In-Depth Review of A Pup Above | Gently Cooked Human Grade Dog Food
We’ve written reviews for kibble and raw dog food, but there’s another type of dog food that has gained popularity in recent years: gently cooked dog food. This popularity is largely due to dog owners becoming more aware of the ingredients in their dog’s food and wanting to feed a fresh alternative to kibble.
Why feed a cooked dog food?
Gently cooked food is a dog food that is cooked to the minimum temperatures required by the USDA to kill pathogens like E. coli, listeria and salmonella. The idea is these freshly cooked diets offer better digestibility than traditional kibble diets because they’re formulated with fresh whole foods. In addition, these fresh diets are said to boost your pet’s immune system and give your pet more energy.
Gently cooked dog food a great option for dog parents who want to feed a fresh, minimally processed diet without the risks associated with raw dog food. Most of us don’t have the time or knowledge it takes to prepare a balanced homemade diet, thus there are brands like A Pup Above who sell pre-made freshly cooked diets for dogs.
Summary: Our dogs absolutely love the taste of A Pup Above and the natural gravy created from the sous-vide cooking method. We love the inclusion of superfoods in the ingredients list and the fact you can clearly see the wholesome ingredients.
A Pup Above
A Pup Above cooks their food using the sous-vide cooking method, cooking it slowly and evenly to the appropriate temperature to kill pathogens. Each batch of their dog food is tested for pathogens to ensure it’s safe for your home and your pup. We really like that A Pup Above is made with 100% human grade ingredients and include superfoods in their diets like turmeric, thyme and parsley.
The Food
A Pup Above sells four fresh cooked diets: Turkey Pawella, Texas Beef Stew, Chicka Chicka Bow Wow and Porky’s Luau. Each of these diets are single protein, making them great options for dogs with protein allergies. Each diet is formulated to meet the nutritional requirements established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profile for Adult Maintenance and receives the top rating of 5 stars from dogfoodadvisor.com.
We fed A Pup Above to our five dogs as a meal topper over the course of several months, and they absolutely loved this food. The sous-vide cooking method slow cooks the ingredients together and makes a natural, tasty gravy that I believe enhances the flavor. This is sure to be a winner among picky dogs. Honestly the smell of the food was so good, it smelled something we would cook for ourselves! None of our dogs had any digestive issues eating this food alongside their usual diet.
Preparation
A Pup Above diets are sold in 4 or 7 lb bags and are portioned in 1 lb patties. After thawing, you can easily portion into the appropriate feeding amount for your dog. The texture of the food is similar to a cooked ground meat with bite size veggies. Considering this is considered a fresh dog food, I really liked that you could see the individual ingredients. It is very easy to handle and may be a great option for anyone who gets queasy handling raw dog food!
Because this is a frozen dog food, there is a small amount of prep required. To defrost, you can simply put it in your fridge overnight or soak in room temperature water. We typically fill our refrigerator drawer with a weeks worth of food or quick thaw in the sink by leaving it in room temperature water for about 30 minutes. We were pleasantly surprised that it really doesn’t take long to thaw in water compared to other frozen foods, so it’s not a problem if we don’t have food thawed in time!
Recycled Packaging
The pre-portioned plastic patties are thick and durable, and we’ve never had any issues with leaking. These patties are not easy-peel, but they are very easy to open with scissors. Just cut one end and slide out the gravy goodness.
A Pup Above prides themselves in using 100% recyclable packaging, upcycling and sourcing from farmers with strict animal welfare standards. They even offer a recycling envelope program where you can send your used pouches to TerraCycle where they’ll be recycled into new products! The majority of Americans do not recycle, so it’s a breath of fresh air to see a brand with such heavy plastic usage make recycling their packaging so easy.
Ordering and Price
I for one liked that you don’t have to complete a profile for your dog in order to place an order. Those can be very repetitive, especially if you’re not sure about ordering yet and just want to check out the page. You can go straight to the product page from the menu, and simply add to cart to order. I also like that you’re not pressured to subscribe, though you do get 10% off if you do!
You can expect to pay about $11.14/lb for a one-time purchase of their 7 lb bags or $8.36 per lb if you subscribe. Shipping is fairly cheap for a shipped frozen food at $15 for 1-2 bags, or free for three or more bags.
According to their feeding guidelines, an 80 lb dog would eat 2 patties per day, which equals about $520 per month. The company also offers a 100% tail wags guaranteed, and will refund your first order if your pup doesn’t like the food!
Though this is a very expensive food for large breed dogs, it makes an excellent food topper! It’s very palatable, and is a healthier option than canned dog food. Dogs love the natural gravy it creates, and us humans like that it contacts no thickeners, preservatives or added salt.
Many dog parents are looking to feed their dog the best diet on the market. In your search for a quality fresh-cooked food, A Pup Above should be at the top of your list. It’s focus on human-grade ingredients, inclusion of superfoods and the high palatability makes this a winner for your dog and their health. Interested in trying A Pup Above for yourself? Use code JAKOBA to save 25% off of your first subscription!