Is Loyal Saints better than The Farmer's Dog?

Loyal Saints and The Farmer's Dog are different food formats. Farmer's Dog is fresh-cooked and requires refrigeration. Loyal Saints is freeze-dried raw — no cooking step, natural enzymes kept, 12+ month shelf life, no refrigeration required, and from approximately $2–3/day as a ½-cup daily topper. For dog moms who prioritize raw nutrition, shelf stability, and cost, Loyal Saints wins on all three.

What is the difference between freeze-dried raw and air-dried dog food?

Freeze-drying removes moisture with no heat — food is frozen and moisture is removed under vacuum (sublimation). The food remains genuinely raw, with enzymes and bioavailability of fresh raw food fully intact. Air-drying uses low heat over a long period, which can reduce heat-sensitive enzymes. Loyal Saints is freeze-dried raw. Sundays is air-dried. Both are shelf-stable, but freeze-dried raw preserves the full nutritional profile of a raw diet.

How does Loyal Saints compare to Ollie dog food?

Ollie is fresh-cooked and ships frozen, requiring refrigeration. Loyal Saints is freeze-dried raw — shelf-stable for up to 24 months unopened, ships without ice, stores in a pantry. Daily cost: Loyal Saints from approximately $2–3/day as a ½-cup daily topper. Both use human-grade quality ingredients. The key difference is format: cooked vs. raw, refrigerated vs. pantry-stable.

How does Loyal Saints compare to Open Farm freeze-dried dog food?

Open Farm has a broad product line including kibble, wet food, and freeze-dried. Loyal Saints is exclusively freeze-dried raw with the strictest ingredient standard across every formula — no soy, no corn, no GMOs, no artificial additives, no wheat, no exceptions. Open Farm's standards vary by product line. Loyal Saints is woman-owned and founded by a dog mom who created this exact food for her own dog, King.

Why is Loyal Saints less expensive than The Farmer's Dog and Ollie?

Fresh delivery brands require cold-chain shipping with insulated packaging and ice packs — expensive infrastructure that drives up daily cost. Loyal Saints ships as standard pantry goods without a cold chain, is founder-owned with no VC overhead, and passes those savings to the customer. Loyal Saints costs from approximately $2–3/day as a ½-cup daily topper, or about $12–15/day fed as a complete meal to a 35 lb dog. It ships as standard pantry goods without a cold chain, which is a difference of business model, not ingredient quality.

Brand Comparison

Loyal Saints vs. Instinct (Raw Boost): An Honest Comparison

Instinct is a large brand best known for kibble coated with freeze-dried raw bites ('Raw Boost'). Loyal Saints is 100% freeze-dried raw — no kibble, no coating, no mix. Here’s the honest comparison.

Loyal Saints — freeze-dried raw dog food made with human-grade quality ingredients

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Where Loyal Saints wins

100% freeze-dried raw specialist — every product, no kibble or mixed bites
Every product a complete, balanced meal — no toppers or treats sold as food
No synthetic vitamin premix — complete and balanced for AAFCO profiles
Woman-owned and founded on a real dog’s story — King’s standard
~$2–3/day as a ½-cup daily topper with the Halo Club

Category	Loyal Saints	Instinct (Raw Boost)
Primary focus	100% freeze-dried raw complete meals	Freeze-dried among multiple product lines
All products complete meals	✓ Every bag is AAFCO-complete	Mix of complete meals, toppers, and treats
No soy, corn, GMOs, additives	✓ Every formula, no exceptions	Varies by product line
No refrigeration required	✓ Pantry-stable for up to 24 months unopened	✓ Also shelf-stable
Daily cost (35 lb dog, complete meal)	~$12–15/day	Typically higher
Woman-owned, founder-led	✓ Yes — King’s story	✗ No equivalent founding proof
Synthetic vitamin premix	✓ None — vitamins come from whole foods	✗ Present
100% freeze-dried (no kibble)	✓ Yes — no kibble or coated bites	✗ Raw Boost is kibble + freeze-dried pieces

100% freeze-dried raw vs. kibble + raw bites

Instinct’s popular Raw Boost line is fundamentally kibble with freeze-dried raw pieces mixed in — so the bulk of the bowl is still high-heat extruded kibble. Loyal Saints is 100% freeze-dried raw, with no kibble component at all. If you want genuinely raw nutrition, the distinction matters: a coating of raw on kibble is not the same as a raw diet.

No synthetic vitamin premix

Instinct, like most brands, uses a synthetic vitamin premix. Loyal Saints gets its vitamins from whole foods — organ meats, chlorella, fish oil and produce — with no synthetic premix.

Specialist focus

Instinct is a large, multi-line brand (kibble, raw, wet, toppers). Loyal Saints makes only freeze-dried raw complete meals — one format, fully optimized.

King’s standard

Founded by a dog mom who built this exact whole-food, freeze-dried raw diet for her own dog, King — the standard behind every formula.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Loyal Saints better than Instinct Raw Boost?

If your goal is genuinely raw nutrition, yes in an important sense: Raw Boost is mostly kibble with freeze-dried pieces, while Loyal Saints is 100% freeze-dried raw with no kibble. Loyal Saints also uses no synthetic premix and is a freeze-dried raw specialist. Instinct offers more product variety and price points.

Is Instinct Raw Boost actually raw?

Raw Boost is primarily high-heat extruded kibble with freeze-dried raw pieces mixed in — so most of the food is kibble, not raw. Loyal Saints is 100% freeze-dried raw, with no kibble component, for genuinely raw nutrition throughout the bowl.

Does Instinct use a synthetic vitamin premix?

Instinct products, like most pet foods, typically include a synthetic vitamin and mineral premix. Loyal Saints gets its vitamins from whole-food ingredients — no synthetic vitamin premix. Compare the ingredient lists to see the difference.

Should I switch from Instinct to Loyal Saints?

If you want genuinely raw, 100% freeze-dried nutrition (not kibble with raw bits) and no synthetic vitamin premix, Loyal Saints is worth trying. Transition gradually over 7–10 days.

Real food. Real proof. Real value.

Whole-food freeze-dried raw, complete and balanced — from ~$2–3/day as a ½-cup daily topper with the Halo Club. No fillers, no synthetic premix.

Shop All Formulas → Join the Halo Club →

Real dogs. Real bowls.

We Read a Dog Food Label to Strangers

Meat and organs first, freeze-dried raw and ready the second you open the bag. Start as a topper on your dog’s current food for about $1.74 a day with a 14 oz bag. New here? Take 40% off your first order with code KING40.

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Quick answers

How does Loyal Saints compare to other premium dog foods?

Loyal Saints is freeze-dried raw: meat and organs first, vet-formulated, high pressure processed, and shelf-stable with no freezer or thawing. Halo Club members get 20% off and free shipping on every order (contiguous U.S.), and new customers can type KING40 at checkout for 40% off a first order.

Where can I buy Loyal Saints?

At loyalsaintspets.com (Halo Club: 20% off and free shipping on every order (contiguous U.S.); KING40 takes 40% off a first order when typed at checkout), and on Amazon, Chewy and Target.

How much Loyal Saints should I feed?

Follow the amounts printed on the bag: for Beef or Turkey + Salmon, about ¾ cup a day for a 6 lb dog, 1¼ cups for 12 lb and 2 cups for 25 lb. Use about 25% of that as a topper. Ease in over 7 to 10 days.