In this review
I brought home my Frenchie, Bailey, when she was just six weeks old. Somehow, she’s about to turn 5! We’re inseparable and I want the best for her, especially when it comes to food (and her sensitive little stomach). I thought I was doing the right thing by feeding her a combo of “premium” wet food mixed with “wild-inspired” dry food (a 25% / 75% mix). But messy stools and accidents had prompted me to re-examine her diet.
I did some research and learned the benefits of gently-cooked dog food, a nutritionally balanced, healthy alternative to dry or canned/wet dog food. In fact, studies show that gently cooked food can help support overall health.1 To start our fresh journey, I ordered food from two of the top brands: Nom Nom and Ollie. We compared them on taste, nutrition, and convenience, and we asked Certified Pet Dietitian Jen Smith to help us compare the two brands.
Nom Nom was the clear winner in our test, with high-quality ingredients prepared for maximum nutrition – and great tasting meals. Read on to find out more!
1. Taste & Digestion: Nom Nom Wins Bailey’s Heart (and Stomach)
Bailey has had a sensitive stomach all her life – from frequent gassiness to messy stools and vomiting. Dogs with sensitive stomachs can also experience low appetite, stomach growling and gas, excessive licking, and nausea.2 Heartbreaking!
I crossed my fingers that upgrading to minimally processed, gently cooked food would help with Bailey’s symptoms. Believe it or not, she has also been diagnosed with a poultry allergy (no chicken or turkey here!), so I ordered the beef and pork recipes from both brands and tried each for two weeks.
First up was Ollie. When I opened the first package, I was disappointed to see that it looked pretty close to the mushy, ground-up texture of that same canned dog food that I’ve been feeding her for years. Definitely not what I’d expect from Ollie’s claims of “real, fresh ingredients.” Bailey reacted to Ollie similarly to her wet dog food; she ate her whole bowl, but after a few days her excitement at mealtime waned.
Next up: Nom Nom. We noticed a couple of big differences right away. First, the ingredients were not mashed together; I could see the ground pork, potatoes, squash, and green beans right in Bailey’s bowl. Bailey showed way more excitement this time around – tail wagging every time I opened the package. She was right on my heels as I set her bowl down, and devoured her whole bowl each time. Her excitement never went away throughout our two-week test – a big difference in excitement vs. Ollie, and her previous wet/dry mixes.
Most importantly, I didn’t pick up a single loose stool during our two weeks of testing, and she didn’t vomit once. And quite noticeably her gassiness even decreased. In our taste and digestion testing, Nom Nom is the clear winner.
2. Ingredients & Nutrition: Nom Nom Wins with Each Ingredient Cooked Separately
Bailey clearly preferred Nom Nom over Ollie, and it even helped support her stomach issues. But what’s actually in each of these brand’s recipes? Both brands meet guidelines for quality set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO),3 and both feature animal protein as the first ingredient.
The main differences between Nom Nom vs. Ollie come down to overall ingredients and cooking process. First, let’s compare the beef recipes between the two brands:
Smith, our Certified Pet Nutritionist, shares what to look for: “Animal protein should always be the first ingredient. Also look for eggs for additional diverse protein, and vegetables like peas for fiber.” Nom Nom includes egg in two recipes while some of Ollie’s recipes include fruit. “Eggs provide biologically appropriate nutrients for amino acid and protein requirements, especially for animals with allergies,” Smith tells us. Fruit, on the other hand, “should only be fed in moderation due to high sugar content,” says Smith.
Nom Nom also stands out in its cooking process. In an ideal cooking process, “ingredients should be cooked separately at low temperatures, and then combined.”
Nom Nom gently cooks each ingredient separately, then combines just before freezing.4 “Much like in the food we eat, this maintains taste and preserves the most nutrients,” Smith says. Ollie cooks all ingredients together. That leads to a mushy texture that not only tastes worse but also retains fewer nutrients.
Nom Nom wins on ingredients and nutrition.
3. Convenience: Nom Nom Wins With Personalized Recommendations
A big draw for these brands is convenience. As a busy working dog mom, I appreciate that both send two weeks of meals at a time, right to your door, delivered with ice to keep them cool. Both are pre-portioned based on your dog’s weight, energy levels, and other factors.
However, I found that Nom Nom made the ordering and serving process much easier than Ollie. Since this was my first time trying gently-cooked dog food, I had no idea which recipes to order. Nom Nom’s process was guided, creating a personalized plan and taking into account Bailey’s sensitivities. Ollie, on the other hand, was a more DIY process.
Once I got both boxes in, I found serving Nom Nom to be much easier (and less messy!). Nom Nom packages were easy to peel open and pour into Bailey’s bowl. Since the ingredients were whole, there was no mess and dinner went from package to bowl in under 30 seconds.
Ollie was a messy process. The packages also peel open, but the mushy consistency meant that I had to spoon the sticky food into Bailey’s bowl. It’s a small annoyance that adds up when feeding (and washing utensils) twice a day!
With its personalized recommendations and convenient packaging, Nom Nom is more convenient.
It’s Time to Make the Switch
After a month of testing Nom Nom and Ollie, Nom Nom stood out as the clear winner with its great taste and nutrition, balanced ingredients, and convenient packaging,
Proof is in the pudding (or Pork Potluck in this case). We switched to Nom Nom for all of Bailey’s meals — and are so happy with the results. It helped support her digestion, and she’s still so excited at mealtime.
To see if Nom Nom is right for your dog, use TCD’s exclusive discount to try Nom Nom for 50% off!
