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Saturday, June 25th
Amazon has become the site where everyone shops for, well, just about everything. A new dress for a night out? Yes. Tools for the next project? Of course. And dog food? Naturally, with more than 3,000 products in Amazon's vast inventory. Having a Prime membership sweetens the deal: you can see right away whether your dog food will come within a day or two, or even overnight while their delivery elves go to work as you sleep.
No problem navigating this site
Undoubtedly you already know how to use the Amazon site to shop for dog food. Type it in and search away if you've got a specific brand and type on your shopping list. Otherwise, if you're exploring all of the possibilities, use the checkboxes on the left side of the screen to narrow it down. Some of the most-used filters are flavor, feature (like grain-free or organic), dog food bag weight (if you don't want to be hefting 30# of food off your porch), and breed size. Amazon adds a helpful feature we didn't see in many other places: Frustration-Free Packaging. That's fantastic if you've got issues with arthritis and need your dog food to be simple to open every day.
You'll find most brands here
Amazon had no problems fulfilling the dog kibble we researched at each store in our review: Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream in all three bag sizes was available for delivery within two days and priced the same as all of their competitors (between $17.99 and $54.99). We also found our canned option, Purina One's SmartBlend in Beef & Brown Rice, but it was only available as a 12-pack of cans and the price wasn't the cheapest on the market ($19.08/case). However, at least in our area, the Purina wet dog food was eligible for same-day delivery with a Prime membership: a great option if you just realized you're out of food and you can't get out to buy it at a store nearby.
Thousands and thousands of reviews
Despite not being a pet food specialty store, Amazon has more reviews on individual dog food options than any other internet retailer we surveyed - by orders of magnitude. For instance, their best-selling Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Natural Adult Dry Food has a staggering 33,000 customer ratings (averaging about 4.5 out of 5 stars, by the way). That kind of input is super-helpful when shopping around for some new munchies for your mutt.
Not our favorite return policy
One area where Amazon isn't as competitive as our highest-ranked dog food stores is the return policy. Pet food isn't returnable, ever - which isn't surprising, given that it's consumable and not exactly non-perishable. Unfortunately, the ability to get a refund is vaguely-worded for most dog food products we saw: "may be eligible for refund or replacement if the item arrives damaged or defective" . Does it count as defective if your dog doesn't like it? Or it gives him an allergic reaction? We're guessing the answer is no. It might be a good idea to start small with any new dog food you order through Amazon and hold off on ordering a larger size until you know it's a winner.
Subscribe and save - sometimes
Another place where Amazon isn't as robust as a dog food store is their Subscribe and Save option. We were surprised that it's not an option for every type they sell: after all, how hard is it to set it up as a recurring delivery? Evidently it's not as easy as we imagined: you'll need to check that box in the filters or look for dog food items that are specifically designated as "Subscribe & Save" if that matters to you. It's not impressively discounted when you do so - often just 5%, and sometimes you have to add another item to your recurring subscription to be eligible - and you might get a better autoship deal with another dog food store.
Plenty of reasons to shop here
All downsides aside, Amazon still ranks high as a place to buy dog food. It just doesn't get much easier, and with quick delivery options you can run out of food on Tuesday night and have a new bag at your door before your dog even wakes up for breakfast on Wednesday. And you'll have a hard time finding as wide of a selection and as many customer reviews even with a store that specializes in dog food and other pet products. Amazon would need to up its refund policy to compete with our favorite dog food store, but it's still a great choice overall.
If your dogs are like ours, you probably spot a furry little face at your bedside right on cue every morning, telling you it's time for breakfast. You go to scoop out their meal and - oh no - you're almost out of kibble! You already know that "people food" is a bad choice, because it can upset their stomachs (and encourage them to beg at the table too). What if you don't have time to run to the store? Or your local pet supply store is out of your pet's preferred dog food?
Online ordering to the rescue. From familiar brands to specialty manufacturers, most types of dog food are easily ordered over the internet. Better yet, some stores have ways of getting it delivered right to your home within a day - or even a few hours. Also, if you've got options near you and just don't have the energy to run inside, lots of dog food stores let you order online for curbside pickup.
Want to take your life to the next level of convenience? Look for a dog food retailer that offers autoship on your purchases: you can set up your account to have your wet and dry dog food delivered automatically on your preferred schedule. You'll never run out of dog food again.
What if you're trying a new type of dog food and you're not sure your persnickety pooch will be a fan? The best dog food stores make it risk-free by allowing for returns, refunds and exchanges on packages you've opened already.
There are lots of stores where you can buy your pet's food, and it's not always necessary to get it from a specialty retailer. So, which one should you choose the next time those hungry eyes are looking at you from the side of the bed? Here are some things to look for when you're deciding where to shop:
TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked the best online retailers of dog food on the market today. We're confident that this information will help you find the right store to get all of your kibble and cans delivered to your doorstep. Your dog will thank you!
Select any 2 Dog Food Stores to compare them head to head