Do Vets Recommend The Farmer’s Dog?

Rooted in Science

The Farmer’s Dog has been guided by science since the beginning, using decades of pet nutrition research to inform the formulation of their human grade foods and working with vet nutritionists to grow into the fresh dog food delivery service that they are today.

Here’s what makes them different: Their foods are made to the same safety and quality standards that apply to human food, according to FDA and USDA regulations. This applies to the ingredients as well as the facility and method used to prepare them. This means that The Farmer’s Dog food is made and tested in human food facilities right alongside food that’s made for us humans, and is subject to the highest safety standards in the pet food industry. And the gentle cooking method offers distinct advantages over highly processed kibble, but more on that in a minute. 

Until recently, there hasn’t been a lot of research specifically on feeding fresh food diets. However, The Farmer’s Dog has set out to change this. In 2025, they poured an additional $10 million into research, and have published a number of studies since then that illustrate the benefits of feeding fresh, human grade food to dogs. 

First off, The Farmer’s Dog conducted several long-term feeding studies that show that their foods are complete and balanced, meeting or exceeding AAFCO standards, and are both highly digestible and bioavailable, meaning that your pup’s system can more easily absorb the nutrients that the food contains.

And then they published several new studies in 2025 that show other benefits of feeding fresh. Here’s an overview of some of The Farmer’s Dog’s latest research:

• A peer-reviewed study published in October of 2025 showed that fresh food from The Farmer’s Dog can meaningfully support healthier aging in dogs. 
• Another peer-reviewed study published in November 2025 showed that fresh dog food provides significant hydration benefits when compared to kibble-fed dogs, even though the dogs eating a kibble diet drank more water.

The company’s investment into veterinary nutrition research means that we can look forward to a lot more new information like this in coming years, too.

Board Certified Nutritionists

Board certified veterinary nutritionists are highly specialized practitioners that have completed a focused internship and a residency program on top of their traditional veterinary school training. These highly trained vets are able to work in various areas of veterinary nutrition, including research, patient care, consulting with veterinarians and more. It’s a rare specialization—in fact, only around 100 veterinarians in the U.S. currently hold this certification through the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine—and The Farmer’s Dog has a number of them on staff.

So why does that matter? In addition to the valuable research and patient care that veterinary nutritionists provide, they bring extra training to the table that’s necessary for diet formulation, disease management, research and education. Their specialty allows them to consider the physiology, metabolism and nutritional requirements for different species of animals and different life stages in every aspect of their work.

This is an extra level of care and intention that distinguishes The Farmer’s Dog from other fresh food brands.

Nutritionist-Formulated Meals

A vet’s advice was a catalyst in starting The Farmer’s Dog company, and vet professionals continue to play a hand in shaping every aspect of their products to this day. 

All of their recipes are developed by on-staff, board-certified nutritionists to be complete and balanced according to AAFCO standards for dogs in all life stages, from puppies to seniors. The Farmer’s Dog foods also meet the Guidelines for Selecting Pet Foods published by WSAVA, or the World Small Animal Veterinary Association. A team of on-staff veterinary professionals provide their expertise through educational resources that support dog owners as well as the veterinary community. And The Farmer’s Dog’s recipes are recommended by thousands of vets across the country.

So the short answer is yes—vets recommend The Farmer’s Dog. And they not only recommend it, they believe in the food enough to work for the company and contribute to the mission of providing uncomplicated care for dogs through high quality products, investing in the future of pet food research and setting a new standard for the pet food industry. It’s a company you can feel good supporting—but most importantly, you’ll be supporting your dog’s health and longevity in the process.