As more dog owners are seeking out fresh, natural diets for their four-legged friends, subscription services delivering raw and gently-cooked pet food have exploded in popularity. One such service, Maev, aims to make raw feeding more convenient while catering to the health needs of city pups.
In this in-depth Maev dog food review, we’ll analyze the ingredients, sourcing, and nutritional quality of their product offerings. We’ll also look at pricing, promotions, and what real customers have to say about the service. Read on to learn if Maev‘s raw diet is right for your dog.
Analyzing Maev‘s Raw Dog Food Recipe
The star of Maev‘s offerings is their raw dog food, made with beef, pork, liver, sweetbreads, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and nutrient-dense superfoods.
Specific ingredients include:
- Grass-fed beef
- Beef liver and sweetbreads
- Pork bone
- Kale, peas, and blueberries
- Peanut butter
- Coconut oil
- Salmon oil
This combination provides a balanced blend of quality proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and phytonutrients. The pork bone delivers natural glucosamine and chondroitin to support joint health. Antioxidant-rich blueberries and kale fight inflammation. Digestive enzymes encourage healthy gut flora.
Compared to most commercial kibbles, Maev’s recipe is free of rendered meats, artificial preservatives, fillers, and synthetic vitamin/mineral mixes. Their ingredients read like a recipe you‘d prepare in your own kitchen.
For dogs with specific needs, Maev offers add-in nutrient boosters like probiotics, turmeric, collagen, and bone broth. These allow you to customize and target your dog’s diet.
The Convenience of Maev‘s Subscription Service
While feeding a raw diet has huge benefits, finding quality ingredients and preparing balanced recipes takes diligent effort. This often prevents time-strapped owners from trying raw, even if they want to provide the healthiest diet possible.
Maev takes the work out raw feeding by delivering freshly-made, nutrient-packed meals direct to customers‘ doors. Their production kitchens prepare the recipes in small batches before quickly freezing them to lock in taste and nutrients.
Customers can choose from a range of delivery frequencies to suit their schedule and storage constraints, from weekly to every 10 weeks. The minimum is one 5-lb bag per shipment, but you can increase frequency for households with multiple dogs. Maev even provides portioning guidelines and transition advice to get your dog started.
Compared to shopping for and preparing a home-made raw diet, Maev streamlines everything into convenient recurring deliveries. This allows more dog owners to benefit from raw feeding with minimal effort.
Pricing Details for Maev’s Offerings
Let‘s break down the pricing structure across Maev‘s raw food, vitamin bars, and bone broth:
Raw Food
- 1 bag (5 lbs): $59
- 2 bags: $93
- 3 bags: $124
- 4 bags: $149
- 5 bags: $189
- 6 bags: $224
- 7 bags: $259
- 8 bags: $296
- 10 bags: $359
- 12 bags: $432
- 16 bags: $576
Note that you get a discount for higher quantities per shipment. So while the smallest option may make sense for trial purposes, you save by stocking up if raw food agrees with your dog.
Vitamin Bars
Maev‘s peanut butter and superfood bars come 30 per box. You can purchase a one-time single box for $42, or subscribe and save for $34 per recurring shipment.
Bone Broth
- 3 jars bone broth: $26
- 6 jars bone broth: $38
Across all products, Maev offers additional discounts for larger subscription commitments. Overall their pricing is competitive and reasonable given the quality.
What Real Customers Say About Maev
Most customer reviews for Maev are overwhelmingly positive. On their website, their raw food earns a near-perfect 4.8/5 based on 169 reviews.
Happy buyers rave about the freshness, quality, taste, and noticeable improvements after switching their dogs to Maev’s raw recipes. One owner said her picky Chihuahua gobbles up the food with gusto. Another reported their senior dog has more energy and softer stools on the raw diet.
On third-party review sites like Trustpilot, recent feedback indicates Maev has improved shipping and packaging after early hiccups with thawing. Their overall Trustpilot rating currently sits at a strong 4.1 out of 5 stars.
Negative reviews seem to stem largely from avoidable issues like initial freezer burn or human error in portioning. However, Maev’s customer service receives praise for their prompt responsiveness in addressing concerns.
How Maev Compares to Competitors
The fresh pet food delivery space grows more crowded by the day. Let‘s see how Maev stacks up against two top competitors:
NomNomNow
Like Maev, NomNomNow ships pre-portioned, fresh-frozen meals for dogs. Their recipes feature similar whole food ingredients to Maev but have a bit more fruit and veggie content. Both brands offer customization via nutritional boosters.
NomNom wins on selection, offering meals tailored for puppy, adult, and senior dogs. But their pricing is almost double Maev’s for an equivalent quantity of food.
One advantage Maev holds is their bone broth product for gut health. NomNom‘s broth options are currently sold out with no ETA for restocking.
Ollie
Ollie is another human-grade fresh dog food shipper with healthy whole food recipes. However, their meals arrive refrigerated rather than frozen. They also focus recipes around a core protein like beef, lamb, or turkey.
An area where Ollie bests Maev is their veterinary advisory board providing input into their recipes. This lends credibility for owners prioritizing vet approval.
On the other hand, buyer reviews for Ollie trend below Maev‘s lofty marks. Recurring complaints cite menu changes without notice, poor portioning, and underwhelming improvements. Their delivery minimums are also higher than Maev’s.
Current Maev Promotions
As a small startup competing for attention, Maev offers incentives for new users:
- 15% off your initial order for subscribing to their email newsletter
- Refer a friend for $20 account credit after the friend‘s first order
- Occasional limited-time discounts like $10 off over a holiday weekend
Their loyalty rewards program also lets you earn points redeemable for dollar-value credits. You accumulate points by purchasing, reading content, sharing social posts, and referring friends and family.
Depending on your membership tier, you‘ll earn bonus points during promotions and your dog‘s birthday month. Ultimately this can amount to substantial savings for return shoppers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common questions about Maev‘s service that weren’t already covered:
What proteins are in your recipes?
Grass-fed beef, beef organs like liver and sweetbread, pork bone, wild-caught salmon oil, and free-range chicken bone broth.
What happens if my dog doesn‘t like your food?
Contact Maev’s customer experience team. In some cases they can tweak recipes or suggest transitions tips. If your dog still refuses to eat after adjustments, you can return remaining items from your first order for a full refund.
Can you accommodate allergies or restriction diets?
Yes, Maev can craft custom recipes tailored to your dog’s documented allergies or intolerances. Simply inform them upon signup.
What quality and safety assurances are in place?
Maev’s kitchens are USDA-approved, following strict protocols for sanitization and contamination prevention. Their ingredient suppliers are vetted to ensure high standards as well.
What is your cancellation/pause policy?
You can cancel, pause, or alter deliveries at any time via your online account dashboard. Just make changes by 11:59pm EST the day prior to your next billing date.
Contacting Maev’s Customer Service
You can get assistance from Maev‘s customer experience team via:
📞 Phone: 833 831 3393 (Monday-Friday 11am-7pm EST)
✉️ Email: [email protected]
📞 Text: 833 831 3393
Based on reviews, Maev‘s reps are quick to respond across all channels and willing to troubleshoot any issues.
Before getting in touch, we recommend browsing Maev‘s help center and FAQ pages to see if they answer your question.
Should You Sign Up for Maev‘s Service?
If convenience and quality are top priorities in your search for fresh dog food, Maev checks both boxes. Their subscription pricing also competes well vs. equivalent premium brands. While they‘re still ironing out minor kinks in the business, customer satisfaction remains very high.
For city dwellers struggling to nail a healthy homemade diet for their dog within a hectic schedule, Maev eliminates the hard work. Ultimately, their service allows more pet parents to serve species-appropriate real-food meals with proven nutritional benefits.
To lock in savings on your first order, remember to subscribe to Maev’s email list on their site MaevPetFood.com. But first, use the 15% off promo code MYBESTFRIEND during signup to stack additional discounts as a Tortoise Community reader.
