As a mom, my #1 priority is making sure my family leads their healthiest, happiest lives – including Lilo, my blue nose pitbull!
I decided to transition Lilo from kibble to Ollie’s fresh food after seeing ads for it. But I also heard that raw diets are really healthy, so I wanted to try Little Hunter’s freeze-dried raw as well, and compare the two. Here are the results!
Most protein-packed & nutritious? Little Hunter
I learned fresh food, while considered human-grade, doesn't have much meat – usually less than 10%. I had to email Ollie customer service to get those details (they were under 10% for all of their recipes)! That's like ordering spaghetti and meatballs and getting one sad, tiny meatball! 🍝
Instead, it's mostly plant fillers like soy and peas which can lead to health issues like pancreatitis.
Little Hunter, on the other hand literally has about 10x more meat as Ollie (and other fresh-frozen delivery brands - 70% meat, organs and finely ground bone) (both are USDA, human-grade). Plus, besides how much, Little Hunter is freeze-dried raw, which means basically the food is just dehydrated and in it’s fully nutritious, uncooked state.💪
Budget-Friendly Without Sacrificing Quality? Little Hunter
To feed Lilo, a medium-sized pit:
- Ollie was about $240 a month
- Little Hunter was 30% less, about $170 a month
Because I was comparing the two, I didn't sign up for a meal subscription but that would lower the monthly cost of each.
I also learned that Little Hunter offers pretty big discounts on large orders, with savings up to 50%.
Picky Eater? Little Hunter
Lilo is picky, turning her blue nose up at a lot of food. So, I tried a new protein – Little Hunter's Raw Rabbit Recipe. She gobbled it up day after day!
Ollie’s glob of mushy food wasn't appetizing, to me or to Lilo. She'd eat it but didn't seem very happy about it.
While Little Hunter looks like kibble, it's actually more like little jerky bites. You can actually see all the bits of fruits and veggies blended with the freeze-dried meat. Lilo scarfed up Little Hunter and actually looked forward to mealtime.
Most Convenient? Little Hunter
One of the biggest downsides of Ollie for me was the prep and mess.
I had to remember to defrost Ollie the day before, which I never remembered. Then there was the mess; I'd end up with messy dog food all over my sink, counters, and floor (Lilo is a messy eater lol). Plus, it smelled! Make sure you have air-tight containers, or your entire fridge will smell like dog food.
And if you forget to put it away immediately, it spoils (and you come home to a smelly kitchen!).!
There was none of that with Little Hunter. The food was dry, stored in my pantry (like kibble), and didn't smell, spoil, or get tracked around my house.
Nutritionist-developed? Tie
Both Ollie and Little Hunter are vet-developed and meet AAFCO guidelines (The Association of American Feed Control Officials) - so that’s a tie. That said - I read that on pretty much every dog food brand’s site and meeting AAFCO isn’t really impressive (seems like everyone does and I mean, ultimately they approve kibble..).
What I like about Little Hunter’s approach is they go beyond that with their ancestral approach - which simply means they formulate raw diets similar to what Lilo (and his ancestors) would eat in the wild (primarily meat with some fruit and vegetables (dogs are ultimately scavengers), use minimal ingredients. Also, they offer novel proteins and all of their recipes are single-protein (not mixed with chicken or pork in every formula) which is great for her allergies.
Ultimate winner? Little Hunter
Ollie’s fresh food was a huge improvement over kibble.
But Little Hunter was a huge improvement over Ollie.
Lilo’s itchy skin has cleared up, her eyes are brighter, she’s lost weight, and has more energy. And that's after less than 3 weeks! Oh, and her poops are smaller, firmer, and less smelly - another check in the win column 🙂
Healthier, more affordable dog food with zero hassle? I think Lilo would agree that everyone should give Little Hunter a try!
