Last Updated on June 20, 2024 by Kieran Beckles

Are you thinking about signing up for Butternut Box and Tails, but you can’t decide between these brands?

Butternut Box and Tails are two of the leading fresh dog food companies in the UK, having provided British and Irish pet owners with the chance to ditch their usual food in favor of tasty meals.

These two fresh dog food companies offer British and Irish pet owners the chance to feed balanced and complete premium dog food to their four-legged friends.

Butternut Box uses human-quality meat and fresh produce such as fruit and vegetables in all their meals that are tailored to suit your dog’s diet, whether your pet needs to gain or lose weight.

Tails is one of the most versatile dog food companies in the UK, creating dry dog food and wet dog food in healthy meals tailored to compliment your dog’s health and daily life.

In this article, we’ll take a look at these two fresh dog food brands, their healthy meals, how their subscription service works, and whether their dog’s meals are worth the price.

(Cut to the chase: We recommend Butternut Box and you can save 50% on your first box and 50% on your second box by clicking here).

Butternut Box Vs Tails: Our Pick

If you don’t want to read to the end of this comparison article and want to know who we recommend, we’ll cut right to the chase.

My recommendation would be Butternut Box based on our experience feeding Butternut meals to my fussy Alaskan Klee Kai dog Skye and her food-motivated brother Copper.

Copper and Skye continue to be obsessed with Butternut Box’s meals despite being consistently fed their fresh meals for the best part of five years. We haven’t had any issues with sensitive stomachs or fussiness at mealtime.

Having previously experienced persistent bouts of pickiness with Skye, Butternut Box have provided my wife and I with real peace of mind. We know that Copper and Skye will always finish their customized meals.

Feeling like you can rely on and trust your Butternut Box delivery service is important if you travel and you have to leave your dogs with a dog sitter. You don’t want to be fretting about whether your pets will eat while you’re gone away.

Personally, I believe fresh dog food that is the best way to keep my dogs happy, healthy and fuelled for their active day-to-day lives as important members of the family.

Tails provide dry food that comes in bags, so it’s easier to store than Butternut Box, but I do believe you compromise on freshness.

While Butternut Box and Tails have good reputations online, Butternut Box does have a superior score on Trustpilot – too (Butternut’s 4.9 compared to Tails’ 4.3).

I’d recommend Butternut Box based on feeding their meals to my dogs, and I saved money in the long run with less trips to the vet about sensitive stomachs.

Butternut Box

Butternut Box is one of the leading providers of balanced and complete fresh dog food meals in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands. They’ve fed over 100,000 dogs in the UK since launching.

Butternut Box offers a fresh take on dog food so pet owners can ditch the dry food or wet food bought in the local supermarket in favor of vet-approved meals customized to meet your dog’s specific needs.

Butternut Box uses human-quality meat in all their meals – each meal is comprised of at least 60% meat alongside fresh fruit and vegetables. Butternut Box’s fresh meals are gently cooked at low temperatures to ensure the fresh food retains its nutritional integrity and locks in maximum flavour.

It’s important to point out that Butternut Box’s meals never use any additives, artificial flavors, nasties or preservatives in your dog’s diet. Pet owners can have peace of mind that their dog is eating fresh dog food comprised of real ingredients that can benefit their pet’s health.

Butternut Box offered four recipes when we first started to feed Butternut Box’s meals to our dogs, but in the past few years, they’ve expanded their range to 10. It’s perfect for picky eaters like Skye who grow bored with their meals if there’s not a lot of variety.

Copper and Skye particularly love Wham Bam Lamb, You’ve Got Game and Pork This Way. However, you can find Butternut Box meals that contain chicken, turkey, duck, vegetable and plant-based options to cater to all dogs.

You may not be aware that nearly 60% of dogs in the UK are overweight, underlining the obesity crisis amongst our canines. Butternut Box will tailor their meals to meet your dog’s specific needs based on your answers in their sign-up questionnaire.

Butternut Box uses rip-and-serve meal pouches to make it easy for pet parents to serve their pet’s new food. Butternut Box provides detailed information on how to transition your dog onto Butternut Box from their current food.

We first switched to Butternut Box in 2019 and remained with the fresh dog food company until a brand partnership led us to temporarily move to another fresh dog food company. However, Skye and Copper can be fussy dogs, and my picky eaters didn’t really enjoy their new food, so we switched back to Butternut Box.

Skye is the pickier of my two Alaskan Klee Kai, and she loves Butternut Box. It’s incredible to see how much my dog loves devouring all her Butternut Box meals. Her favourite recipes are Wham Bam Lamb, and You’ve Got Game.

If you’re a pet parent with a picky eater at home, you’ll know the relief that comes with seeing your happy dogs tucking into their fresh dog food meals on a consistent basis. It goes without saying Copper is equally as enthusiastic about Butternut Box’s range of fresh dog foods.

As a pet owner who tries their best to protect the environment, I appreciate that Butternut Box uses eco-friendly packaging and has a sustainable approach to their business. You can feed your dog their meals and feel good that you’re doing your bit for your dog’s health and the planet.

While we’ve given our verdict, don’t take our word for it. Butternut Box has an average rating of 4.8 stars based upon over 28,000 reviews on independent website Trustpilot. That’s a lot of happy dogs and happy pet owners.

Butternut Box is competitively priced when compared to other fresh dog food companies. To receive their gently cooked pet food each month, I had to pay around £75-80.

The price depends on your dog’s meals because some carry a surge charge. If you opt for a bigger Butternut Box delivery, you can also save money, but you’ll need more freezer space.

You can read our dedicated Butternut Box review here.

Tails

Tails are a well-established dog food company in the UK. They offer a range of pet food options to keep British dogs well fed whether they like dry food, wet food or gravy. They don’t offer raw food.

We had the chance to feed Tails to Copper and Skye for a couple of months, but ultimately, we made the switch back to fresh dog food because they preferred it.

Tails uses high-quality ingredients in their recipes, just like Butternut Box, avoiding added sugar or other nasties that you may find in other store-bought dog food.

Tails ask dog owners to provide details about their pets, such as their dog’s breed, physical traits, daily habits and more.

Once dog owners have keyed in more information about your pup, Tails will offer a suggested meal plan for your canine companion to ensure their needs are met.

You can opt to receive dry food or wet food, or a combination of both, depending on the preference of dog owners. While Butternut Box freezes their meals, Tails dog food arrives ready to serve.

Tails include a custom scooper so you won’t overfeed your dog. In my experience, the scooper was easy to put together and was a useful addition.

As I hinted above, Tails wasn’t an overwhelming hit with my dogs. We tried their dry food and wet food to get an overview of their pet food. Copper showed a moderate interest in their dry food and wet food, but his mealtime excitement was subdued compared to fresh food meals.

Skye was extremely picky with Tails, and it ultimately prompted us to ditch Tails and place a Butternut Box order because it was starting to become a real issue with pickiness and sensitivity.

I must state that I was impressed with Tails and their attention to detail in the initial box of food. They go into great detail about each ingredient in their food, how to make the transition to their meals and provide a lot of additional help for dog owners. So their subscription service is good.

Having said that, Tails has good reviews online with 4.3 stars based upon over 45,000 reviews on the independent review website Trustpilot.

Where To Buy Butternut Box?

You can only order Butternut Box direct from their website to if dog owners want to get started with their fresh food.

If you’d like to give Butternut Box a try, you can save 50% on your first box and second box via this link or the button below.

Where To Buy Tails?

If you’re a dog owner and you want to try Tails pet food, you can get started by visiting their website.

At the current time, we don’t have a Tails offer for our readers but you can keep checking back to see if this changes.

Wrapping Up

We’ve reached the end of our Butternut Box and Tails comparison article. They’re two good options for dog owners in the UK who want to adopt a fresh approach to their pet’s diet.

However, I recommend Butternut Box because of my positive experience feeding their fresh dog meals to my picky Alaskan Klee Kai dogs.

Copper and Skye have always enjoyed Butternut Box and it’s easily their preferred dog food of all the different brands we’ve fed to our Klee Kai since returning to the UK in 2019.

You can always rely on your Butternut Box delivery showing up, and as a dog owner with picky eaters, I’m confident you’ll find a Butternut Box fresh recipe that’ll get your dog excited even if they’re a fussy pup like my Klee Kai.