There are a lot of great products out there and our dogs are all fortunate to have choices that did not exist ten years ago. We don’t want to comment on other products out there, but we are confident that our process for selecting ingredients, the many years of research conducted with university experts, veterinarians and nutritionists to create a process that ensures shelf stability for long periods of time without the use of artificial preservatives and unidentifiable ingredients will give you, the dog owner, the confidence and satisfaction that you are doing the best you can do as a dog parent.

Also, our shelf stable product leaves space in your refrigerator for human food while still allowing our dogs the opportunity to have incredible food at every meal. Our meals are never frozen. Our prices are among the best in the market for super premium products and we expect to have lifelong relationships with our customers and their dogs.

Top Shelf Dog food is safe for puppies, but it’s not a replacement for puppy-approved meals.

Feeding instructions are included with every new order. If you’re introducing the food for the first time to your dog, most vets recommend you mix a portion of his/her current food with his/her new food. When switching dog food, the most important thing to remember is to make the transition slowly. Dogs may need 10 to 14 days (or more) to completely switch over to a new food.

There are NO artificial preservatives, additives, byproducts, or fillers used in making Top Shelf Dog entrées. We use only restaurant quality ingredients and cook the food in a USDA kitchen, using a retort method that naturally gives the food its shelf stability. Food is cooked at temperature and pressure for a period of time, with added vitamins and minerals, making the food safe for consumption.

Top Shelf Dog meals are prepared in a USDA kitchen and cooked using a retort process perfected more than ten years ago with the help of university scientists and nutritionists. Your dog’s food is cooked at a temperature, time and pressure that naturally give the food shelf stability without the use of ANY artificial preservatives.

No. Unlike other super premium foods, Top Shelf Dog entrées are never frozen and require no refrigeration, until of course you open the package. The scientifically proven process by which we cook the food naturally gives it shelf stability, without the use of artificial preservatives so the food is always fresh! Once you open the package, you will want to refrigerate any food that you haven’t yet fed your pooch.

Yes, the food is fresh. The scientifically proven process by which we cook the food naturally gives it shelf stability, without the use of artificial preservatives. This makes storage easier, as you no longer have to keep large quantities of fresh food in your refrigerator.

No. The food is already cooked and ready to serve. If you’d prefer, you can heat it up by submerging the pouch in warm water or microwaving the food for 15 seconds. If you microwave the food make sure it’s not too hot when you serve your pup!

Calorie requirements depend on a dog's weight, activity level, and age. Please refer to the guidelines included with your delivery.

We can’t speak for other products on the market, but you can feed your dog Top Shelf Dog food at every meal. Puppies require puppy-approved meals and sometimes harder food (kibble) for their teeth, in which case Top Shelf Dog can be mixed as a topper with puppy-approved kibble.

Top Shelf Dog entrees are made with premium quality ingredients such as chicken, green beans, carrots and quinoa and fortified with vitamins and minerals. We source the four main ingredients from the same suppliers many American restaurants use. Our CEO (aka our “Top Dog”) carefully selects all of our suppliers to ensure that the food we are feeding our dogs is top quality. No artificial preservatives, no parts, no fillers, no byproducts, ever.

Absolutely! We crafted these meals and perfected the cooking process such that Top Shelf Dog meals would be easy and convenient for travel. Take them to the beach, on vacation, to the park, to grandma’s house, open and serve.

When switching dog foods, the most important thing to remember is to make the transition slowly. Dogs may need 10 to 14 days to completely switch over to a new food. Simply put, it can take some time for your dog’s digestive system to get accustomed to the new food. That means, your dog’s poop may change in consistency! Looser stools are common during the transition phase. It’s always a safe bet to monitor your dog’s poop when transitioning.

Simply fill out the “Ask the Vet” form on our website, or click here and your question will automatically be submitted to our veterinarian.

We have strict quality control processes throughout our entire supply chain and retort process. These include: Ingredients sourced from reputable (“top”) suppliers; Heat penetration studies which are performed on every production run; On-site inspection of our pouches by a process authority; A third shift in the facility that is devoted exclusively to cleaning and sterilization of the entire operation; and All-natural ingredients which are fully-cooked upon arrival at our USDA and FDA-approved facility. It’s important to note that no raw ingredients are used in the preparation of our entrees.

Retortable pouches, like the ones used by Top Shelf Dog consume 75% less energy than metal cans. Pouches generate 10% of the CO2 emissions versus metal cans. And pouches reduce weight to landfills by 72% versus metal cans.