Frequently Asked Questions

It's important to follow all of the veterinary nutritionist-formulated recipes in the Opal e-cookbook exactly to a "T" in order to ensure your dog is getting the perfect balance of nutrition in each meach. 

It's important to stick to exactly what is written in each recipe, including the oil. Changing the oil can result in an unwanted change to the fatty acid ratios or total amount of essential fatty acids. 

Opal's Perfect Powder can be fed with an omnivorous diet. If you're not using a recipe from the Opal e-cookbook, just make sure to consult your veterinarian so they can formulate a balanced recipe for your dog.

Transition your pup over to a fresh food diet with Perfect Powder by slowly switching from their old food to the new food over the course of 7-10 days. Start with ⅔ of their old food and ⅓ of the new, fresh food diet, then gradually transition over the 7-10 day period. During the transition, keep a close eye on them for any unusual symptoms and don't hesitate to reach out to us (hello@opalpets.com) or your veterinarian with questions or for support!

Currently feeding your dog vegan kibble? --> Great, this should make the transition nice and smooth! Your pup is already used to eating plant-based and will be excited to try the new flavors and textures in Opal's homemade recipes. You can transition them to their new fresh food diet over the course of 7-10 days.

Currently feeding your dog meat-based kibble? --> Ok! Most dogs do totally fine transitioning from a traditional meat-based kibble over to a homemade, plant-based diet. We recommend gradually transitioning over the course of 10 days, all while keeping an eye on your pup for any unusual signs.

We recommend sticking to the precise amounts of each ingredient listed in the e-cookbook recipes. This is because they’re formulated by veterinary nutritionists to be complete and balanced (when Opal's Perfect Powder is added in). Remember to always ask your veterinarian if you want to change or create a recipe, or if you have any questions about your dog’s homemade diet. You also can always send us an email to hello@opalpets.com with any questions! We’re happy to help.

This depends on which recipes you follow, but often using fresh whole foods like veggies, grains and plant-protein can be very cost-effective. Some of the simple recipes in our Opal e-cooknook are less than $3 per meal!

Yes! Preparing multiple servings of meals for your dog at once is a great way to save on time and simplify the home cooking process. Once you cook up the meals, we recommend storing them in air tight, portioned containers for up to 2 weeks in the freezer. Important: Make sure to add Opal's Perfect Powder at the time of feeding (not before freezing) and once the meal has already been reheated to ensure it retains all of it's vitamin, mineral and amino acid good-ness!

This can vary depending on the recipe you choose! We suggest using simple, quick recipes that are super nutritious and balanced when a supplement is added. Our favorite go-to recipe is our yummy Super Greens & Quinoa recipe in the Opal Thrive & Shine e-cookbook (free with your purchase of Perfect Powder). This recipe takes about 15 minutes to make several servings and only uses 8 ingredients. Some recipes have more ingredients with the purpose of providing a wider array of nutrients in each meal. These recipes still usually only take 15-20 minutes to prepare several servings of food for your pup.

A balanced, home-cooked diet, when prepared correctly and balanced with the right vitamins and minerals, can be rich in absorbable nutrition. One paper shows dogs fed a fresh food diet lived on a average of 13.1 years, while dogs fed canned wet food lived for 10.4 years. Adding more fresh meals to your dog’s diet is an excellent way to increase their overall health and longevity potential. Always make sure their meals are complete and balanced with a supplement .

Vegan and plant-based diets require specific supplementation that is being met with the Perfect Powder when using one of the specifically designed recipes in Opal's Thrive&Shine e-cookbook. With that being said, Perfect Powder can also be used as vitamin/mineral supplementation in a more ‘traditional pet food diet.' Perfect Powder has been designed to ‘fill the gap’ of the vitamins and minerals that are needed to ensure a home cooked meal is meeting your pet's requirements. If you would like to use Perfect Powder as your supplementation for a diet not in our e-cookbook, whether the diet plant based or not, please work with an animal nutritionist or your dog's veterinarian to ensure your pet's needs are being fully met.   

You can log in to your account here ! If you forgot your password, simply click “forgot password” on the account page. If you’re still having trouble logging in, it’s possible you don’t yet have an account set up. Email us for help any time at hello@opalpets.com!

All Opal products arrive to your doorstep (within the continental USA) with free shipping. Woo hoo!

Once you place your order, it is packed up by our team and shipped out to you the next day. It will take 2-5 business days to get to your doorstep. You can log into your account here to view your order's progress!

Once your order is shipped, it's already on its way to you and it cannot be cancelled. You and your pup’s happiness is the most important thing to us, though! So please reach out if you have any issues once your order arrives and we're happy to help: hello@opalpets.com

You and your pup’s happiness is the most important thing to us! Please reach out if you have any issues at all: hello@opalpets.com. and we're more than happy to help.

We ship our products anywhere within the continental us (with free shipping!)

Our Thrive&Shine e-cookbook will arrive to your email address shortly after your order has been confirmed. If the cookbook is not in our inbox, make sure to do a quick check in your spam folder. Feel free to reach out to us at hello@opalpets.com and we're more than happy to make sure the cookbook gets to you! 

Opal's Perfect Powder is best stored in its original, closed container up until the best-by date printed on the label. You can also store the powder in an air-tight container, just make sure it’s not clear so you can best protect the product from light exposure and oxidation. 

This depends on your dog’s weight. You can use the handy calculator on our product page to calculate exactly how long the canister will last your pup. In general, one container of Perfect Powder will last a medium dog about one month. Perfect Powder has a shelf life of 18 months from production. To view your product's best-by date, just check the date printed on your pup’s container.

You can buy Opal’s products on our website here. To get the best price on Opal products, choose the 'subscribe & save' option on the product page. [Learn more about subsribe & save here!]

We worked hard to make sure Opal is not only super nutritious, but SO tasty! It has a savory veggie flavor we think your pup will love. Don't just take our word, though - read some stories about picky pups that love Opal here.

The amount of Perfect Powder you feed your dog is based on the chosen recipe and their weight. Each recipe includes an amount (in teaspoons or tablespoon) to add to your dog's recipe. Be sure to follow the instructions in our Opal e-cook book for precise feeding guidelines.

The shelf life of Opal powder is 18 months from production. A best-by date is printed on each container.

Perfect Powder is the passion project of our founder & CEO Lindsay Carvalho. After a decade of experience in the plant-based pet food industry, Lindsay personally worked with experts in canine nutrition and veterinary nutritionists to hand-select and approve each of Opal's clean, functional ingredients. Perfect Powder balances the fresh, homemade meals on our e-cookbook with the perfect blend of vitamins, minerals and amino acids according to AAFCO nutrition for adult dogs.

Learn more about our ingredients here!

At Opal, we make our products in the USA with 100% vegan, non-GMO ingredients.

When added to the fresh, home made recipes in Opal's e-cookbook and fed based on our feeding guidelines, Perfect Powder creates complete and balanced meals based on AAFCO nutrition standards for adult dogs.

We include 100% vegan forms of taurine and L. carnitine in Opal’s Perfect Powder to ensure your dog is getting plenty of these vital amino acids.

Perfect Powder is a vitamin, mineral and amino acid blend that's 100% vegan and non-GMO. It contains USDA organic sea kelp, whole food foods from fruit and veggies, vegan vitamin D, taurine, L-carnitine and more. See our full ingredient panel and nutrition here.

Yes! Opal is made in the USA with non-GMO, 100% vegan ingredients.

Yes! Perfect Powder is made in with 100% vegan, clean ingredients. We love animals and the recipes in our e-cookbook are also 100% plant-based!

Opal's Perfect Powder supplement does not contain any grains 

Commercial diets for dogs (kibble or wet food) already include a mixture of vitamins and minerals, so it’s important not to feed Opal's Perfect Powder regularly on top of kibble to ensure you are not over-supplementing your dog. Perfect Powder is intended to be fed based on the feeding guidelines in our e-cookbook as an addition to a fresh, homemade diet.

Commercial pet foods are usually highly processed at high temperatures, which can lead to a lack of accessible nutrient absorption in your dog. This is why many pet parents opt for a multivitamin in addition to their dog's kibble. If you'd like to offer your dog Perfect Powder as a "nutrition boost" in addition to their kibble, we recommend to follow the feeding guidelines on the canister and stick to using the supplement 1 - 2 times per week (not daily). If you have any questions at all, reach out to us any time at hello@opalpets.com - we're happy to help!

Perfect Powder was formulated to meet the nutritional needs of adult dogs 1 year and up based on AAFCO's guidelines. If you have questions about adapting Perfect Powder to meet your growing puppy's needs, please email us at hello@opalpets.com. We're happy to help! 

Yes! Perfect Powder was formulated to meet the nutritional needs of adult dogs 1 year and up according to AAFCO. 

Yes! Perfect Powder contains an ingredient called DL-Methionine, which helps make the urine more acidic to help reduce the formation of certain types of urinary stones.

Perfect Powder is a supplement intended to balance fresh, homemade dog food recipes, such as the recipes in our Opal e-cookbook.

Commercial pet foods are usually highly processed at high temperatures, which can lead to a lack of accessible nutrient absorption in your dog. This is why many pet parents opt for a multivitamin in addition to their dog's kibble. If you'd like to offer your dog Perfect Powder as a "nutrition boost" in addition to their kibble, we recommend to follow the feeding guidelines on the canister and stick to using the supplement 1 - 2 times per week (not daily).

The natural flavor in Perfect Powder is a vegan, yeast-based ingredient that provides a savory veggie taste, with certifications for both 'no animal origin ingredients' and 'non-GMO.' 

To get the best price on Opal, choose our subscribe & save to get 5% off all of your orders + free shipping. Your subscription can be updated, paused or canceled any time! Learn more about Opal subscriptions here.

We do! You'll always get the best price and convenience when you sign up for subscribe & save for your pup's Opal. You can change, pause or cancel it any time! Learn more here .

With Opal's subscribe & save, you get 5% off every order + free shipping. Woo hoo! Learn more here.

You can edit or cancel your Opal subscription any time! Log in to your account here to make any changes. Need some help? Reach out to us at hello@opalpets.com!

Calculate your pup's subscription interval here: Subscription Calculator

Yes! After evolving alongside humans for thousands of years, dogs are omnivores and can thrive on a complete and balanced plant-based diet. Dogs that eat vegan food are often healthier, experience less allergies and maintain a better weight than dogs fed traditional meat-based foods. Check out this recent study by veterinarian Dr. Andrew Knight that shows, "the pooled evidence to date indicates that the healthiest and least hazardous dietary choices for dogs, are nutritionally sound vegan diets."

At Opal, we work closely with veterinarians and formulation experts that support complete and balanced plant-based diets for dogs. If you or your vet has questions about Opal's products or about vegan diets for dogs in general, reach out to us any time at hello@opalpets.com. We're happy to help! 

Yes! Here are links to some of the top published articles on vegan dogs.

➡️ Population studies on vegan dogs:  

• Linde, Lahiff,  Krantz,  Sharp, Ng, Melgarejo 2023: Domestic dogs maintain positive clinical, nutritional, and hematological health outcomes when fed a commercial plant-based diet for a year
• Roberts, Oba, Utterback, Parsons, Swanson 2023: Amino acid digestibility and nitrogen-corrected true metabolizable energy of mildly cooked human-grade vegan dog foods  
• Knight 2022: Vegan versus meat-based dog food
• Knight 2016: Vegetarian versus Meat-Based Diets for Companion Animals
• Brown et al. 2009. An experimental meat-free diet maintained haematological characteristics in sprint-racing sled dogs.
• Semp 2014: Vegan nutrition of dogs and cats

➡️ Dog evolution and starch digestion:

• Axelsson et al. 2013. "The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet"
• Arendt et al. 2014. "Amylase activity is associated with AMY2B copy numbers in dog: implications for dog domestication, diet and diabetes"
• Ollivier et al. 2016. "Amy2B copy number variation reveals starch diet adaptations in ancient European dogs"
• Murray et al. 1999. "Evaluation of selected high-starch flours as ingredients in canine diets"