Is Switching To Fresh Dog Food Worth It?

Keeping our Adventure Dog Happy and Healthy, Even On the Go

Whether you’re an active weekend warrior or prefer the homebody lifestyle, if you’ve got a pet in your household, it probably goes without saying that the best days are spent with them by your side. My husband and I have always led fairly active lifestyles, and when we decided to get a dog, we knew we wanted to keep that as a priority. Our dog is high-energy, so she’s been the perfect addition to our family. At three years old, our dog, Nisswa, is able to keep up with us on hikes into the backcountry, scrambling through the desert, and swimming through ocean waves. You can follow us on Instagram at @nisswathegolden and watch as we take Nisswa on dog-friendly adventures. We tend to spend a lot of weekends on the road in search of more fun adventures to conquer with Nisswa.

There is nothing more recharging for me than a weekend in the mountains with my dog. But, that can come with its challenges. For one, it can be hard to fuel properly (for both humans and dogs) while on the road. We try to combat that as much as possible by planning ahead and taking healthy food with us so we don’t have to eat gas station hot dogs or fast food hamburgers for every meal. We also recently discovered an easy way to give our dog healthy food she’s excited about, even when we’re on the road - Ollie!

Ollie is a subscription dog food meal plan that delivers fresh, human-grade dog food right to your front door. The convenience of the shipments and the quality of the food is just part of what has made our experience so great so far. I’ll tell you a little more about the benefits we’ve noticed with Nisswa since trying Ollie:

High Energy, Low Waste

Keeping Nisswa happy and healthy is a top priority for us. We want her to live her best adventure life with us, and a big part of that is making sure that she’s fueled properly for any adventure we take her on. Ollie is made from human-grade ingredients and leaves out processed fillers. The real, whole foods used to create Ollie are fresh. A nice bonus of the filler-free meals is that we have noticed significantly less waste (💩) to clean up after transitioning away from kibble. When we’re out on the trails, we’re not carrying multiple bags of smelly poo back to the car with us!

Ollie’s experts will help you decide what meal plan is right for your dog, so you’ll have a customized meal plan tailored for your pet. Plus the meals are easily customizable to ensure any dietary restrictions are accounted for. The care they put into the health of our dog was noticeable right from the beginning of working with them. Ordering is easy, and it’s clear they prioritize high-quality ingredients with essential nutrients.

Convenience: Delivery Right to Our Door

Since we spend a lot of our weekends on the road, the convenience of having Nisswa’s food delivered right to our front door has been a game changer. Some weeks are busier than others, and there is nothing worse than realizing your dog’s food is running low when you don’t have a single second of time to spare for running errands. With Ollie, you don’t have to worry about getting to the store to buy food. Something I really appreciate is how easy Ollie makes it to change your delivery schedule. If you know you’ll be traveling when your food is supposed to be delivered, you can adjust the delivery schedule to come early (or late!). Since the food comes frozen, you don’t need to worry about it going bad if you need to stock up ahead of schedule. The convenience of the free delivery service is probably my personal favorite part of using Ollie.

Easy Feeding on the Go

A lot of our road trips are based around a certain sport or destination, and oftentimes the car gets packed to the brim with gear. Having pre-portioned meals for our dog makes meal time so much simpler. There isn’t any fuss with measuring out her food or fitting her dog food back into a specific part of the trunk. We pack Nisswa’s food in our cooler with the rest of our food, keeping it ice cold until we’re ready to let it thaw properly and feed her. When it’s time, we just grab a serving from the cooler, toss it in a food bowl, and Nisswa is all set.

I really appreciate the to-go container we got in our starter pack for our first shipment of Ollie. It serves as a container to take the food with, but also as a food or water dish while we’re in the car or on the go. The dish is wide and deep so you don’t have to worry about food or water sloshing out the sides.

Why We Chose Ollie

While there are many options for dog food, and even multiple choices for dog-food meal subscription plans, Ollie offers simple, fresh ingredients and great options for a variety of dietary restrictions. I’m also planning to try out Ollie’s “Hip & Joint Chews” joint supplements. Since golden retrievers are prone to hip and joint issues, I’m always looking for ways to combat those problems preventatively. We plan to stay active with Nisswa for years to come, and we know keeping her happy and healthy is essential for doing so!