Dr. Marty Pets Review: Is the Freeze-Dried Raw Food Worth It?

Dr. Marty Pets legitimacy and licensing

Yes. Dr. Marty Pets is a brand of California Pet Partners, LLC in Woodland Hills, California, in business since September 2017 and BBB accredited with an A+ rating since March 2018. It has 53 BBB complaints in the last three years and a 4.3 out of 5 Trustpilot score across 4,709 reviews. The corporate parent is Golden Pet Brands, which was spun out of Golden Hippo, a large direct-response marketer, and which owns Badlands Ranch and Ultimate Pet Nutrition too. Golden Pet Brands says it makes virtually all of its food in-house, including at a BRC AA+ rated plant in Germantown, Wisconsin.

Two things are worth knowing. Dr. Marty Goldstein, the integrative veterinarian in the ads, is described by the parent company as the brand’s ‘Brand Champion’, the same role Katherine Heigl plays for Badlands Ranch and Rob Lowe for Ultimate Pet Nutrition; he is the face, not the company. And the marketing is the long-form video and ‘regular price $59.95’ style that draws complaints about pressure and subscriptions across all Golden Hippo brands. We found no FTC action, lawsuit or recall involving Dr. Marty Pets in October 2026.

Dr. Marty pricing explained

On drmartypets.com, Nature’s Blend for dogs shows a regular price of $59.95 per bag and an offer to ‘pay $30.95 when you log in or create your free Dr. Marty Pets Account’. Nature’s Feast for cats is $59.95 regular and $29.95 with an account. Both are sold in 1, 3, 6 or 12 bag quantities, and shipping is free on US orders over $50. Bundle and subscription prices appear only after you create the account, which is also what enrolls you in the brand’s email and offer flow.

The brand’s product page does not state the bag size. Walmart and independent pet stores list Nature’s Blend Essential Wellness at 16 ounces, with a 6 ounce trial and a 48 ounce size, at $32.99 to $48.99 against the $59.95 list. At 16 ounces, the account price works out to about $31 a pound and the regular price to about $60 a pound, which is why most owners use it as a topper on a cheaper complete food rather than as the whole diet for a big dog.

What Nature's Blend is and what the label leaves out

Nature’s Blend Essential Wellness is a grain-free freeze-dried raw diet built on turkey, beef, salmon, duck and beef liver with seeds, vegetables and fruit, and the brand says it contains no artificial preservatives, additives, fillers or synthetic ingredients. You rehydrate it with warm water before serving. The company says the food is made in the USA, and its parent owns the Wisconsin plant.

What we could not find on the brand’s own pages: the bag weight, a feeding chart, the guaranteed analysis, or an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement saying which life stage the food is complete and balanced for. Those are printed on the bag and on some retailer listings, so read the bag before you make it a sole diet, and ask your vet if your dog is a puppy, pregnant or has kidney or pancreatic issues, since raw and high-fat diets are not right for every dog. The FDA and CDC also note that raw pet foods, including freeze-dried, can carry Salmonella and Listeria; wash hands and bowls after handling.

Complaints and how to avoid them

Most one and two star reviews are about money and logistics, not sick pets: the price per bag once the introductory offer ends, shipments that stall in transit, subscriptions that deliver faster than the dog eats, and refunds denied because the return was sent without a return authorization number. A smaller group says their pet refused the food or disliked the smell.

To avoid the common problems: create the account first so you pay the $29.95 to $30.95 price; screenshot the checkout page showing whether a subscription was selected and its frequency; set a calendar reminder a week before the next ship date; and if you want your money back, request the RA number inside 90 days of the ship date and keep the return tracking number. Customer Care runs 6 AM to 5 PM Pacific on weekdays and 6 AM to 4 PM on weekends at 1-(800) 670-1839.

The 90-day guarantee, subscriptions and cancellation

The terms give website buyers a 90-Day Money Back guarantee that starts the day the order ships. You submit the form at drmartypets.com/returns or call Customer Care, receive a return authorization number and shipping instructions, and pay the return shipping yourself. The refund is processed when the product reaches the warehouse. The terms state that shipments without an RA number will not be refunded and will be destroyed. Shipping charges are not refunded.

The public terms we could read say nothing about how subscriptions renew or how to cancel, beyond the ‘Subscribe Now for Major Discounts’ banner. Cancel through your account or by phone and get written confirmation. Under California’s automatic renewal law, a company that lets you sign up online must let you cancel online, and under the FTC’s click-to-cancel rule it must make cancelling as easy as signing up.

Rules that apply to pet food marketing

Pet food is regulated by the FDA and by state feed officials using AAFCO model rules, which govern the ingredient list, guaranteed analysis and the nutritional adequacy statement on the bag, but no agency approves health claims in ads before they run. The FTC’s deceptive advertising rules apply to testimonials and ‘results may vary’ claims, and the FDA has warned pet owners that raw diets carry bacterial risks for pets and people. The terms of use send disputes to Los Angeles County courts under California law and waive class actions.

Who should skip Dr. Marty

Skip it if you have a large dog and want a complete diet, because the per-pound cost is several times that of a quality kibble or even fresh subscription food. Skip it if you dislike direct-response funnels, accounts and subscriptions, or if you are switching food to treat a health problem; get a diagnosis first. It fits owners of small dogs or cats, or anyone who wants a raw topper that keeps in the pantry and will buy at the account price.