Owning a dog is a big responsibility.
You’ve got the obvious considerations, such as ensuring your pup gets enough exercise and taking out pet insurance.
But another thing to consider is their diet. Does your dog get balanced, complete and healthy meals?
There’s a growing trend towards using freshly cooked dog food delivery companies to provide our beloved pets with the necessary nutrients and vitamins for a balanced diet.
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.
In this article, we’re going to take a close look at Nom Nom and Pet Plate, who are two dog food delivery companies shaping the market in the USA.
We’ll examine in close detail the different recipes on offer, packaging and preparation, as well as whether the service provided by each company represents value for money.
We’re going to provide the key details about both Nom Nom and Pet Plate, while examining whether either company make it onto our list of the best dog food delivery companies available right now.
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Nom Nom – The Basics
Website: www.nomnomnow.com
Labrador pup eats Nom Nom (Photo: Nom Nom)
Nom Nom are an American company offering a fresh approach to dog food.
They source whole, restaurant-quality ingredients to help provide your pup with a healthy source of energy. Their meals are cooked fresh every week in their own facilities.
While you may be fearful of using traditional dog food, you can get peace of mind knowing that Nom Nom inspect every ingredient. Their website explains that Nom Nom’s policy is if humans wouldn’t eat it, then it won’t make your dog’s bowl.
They require some key details about your canine to get an understanding of their age, size, breed, activity level, allergy issues and other fine details. By inputting this key information, Nom Nom can come up with a customised meal plan for your pup.
Nom Nom’s meals are individually vacuumed sealed and perfectly portioned for each pet based upon the recommendations of their expert Dr Shmalberg.
Their recipes are Beef Mash, Turkey Fare, Chicken Cuisine and Pork Potluck. You can also try their variety pack if you want to see which recipe your dog enjoys the most before committing to a larger order.
If you’re unsure which recipe will best suit your dog, you could always purchase Nom Nom’s Variety Pack at a one-off $20 cost. You’ll receive four 200g packets of their four recipes without having to sign up to a subscription plan. New customers can purchase the variety pack here.
Your pup’s tasty grub is delivered directly to your home just days after being prepared. They use insulation and ice to ensure the meals remain cool and unspoilt.
There’s minimal fuss where Nom Nom’s meals are concerned: one bag is one meal. So you won’t need to mess around with kitchen utensils to work out the correct portion.
Pet Plate – The Basics
Website: www.petplate.com
PetPlate offer home cooked meals fresh to your door (Photo: Pet Plate)
Pet Plate offer quality meals using food that is made in a USDA facility with human-grade ingredients.
They go on to say that every batch of Pet Plate grub is tested for safety and flash-frozen to lock in freshness.
Their website writes that their vet-designed, balanced recipes will mean fewer trips to the vet for you and your dog. A big claim!
You’ll be required to share some of your dog’s details and personal characteristics so Pet Plate can craft a meal plan that meets your canine’s needs.
Like Nom Nom, Pet Plate offer four different recipes: Barkin’ Beef, Chompin’ Chicken, Lip Lickin’ Lamb and Tail Waggin’ Turkey.
Pet Plate’s pre-cooked meals are stored in pre-portioned containers to ensure less stress and less mess for dog owners.
The company go on to make another claim that even the pickiest of pups “dig” Pet Plate thanks to their USDA meat and fresh produce.
For pet parents who are still unsure about Pet Plate, their website offers eight different ways their food can improve your dog’s quality of life: mealtime excitement, better poops, less itching, cleaner dishes, healthier weight, shinier coats, allergy relief and tighter waistlines.
Things To Consider When Picking Dog Food Delivery
Golden Retrievers eye into Nom Nom (Photo: Nom Nom)
• Ingredients – As a dog owner, you’ll want peace of mind knowing that your dog is eating healthy ingredients. Both Nom Nom and Pet Plate fulfill that criteria with fresh and quality ingredients going into their tasty dog meals.
• Recipe Variety – If you’ve got picky pups like me, you’ll have experienced those feelings of concern when your dog won’t eat. For that reason, I like to see a variety of recipes so I can keep my dogs stimulated at dinner time. Nom Nom and Pet Plate offer four different recipes to give pet parents options.
• Expert Input – We all like to hear that experts are involved. Nom Nom’s meals are formulated by Dr Justin Shmalberg, who they describe on their website as a “leader in veterinary nutrition”. Pet Plate don’t name any experts that they used but make it clear on their website that the meals are “vet-designed”. After a little more investigation, we discovered that Dr. Renee Streeter is Pet Plate’s veterinary nutritionist.
• Packaging And Preparation – It’s vital that dog food delivery companies can dispatch your pup’s meals on time and do everything possible to ensure they arrive intact and unspoilt. When it comes to meal time, you’ll want minimal fuss. We like that both Nom Nom and Pet Plate offer pre portioned meals so you don’t have to stress about getting out scales or utensils.
• Ordering Experience – Whether you’re tech savvy or not, you want the ordering process to be simple and swift. At the same time, dog food delivery companies need to strike a balance and ask a sufficient number of questions to ensure the meals are tailored to your dog.
• Price – If you’re prepared to go down the dog food delivery route, you should expect to pay a premium price. These services don’t come cheap but the upside is your dog will be getting a complete and healthy diet.
• Delivery Schedule – For pet parents with a hectic work schedule, a long commute or busy social life, you’ll want to have the flexibility to choose a delivery date and time that works for you.
Nom Nom vs Pet Plate – Our Recommendation
Alaskan Klee Kai Skye eyes some Nom Nom during a walk in San Fransisco (Photo: @lifewithkleekai / Instagram)
So it’s decision time: Nom Nom or Pet Plate?
We believe Nom Nom and Pet Plate are both good options for pet parents. They’ve got a good range of recipes, their meals are pre-portioned and well packaged.
However, in our opinion, Nom Nom is a little head of Pet Plate.
During the ordering process, we felt that Nom Nom paid a little more attention to the finer details. You’re able to input more information to give a clear insight into your dog’s activity level and body type.
Nom Nom provide the option to input any allergies your dog may have, which is something we didn’t see on Pet Plate’s website.
We also like that Nom Nom have a variety pack that requires zero commitment, just a one-off $20 fee. You can allow your dog to taste test their recipes without being tied into a subscription plan.
For this reason, Nom Nom gets the nod from us. Having said that, it’s clear Pet Plate are doing a great job and you can’t go too far wrong by choosing either of these companies to fuel your dog!
What Are Customers Saying About Nom Nom And Pet Plate?
Nom Nom can tailor meals to each individual dog in the household (Photo: Nom Nom)
Nom Nom gets a five-star rating on Trust Pilot based upon 750 reviews.
One Nom Nom customer Peggy revealed that she’s fully satisfied with the service since making the switch:
Our dog absolutely loves his new food. Easy to serve portions make mealtime prep quick and easy, which makes me happy. Nom Nom customer service has far exceeded my expectations when I’ve had questions, always responding quickly with clear and helpful answers. I am so glad we made the switch to Nom Nom.
Another NNN customer called Steve shed light on his Miniature Schnauzer’s transformation:
My dog absolutely loves this food. He is a very very, very picky eater and when I put it in the bowl he follows me barking waiting to eat. He’s a Miniature Schnauzer and now has a lot more energy, so absolutely worth it.
Pet Plate’s website has a review section on their website. Their customers have given them 4.69 out of 5 based upon 265 reviews. However, we struggled to find customer reviews elsewhere online apart from dedicated journalists.
Of their 256 reviews, 195 are five stars, 47 are four stars, 11 are three stars, one is two stars and two customers left a one-star review.
One French Bulldog owner was delighted with the food’s positive effect:
I have a white French Bulldog and he dog loves the food. His tear stains are clearing up and he his digestive symptoms are gone. When he had an issue with one of the flavors, the customer service team quickly handled it.
One customer with two Yorkshire Terriers offered some constructive feedback:
My 2 Yorkies can be picky eaters but they do like Pet Plate. The only thing I wish they would change is the texture. The meat is so ground up that it is like caned dog food, I wish in was more chunkier. That would make it easier for them to eat and look more like home cooked meals like I feed them.
Nom Nom And Pet Plate Discounts
Frenchie nibbles Nom Nom (Photo: Nom Nom)
We did thorough research to see if we could find any discounts or coupon codes for helloBARK! readers.
While we were unable to find any offers for Pet Plate, we do have a tasty discount for Nom Nom.
If you’d like to give Nom Nom a try, you can get a 50% discount off your first order by clicking this link.
Once you’ve placed your first Nom Nom order, the 50% discount should be automatically applied at the checkout.
Anything else to consider?
We like to learn more about the people behind the brands.
Alex Jarrell started Nom Nom to create a diet that was easy for her Australian Shepherd Harlee to eat. Frustrated by the other options on the market, Alex began Nom Nom to help other dog owners with a similar dilemma.
Pet Plate founder Renaldo Webb was horrified when he learned what was being used for traditional dog food. His own dog Winston loved Renaldo’s cooking, which triggered his mission to create healthy, fresh-cooked food for dogs everywhere.
Wrapping Things Up – Final Thoughts
Copper and Skye the Alaskan Klee Kai tucking into some Nom Nom (Photo: @lifewithkleekai / Instagram)
That brings us to the end of our Nom Nom and Pet Plate comparison.
There’s no doubt that both Nom Nom and Pet Plate provide great food options for dog owners.
We love that both companies pre portion their meals to ensure minimal fuss and stress at meal time.
Nom Nom got the nod ahead of Pet Plate thanks to their more thorough ordering process. We’re big fans of their rip-and-serve packaging, which are easy to store in your freezer.
But whether you go for Nom Nom or Pet Plate, you can get some peace of mind that your dog is eating a healthy and nutritious food.
