JustFoodForDogs Dog Food Review 2024

JustFoodForDogs is a fresh dog food company whose mission is to improve the length and quality of life for as many pets as possible through real food and nutrition. It launched the first-ever kitchen for dogs in 2010 and currently has several kitchens that anyone can visit to see how the food is prepared. More than a pet food company, JustFoodForDogs is a relentless advocate for pet health, publicly sharing its recipes and pricing its products lower than its competitors.

So is JustFoodForDogs right for your dog? Let’s take a closer look at this brand to help you decide!

JustFoodForDogs’ fresh daily meals come in a couple of different formats. Let’s see what they are!

Fresh Frozen

Fresh Frozen meals are made with human-edible ingredients such as restaurant-quality meats, wild-caught fish, and locally sourced produce. Each recipe features only one source of protein, and meals are frozen immediately after cooking to lock in nutrients. Featuring grains such as rice, quinoa, and whole wheat macaroni, whole veggies like sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, spinach, green beans, peas, and cauliflower, and fruits like apples and antioxidant-rich blueberries and cranberries, these meals pack a nutritional punch! 

Simply thaw your pup’s food before serving it to them come dinnertime. Recipes can be purchased a la carte or as part of a variety pack. 

Fresh Frozen meal flavors: 

• Chicken & White Rice
• Turkey & Whole Wheat Macaroni
• Fish & Sweet Potato
• Beef & Russet Potato
• Venison & Squash
• Lamb & Brown Rice
• Chicken Salad
• Balanced Remedy with Turkey
• Joint & Skin Support with Pork
• Large Breed Support with Beef
• Tofu & Quinoa

Pantry Fresh 

Pantry Fresh meals consist of human-grade ingredients that are cooked at low heat and under pressure inside their packaging to retain nutrients and flavor. Since the packaging is shelf stable, meals can be safely stored for up to two years and refrigeration is only required once the box is opened. Featuring the same healthy foods as the Fresh Frozen line, Pantry Fresh recipes can also be ordered a la carte or as part of a variety pack. 

Pantry Fresh meal flavors: 

• Chicken & White Rice
• Turkey & Whole Wheat Macaroni
• Beef & Russet Potato
• Lamb & Brown Rice
• Joint & Skin Support with Pork
• Balanced Remedy with Turkey
• Renal Support Low Protein with Lamb
• Metabolic Support with Turkey
• Hepatic Support Low Fat with Chicken

DIY Homemade

If you prefer to cook for your dog, JustFoodForDogs offers Do It Yourself Nutrient Blends that are formulated to boost your homemade meals. Each bag makes approximately 30 pounds of food and includes a shopping list, recipe, and cooking instructions. Be sure to follow the directions carefully to ensure your pup is getting a complete and balanced meal.

Do It Yourself Nutrient Blends variants:

• Chicken & White Rice
• Beef & Russet Potato
• Turkey & Whole Wheat Macaroni
• Fish & Sweet Potato
• Lamb & Brown Rice
• Venison & Squash

Dog Treats

JustFoodForDogs offers two types of healthy, dehydrated dog treats: single-ingredient treats and crunchy barks. Both types are prepared by hand and contain no preservatives, additives, byproducts, or artificial coloring. The single-ingredient treats are made with only one whole food ingredient such as chicken breast or pork loin, which is thinly sliced and then cooked and dehydrated. The crunchy barks are baked fresh with restaurant-quality ingredients such as pumpkin puree, beef liver, salmon, apples, and parsley. They can be easily broken off for training.

JustFoodForDogs dog treat flavors: 

• Just Chicken Breast
• Just Pork
• Just Beef Brisket
• Just Venison
• Pumpkin Recipe
• Beef Liver Bark
• Chicken Apple Bark
• Salmon Bark

Here are some of the things that make JustFoodForDogs a “grrreat” dog food!

Wide range of products

Compared to other fresh food brands, JustFoodForDogs has a greater variety of product types and recipe flavors. In addition to the product ranges mentioned above, it also offers prescription food and custom meals. Plus, recipes offer both grain-free and grain-inclusive choices.

Mission-based pricing

JustFoodForDogs is more affordable than other fresh food brands thanks to its mission-based pricing approach. Guided by its mission to improve the lives of as many pets as possible and to help more pet parents provide their furbabies with the best nutrition, the company invests in the things that matter while keeping its prices low. 

Public kitchens and recipes

JustFoodForDogs’ retail kitchens are open to the public, and anyone is welcome to visit and see how the food is made. Moreover, some of its daily meal recipes are available on its website for free.  

Free consultations

Pet parents who have questions about fresh feeding can schedule a free remote consultation with a nutrition consultant in one of the company’s kitchens. 

Multiple purchase options

Unlike some fresh food brands that require a subscription, JustFoodForDogs offers one-time purchase and autoship options. Sampler boxes and variety packs are also handy for customers who want to try new flavors or rotate recipes.

Here’s what pet parents need to consider before buying JustFoodForDogs.

On the pricey side

While JustFoodForDogs is more affordable than other fresh food brands, it is still more expensive than kibble and canned dog food. 

Not pre-portioned 

Meals are not pre-portioned according to each dog’s caloric needs, so pet parents will have to measure out the correct serving size. Pantry Fresh recipes will also need to be refrigerated if there’s leftover food in the box. 

Different feeding amounts 

Feeding amounts vary by recipe, which can be a bit confusing if you feed your dog different recipes.

“My yellow Lab at the moment eats high quality kibble, he gets fed two times a day and at times it seems as [if] he eats it only because he has to. With this food I mix 4 tablespoons worth with his current food and now he [licks] his bowl clean. He clearly loves the taste and the quality of the food is great! It got delivered quick and frozen. You can switch strictly to this food but you can make it last longer by using it as a topping. I would recommend this brand and food to other dog owners but just be prepared to pay a premium especially if you have a larger dog.”

“One of my dogs has food sensitivities to a lot of ingredients in most pet foods (turkey, venison, rabbit, oatmeal, lentils, peas). She was doing fine on a different food, but then she started struggling with yeast problems again that I couldn't get under control with antibiotics, ointments, or medicated baths. I switched her food to the [JustFoodForDogs] Chicken and White Rice recipe, and her skin issues have cleared up. She also seems to have more energy than she used to have.”

“My dog loves any kind of wet food, but he gets super excited when I open the fridge and pull out a Tupperware full of this super fresh food. Only downside is I have trouble using all of the food in the five day period after it is thawed.”

Read more reviews on Chewy.

JustFoodForDogs was founded by Shawn Buckley in 2010. He rescued his first dog, Simon, from the pound when he was just six months old, but it wasn’t until Simon was nine that Shawn learned what was legally allowed to be in dog food. 

One day in 2009, Shawn went to the pet store to buy Simon’s food, a popular kibble brand. They were out of the lamb recipe that Simon usually ate, so Shawn bought the chicken recipe from the same brand instead. Puzzled as to why the chicken and lamb recipes cost the same when lamb is more expensive than chicken, Shawn began to look into what kibble was made of. He was shocked and angry to find questionable ingredients and dangerous chemical preservatives, as well as misleading labels and a broken industry. 

Speaking to the Orange County Register, Shawn says, “The [giants of the pet food industry] literally own hundreds of pet food brands between them. And these are not companies that began by sitting around a table asking themselves, ‘How do we make the best pet food?’ These companies are able to get rid of the waste that’s a byproduct of their other products and use those ‘ingredients’ to make pet food.”

So Shawn began cooking for his own dogs and saw a difference right away. Soon he was cooking for his neighbors’ dogs too. After gathering a team of veterinarians and specialists to develop healthy meals, Shawn launched the first-ever kitchen for dogs in 2010. Today, JustFoodForDogs has retail kitchens in California, New York, Illinois, and Washington.

According to Shawn, “Our love for dogs is truly the guide upon which we base our product and business.” 

JustFoodForDogs has had one recall. On January 18, 2018, the company voluntarily recalled its Beef & Russet Potato, Fish & Sweet Potato, and Turducken meals after a customer reported that her dogs had become ill. 

Tests confirmed that green beans purchased from a restaurant supply distributor were positive for Listeria monocytogenes. While only several dates of production were affected, JustFoodForDogs recalled meals made from November 1, 2017 through January 14, 2018. 

JustFoodForDogs made the above recipes without green beans while waiting for the matter to be resolved, and the FDA has since terminated the recall.