Highly Recommended
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Our Verdict
Stella and Chewy’s Dinners raw frozen product range is made up of 13 recipes with ratings varying from 2.5 to 5 stars. The average rating of the whole range is 4 stars.
The table below shows each recipe in this range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
Stella and Chewy’s Frozen Raw Dinner is available in Patties and some recipes in Morsels.
Recipe and Label Analysis
Stella and Chewy’s Duck Duck Goose Frozen Raw Dinner Morsels was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Stella and Chewy's Duck Duck Goose Frozen Raw Dinner Morsels
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Duck with ground bone, turkey, turkey liver, goose, turkey gizzard, pumpkin seed, organic cranberries, organic spinach, organic broccoli, organic beets, organic carrots, organic squash, organic blueberries, fenugreek seed, potassium chloride, dried kelp, sodium phosphate, tocopherols (preservative), choline chloride, dried pediococcus acidilactici fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium longum fermentation product, dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, taurine, calcium carbonate, vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 2%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 15% | 12% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 50% | 38% | 4% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 34% | 63% | 3% |
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is duck. Duck is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of duck”.1
Duck is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
This item also includes ground bone, an excellent source of natural calcium.
The second ingredient is cage-free turkey, another quality raw item.
The third ingredient is turkey liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The next ingredient includes goose. Goose is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of goose”.2
Like all poultry, goose meat is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The fifth ingredient is turkey gizzard. The gizzard is a low-fat, meaty organ found in the digestive tract of birds and assists in grinding up consumed food. This item is considered a canine dietary delicacy.
The sixth ingredient lists pumpkin seeds, which are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and, more importantly, linoleic acid, an essential omega-6 fat.
The next ingredient includes organic cranberries, a nutrient-rich fruit that’s also high in fiber.
The eighth ingredient is organic spinach. Due to its exceptional vitamin and mineral content, spinach exhibits a remarkably high nutrient Completeness Score3 of 91.
The ninth ingredient is organic broccoli, a healthy green vegetable and a member of the kale family. It’s notably rich in vitamin C and fiber and numerous other nutrients.
Like other cruciferous vegetables, broccoli is believed to provide anti-cancer benefits.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Stella and Chewy’s product.
With five notable exceptions…
First, we note the inclusion of dried fermentation products in this recipe. Fermentation products are typically added to provide enzymes to aid the animal with digestion.
Next, we find taurine, an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.
Since taurine deficiency appears to be more common in pets consuming grain-free diets, we view its presence in this recipe as a positive addition.
In addition, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.
Since this recipe also contains a number of organic ingredients, we feel compelled to grant this line a more favorable status as we consider its final rating.
That’s because organic ingredients must comply with notably more stringent – standards which significantly restrict the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, hormones or antibiotics.
And lastly, this recipe includes sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Stella and Chewy’s Dinners looks like an above-average raw dog food.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 50%, a fat level of 38% and estimated carbohydrates of about 4%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 48% and a mean fat level of 37%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 8% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 79%.
Which means this Stella and Chewy’s product line contains…
Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical raw dog food.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a raw dog food containing an abundance of meat.
However, with 63% of the total calories in our example coming from fat versus just 34% from protein, some recipes may not be suitable for pets on a low fat diet.
Stella & Chewy Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Stella & Chewy through November 2024.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of Stella and Chewy's Frozen Raw Dinners Dog Food
Stella and Chewy’s Dinners is a grain-free raw frozen dog food using a generous amount of named meats and organs as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.
Compare Stella and Chewy's Frozen Raw Dinners Dog Food
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A Final Word
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