Curious about the new breed of online dog foods? Take a look at our tails.com review and see if it's worth the change. We discuss nutrition, quality, and value for money before giving our verdict.
Tails.com is a brand of dog food that has only been around since 2013 but in that relatively short time has managed to convert millions of owners to a new way of feeding.
Competing with brands such as Pedigree which have been around for decades, the tails.com rise to the top has been impressive.
Created by veterinary surgeons, canine nutritionists, and engineers, tails.com offer a customised approach to dog food.
A major selling point is that the food is actually delivered to your doorstep, so no more pesky shopping trips needed when you run out. You can also decide what you want and how often.
But Tails are more than just a dog food provider; they offer advice on feeding issues and other nutritional queries.
A team of dedicated doggy-lovers, tails.com now delivers millions of meals to pampered pooches every single month.
Read on to see how tails.com reviews with our team!
What Range of Foods Do Tails.com Offer?
Tails produce both wet and dry food, with many dog-owners opting to mix both together for meals that their pooch will love.
With formulas for puppies, adult dogs and seniors, you can get a blend of nutrients that’s perfect for your dog’s stage of life.
In a nutshell, the food varieties on offer are:
1. Customised dry food kibble
2. 15 varieties of wet food
3. Treats
You can choose all 3 types together in your plan or pick and choose as you please.
For the wet food, there are jellies, gravy and pates available. Take a look at the current menu below.
Here's the ingredients for the braised fillets with beef and vegetables in jelly:
Tails dry food is slightly different as you will answer a questionnaire about your dog’s likes and dislikes. If there’s a particular ingredient you’re keen to avoid or include, now’s your chance to say!
Based on your answers, Tails will create a custom kibble for your dog to try.
The best part of all is that if you don’t like it, you can feedback to Tails and they’ll tweak the recipe until your canine is gobbling it up!
Related: Looking to help your dog feel better, reduce allergies, and have more energy? Check out our guide to grain-free dog food for premium canine health.
How Does it Work?
The whole service is pretty straightforward and should be easy for even the most technophobic dog owners.
The website is clear and simple to navigate. They've obviously put some work in here and it shows with a very intuitive system in place.
Upon clicking the 'Sign Up' prompt (make sure you get 75% off using our link!) you'll be presented with a short questionnaire.
The questionnaire consists of a series of questions about your dog's background (type, size, age), dietary requirements, and likes and dislikes. The only information that we didn't know offhand was our dog's weight (in kilograms).
You can see a sample of the questions you can expect below.
We highlighted Maxwell's sensitive digestion and this is what we were told:
If you have a fussy eater then you have the option to exclude most key ingredients:
It doesn't take long to get through the questions but we were surprised with the level of detail on offer. You're even asked what food textures your dog prefers (should you know)!
Upon finishing the questions you're presented with the custom menu that tails.com has created to suit your dog's dietary needs.
Here's a sample of what was suggested for our young labrador Maxwell.
Get 75% OFF Your First Tails.com Order
What are the Beneficial Ingredients?
Although Tails offer a customised service to give your dog food tweaked to their individual tastes, there are some ingredients that are integral to all of their recipes.
Each ingredient is handpicked for its nutritional value, and for how it supports and promotes maximum canine health.
Some of the top ingredients you’ll find in Tails food includes:
- Meat and fish - including lamb fat, lamb gravy, chicken and salmon
- Vegetables and grains - peas, sweet potatoes, oats, carrots, brown rice, white potatoes, beet pulp
- Vitamins and minerals - prebiotics and glucosamine
The benefits of these ingredients are manifold, but include:
- Lamb fat - energy-dense and high in essential fatty acids for a glossy coat
- Salmon - high in omega-3, vitamins B and D, selenium and potassium. Also contains the antioxidant astaxanthin, vital for supporting your dog’s brain and nervous system
- Chicken - low in fat, high in protein and contains omega-6 and amino-acids
- Beet pulp - excellent source of protein and increases satiety
- Carrots - beta-carotene, anti-oxidant and helps your dog produce Vitamin A
- Sweet potatoes - high in vitamins A and C, and a good source of slow-release energy
- Brown rice - easy to digest and high in manganese and fibre
- Peas - high-fibre, anti-oxidant, high in vitamins B1, C and K, plus folate and manganese
- White potato - high in carotenoids, potassium and vitamins B3, B6 and C, helping to promote energy
- Prebiotics - to promote good gut health
- Glucosamine to support the joints
Each mouthful that your dog eats has been cleverly designed to provide maximum taste together with balanced nutrition to provide a shiny coat and optimum health.
Recommended: If you’ve been looking for a good quality dog food, you may be curious about the popular Wainwright’s dog food. Learn about it here.
Is Tails Dog Food Good Value?
Of course, nutrition isn't the only consideration. Any good dog food has got to fit within budget. This is how Tails.com reviews when it comes to money.
Here's a rundown of average monthly prices depending on the size of your dog. These prices were taken from their website in March 2022. I'd counter that they probably represent the more basic menus too.
Toy - £10.44
Small - £14.74
Medium - £20.57
Large - £29.54
Giant - £39.03
The price is obviously dependent on the volume of food you require but also on 2 other criteria:
- Ingredients - some ingredients are more expensive than others.
- Supplements - some dogs might require extra nutritional support.
There's really no simple answer to how much it will cost you personally. The prices are completely dog dependent.
However, almost every Tails dog food review describes it as excellent value, sitting in the mid-range of the prices.
Tails provide a measuring scoop with the food so you know exactly how much to give your pooch, a great way to save money and prevent over-feeding.
The other benefit is that because you’re able to create a custom kibble, you won’t need to worry about waste, even if your dog is a picky eater. Getting dog food that they’re guaranteed to love saves lots of money in the long run.
Recommended: Harrington's dog food is really popular but does it deserve all the attention?
Are There Any Negatives to Choosing Tails?
The Tails dog food reviews are generally glowing, with owners reporting that they loved being able to pick the right blend for their pet.
Not all combinations are possible; for example, it’s not possible to exclude both grain and chicken and still receive dry kibble. For most though, a good combination could be found that was accepted by the dog.
Related: See how the Tails subscription service compares to the competition in our guide to tailor made dog foods.
The biggest problem reported with Tails is the delivery. Some of the couriers used for the delivery weren’t particularly careful when they left the parcel.
Obviously, this varies from one area to another, and in many cases, there were no issues at all. Much depends on the delivery services in your area.
The other issue is that with Tails you’ll need to plan ahead. Many customers reported getting a speedy service when needed, but even with this, you’ll need to allow several days.
If you realise your pooch’s food is about to run out tonight, you can’t just run out to the store and top up. Tails is only available via mail delivery, which won’t suit all.
We'd also consider the service reasonably expensive. Certainly, there's a lot on offer here but it's priced accordingly
Recommended Reading: Don't miss our Forthglade dog food review and learn everything you need to know about whether this could be a good choice for your pet.
Should I Buy Tails Dog Food For My Pet?
Tails offer an unusual solution in the market: mail-order dog food which is created to match your own pooch’s palate and needs.
Although the ingredients are quite expensive, they’re high quality and made to a nutritious formula.
Your dog will love the attention to detail, coating kibble in appetising lamb gravy helps even picky eaters to dig right in, while the wet food looks almost delicious enough for humans to eat!
For well-balanced, personalised, and nutritious food delivered to your door, tails.com is an excellent choice.
The '75% off' sign-up offer is also a great way to trial the tails.com dog food service without spending too much money. You're also able to cancel at any time.
Get 75% OFF Your First Tails.com Order
Have you tried the tails.com service? We'd love to hear what your experience was like. Leave a comment down below and let's get the discussion started!
I changed my Dachsund to Tails maize and grain-free and he loves it. We also tried royal canin and wainwrights but he’s fussy and didn’t enjoy them as much. He loves his Tails food and his coat is shinier now too!