The verdict: Open Farm wins for owners who care about where the meat came from — every bag carries a lot code you can trace back to the farm, and the proteins are Certified Humane raised. Go! Solutions wins for owners solving a specific problem — itchy skin, a sensitive gut, stiff joints, or too many kilos — because its four purpose-built lines are cheaper per kilogram than Open Farm's kibble while still meeting AAFCO standards. The deciding factor is simple: traceable sourcing versus targeted formulation at a lower feeding cost. Both are Canadian, and you can compare them side by side in our dry dog food collection or across the wider dog food range.
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Shop Dog Food →| Feature | Open Farm | Go! Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Owners who want farm-level traceability and ethically raised proteins | Owners targeting skin, digestion, joints or weight with one specific line |
| Protein source | Certified Humane turkey, chicken, beef, lamb, pork; Ocean Wise recommended whitefish and salmon | Cage-free poultry, wild-caught salmon, grass-fed lamb; single-source protein in the Sensitivities line |
| Typical protein content (dry) | Roughly 24–30% crude protein depending on recipe | Roughly 24–46% crude protein — Carnivore sits at the top of that band |
| Typical kcal per cup (dry) | About 395–420 kcal | About 330–480 kcal depending on line |
| Traceability | Lot-code lookup showing farms and suppliers per bag | Recipe-level ingredient disclosure, no per-bag lookup |
| Formats available | Kibble, RawMix, freeze-dried raw, gently cooked, stews, bone broth | Kibble, wet food, bone broth toppers |
| Price tier | $$$ | $$ |
| Available at Ashario | Shop Open Farm | Shop Go! Solutions |
Where Open Farm wins
Open Farm's strongest advantage is verifiable sourcing: each bag and can is printed with a lot code that you can enter on the brand's site to see the specific farms and fisheries behind that batch. No other Canadian brand on our shelves offers that level of per-batch transparency, and it's the single feature customers ask us about most.
The protein side is just as specific. Open Farm sources Certified Humane raised meat, meaning the animals were raised to third-party welfare standards rather than vague "premium" marketing language. Seafood recipes use whitefish and salmon that carry Ocean Wise recommendations. For a shopper who already reads labels on their own groceries, that consistency matters.
Nutritionally, the dry recipes land in a sensible middle band. Homestead-style poultry kibble runs around 28% crude protein and 16% crude fat with roughly 415 kcal per cup, while the Ancient Grains recipes sit nearer 24–26% protein with modestly lower fat. Fibre content typically falls between 4% and 6%, and most recipes include both prebiotic and probiotic support plus added omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. That's a profile most adult dogs in the 10–35 kg range handle well without the digestive adjustment that very high-fat food can cause.
Format range is the quiet advantage
Open Farm is one of the few brands where you can keep the same protein across five textures. A dog eating the turkey kibble can get turkey RawMix, turkey freeze-dried morsels as training rewards, gently cooked turkey as a topper, or bone broth poured over a half-eaten bowl. Our team at Ashario Pets recommends this approach for fussy eaters, because you're changing texture and aroma without changing the protein the dog is already tolerating.
Our nutrition experts at the North York store also point owners toward RawMix when they want raw inclusions without committing to a freezer routine. It blends kibble with freeze-dried raw pieces and sits around 450–480 kcal per cup, so portions shrink accordingly — worth recalculating rather than scooping by habit. If you want the raw comparison in full, browse our raw dog food selection as well.
Owners weighing Open Farm against other premium options may also find our earlier breakdown useful: Open Farm vs The Honest Kitchen: Which Premium Pet Food Brand Wins?
Where Go! Solutions wins
Go! Solutions wins on targeted formulation and feeding cost. Made in British Columbia by Petcurean, the range is split into four purpose-built lines — Carnivore, Sensitivities, Skin + Coat Care, and Weight Management + Joint Care — so you're matching a recipe to a problem rather than hoping a general-purpose food covers it.
The Carnivore line is the high-protein end of the catalogue, with grain-free multi-protein recipes reaching into the 40%-plus crude protein range and roughly 450–480 kcal per cup. That suits working-line breeds and the kind of dog that does three hard laps of the Downsview Park off-leash field and still wants to go again. At the other end, Weight Management + Joint Care drops to around 9% fat and near 330 kcal per cup, with added glucosamine and chondroitin — a meaningful difference when a 30 kg dog needs to lose 2–3 kg over several months.
Sensitivities is the line that solves real problems
Go! Sensitivities uses a limited ingredient, single-source protein design — salmon, lamb, duck, venison or pollock — which is exactly the structure veterinarians ask for when running an elimination trial. Customers often ask us what to feed during a food trial, and a single novel protein with no secondary animal ingredients is the honest answer. Only your veterinarian can diagnose a food allergy, but the food itself has to cooperate with the process, and this line does.
Skin + Coat Care leans on omega-3 and omega-6 from salmon oil and flaxseed, usually quoted at minimum levels on the guaranteed analysis panel rather than buried in the ingredient list. Research summarised through the National Center for Biotechnology Information has repeatedly linked dietary long-chain omega-3 intake with coat condition and inflammatory skin response in dogs, which is why this line gets recommended for the January-to-March dry-air season in the GTA.
Go! also extends into wet food and bone broth, so toppers are available for dogs that need encouragement. Browse the wet dog food range if you're topping a kibble bowl rather than replacing it.
How to compare cost per kilogram honestly
Price per bag tells you almost nothing. Cost per kilogram of food tells you more. Cost per 1,000 kcal tells you the truth, because that's the unit your dog actually consumes.
Use this calculation: divide the bag price by the bag weight in kilograms to get cost per kg. Then divide cost per kg by the recipe's kcal per kilogram (printed on every bag) and multiply by 1,000. A food at 480 kcal per cup is denser than one at 330 kcal per cup, so the denser food feeds a dog for more days from the same weight. We see this constantly in store — two bags that look similarly priced can differ by 25–30% in real feeding cost once density is factored in. Go! Solutions generally comes out lower per 1,000 kcal than Open Farm kibble, and Open Farm's RawMix and gently cooked lines sit higher still.
Which should you pick?
Match the brand to your actual situation rather than to the marketing. Three scenarios cover most of the dogs we discuss at the counter.
Scenario 1 — You read labels and welfare certifications matter to you. Pick Open Farm. The lot-code traceability and Certified Humane sourcing are the product, and no amount of recipe tweaking elsewhere replicates them. Budget for a higher cost per 1,000 kcal and consider the standard kibble rather than RawMix if that gap matters.
Scenario 2 — Your dog has itchy paws, loose stool, or a vet-ordered elimination trial ahead. Pick Go! Solutions Sensitivities. A single-source protein, limited ingredient formula with no secondary meat meals gives the trial a fair chance. Confirm the plan with your veterinarian first, and keep treats to the same protein — our single-ingredient dog treats make that straightforward.
Scenario 3 — You have a large-breed adult and a tight monthly food budget. Pick Go! Solutions. Feeding a 35 kg dog roughly 400 g daily means a 11.3 kg bag lasts about 28 days; the per-1,000-kcal advantage compounds fast at that volume. If you want the ethical sourcing anyway, a workable compromise is Go! kibble as the base with Open Farm freeze-dried as the reward — a split we suggest often.
For a dog with a diagnosed condition, bring the diagnosis to the conversation. Guidance from the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association is consistent on this: therapeutic diets belong under veterinary supervision, and a retail premium food is not a substitute for one.
Bottom line: Open Farm earns its higher cost per kilogram through per-batch farm traceability, Certified Humane proteins and a five-format lineup built around the same protein. Go! Solutions earns its place through four problem-specific lines — including a genuine limited ingredient range and a 330 kcal per cup weight formula — at a lower cost per 1,000 kcal. Transparency buyers choose Open Farm; problem-solvers and multi-dog households choose Go! Solutions.
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Find Open Farm, Go! Solutions, and other premium pet supplies in-store or Browse dry dog food online →.
Common questions about Open Farm and Go! Solutions
How many kcal per cup is Open Farm dog food?
Most Open Farm dry recipes fall between 395 and 420 kcal per cup, with the Homestead poultry kibble around 415 kcal. RawMix recipes are denser at roughly 450–480 kcal per cup because of the freeze-dried raw inclusions. Always confirm against the kcal/kg figure printed on your specific bag, since recipes get reformulated.
Is Go! Solutions cheaper per kg than Open Farm?
Yes, in most direct comparisons Go! Solutions kibble costs less per kilogram and less per 1,000 kcal than comparable Open Farm dry recipes. The gap widens against Open Farm RawMix, freeze-dried and gently cooked formats. Calculate it yourself: bag price ÷ bag weight in kg, then adjust for the recipe's energy density.
Are both brands AAFCO complete and balanced?
Both Open Farm and Go! Solutions dry recipes carry AAFCO nutrient profile statements for a stated life stage — adult maintenance, growth, or all life stages. Check the bag panel for which one applies. AAFCO label modernization rules adopted in 2023 are phasing in through 2028 and will make these statements easier to find on-pack.
Can I mix Open Farm and Go! Solutions in the same bowl?
You can, provided both recipes suit your dog's life-stage formulation and you transition over 7–10 days. Start at 25% new food and increase every two to three days. Don't mix during a veterinary elimination trial — that defeats the purpose. Recalculate total portions, since the two foods may differ by 100+ kcal per cup.
We're at 1111A Finch Ave W, Unit 2, North York, ON M3J 2P7, open 7 AM to 11 PM daily, and we deliver around the GTA via Instacart and other services. Bring your current bag in and our team will work out the cost per 1,000 kcal with you.
More reading: our dog nutrition blog, the best pet food for specific needs guide, and our made in Canada pet products page, since both brands in this comparison are Canadian.
This article is educational and does not replace veterinary advice. For diagnosed allergies, weight disorders, kidney or joint disease, consult your veterinarian before changing diets. Questions about a specific recipe? Contact our team or read the pet store FAQ.
