays for Dogs: This fresh dog food brand is air-dried, resulting in a jerky-like food that retains more of the natural nutrients than other, high-heat cooking processes. It’s made from only human-grade ingredients like meat, quinoa, fish oil, blueberries, carrots, and much more.
There are three different proteins available—beef, chicken, and turkey—and all recipes are 100% meat and superfood fruit, veggies, and grains. Plus, Sundays is co-founded and co-run by a practicing veterinarian, Dr. Tory Waxman, so you can have peace of mind that the recipes are formulated with your pup's best interests in mind.
So what is air-dried food, and why is it beneficial for dogs? Sundays claims that air drying food has similar benefits to raw food, in that it preserves many of the nutrients in a way that high-heat cooking methods can’t. Plus, the brand’s unique method of air drying also involves what it describes as a “kill step” that destroys any harmful bacteria that can pose an issue with raw foods.
The Farmer’s Dog: Similar to Sundays, The Farmer’s Dog uses human-grade ingredients like meat and veggies in all of its recipes, and they’re developed with vet nutritionists to meet industry standards. The main difference here is that The Farmer’s Dog food is kettle-cooked, not air-dried. The portions arrive frozen in individual packages that need to be thawed before they’re served.
Both brands ask you a series of questions to best understand your dog’s health, including its breed, size, weight goals, energy levels, and more. From there, Sundays recommends a plan for you and your pup, and The Farmer’s Dog works on a custom blend for your needs.
Both brands offer an innovative approach to dog food: Sundays focusing on form factor and process, and The Farmer’s Dog leaning into customization.
Winner: Tie
Convenience
When changing from one dog food to another, you have to consider the owner’s experience as well as the pet’s. After all, you’re the one who’s going to have to prepare it every single day!
Sundays for Dogs: This brand offers the easiest switch from frozen brands or kibble. Since the food is air-dried, it doesn’t need to be thawed beforehand or stored in the fridge. It arrives in easy to store dog food bags, and all that’s required is scooping the appropriate serving right into your dog’s bowl. Bon appetit!
The Farmer’s Dog: This process is a bit more involved. The packets arrive frozen in labeled plastic packaging, and need to be stored in the freezer. Each bag then needs to be thawed in the fridge overnight before serving it to your dog. The brand ships a reusable storage container with the first delivery so that you don’t have to place the opened bags of fresh food back in the fridge, where they can leak and create a mess.
But this process is definitely less convenient for a few reasons: You have to find ample space in both your fridge and freezer for storage, you have to remember to thaw the food several hours ahead of meal time, and opening the package can come with its own struggle (the pork one we tested was full of liquid that made a mess upon opening). This can also provide a significant challenge when traveling with your dog, since you can’t just grab a bag of food and hit the road.
Winner: Sundays for Dogs
Taste
Of course, none of these benefits matter if your dog won’t actually eat the food! We have to admit that Kenzo is a bit of a foodie—it’s hard to find food that he doesn’t like. But, occasionally, he turns his nose up to plain kibble, especially if it’s served without a topping like fresh veggies or grated cheese. So we were excited to see how he would respond to both human-grade brands.
Sundays for Dogs: As directed by the brand, we started by mixing his old food with Sundays, slowly increasing the ratio of new food until he was fully eating Sundays. And from the very beginning, we found that Kenzo was decidedly more excited about mealtime than he would have been with dry kibble alone, licking the empty bowl for minutes after he was finished. And better yet, it didn’t mess with his bowel movements or upset stomach.
The Farmer’s Dog: Since the Farmer's Dog meals are high in water content, they seem to remind Kenzo more of table scraps (yes, the one’s he's not supposed to eat…). So, he was pretty pleased about eating this food. Even if we were cooking in the kitchen during his meal time—a distraction that usually brings him to our sides to beg for scraps—he was enjoying his own food too much to be bothered.
Winner: Tie
Price
Both brands’ price models are highly dependent on the kind of dog you’re feeding—like any other dog food brand. Bigger, more active dogs require larger servings, resulting in a more expensive cost per day. But there are also average costs that we can take into account.
Sundays for Dogs: It cost about $33 per week to feed Kenzo, with free shipping, which comes out to about $2.35 per serving. On average, Sundays costs about $2 a day for most dogs.
The Farmer’s Dog: This food comes in at about double the cost of Sundays, at an average of $4 a day. That price admittedly feels high – especially after trying an option at half the cost for similarly fresh food without the hassle.
Winner: Sundays for Dogs
In Conclusion
Both Sundays for Dogs and The Farmer’s Dog have their pros and cons, making this one of the trickier throwdowns we’ve done. If you have a pup that requires extra personalization for their dietary needs (and you don’t mind a little mess), The Farmer’s Dog is a solid option. However, if you'd prefer fresh food without all the fussy thawing and prep, chock full of high quality ingredients that will boost your dog’s health – and make your life so much easier – Sundays for Dogs is the way to go.
Like all things related to your pup, it all depends on you and your pup’s personal needs. While both brands offer discounts for new customers, we were lucky enough to snag an extra 50% off code for you to try Sundays for Dogs first. We think you’ll be happy with what you get…
