# How do you run a pet food subscription on Shopify? > Source: https://zubs.app/solutions/pet-food-subscriptions > Title: Pet Food Subscriptions on Shopify: Skip & Reminders — Zubs > Published: 2026-10-02 > Updated: 2026-10-07 > Language: en ## Short answer Let the delivery timing follow the pet, not the calendar. With Zubs, subscribers change the delivery interval, skip or move an order and ship one early from the customer portal, and a reminder before each order gives them time to do it. ## Why does pet food need flexible delivery timing? How long a bag of food lasts depends on the animal: its size, its age, its appetite, and whether there's a second pet in the house. A fixed four-week rhythm is too short for some households and too long for others, and it drifts as a puppy grows or a cat gets older. When the next bag arrives while the last one is still half full, or the bowl is empty three days before delivery, the subscription feels like a hassle. The easiest fix for the subscriber is to cancel. The answer is to let subscribers correct the timing themselves, and to remind them before each order so they actually do. ## Can subscribers match deliveries to how fast the bag empties? Yes. In the [customer portal](https://zubs.app/features/customer-portal), which sits inside the customer accounts Shopify provides, subscribers: - **change the delivery interval**, for example from every four weeks to every five; - **move the next order** to another date, while the rest stay on schedule; - **skip an order** when there's still food in the cupboard; - **use Ship now** to get the next bag straight away when it runs out early. Each of these takes a few taps, without an email to your support team. You decide which of them your subscribers get. ## How do reminders keep a bag from arriving at the wrong moment? Zubs emails subscribers before each order, on the days you choose. An early reminder gives them time to skip, move the date or switch food. A late one catches anyone who missed the first. The same timing also reaches [Klaviyo](https://zubs.app/features/klaviyo-subscription-events) and [Shopify Flow](https://zubs.app/features/shopify-flow-subscriptions), so you can send the reminder from your own email tool if you prefer. ## What happens when the pet's needs change? Diets change: puppy food becomes adult food, a cat needs a sensitive formula, a second dog joins the household. Subscribers swap, add or remove products themselves in the portal, choosing from the products you offer on subscription. When someone does want to stop, the [cancellation flow](https://zubs.app/features/cancellation-flow) asks for the reason and can answer it with one offer: a skip for "I have too much food", a new date for "the timing doesn't work". If you offer pausing, subscribers can also take a break, and the subscription resumes by itself. ## Can you sell treats and supplements to existing subscribers? Yes. You choose products that the portal recommends, and subscribers add them as one-time items to an upcoming order without changing their subscription. [noms+](https://zubs.app/customers/nomsplus), who sell vegan supplements for dogs and cats, use this to put a few curated add-ons in front of subscribers for their next shipment. Subscribers try one once, often keep it, and it rolls into their recurring order. Keep an eye on the rhythm, though: food and treats rarely run out at the same pace. A treat that empties much faster or slower than the bag works better as its own subscription with its own interval, so neither arrives at the wrong moment. ## Bottom line Pet food subscriptions break when the delivery rhythm doesn't match the bowl. Zubs lets subscribers fix that themselves, by changing the interval, skipping, moving or shipping an order early and switching food, and reminds them before each order so they can. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can subscribers get a reminder before each order? Yes. Zubs emails them before every order, on the days you choose, or passes the timing to Klaviyo so your own emails can do it. ### Can subscribers move one order without changing the rest? Yes. They move only the next order, and the ones after it stay on the regular schedule. ### Can a subscriber switch to another food? Yes. They swap products themselves in the customer portal, choosing from the products you offer on subscription. ### Can subscribers take a break? Yes, if you offer pausing. Nothing is billed during the pause, and the subscription resumes by itself. ### Can I offer treats or supplements alongside the food? Yes. Subscribers add products you recommend in the customer portal to an upcoming order as one-time items. ## Related - [Feature: the customer portal: skip, reschedule, Ship now](https://zubs.app/features/customer-portal) - [Feature: cancellation flow and pause](https://zubs.app/features/cancellation-flow) - [Feature: Klaviyo events for subscriptions](https://zubs.app/features/klaviyo-subscription-events) - [Playbook: match each cancellation reason with an offer](https://zubs.app/playbooks/cancellation-offers) - [Customer story: noms+ adds customer portal add-ons](https://zubs.app/customers/nomsplus) - [Help center: the upcoming order reminder](https://help.zubs.app/docs/subscription-management/merchant-portal/settings-notifications/)