How to Choose the Best Pet Food Delivery Service for Your Family

When you have pets in your home, it can be hard to remember to feed them on time if you work long hours or are gone most of the day. In many cases, it’s easier and less stressful to simply hire someone else to take care of feeding and walking your pets while you’re away. 

While there are plenty of companies that provide this service, it’s important to find one that will provide the best possible care for your animals. Here are some tips on how to choose the best pet food delivery service for your family.

Consider All Costs

One of the biggest expenses when choosing a pet food delivery service is how much they charge per bag. The average bag of pet food costs $3, so if you want it delivered and want two bags each month, your total will be $12 per month. Not only that, but some companies will also charge you for their delivery fee, which can range from $3-$6 per delivery. 

Now take into account that your furry friend has special dietary needs or requires more than two bags of food each month, and you’ll see that the total cost adds up quickly. That’s why it’s important to look at more than just the price of each bag before signing up with a company.

Examine Different Types of Foods

Deciding what type of food you want to be delivered can be a tricky decision, and usually depends on your pets’ lifestyle. For example, if your pet spends their days lazing around the house, then they may enjoy some wet food while they lounge. However, if your pet is more active in their day-to-day activities and needs snacks throughout, then dry kibble may be better suited for them. 

Also, if you prefer grain-free food or raw meals for your dog or cat then you may need to do some additional research when choosing a pet delivery service. Grain-free foods are less common but an excellent choice because it avoids grains that are often difficult for pets to digest like corn, wheat, and soybean products.

Look at Packaging Options

Some companies will offer different types of packaging. This may be a factor if you have children in your family, as they might not be mature enough to deal with big bags of food. It can also help if you are looking for a more environmentally-friendly option that is cost-effective and easy on the environment.

In addition, some pet food manufacturers offer an automatic renewal plan that includes delivery of food monthly or weekly. This option helps ensure that you never run out of pet food and it can be less expensive than other types of packages because it doesn’t include shipping costs.

Consider Specialty Diets

The majority of pet food delivery services allow you to order your diet. A lot of people also like these services because they don’t have to commit long-term and can cancel anytime. There are a variety of specialized diets that might be of interest, such as diabetes or a grain-free diet, but ask about specific needs before signing up for a plan that caters only to one diet type. 

Make sure the food is scientifically proven and follow the instructions on feeding quantity in order not to overfeed your pet.

Identify Ingredients and Grades

After understanding what is in your pet’s food, you can now turn your attention to the ingredients. Remember that a major difference between one product and another may be their primary ingredients. The two major categories of ingredients are meat or protein, and carbohydrates such as rice or potatoes. 

Grades represent how wholesome and high-quality the ingredients are. If a company uses low-grade meat in its dog food, then it will have lower nutritional value when compared with food containing high-grade beef.

Assess Customer Support Options

When you order pet food online, you may encounter difficulties during the shipping process. After all, your pet depends on this food daily and when their deliveries are delayed or inconsistent, they can feel neglected. As such, a pet food delivery service must have excellent customer support options. 

Some of these services provide live chat support which allows clients to chat one-on-one with customer service representatives via a text box over any concerns they may have about their orders. 

Others may be available by phone and email so that you can ask questions at your convenience. That way, if something goes wrong with an order, you’ll be able to speak with someone immediately instead of getting stuck in limbo waiting for them to respond.

Learn About Return Policies

Unlike other more perishable food items, your pet’s dry food will most likely not go bad. However, if you are concerned with freshness and don’t want to buy too much at once, then it is smart to ask about a return policy.

Some companies will let you return unused bags of dog or cat food within a few days if you have a receipt. In addition, some offer free shipping on returns in case your pet doesn’t like the taste of what you bought!

Check Into Auto-Ship Programs

An auto-ship program is a subscription where your pet food company sends out new shipments automatically at predetermined intervals. The more subscriptions that you have, the cheaper each shipment will be in terms of how much you’ll spend per month. 

However, having too many subscriptions might lead to some becoming depleted and not being refilled by the time they come up. On the other hand, having too few subscriptions might lead to getting a whole order of food at once and then running out a few months later. 

You’ll need to find balance when deciding how many different subscriptions you want, or mix them up on an as-needed basis so that some go longer without food while others get replenished more often. 

Evaluate Promotions, Loyalty Programs, and Coupons

The specials and discounts offered by a company are all just one more reason to buy from them. You might be able to get even better prices on their products when they have some sort of promo or coupon running. Plus, you’ll want to see if they offer any type of loyalty program to rack up rewards points that can go towards your next purchase. 

Since not every company has deals going on all the time, it’s always important that you’re checking periodically as there could be something happening on their site that could save you money right now. And, who doesn’t like saving money?

Conclusion

Finding a pet food delivery service can be a daunting task, with many factors that need to be considered. After reading this blog post, hopefully, you now have a good idea of what you’re looking for in a pet food delivery service, and which one might work best for your family.