If you have searched lyka vs big dog raw dog food, you are probably staring down three very different ways to feed your dog fresh. Lyka, Big Dog and ardam, formerly CDK9 Raw, all sell direct to Australian dog owners, but the format, delivery model and price tier are not the same at all. This guide compares them honestly, side by side, so you can pick the fit that suits your dog, your freezer space and your budget, whether that ends up being ardam or not.
All three brands have real strengths. Lyka has built a large, well funded business with a gently cooked option and strong city coverage. Big Dog has made frozen raw affordable and easy to find on shelves. Ardam has focused on freshness, delivery certainty and a support process that most competitors do not offer. We will walk through format, delivery, pricing and guarantees for each, then help you decide which one is worth trying first.
What are Lyka, Big Dog and ardam, exactly?
Lyka is a Sydney founded pet food company known for its gently cooked, human grade meal delivery service. Lyka holds B Corp certification and has scaled to cover most major Australian cities, supported by significant investor funding. Lyka's format sits closer to fresh cooked than traditional raw, which appeals to owners who want the convenience of fresh food without handling raw meat.
Big Dog Pet Foods is a long standing Australian raw pet food brand sold both online and through a wide retail network of pet stores and supermarkets. Big Dog's product is frozen raw, meaning it ships and stores in the freezer until you are ready to thaw and serve. Big Dog is well known for its $3.50 a day price anchor for a 25kg dog, which has made it one of the most recognisable value plays in the category.
ardam, formerly CDK9 Raw, is an Australian owned raw dog food company delivering fresh, not frozen, meals direct to the door across NSW, ACT, VIC and QLD. Ardam's model is built around postcode based delivery day certainty and a coaching call guarantee rather than a straight refund, with no lock in subscription required. You can read more about how ardam's fresh model differs from frozen competitors in our guide to fresh vs frozen raw dog food.
Here is how the three brands stack up on the factors that matter most when choosing a raw or fresh delivery service.
| Format | Delivery | Price tier | Guarantee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyka Gently cooked |
Courier delivery, wide coverage in major cities | Premium (around $12.80/day for a comparable dog) | 30 day window, capped at $150 | B Corp certified, large scale, strong brand trust and testimonials |
| Big Dog Frozen raw |
Online plus broad retail and supermarket footprint | Value ($3.50/day price anchor for a 25kg dog) | No public money back guarantee (retail model) | Freezer friendly, easy to stock up, widely available in store |
| ardam Fresh raw (not frozen) |
Direct delivery, set delivery day by postcode, NSW/ACT/VIC/QLD | Mid tier | First Bowl Promise: capped refund plus a coaching call, no lock in subscription | Australian owned, fresh (not frozen) at scale, delivery day certainty upfront |
A few things stand out. Lyka and Big Dog both play at the opposite ends of the price spectrum, Lyka at the premium end and Big Dog as the market's value anchor. Ardam sits in the mid tier, positioned defensively against pricier brands and aggressively against Lyka on cost, while still being fresh rather than frozen or cooked.
Format, delivery and price: how they compare
Format: gently cooked, frozen raw or fresh raw
The biggest practical difference between these three brands is format, and it changes how the food behaves in your kitchen. Lyka's gently cooked meals are convenient and have a longer shelf life once delivered, which some owners prefer over handling raw meat. Big Dog's frozen raw arrives ready for the freezer, so you can buy in bulk and store for weeks without worrying about spoilage, a genuine advantage if you have chest freezer space and want to shop less often.
Ardam's meals are delivered fresh, never frozen. That means no thawing time before serving and, because the food has not been through a freeze cycle, texture and moisture are closer to what the meal looked like at preparation. Fresh delivery at scale is genuinely rare in the direct to consumer raw category in Australia, most competitors are either frozen or freeze dried. If you want to understand the practical differences in more depth, our fresh vs frozen raw dog food comparison covers texture, nutrient retention and handling in detail.
Delivery: coverage, timing and certainty
Lyka's courier network reaches most major Australian cities, which is a real strength if you live in a metro area and want broad coverage without much research. Big Dog's advantage is different again, its retail footprint means many owners can simply pick up a bag at a local pet store or supermarket rather than waiting on a courier at all.
Ardam takes a third approach: direct delivery with a set delivery day tied to your postcode, so you know in advance which day of the week your order arrives rather than a rolling delivery window. This is a smaller footprint than Lyka's national reach, currently covering NSW, ACT, VIC and QLD, but the certainty is the trade off many owners are making the switch for. You can check your suburb and delivery day on our delivery information page.
Price tier: value anchor vs premium vs mid tier
Big Dog's $3.50 a day figure for a 25kg dog has become the value benchmark that other brands get compared against, and it is a genuine reason budget conscious owners choose Big Dog first. Lyka sits at the premium end, at around $12.80 a day for a comparable dog, reflecting its gently cooked format, packaging and brand investment.
Ardam sits in the mid tier, priced to be more accessible than premium gently cooked or freeze dried brands while remaining a genuinely fresh, not frozen, product. If your priority is the lowest possible daily cost, Big Dog's model is hard to beat. If freshness and delivery certainty matter more than being the cheapest option in the category, ardam's mid tier pricing is built around that trade off.
Guarantees: refunds, coaching and lock in
Money back guarantees are now close to standard across the raw and fresh category, so they are worth reading closely rather than assuming they are all the same. Lyka offers a 30 day window capped at $150. Big Dog, selling largely through retail, does not publish a formal money back guarantee in the same way direct to consumer brands do.
Ardam's First Bowl Promise pairs a capped refund with a coaching call, so if the transition is not going smoothly you speak with someone on the ardam team about feeding amounts, transition pace and portioning before deciding whether a refund is the right next step. Ardam also runs with no lock in subscription, so you are never committed beyond your next delivery. No competitor in this comparison combines a phone conversation with the refund process, which is why we consider it ardam's strongest guarantee feature rather than the refund cap alone.
How to decide which is right for you
There is no single right answer here, only the right fit for your dog, your household and your budget. A quick way to think about it:
- Choose Lyka if you want a gently cooked format, are in a major city, and B Corp credentials matter to your purchase decision.
- Choose Big Dog if the lowest daily cost and freezer stock-up convenience are your top priorities, and you are comfortable buying through retail.
- Choose ardam if you want genuinely fresh, not frozen, raw food with a known delivery day for your postcode, mid tier pricing, no lock in commitment, and a guarantee that includes a real conversation with a person rather than just a refund form.
The lowest risk way to find out how your dog responds to ardam's fresh raw food is to start small. Our sample pack lets you test portion sizes and see how your dog takes to the transition before committing to a full subscription, and because there is no lock in, you can decide week to week whether it is working for your household. Check your delivery day and coverage for your postcode, then decide from there.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lyka or Big Dog better for my dog?
It depends on what matters most to you. Lyka suits owners who want a gently cooked option with wide city coverage and B Corp credentials. Big Dog suits owners who want a low price anchor, freezer-friendly stock and easy retail access. Neither is objectively better across the board, they solve different priorities.
Is Big Dog raw or frozen dog food?
Big Dog sells frozen raw dog food distributed through a broad retail and online footprint, with a well known price anchor of around $3.50 a day for a 25kg dog. Freezer storage means owners can stock up and buy less often.
Is Lyka raw or cooked dog food?
Lyka is best known for a gently cooked fresh food option rather than traditional raw. Lyka is a certified B Corp with strong coverage across Australia's major cities.
How is ardam different from Lyka and Big Dog?
ardam, formerly CDK9 Raw, delivers truly fresh (not frozen) raw dog food with postcode based delivery day certainty, a coaching call as part of its guarantee, mid tier pricing, and no lock in subscription. Ardam is Australian owned and operated.
Does ardam deliver in the same areas as Lyka and Big Dog?
Ardam currently delivers fresh across NSW, ACT, VIC and QLD with set delivery days by postcode. Coverage differs by brand, so check each provider's delivery page for your suburb before comparing further.
What is the cheapest way to try raw dog food before switching fully?
A small sample pack is the lowest risk way to test how your dog handles a raw diet before committing to a full subscription with any brand.
