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NomNomNow Review: A Vet Formulated Homemade Dog Food Service

Pets are currently eating better than they ever have before in some ways, and worse than they ever did in others. While modern balanced diets no doubt provide a more complete source of vitamins and minerals than table scraps or garbage heaps ever did, products like kibble and canned food may have had many important nutrients cooked out of them and chemical additives put into them.

Not all dogs can eat raw food, and not every human is willing or able to deal with raw. NomNomNow is one of the companies that has stepped into the void of canine nutrition and offered up another option: cooked, human-grade food delivered fresh to your home.

Ingredients & Sourcing

The ingredients in Nom Nom Now’s recipes are sourced from human restaurant suppliers and mixed together in the company’s human-grade kitchen located in the San Francisco Bay Area. All of the food is USDA certified and inspected upon arrival to the kitchen.

All of the recipes are simple, containing meats (or another protein source, for the veggie version), vegetables, natural oils, and the company’s nutrient mix of vitamins and minerals. There are no additives or preservatives in the food, which arrives fresh and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, or the freezer for up to 6 months.

No NomNomNow review would be complete without a note that all of the packaging is completely recyclable. For us eco-conscious folks, this is important!

Nutrition & NomNomNutrient Mix

There are five recipes available at this time:

  • Beef
  • Turkey
  • Chicken
  • Pork
  • Veggie (egg-based)

Each recipe is a little different, offering a number of choices for owners of picky or allergic dogs. Three of the four varieties (beef, chicken, and pork) are grain-free, and all of the recipes are gluten-free. The turkey recipe has brown rice in it, and the veggie version uses teff as a grain source.

Heartland Beef Mash: Ground beef, potatoes, carrots, egg, NomNomNutrient Mix, fish oil. Percent of calories: 32% protein, 44% fat, 24% carbs.

Tasty Turkey Fare: Ground turkey, brown rice, carrots, spinach, egg, NomNomNutrient Mix, fish oil. Percent of calories: 30% protein, 40% fat, 30% carbs.

Chicken Chow-Wow: Chicken thighs, sweet potatoes, yellow squash, spinach, NomNomNutrient Mix, fish oil. Percent of calories: 41% protein, 45% fat, 14% carbs.

Porkalicious Potluck: Pork, potatoes, kale, green beans, zucchini, mushrooms, NomNomNutrient Mix, fish oil. Percent of calories: 23% protein, 53% fat, 24% carbs.

Egg and Veggie Medley: Eggs, firm tofu, teff, carrots, green beans, dried mulberries, bamboo shoots, chia seeds, coconut oil, NomNomNutrient Mix. Percent of calories: 31% protein, 47% fat, 22% carbs.

All four of the meat-containing recipes meet AAFCO standards for all life stages, meaning that they can be fed to puppies or adult dogs. The veggie recipe meets AAFCO standards for maintenance, meaning that it is only appropriate for adult dogs. Because the recipes are formulated to meet strict nutrition standards, unlike other homemade dog food services, they cannot be customized.

The NomNomNutrient Mix is proprietary, so we can’t tell exactly what is in it. However, it is made up of vitamins and minerals that are natural, made in the USA, and suitable for human consumption. Dr. Justin Shmalberg, a leading veterinary nutritionist, is responsible for the formulation and balancing of the nutrient mix.

Ordering and Delivery

When it came time to put the food to the test, the ordering system was quick and easy. It only requested a few pieces of information about our test dog, Casey, who is 8-year-old poodle mix at an ideal weight of 25 pounds:

  • Species (They offer freshly made cat food, too)
  • Name
  • Current weight
  • Ideal weight
  • Birth date

The system then offered prices for each of the options, as well as an offer for 50% off our first order. It also told us that we would receive samples of all the flavors in our first shipment to try them out. Casey is the world’s least picky eater, but this feature could be really great for pet parents with particular dogs.

Their delivery service is available to be shipped to all 48 contiguous U.S. states on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly schedule. Auto-delivery, including automatic rotation of flavors, is available. If you need to pause or edit your delivery options, you can do some from the website.

They also have a concept called ’emergency meals’, which are extra portions of your dog’s regularly-delivered food to store in your freezer, in case a delivery gets stalled or damaged. Subscribers receive these once their dog has completely transitioned to NomNomNow.

Cost

Because Casey is allergic to pork, we ruled that recipe out right away. However, it is actually their most popular option, apparently. Each recipe is priced a bit differently, and pricing is given as a weekly cost:

  • Heartland Beef Mash: $34.55/week
  • Tasty Turkey Fare: $32.28/week
  • Chicken Chow-Wow: $37.45/week
  • Porkalicious Potluck: $33.04/week
  • Egg and Veggie Medley: $43.76/week

Oddly enough, the egg and veggie variety is the most expensive by far. This is probably due to some of the more unique ingredients in the recipe, such as mulberries and coconut oil.

The price is dependent on size, so owners of bigger dogs can expect to pay more. There is a significant discount for owners of multiple dogs, though. NomNomNow cost averaged down a bit when Casey gained a (fictional) sibling dog of the same weight in the ordering system, the price of the Heartland Beef Mash recipe for both was $53.59 per week.

Overall Impression

Cost is a major factor in the decision. However, the target market for this food is not people who currently feed their dogs kibble and are happy with that. People in the market for good, fresh food expect to pay more.

Raw food is not cheap, and nor is the expense of a second freezer, the increase in utility bills to run the freezer, or the time required to prepare it. When it is compared to other homemade food delivery services that share similar benefits, Nom Nom Now is reasonably priced.

NomNomNow reviews praise the customer service of the company but we haven’t had a need to find out what it is like. The free shipping is a definite bonus, and the 30-day Care guarantee is unique.

This offer states that the company will buy your pet’s next meal purchase (up to $40) if you do not see a noticeable difference in your pet after 30 days of eating the food. For pet parents who can afford the best, NomNomNow should definitely be on your list of options.

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