Best Gently Cooked Dog Food

Do you have a dog with special dietary needs or health issues? Do you want to give your pup the very best nutritional care without breaking the bank?

If so, then you might be interested in Nom Nom, a fresh pet food delivery service.

Unlike raw food, which has the potential to carry dangerous bacteria, all Nom Nom’s meals are lightly cooked to ensure the safety of your furry friend while maintaining the nutrients.

In this post, we will share with you our two-week trial review of Nom Nom and tell you all about the advantages of gently cooked dog food.

Is Nom Nom the Best Gently Cooked Dog Food?

About Nom Nom

Rated the #1 dog food delivery service on Reviews.com, Nom Nom is a pet health company that delivers fresh, USDA grade dog and cat food, nutritious treats, supplements and even microbiome testing kits right to your door.

Nom Nom started in 2015, with headquarters in Oakland, CA and FDA-compliant production facilities in California and Tennessee.

Dr. Justin Shmalberg, Nom Nom’s Chief Nutrition Officer, is one of 100 board-certified Veterinary Nutritionists in the US.

Justin formulates all of the recipes at Nom Nom and strives to exceed the standards set by the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials).

How Does Nom Nom Work?

You can sign up for an account (and get 50% off your first order) by visiting this link.

When you sign up for Nom Nom, you fill out a profile for each pet you want to receive the service. You’ll answer a few simple questions about your pet’s health information, such as his weight, dietary restrictions and health goals.

This helps the Nom Nom team measure your dog’s food to the correct portion size and make relevant health recommendations.

For dog and cat food, Nom Nom offers fresh food delivery on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis, depending on location. Shipments are auto-renewed, which means you don’t have to worry about reordering each month.

However, you can update, pause or cancel your subscription anytime.

All the meals are sorted into individual packets, so you know exactly how much to feed your pet. You can select at signup whether you want to feed your pet one or two meals per day, and if you want a full portion or a half portion.

Half portions are best for when you are first switching your pet’s food to Nom Nom food, as you’ll need to gradually mix the new food in with the old to avoid stomach upset.

Nom Nom Recipes and Ingredients

Nom Nom currently offers four different recipes for dogs and two recipes for cats:

• Beef Mash (dogs)
• Chicken Chow (dogs)
• Turkey Fare (dogs)
• Pork Potluck (dogs)
• Chicken Cuisine (cats)
• Fish Feast (cats)

You can try a variety pack without a subscription to help determine which flavor your pet likes best. All the recipes are completely natural and contain restaurant-quality ingredients.

If you’re not sure which recipe is right for your dog, make sure to contact Nom Nom’s nutrition experts for a free consultation.

Below are the dog and cat recipes:

Beef Mash (gluten-free): ground beef, russet potatoes, eggs, carrots, peas, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, fish oil, sunflower oil, vinegar, citric acid (preservative), taurine, choline bitartrate, zinc gluconate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, copper gluconate, manganese gluconate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), selenium yeast, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12 supplement, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), potassium iodide

Chicken Chow: diced chicken, sweet potatoes, yellow squash, spinach, sunflower oil, dicalcium phosphate, canola oil, calcium carbonate, fish oil, vinegar, citric acid, taurine, choline bitartrate, zinc gluconate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, copper gluconate, manganese gluconate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), selenium yeast, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12 supplement, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), potassium iodide

Turkey Fare (gluten-free): Ground turkey, eggs, brown rice, carrots, spinach, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, fish oil, vinegar, citric acid, taurine, choline bitartrate, zinc gluconate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, copper gluconate, manganese gluconate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), selenium yeast, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12 supplement, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), potassium iodide

Pork Potluck: Ground pork, russet potatoes, green beans, yellow squash, brown mushrooms, kale, dicalcium phosphate, salt, fish oil, vinegar, citric acid, taurine, choline bitartrate, zinc gluconate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, copper gluconate, manganese gluconate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), selenium yeast, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12 supplement, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), potassium iodide

Chicken Cuisine: Chicken thigh, chicken breast, chicken liver, carrots, asparagus, cantaloupe, spinach, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, taurine, choline bitartrate, zinc gluconate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, copper gluconate, manganese gluconate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), selenium yeast, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12 supplement, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), potassium iodide

Fish Feast: Tilapia, salmon, beef fat, cassava root, carrots, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, taurine, choline bitartrate, zinc gluconate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, copper gluconate, manganese gluconate, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), selenium yeast, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12 supplement, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), potassium iodide

Nom Nom Treats

Nom Nom also makes two varieties of healthy treats that are suitable for both dogs and cats. The two treat options contain only one ingredient.

Chicken Jerky: 100% restaurant-grade USDA-certified chicken breast

Beef Jerky: Restaurant-grade 100% restaurant-grade USDA-certified top sirloin beef

Benefits of Gently Cooked Food for Dogs

Gently cooked dog food is food that has been heated to the required temperature to kill pathogens like salmonella and e-coli.

This means that gentle cooking preserves the nutritional value of the products while eliminating harmful bacteria.

Here are some of the benefits compared to kibble:

• Wholesome, fresh ingredients
• No added fillers and preservatives
• High protein levels
• Relatively low in carbs
• Easy to digest
• Great for weak immune systems
• Less chance of allergies

Benefits of Feeding Your Dog Nom Nom

There are many health benefits of Nom Nom’s carefully formulated pet food. Based on user reviews, you may expect the following from your pet while using Nom Nom’s food delivery service:

• Eagerness to eat
• Increased energy
• Improved breath
• Smaller stools
• Softer, shinier coat
• Less shedding
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Better stamina
• An overall happier, healthier pet

Benefits of Nom Nom for pet parents include:

• Never having to purchase pet food again
• Never having to carry and store heavy containers of kibble or canned food
• Never having to find and prepare home-cooked pet food recipes
• Fewer trips to the vet and other health expenses resulting from a poor diet
• Possible longer lifespan of your pet
• Peace of mind that you are giving your pet the freshest, healthiest food on the market

Nom Nom Review: Our Hands-On Experience

Before starting my two-week Nom Nom trial, I was looking into fresh dog food delivery services for my 8-pound chihuahua, Phillip. Eight pounds may not sound like a lot, but according to Phillip’s veterinarian, he’s overweight by about a pound.

Considering that’s an eighth of his total body weight, that’s a huge amount for my little guy to lose.

Prior to trying Nom Nom, Phillip ate Blue Buffalo dry kibble. Phillip is a medium-picky eater and he loves food, especially whatever I’m eating.

He will try almost anything, but I’ve noticed that he’s not interested in bread and some fruits. Some days he refuses even his favorite foods for no discernible reason, probably because he is spoiled.

I chose the Chicken Chow flavor of Nom Nom dog food because his kibble is chicken flavored, so I thought they would mix well together and help ease the transition.

What’s in the Box?

When I opened the Nom Nom box, I was delighted by how simply everything was packaged. There were no confusing labels or instructions, just the food in the packets with some informational sheets.

I thought dog food subscriptions would be similar to human food delivery services, where the subscriber receives the ingredients and then prepares the food according to directions.

Nom Nom couldn’t have made their service easier to use!

It involves no cooking, thawing or even touching the ingredients. You simply store the meal packets in the refrigerator, take one out and tear it open (you don’t even need scissors!) and empty it into your dog’s bowl.

Voila! A delicious, nutritious meal of gently cooked food for your dog.

The package contained dry ice, which kept everything cold until I got home to unpack the box. Also, I was pleasantly surprised to find two sample bags, one of each flavor of Nom Nom’s treats!

The dry ice kept the food a little colder than it would be in the fridge, so I just ran the sealed packet under warm water for 30 seconds to thaw it. The rest of the packets went into the fridge and didn’t need to be thawed after that.

Keep in mind, any food that’s not consumed within 7 days, should go to the freezer.

Switching Foods

Worried that my dog would have an upset stomach from switching foods, I started with half portions mixed with a half portion of his kibble.

Nom Nom measures these half-portions for you, so my trial consisted of both half portions and full portions of Phillip’s food to help him make the switch. The Nom Nom food blended well with the kibble and combining them was easy.

I was a little concerned that Phillip might reject the food, or perhaps only eat the meat and leave the veggies behind because he does that sometimes when I prepare homemade dog food for him (I told you he was spoiled).

But he loved the Nom Nom food so much that he ate the entire bowl at once!

Normally, I measure his kibble in the morning and leave it out for him to snack on all day. He likes his kibble, but he only eats a few bites at a time, and never the whole bowl in one sitting. I took this as a great sign that he loved the Nom Nom food.

Another great thing I noticed with the Nom Nom food is that it doesn’t smell bad! Both wet and dry pet foods often have a strong, stinky smell to them, but Nom Nom barely has a scent. If anything, it smells faintly of a chicken dish for a human.

As someone who keeps kibble in an air-tight storage container because I hate when my room or house smells like dog food, this was a huge perk for me.

The Results

Phillip didn’t have any symptoms of an upset stomach after his first few servings of Nom Nom, and I was able to switch him to full portions of just the Nom Nom food quickly.

He never used to sit by his bowl waiting to be fed, but now that he’s on Nom Nom he constantly checks to see if any more fresh food will magically appear!

Phillip loves both flavors of the treats, too, and I feel less guilty spoiling him with them than I would with processed dog treats.

Even though I have to limit his treats because his goal is weight loss, I feel good about giving him the single-ingredient, premium quality treats.

How Much Does Nom Nom Cost?

Nom Nom charges for subscriptions based on your pet’s specifications, such as size and breed. Prices start at about $20/week and the average Nom Nom user pays about $35/week.

This price includes the cost of packaging and shipping, and you can add treats, supplements and a microbiome testing kit to your delivery as needed.

Is Nom Nom Worth It?

At $35/week, Nom Nom may seem like an extravagance, but the price is really a good value when you consider all that you’re getting.

For the flat rate of $35/week, you get freshly made food delivered to your door and you don’t have to measure or cook a thing. You also never have to lug a heavy bag of kibble or a box of canned food home from the pet store again.

Best of all, you get the reassurance that your dog is eating safe, high-quality, nutritious food that takes care of his health and potentially extends his life.

You might think that it’s super easy to make your own dog food at home, and in some ways, you are correct. The cooking part of making dog food at home is simple enough, knowing how to create a balanced diet for your dog – that’s the tricky part.

Pets have different nutritional needs than humans, so you would need to closely follow a homemade pet food recipe and the portion instructions to ensure that your dog is getting all the nutrients and calories he needs.

Plus, you have to keep making and portioning the food on a regular basis.

Nom Nom takes the guesswork out of finding and preparing a safe and healthy recipe for your pet, as well as measuring and packaging portion sizes.

If money is tight, you can always order half portions and add them to your dog’s kibble to reap some of the benefits of dog gently cooked food!

For now, I may subscribe to Nom Nom for a period of time to help get my dog’s weight under control and may resubscribe as needed in the future.

Click Here to save 50% on your first Nom Nom box (no coupon needed).