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Paw Pack Subscription Box Review – April 2015

Ragan Buckley
ByRagan BuckleyMay 3, 2015 | 9 comments

Paw Pack Subscription Box Review - April 2015 Box

PawPack is a monthly subscription box for dogs or cats.  This is a review of the “large” dog box.  (PawPack customizes your box to your dog’s size – my dog, Nyx, weighs 90 pounds.  You can see Liz’s review of a past PawPack for small dogs here, although it appears they’ve revamped their subscription model a bit in the past few months.)  PawPack focuses on eco-friendly, organic, and natural items for your pet.

PawPack sent us this box for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

Paw Pack Subscription Box Review - April 2015 Inside

The first look was pretty good – the box seemed full.

Paw Pack Subscription Box Review - April 2015 Items

Here’s a photo of all the items inside.  At first glance, this seemed light on the toys and heavy on the treats.

The Subscription Box: PawPack

The Cost: $35 per month on a month-to-month plan, with better deals for longer subscriptions.  Shipping is free in the continental US and $10 for Alaska, Hawaii, the UK, Canada, and Australia.

The Products: Full sized surprise items each month along with various samples and other goodies. Everything will always be either Eco-Friendly, Organic, or All-Natural.

Ships to: US, UK, Canada, Australia

Check out lots of great boxes for dogs in the Pet Subscription Box Directory!

Paw Pack Subscription Box Review - April 2015 Card

There wasn’t a list of products in the box, but a card detailing some of PawPack’s charity efforts was included.  (Sorry about the glare in the photo.  I’m still working on my photography skills!)

Paw Pack Subscription Box Review - April 2015 Chew

Canine Caviar Buffalo Paddywack – value $1.35

Clear Conscience TenderStikz Chicken and Cheddar – value $1.66

Clear Conscience TenderStikz Beef and Cheddar – value $1.66

PawPack doesn’t customize boxes for dogs with allergies, but they do promise to minimize common allergens.  They rarely include chicken, according to their FAQ, and they include grain-free treats and chews when possible.  Nyx is in the (hopefully) final weeks of her food allergy trial and we have had pretty good luck with beef-based treats in the past, so I know these will be popular.

The Buffalo Paddywack is made from free-range, grass-fed buffalo.  It took a bit of digging, but I believe these are a product of India.  (As far as I can tell, there haven’t been any issues with pet food from India the same way there have been with Chinese products.)  The TenderStikz are made in the USA.

Paw Pack Subscription Box Review - April 2015 Treats

Earth Friendly Pet Company Cycle Dog Trail Buddy Treats (beef) – value $8

Himalayan Dog Chew Yaky Charms Dog Treats – value $2.19

Both of these are made in the USA.  I’m glad to see more grain-free beef treats.  (Cycle Dog has their own subscription box, too!)  The Yaky Charms are a little unusual.  They come in a popcorn-style bag and you actually pop them in the microwave (and let them cool) before giving to your dog.

+Paw Pack Subscription Box Review - April 2015 Toys

Earth Friendly Pet Company Cycle Dog Ecolast High Roller – value $12

Freezy Pups Kit (partial, large) – value $9 (?)

This roller toy is a squeaky ball.  It’s supposed to float (can’t test that, as no Rottweiler I’ve ever had has been fond of swimming) and it’s made of post-consumer recycled material.  Nyx likes it quite a bit and, wonder of wonders, she hasn’t managed to tear it to bits.  I actually feel safe leaving her alone with it.  (It’s also an appropriate size for a dog her size.)

A normal Freezy Pups starter kit comes with four flavor packets.  You mix them with water and freeze them into bone-shaped ice cubes in the attached tray.  This kit came with two flavor packets although many, many different refill packets are available on Amazon.  Nyx is a huge fan of eating ice so these are a hit!

Sorry there aren’t any dog photos in this review.  A dark purple toy in a black dog’s mouth doesn’t show up very well for the camera!

Verdict: I calculated a value of approximately $36 for the April 2015 PawPack box.  That’s about what the box costs on a month-to-month subscription.  However, most of these items, especially the treats, are not available individually – only in multipacks.  The benefit of getting one treat or chew instead of the whole bag is seeing whether your dog likes it without losing the full purchase price if something is a miss.  The other thing to consider is that many of these items are natural, eco-friendly, etc.  So the bison from the bison treat is grass-fed, the toy is made from post-consumer recycled materials, etc.  If those qualities are important to you, this could be a really good box.  I also liked that the toy was durable and size-appropriate and the focus on grain-free treats that lack common allergens.  Ultimately, whether this box is a good fit for you will depend on what you’re looking for.  Also, it’s definitely a better deal if you sign up for a longer-term subscription.

What do you think of the April 2015 PawPack box? Do you subscribe to any dog or cat boxes?

Ragan Buckley
Ragan Buckley
Ragan stumbled across My Subscription Addiction in late 2013 and immediately subscribed to way too many beauty boxes. She's now focused on boxes for her cats and dog, vegan/vegetarian food boxes, and craft subscriptions (and she didn't give up beauty boxes entirely).

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9 comments

readerofthepack

I am resurrecting this post to provide an experience I just had with PawPack.

Yesterday, PawPack offered a flash sale on Instagram – $10 off the monthly box for the life of your plan (bringing the monthly plan from $35 to $25, which is the price of an annual subscription). I noticed in the comments that people were asking about current members, and PawPack indicated that you should email them with questions.

I subscribed to both a cat box and a dog box in early July. I have not received a box yet from PawPack. I emailed them and asked if there was any way I could benefit from the Instagram offer. Basically they told me that it was for new members only, but they would extend me an offer and bill one box at $25 and the other at $30 instead of $35 for each.

I may just be cranky this morning, but the response totally rubbed me the wrong way. I was torn between feeling grateful and feeling annoyed. In the end, I cancelled my boxes. I am disappointed because the eco-friendly aspect of the box very much appealed to me, but good customer service means even more to me.

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Crystal

We could not use anything in the box. I contacted them about it. Every single item was just money wasted and we can’t use.

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Sherry

This box is really underwhelming – like you said heavy on the treats and my dog isn’t fussy at all with treats (she tries to eat sidewalk pizza – the joys of a city dog’s life lol). I have the Freezy Pups kit, she’s pretty much swallowed them whole (whereas she’ll lick and play with a regular ice cube – go figure). I liked the other box you reviewed much better!!

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Ragan

Since Nyx is having some food issues right now, I think the boxes with more toys are a bigger hit for us, too. But it depends on what you’re looking for.

One thing I will say is, based on PawPack reviews I’ve read on other blogs, it looks like they are making/have made some changes based on comments and criticism. I think they’re still relatively new and I hope they will continue to improve.

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Melissa

We got pretty much the same box but got the yaky treat things last month. You have to be really careful with them in the microwave – the directions say to listen for ‘popping’ sounds but I never heard any! I let it cook the whole recommended time and they came out burnt and stinking. I don’t mind the product but think I’d prefer they come pre-puffed.

The ball is also a huge hit with my lab/rottie and she has not torn it apart. She loves to play fetch with it and stashes it away when she’s done. We haven’t been able to test floatability with it either – though she has webbed feet, she seems to have inherited the Rottie distaste for swimming.

I continue to love your reviews, thank you!!

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Ragan

Thanks for the tip on the Yaky Charms. We haven’t tried them yet because Nyx is still on a restricted diet due to a food allergy issue. Hopefully she can have them soon — I think she and I are both tired of the prescription diet.

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mimiretz

Does anyone know what this box is like for cats? I’m waiting for my first month’s box for our cat, Casanova (I hate to call it a catbox. . .) but curious as to what it’ll be like.

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Ragan

I also hate to call things “cat boxes!”

I don’t know the answer to your question but hopefully I will be posting reviews of some cat subscriptions (as soon as they arrive).

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Tamara

Yay! 😀