If your dog won't eat it: what each brand offers
Terms read on 22 September 2026
Fresh dog food is a subscription, often paid a box ahead, and plenty of dogs take a while to decide about a new food. So before you order, it's worth knowing what happens if yours won't eat it. We read each brand's own terms and help pages and summarised them below, with links, so you can check the wording yourself. Terms change, and the brand's own page is always the one that counts.
The short version
Only one of the five brands we track offers money back if your dog won't eat the food, and only on the first box. One offers new recipes or advice instead, and one lets you change the recipe at any time. All five let you stop future boxes whenever you like. What differs is how far ahead of the next one you have to do it.
| Brand | If your dog won't eat it | Last moment to change the next box |
|---|---|---|
| Bella & Duke | No guarantee | 48 hours before delivery |
| Butternut Box | Fussy Eater Guarantee on the trial box: new recipes or tips | 11pm, two days before delivery |
| Different Dog | Money back on the first box (Empty Bowl Guarantee) | 3 days' notice once an order is invoiced |
| Pure Pet Food | No guarantee | 23:59 the day before your billing date |
| tails.com | Change the recipe any time; no refund on unwanted food | The "last date for changes" on your dashboard |
Why you can't just send it back
Most things you buy online come with 14 days to change your mind. UK law makes an exception for food that goes off quickly and for goods made up for you, and fresh dog food is usually both. That is the reason these brands don't take opened food back. It is also why a guarantee is worth checking before you order, because the law won't give you a second chance on food your dog doesn't like. Food that arrives faulty is a different matter, and you can still claim for it.
Brand by brand
Bella & Duke
Bella & Duke doesn't offer a refund if a dog won't eat the food, and its terms say so plainly. Its raw food is perishable, so nothing can be returned unless it's faulty.
You can pause or cancel from your account at any time without a penalty. An order can't be cancelled within 48 hours of its delivery date unless Bella & Duke agrees to it. Its advice pages cover switching a fussy dog to raw a little at a time.
Read it yourself: Bella & Duke terms and conditions. What Bella & Duke costs: our Bella & Duke prices.
Butternut Box
Butternut Box's Fussy Eater Guarantee covers the trial box. If your dog isn't keen, tell Butternut within 10 days of the box arriving and it will send new recipes to try or advice tailored to your dog. It is a second go rather than a refund.
Its food is perishable, so the usual right to change your mind doesn't apply to it. You can stop your plan from your account at any time with no fee. The button says "Pause Subscription", and Butternut's help centre says stopping works the same as cancelling.
Read it yourself: Butternut Box: your trial box, Butternut Box: stopping your subscription, Butternut Box terms and conditions. What Butternut Box costs: our Butternut Box prices. Stopping a plan: how to cancel Butternut Box.
Different Dog
Different Dog's Empty Bowl Guarantee refunds your first box if your dog doesn't like the food, up to £50. Give the food at least five days, then tell Different Dog within 28 days, quoting your order number and the recipe numbers on the packs. It applies once per address.
If you cancel after an order has been invoiced, that order still goes out unless you give at least three days' notice.
Read it yourself: Different Dog terms and conditions. What Different Dog costs: our Different Dog prices.
Pure Pet Food
Pure Pet Food doesn't offer a guarantee, and its FAQ is straightforward about why: until a dog tries the food, nobody can say for sure it will like it. Pure's bags are made up for your dog, so they are outside the usual 14-day right to return goods.
You can stop your plan from your account at any time at no cost. Note that Pure's deadline is the day before your billing date, not your delivery date, and stopping your plan doesn't cancel an order that is already in progress.
Read it yourself: Pure Pet Food FAQ, Pure Pet Food cancellation, returns and refunds. What Pure Pet Food costs: our Pure Pet Food prices.
tails.com
tails.com makes a dry food blend for each dog, so it can't take unwanted food back or refund it. Instead you can change your dog's recipe at any time, and its help centre has feeding tips from its own vet for fussy eaters.
You can cancel from your account at any time. Changes have to be made by the "last date for changes" shown on your dashboard, which falls more than 24 hours before the order is packed.
Read it yourself: tails.com help centre: returns, tails.com terms and conditions. What tails.com costs: our tails.com prices.
Before you order
- Note the day the first box arrives. The two guarantees run from then: 10 days for Butternut Box, 28 days for Different Dog, which also asks you to try the food for five days first.
- Find the cut-off for the second box. It is the last moment you can pause or stop it, and it is in your account. If your dog is still unsure, delay the next box rather than letting it arrive.
- Switch over several days. Mixing the new food into the old a little more each day is the standard advice for any change of diet, and it gives a wary dog time to get used to it.
Comparing prices instead?
Terms are one half of the decision and cost is the other. Price up your own dog across all five brands, ranked by price alone. We earn a referral fee from some of these brands, which changes nothing on this page; here is how that works.
Cheapest of the five for a typical 14kg adult dog
tails.com Personalised kibble · £1.25/day · £38.13/month ongoing
Questions
Can I get a refund if my dog won't eat fresh dog food?
Only one of the five brands we track offers money back for that: Different Dog, on the first box only, up to £50. Butternut Box offers new recipes or tailored advice on the trial box instead of a refund, tails.com lets you change the recipe at any time, and Pure Pet Food and Bella & Duke don't offer a guarantee.
Can I send fresh dog food back if I change my mind?
Usually not. The 14-day right to change your mind on things bought online doesn't cover food that goes off quickly, or goods made up for you, and fresh dog food is both. You can still return food that is faulty.
What should I do if my dog goes off the food after a few months?
Stop or pause the next box from your account before the brand's cut-off, then ask about a recipe change. The guarantees that exist cover the first box, not later ones. If your dog's appetite drops suddenly, speak to your vet before changing food.