This resolution isn’t solely designed to deflect attention away from me and onto my pooch (although that’s a silver lining, to be sure).
It’s that time of year, when we’re all fielding questions left and right about our aspirations for the coming months. As for me, I’ve decided that 2025 will be the year of (my) dog. Let me explain…
It all started in Petco, during that hypnotic week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I was in line with Theo’s usual bag of kibble when I started reading the nutrition label on his food. It didn’t take long for me to realize that “nutrition” is a strong description for ingredients that include chicken by-product meal and caramel color.
It was at that moment I got out of line and headed home to do some research. There had to be a better way to nourish my baby. That’s when I found Ollie.
Who/What/Where is Ollie?
The need-to-knows are simple: Ollie is a highly customizable, human-grade, delivery dog food service. Their meals are slow-cooked in US kitchens, and their recipes are developed with the support of veterinary nutritionists. The best part? Ollie avoids artificial flavors, fillers (nutrition-less starches used to bulk up meals), and animal byproducts (amalgamations of extraneous, borderline inedible animal parts).
The website provides a welcome survey in which I shared a variety of details about Theo so that they could recommend the perfect portions and recipes for him.
Our first order, the Starter Box, came with roughly 2 weeks of food, a scoop, a Puptainer (to hold leftovers)… and the whole set was 50% off!
After taking the initial survey, I learned that Ollie offers two styles of food and three different meal plans. The food itself is either Fresh (soft, wet, must be stored frozen and thawed before serving) or Baked (baked, dry, and shelf-stable). Customers can opt for the Full Fresh Plan, the Half Fresh Plan, or the Mixed Plan. We went for Mixed, so Theo could try both the fresh and baked recipes. These were his favorites…
Fresh Pork Dish with Apples
This meal features butternut squash and sweet potato alongside lean, white meat and mouthwatering apples (per the name). Ollie leans into oats as an important source of not only energy-boosting carbohydrates and fiber, but omega 6 fatty acids.
Talk about “chef’s kiss.”
Fresh Turkey Dish with Blueberries
Chock-full of antioxidants and Vitamins C & K, blueberries support a healthy digestive and immune system. Every time I scoop Theo some of this recipe, I feel like I’m serving up Thanksgiving with a twist. He licks up every bite. And me? I eat up the fact that his bowl is brimming with protein (turkey is the #1 ingredient in this recipe) and fiber-rich superfoods.
Baked Beef Dish with Sweet Potatoes
This Ollie recipe comes in both Fresh and Baked versions, and Theo seems to enjoy the baked version for a change of both flavor and texture. While Ollie’s Baked Recipes may resemble kibble, the ingredients make it clear that this is far from your average artificial pellet of dog food.
In addition to whole, human-grade ingredients, Ollie’s Baked meals are gently cooked to retain nutritional value. This is opposed to the approach many other dog food brands take: cooking scorching their food at high temps and draining its nutritional value in the process.
Dessert: Salmon and Coconut Jerky Strips
I had the option to add on Supplements and/or Treats from Ollie’s collection. I figured what the hell, why not?
In just one week, these jerky strips have cemented themselves as a household necessity moving forward. Theo ADORES them… who knew my little guy had a taste for seafood and the tropics?
Start 2025 on the Right Foot… Er, Paw
We’re just a few weeks into the new year, but I’m already feeling like improvements have been made. I swear Theo has had extra spurts of energy since we made the switch (he used to get sleepy in the mid-afternoon, right around my daily coffee break). And I can say with 100% certainty that he laps up Ollie meals with a fervor that his old food never elicited.
And who knows? Maybe Theo’s new healthy—and delicious—eating habits will rub off on me. Here’s to hoping!
