Subscribe to Primary Goods

Get early access to exclusive deals, editors' picks and new launches.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
NEED HELP?
CONTACT SUPPORT

FAMILY & PETS

My Dog Tried Ollie For Two Weeks: This Is Her Honest Review

January 10, 2024
At Primary Goods, we have an independent selection process & only review what we fully endorse. If you buy a product via our links, we may earn a commission.

Editor’s note: Our team (and their dogs!) love Ollie. If you’re looking to make the switch to fresh food for your dog, you can get 50% off your first box!

My senior dog, Maggie, is famously super picky. I’ve probably gone through 12 different brands of food in the 10 years she’s lived with me. And even the food she DOES want to eat, she treats very strangely – she does this thing where she’ll take a sock and jam it into her food bowl, “hiding” or “burying” some of the food intentionally. Then she’ll nose around the sock and try to eat whatever food she can reach. It’s absurd.

I’ve usually stuck to traditional kibbles with a wet topper, but I decided that it was finally time to make a change so my pup can live out her golden years with a food she truly loves (and maybe has a simpler eating routine with). So I started asking around – starting with some of the dog owners Maggie and I have been running into on our nightly walks. 

An older man who was walking a delightfully friendly (and extremely glossy!) Golden Retriever had an intriguing suggestion: a fresh food called Ollie. He swore that it kept his dog happy and healthy, so I immediately went home and looked it up. To my surprise they weren’t just a niche nibble – they had thousands of 5-star reviews

Credit: Ollie
Credit: Ollie


Read on for my (and Maggie’s) full review! If you’re feeling impatient, head straight to the good stuff here.

Getting Started

The first step to determining what kinds of meal plan they were going to construct for Maggie was to take the super comprehensive quiz on their site. They asked me about her birthday, her breeds, her weight, her age, her activity level, and even about her poop! After I inputted all the information, they gave me a calorie recommendation of 300 calories per day, plus a breakdown of what the different plans could look like. 

The Plans

They have three different subscription plans available: the Full Fresh, Mixed Bowl, and Half Fresh. Note: the pricing below is for a 13-pound senior pup with a low activity level. If you have a larger dog, a puppy, or a super active canine, you’ll definitely end up with a pricier plan because your dog’s going to need more food.

Full Fresh

  • $27 discounted to $13.50/week 
  • Only fresh food
  • Made with human-grade ingredients
  • Provides 100% of your dog’s recommended calories

Mixed Bowl

  • $23 discounted to $11.50/week 
  • Half fresh food, half baked food (looks like kibble but more gently processed)
  • Made with human-grade ingredients
  • Provides 100% of your dog’s recommended calories

Half Fresh

  • $18.90 discounted to $9.45/week
  • Only fresh food
  • Made with human-grade ingredients
  • Provides 50% of your dog’s recommended calories – meaning that you can use it as a topper or supplement for your pup’s other food

Considering everything, I decided to go with the Full Fresh plan. To me, the main appeal about Ollie was the fact that it’s FRESH. I love the idea of feeding my dog something completely new that reminds me the most of food I might actually eat. Not that I’m planning on eating Maggie’s food. But in an emergency… well, it is human grade! Don’t eat your dog’s food! Save it for their hungry bellies.

See what Ollie plan is right for your pup!

Credit: Ollie

The Recipes

I’m going to let you know allllll the different recipe options they offer, but I’ll give you a quick spoiler before I get started: I opted for the Fresh Beef and Fresh Lamb for no other reason than it’s what I thought my dog might like the best.
Without further ado, let’s get into the recipes and their major benefits: 

If I end up subscribing to get more orders (read to the end to see my final verdict!), I might try the chicken and maybe the turkey. My dog does have somewhat of a sensitive stomach but she’s also kind of a chicken addict, so I try to minimize how much of it I give her so that she doesn’t accidentally choke herself by eating it too fast. Unfortunately it’s a very real concern!

No items found.

Pros

  • Easy-to-open fresh food
  • Human-grade
  • Minimal processing
  • High-quality ingredients
  • No preservatives, fillers, or artificial flavors
  • Meat is the first ingredient
  • No corn, wheat, or soy
  • Crafted in US facilities
  • Designed with vet nutritionists
  • Meets AAFCO standards
  • Great for picky eaters
  • Helps with easy digestion
  • Promotes a softer coat
  • Sparks more energy
  • Personalized plan

Cons

  • Fresh dog food must be stored frozen prior to thawing+takes up freezer space
  • Available by subscription only
  • Can’t purchase individual packs of food
  • No full baked plan
Credit: Ollie

The Extras

I didn’t get any with this box but if I keep ordering Ollie, I definitely want to try some of their super enticing looking add-ons! They have quite the array:

  • Beef and Sweet Potato Treats: A nutritious treat for dogs of all ages.
  • Chicken and Apple Treats: Antioxidants, protein and fiber all in one hearty treat.
  • Sweet Potato Slices: Just the sweet potatoes, nothing more. 
  • Probiotic Chews: Perfect for tummy troubles. 
  • Hip & Joint Chews: For healthy hips and joints. 
  • Calming Chews: For the pup who works a 9-5 and needs to mellow out. 

Given her advanced age, I think Maggie could benefit from the Hip & Joint Supplement Chews in the future, so I’ll be sure to update you guys when I give those a try! 

The Deals

I mentioned this earlier, but my first box for 2 weeks worth of food was only $21.96. I got 40% off with their intro offer, but you can save 50%. If you’re on the fence about trying Ollie for the first time, I’d say just do it because their intro offer is simply that good.

Credit: @Ollie on Instagram

The Verdict

Okay, so I’ve told you everything there is to know about Ollie INTELLECTUALLY. But heart and soul, it really comes down to: does my picky and particular little senior pup love it?

Drumroll, please…

Yes, she does! 

When I first plopped the Ollie food in her bowl, Maggie was a little unsure. After all, she’s used to kibble and the little clinky sounds it makes when it drops in your bowl. But after she gave it a good long sniff (and started to bury it with a sock), she started lapping it up like it was going out of style. Truly gobbling the stuff down. I started her on the Fresh Beef recipe, but her reaction to the lamb was the same. She absolutely devoured it. 

Will I Subscribe?

Obviously the answer here is yes. When it comes to feeding my dog, I have finally seen the light, and the light has shown me that she deserves the best. She deserves Ollie. Just looking at the focused expression on her face as she chowed down on the first fresh food she’s ever tried in her long life told me everything I needed to know. 

And if you want to try Ollie for your own beloved pooch, you can get 50% off your first box if you order today!

No items found.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Get early access to exclusive deals, editors' picks, and new launches.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
© Primary Goods. All rights reserved. Read our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.