It can be very worrying when your dog is refusing to eat their food.
While sometimes this can be a sign of illness, there are some dogs that are just fussy when it comes to what meals they eat.
As a pet owner with two picky eaters, I know all too well the stress involved with trying to find dog food for fussy pups.
I’ve got two Alaskan Klee Kai dogs who are notoriously particular about their meals, often turning their nose up at the contents of their dog bowl.
However, I was introduced to the dog food delivery concept and fortunately these freshly prepared meals changed my Klee Kai’s eating habits.
They were no longer fussy and instead gobbled down their home-cooked food, with the meals conveniently delivered directly to my door.
Having experienced the challenges involved with owning fussy dogs, I’ve taken a look at some of the best tasting dog food for picky eaters.
In this article, I will review my top picks based upon my experience.
Editor's note: The content on this website is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as veterinary, medical or professional advice. The content of our articles does not constitute veterinary advice. It’s always best to speak with your vet or a certified pet nutritionist before making any changes to your pet's diet or feeding routine.
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Best Dog Food For Fussy Eaters UK
| Rating | Summary | Website | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butternut Box |
|
• Rip-and-serve meals • Four recipes • Top ingredients | Buy Now | |
| Pure |
|
• Air-dried food • Backed by vets • Customised | Buy Now | |
| Different Dog |
|
• Homecooked • Recipe variety • Eco-friendly | Buy Now | |
| Tails |
|
• Scooper • Flexibility • Dry and wet food | Buy Now |
Best Dog Food For Picky Eaters UK
Editor's note: Be sure to check the latest information shown on the official website of any product you're considering purchasing, as details may change from time to time and therefore may differ from what's shown on this page.
With the introduction out of the way, let’s take a look at four of the best dog food options for pet owners with picky eaters available in the UK right now based upon my experience testing the food on my two fussy dogs.
1) Butternut Box
Website: www.butternutbox.com
Alaskan Klee Kai Copper with his Butternut Box delivery (Photo: @lifewithkleekai / Instagram)
Butternut Box are looking to provide dog owners with a fresh alternative when it comes to dog nutrition. They only use the freshest possible ingredients in their home-cooked meals, which are tailored to meet your dog’s specific needs. Whether your four-legged friend needs to lose weight or gain weight, or you’re just looking to spice up their meals, Butternut Box have you covered. You won’t find any mystery fillers and preservatives unlike some traditional options. They offer 10 different recipes so there should be something for all dogs, whether they prefer, chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, duck, game, pork or something else. You can mix and match in order to keep your fussy eater’s taste buds guessing. My Alaskan Klee Kai dogs have always been fussy eaters and they quickly become bored with kibble. While chicken and rice was a temporary fix, I wanted something more long term to keep them happy in the UK. They loved Butternut Box’s meals – and still do! I wasn’t used to seeing my dogs get excited about mealtime but they now sit by their bowls when they know it’s time to be fed. They lick each other’s bowls to make sure there are no scraps left over. I can see that the meals are used with human grade ingredients. Butternut Box use pre-portioned pouches, so serving my dogs is as simple as rip and serve. The pouches are much more space efficient than some other companies I’ve tried. As a pet owner who cares about the environment, I really appreciated that Butternut Box use boxes, ice packs and insulation that can all be recycled. Butternut Box have an incredible score of 4.9 based upon over 15,000 reviews on Trustpilot. That’s a lot of happy dog and dog owners! Of the dog food delivery companies that I’ve reviewed, Butternut Box represent the best overall value and that’s why they’re my number one picky for dog owners with picky eaters.
We can offer helloBARK! readers who are genuinely interested in making a permanent change to fresh and healthy meals an exclusive discount on Butternut Box’s meals. New customers can get 50% off their first order and 50% off their second order by clicking here.
2) Pure Pet Food
Website: purepetfood.com
Alaskan Klee Kai with their Pure Pet Food (Photo: www.hellobark.com)
Pure Pet Food offer a slightly different alternative. Pure have created air-dried dog food that is combined with water to create your dog’s balanced and complete meals. They source their ingredients within the UK and your dog’s recipes will be full of the same ingredients that you’d find in your own food. So you can feel confident your dog is eating a diet comprised of ingredients that you’d eat itself. Pure finely chop and gently remove the moisture from their ingredients to naturally preserve them and lock in their nutritional goodness. Pure only use natural ingredients and don’t include any nasties as they prepare their healthy meals in their dedicated kitchen in Yorkshire. They add that air drying is a natural form of preservation so Pure don’t have to cook their recipes at harmful high temperatures or use high-pressure processing methods. Pure Pet Food do offer a more convenient way of feeding your dog balanced and complete meals seeing as their air-dried food can be stored in your cupboard rather than taking up fridge or freezer space – that’s a bonus. They’re more economical than pre-cooked dog meals. While my dogs enjoyed Pure Pet Food, they did prefer their pre-cooked meals but that’s just my two! Pure have a great reputation for helping picky eaters, which is evident when you read through their 3,500+ reviews on Trustpilot. They’ve got an average score of 4.7.
You can save 30% of your first Pure box and a further 10% of your next two Pure boxes when you click this link.
3) Different Dog
Website: www.differentdog.com
Skye and Different Dog’s Health+ range (Photo: lifewithkleekai / Instagram)
Different Dog are a Shropshire company looking to revolutionise the way dog owners feed their pups in the UK, steering pet parents away from traditional dog food options. They want to improve your dog’s health (and happiness) by feeding them with their home-cooked recipes, which have been created with help from vet nutritionists. Their recipes are all hand-cooked so you know that they really create these meals with the fine details in mind. You just need to fill out a questionnaire when you sign up to give them all the key information about your dog. Different Dog offer a tasty menu of 10 recipes to choose from and pet parents can mix and match to ensure their fussy eater has variety. Different Dog are good option for pet owners with picky eaters because they’ve got such a diverse range of recipes. There really is something to satisfy every dog, even if you’ve got an extremely fussy canine companion. They store their meals in trays which can be troublesome if you’ve got a small freezer like me or limited space but Different Dog are a fantastic option for dog owners if budget isn’t an issue. They’ve got a great average rating of 4.8 stars based upon over 1,000 reviews. They offer a premium service so expect to pay a premium price. If you’ve got the room in your budget, they could be a fantastic option for you your fussy pup.
If you’re interested in making the switch to Different Dog, we have a special discount for helloBARK! readers. You can get 35% off your first 2 Different Dog boxes by entering HELLOBARKCC35 at the checkout when you visit: differentdog.com
4) Tails
Website: tails.com
Copper and Skye with their Tails dog food (Photo: @lifewithkleekai / Instagram)
Tails are a dog food delivery company who offer pet parents a range of dry and wet food. Unlike Butternut Box and Different Dog, they don’t offer home-cooked fresh meals that look like human food. Having said that, Tails still use natural ingredients in their kibble, which is baked to perfection. They still customise their meals to meet your fussy eater’s needs based upon the information you provide when you sign up. So your dog’s specific requirements will met, whether they need to eat more or shed a few pounds. Tails go into great detail about their food, showing complete transparency. They provide a customised scooper with your first order with instructions on how to make it the right dimensions. This ensures you won’t overfeed your dog. Tails offer three flavours for dogs: lamb, salmon and chicken. As you would expect from balanced and healthy dog meals, there’s lots of grains and vegetables in their recipes. These include peas, beet pulp, potatoes, brown rice, oats, sweet potatoes and carrots. If you want to stick with dry food, Tails have some fantastic kibble options to ensure your dog is eating dog food free from any nasties or unwanted additives. We think Tails is a good option for pet parents who want to stick with kibble. I must admit that my Alaskan Klee Kai’s reaction to the dry food wasn’t as enthusiastic as their love for Butternut Box and Different Dog. Having said that, they may simply prefer home-cooked meals to kibble. Tails get 4.5 stars out of 5 based upon nearly 35,000 reviews on Trustpilot.
We have another exclusive offer for customers who’d like to try Tails for their picky eaters. Our readers can get 75% off their first order of Tails when they click this link. To sign up, visit tails.com.
How Dog Food Delivery Companies Can Help Fussy Eaters
Dalmatian eats from dog bowl (Photo: Adobe Stock)
I really believe in the benefits that dog food delivery companies can bring to pet parents who have picky or fussy canine companions. I’ve already reviewed the best dog food delivery options in the UK.
But let’s here some more reasons why you should consider giving a dog food delivery company a go.
Fresh And Tasty Ingredients – The number one reason why you should give these meals a try is the fresh ingredients they use in their meals. After all, if we wouldn’t eat the meals why should we expect are dogs to eat them?
Customised Meals For Your Fussy Dog – These dog food delivery companies can tailor their meals to meet your pup’s specific needs. You can specify if your four-legged friend has a history of being a fussy eater.
Lots Of Recipe Variety – They provide lots of recipe variety so you have flexibility to change up your dog’s meals when you feel you need to spice it up.
Pre-Portioned Meals – You may be tempted to overfeed your dog when you see them gobble down their balanced and complete meals. Some companies pre portion their meals so you know exactly how much to feed your dog.
Guarantee – Most dog food delivery companies will give you a refund if your pet doesn’t like their food. You can also get a sample or trial box.
Anything Else To Consider?
Shetland Sheepdog drinks from water bowl (Photo: Adobe Stock)
We don’t recommend making an immediate switch when you receive your first delivery. You should make a gradual transition to your new dog food to ensure you don’t cause your pet to suffer from an upset tummy.
If you have any questions about how to best make the transition, you can contact the dog food delivery company who have lots of vet experts to help offer advice.
In Conclusion
Dog eats food from bowl (Photo: Adobe Stock)
So we’ve reached the end of our feature on the best dog food for picky eaters in the UK.
We’ve taken a look at four different British companies that I believe can help pet parents with fussy dogs.
I rate Butternut Box as the best option of these four best dog food companies but you won’t go wrong by selecting either of the other two if you’ve got a picky eater right now.
I’ve seen the benefits of dog food delivery companies first hand on my Alaskan Klee Kai dogs.
By making the change to fresh meals, I’ve saved money and time with less trips to the vet.
We can offer helloBARK! readers who are genuinely interested in making a permanent change to fresh and healthy meals an exclusive discount on Butternut Box’s meals. New customers can get 50% off their first order and 50% off their second order by clicking here.
