Where to Buy Premium Pet Food in Newmarket: Brands Carried, Pickup and Delivery Options

Newmarket pet owners looking for premium food have two realistic routes: order online for delivery to York Region, or drive roughly 30–35 minutes down Highway 404 to a full-inventory shop. Both get you brands like Orijen, Open Farm, Big Country Raw and ZIWI — you can browse premium dry dog food or shop raw dog food before you leave home.

That drive matters more than it sounds. Bags in the 11.4 kg (25 lb) range and 4 lb raw cartons don't ship cheaply, and the freezer inventory that makes raw feeding practical simply can't be photographed accurately. So this guide splits the decision honestly: what's worth ordering, what's worth the trip, and what Newmarket customers ask us before they commit either way.

What Newmarket pet owners ask us most

The three questions we hear repeatedly from York Region customers are: do you actually stock the specific formula I'm switching to, can I get frozen raw home without it thawing, and how much food should I buy at once to make the drive worthwhile. All three have concrete answers.

When a customer drives in from Newmarket or Aurora, they almost never come for one bag. Our team at Ashario Pets sees these visits as stock-up runs — typically a large kibble bag, two to four weeks of frozen raw, a case of wet food and a treat restock. Pet owners tell us the math flips in favour of driving once the cart passes about 20 kg of combined weight, because that's the point where shipping surcharges and split shipments start eating the convenience.

Do you carry the exact formula I'm currently feeding?

Most likely, if it's a Canadian premium brand. Our shelves carry Acana, Orijen, Open Farm, Go! Solutions, Carna4, Oven-Baked Tradition, Canadian Naturals, Big Country Raw, Red Dog Blue Kat and Raw Performance, plus international lines including ZIWI, Farmina, Fromm, Stella & Chewy's, Instinct Raw, Primal, Zignature, SquarePet and The Honest Kitchen. If you're mid-transition and can't risk a substitution, call before driving up — a five-minute check saves an hour of highway.

Where can I buy Open Farm near Newmarket?

Open Farm is a Toronto-founded brand, and it's one of the most requested lines we stock — dry, freeze-dried raw, gently cooked and their bone broth toppers. Their traceability system lets you enter a lot code and see the farms behind the ingredients, which is the single most-cited reason our customers pick it. You can explore freeze-dried dog food including Open Farm's line, or see the full range of top pet product brands in Canada.

What about cat food — is the cat selection as deep?

Yes. Cat owners in York Region come to us most often for Tiki Cat, Weruva, Inaba, Snappy Tom, Caru and Ziwi wet food, plus Orijen and Acana on the dry side. Wet food matters more for cats than dogs: canned diets typically run 70–78% moisture versus roughly 10% in kibble, which supports urinary tract health. Shop wet cat food or compare dry cat food options by protein percentage.

How to read a premium label before you buy anything

A premium price tag means nothing without a guaranteed analysis that matches your pet's life stage. Under AAFCO nutrient profiles, adult dog maintenance food must supply at least 18% crude protein and 5.5% fat on a dry-matter basis, while growth and reproduction formulas require a minimum of 22.5% protein and 8.5% fat.

Cats sit higher across the board. Adult cat maintenance requires a 26% protein minimum and 9% fat, and every cat food must include supplemental taurine — 0.10% in dry food and 0.20% in wet, because taurine degrades during canning. A 2026 AAFCO model bill revision continues tightening how nutritional adequacy statements must be worded, which is why we tell customers to read the small print on the back panel rather than the marketing on the front.

Four numbers worth checking on any bag you're considering:

• Crude protein — premium dry dog foods commonly land between 27% and 38%; ZIWI's air-dried lines run higher still.
• Fat content — 12–20% for most adult formulas; lower for weight-management lines, higher for working dogs.
• Fiber content — typically 3–6%; formulas above 8% are usually weight or digestive support blends.
• kcal per cup — ranges from about 320 kcal in light formulas to 480+ kcal in performance diets. A 30 lb dog needing roughly 700 kcal daily eats very different volumes depending on that number.

Look for added omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from named sources (salmon oil, herring oil, flaxseed) rather than generic "animal fat," and check whether joint support is real — glucosamine listed in the guaranteed analysis at a stated mg/kg figure, not just mentioned on the label. Probiotics and prebiotics only help if the label states a viable CFU count through the best-before date. For dogs with more complex needs, our guide to pet food for specific needs breaks the categories down further.

Comparing two Newmarket favourites: Orijen vs ZIWI

These are the two brands York Region customers most often ask us to compare, because both are protein-dense premium foods but they solve different problems. Orijen is a Canadian kibble built around fresh regional ingredients; ZIWI is a New Zealand air-dried food closer in composition to raw.

In our store we see customers land on a hybrid: Orijen as the base kibble with a spoonful of ZIWI or freeze-dried raw as a topper. That combination costs less than feeding air-dried exclusively and solves most appetite problems within a few days. Always transition gradually — 25% new food for three days, then 50%, then 75%, over roughly 7–10 days.

Seasonal needs specific to York Region

Newmarket winters change what your pet needs, and the two biggest sellers we see from November through March are paw protection and skin-and-coat supplements. Road salt on sidewalks around Fairy Lake and the Tom Taylor Trail irritates paw pads badly, and forced-air heating dries coats to the point where owners mistake winter flaking for a food allergy.

Salt-and-brine season calls for a rinse routine: warm water, a quick towel dry, and a paw balm on cracked pads. Our dog grooming supplies include TropiClean and Earth Rated products that handle the daily post-walk cleanup without stripping natural oils. For coat condition, omega-3 supplementation at roughly 50–75 mg combined EPA and DHA per kilogram of body weight daily is a commonly used range — confirm the right dose for your pet with your veterinarian, since fish-oil needs vary with diet and health status.

Summer flips the concern to hydration and activity. Cats especially undereat moisture; adding a food broth or switching one meal to wet food can raise daily water intake meaningfully. Dogs hiking the Nokiidaa Trail in July burn more calories than their winter routine, and a 5–10% portion increase during peak activity months is common. Our dog health and wellness range covers joint, skin and digestive support across both seasons, and the dog wellness needs page maps supplement categories to specific symptoms.

Delivery coverage versus driving down the 404

Delivery works well for shelf-stable goods — kibble, canned food, treats, litter and supplements — while frozen raw and large multi-bag orders are usually better handled in person. The distance from Newmarket to our North York location is roughly 35 km, which is a 30–40 minute drive outside rush hour.

Our store at 1111A Finch Ave W, Unit 2, North York, ON M3J 2P7 is open 7 AM to 11 PM daily, with local delivery available via DoorDash and other apps. Those long hours exist precisely for out-of-town customers — a 7 AM Saturday pickup or a 9 PM weekday stop avoids the 404 crawl entirely.

When ordering online makes sense

• You're restocking a formula you already feed and don't need advice.
• The order is under about 15 kg — a single kibble bag, a treat top-up, or a case of cans.
• You need litter, supplements or grooming products with no cold-chain requirement.
• You've run out mid-week and need something within hours.

When the drive pays for itself

• You're buying frozen raw in volume — Big Country Raw, Red Dog Blue Kat, Raw Performance and Iron Will-style patty formats stay solid in a cooler for the trip home.
• You're switching foods and want to compare guaranteed analysis panels side by side.
• You're stocking a multi-pet household — two dogs plus a cat easily clears 30 kg per run.
• Your dog has a diagnosed sensitivity and you need help narrowing limited ingredient or novel-protein options.

Bring a cooler and two ice packs for raw. A 4 lb carton of frozen patties holds temperature comfortably for 90 minutes in a closed cooler in cool weather, less in August. Our price match guarantee applies either way, and the store FAQ covers order and stock questions in more detail.

Treats, chews and the small-basket run

Treats are the category where Newmarket shoppers most often order online, because weight is low and shipping is straightforward. Canadian-made options dominate what leaves our shelves: Crumps' Naturals, Kettle Craft, Fare Game, Tilted Barn, Charmy and Benko, alongside Greenies dental chews and RedBarn chews.

Portion control matters more than owners expect. Treats should stay under 10% of daily calories — for a 20 lb dog eating about 500 kcal daily, that's roughly 50 kcal, or two to three small biscuits. The American Kennel Club and the AVMA both flag treat calories as a common contributor to canine obesity, which affects a majority of dogs seen in North American clinics. Freeze-dried single-ingredient treats are our usual recommendation for training, since a 30 g bag stretches across dozens of reps at 2–4 kcal each.

For cats, freeze-dried minnows and Inaba lickable tubes work well as pill-time bribes. Browse cat treats or shop dog treats and chews to build a small delivery basket. Toy restocks — Kong, ZippyPaws, JW Pet — ship easily too; see the dog toys collection.

Quick summary: Newmarket pet owners can get premium brands like Orijen, Open Farm, ZIWI and Big Country Raw either by app delivery or by driving roughly 35 km to our North York store. Order online for shelf-stable kibble, cans, treats and litter; make the trip for frozen raw, multi-pet stock-ups, and any food transition where you want to compare labels in person.

Questions Newmarket customers ask before their first visit

Is there a minimum order for pet food delivery to Newmarket, Ontario?

Delivery availability and minimums depend on the app and your postal code, since third-party couriers set their own radius and fee structure. For addresses in York Region, the practical approach is to check current coverage at checkout or contact our store directly — we'll confirm what's shippable and what's better picked up before you place an order.

How much premium food should I buy per trip?

Plan for four to six weeks of supply per trip. A 30 lb dog on kibble eats roughly 2 cups daily, or about 5 kg per month, so one 11.4 kg bag covers two months. A cat eating 60 g of dry food daily uses about 1.8 kg monthly. If you feed raw at 2–3% of body weight, a 30 lb dog needs roughly 0.3 kg per day — around 9 kg per month, which is where freezer space becomes the real limit.

Can staff help me pick food if my vet flagged a health issue?

We can help you read labels, compare protein and phosphorus levels, and find formulas that match a veterinary recommendation — but we don't diagnose or prescribe. If your veterinarian has specified a therapeutic diet or a nutrient ceiling, bring that note with you. Our nutrition team then narrows the options that actually fit those numbers. Research indexed on PubMed consistently shows diet changes for chronic conditions work best under veterinary supervision, and the CVMA is a good starting point for finding a clinic if you're new to the area.