Wellness Stews (Canned)

by Mike Sagman
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Rating: ★★★★★

Wellness Stews canned dog food receives the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.

The Wellness Stews product line includes six canned dog foods… each designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for growth and maintenance.

  • Wellness Beef Stew*
  • Wellness Turkey Stew*
  • Wellness Chicken Stew*
  • Wellness Lamb and Beef Stew
  • Wellness Turkey and Duck Stew
  • Wellness Venison and Salmon Stew

* Grain free

Wellness Turkey Stew Dog Food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.

Wellness Turkey Stew with Barley and Carrots

Canned Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 44% | Fat = 22% | Carbs = 25%

Ingredients: Turkey, turkey broth, water sufficient for processing, turkey liver, barley, egg whites, carrots, potato starch, celery, guar gum, oat fiber, eggs, sodium phosphate, natural flavor, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, minerals (iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, cobalt proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, potassium iodide), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, riboflavin supplement), choline chloride, rosemary, sage, thyme

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5.6%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

The first ingredient in this dog food is turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.1

Turkey is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient lists turkey broth. Broths are nutritionally worthless. But because they add moisture to a dog food they are a common finding in most “wet” products.

The third ingredient is water… which (of course) adds additional moisture to this food. Like broths, water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.

The fourth item lists turkey liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal. So long as it’s not over-weighted in a dog food, turkey liver is a beneficial component.

The fifth ingredient lists barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. Unlike grains with a higher glycemic index (like rice), barley can help support stable blood sugar levels in dogs.

The sixth ingredient includes egg whites. Egg whites are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.

The next item lists carrots. Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

The eighth item lists potato starch. Potato starch is a gluten-free carbohydrate used here more for its thickening properties than its nutritional value.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other healthy items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to have much of an effect on the overall quality of this product.

The manufacturer appears to have added back some of the “good” bacteria lost during the cooking process. These special probiotics are used to enhance a dog’s digestive and immune functions.

This dog food also contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to amino acids. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are generally found in better dog foods.

Wellness Stews Canned Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Judging by the quality of its ingredients, Wellness Stews looks like an excellent canned dog food.

However, ingredient quality alone cannot tell the whole story. It’s still important to estimate the amount of meat present before determining a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 44%, a fat level of 22% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 25%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 44% and an average fat level of 22%. Together, these figures suggest an overall carbohydrate content of 25% for the full product line.

Above-average protein. Average fat. And near-average carbs… as compared to a typical canned dog food.

With no sign of any plant-based protein concentrates, this is the profile of a wet food containing a significant amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Wellness Stews is primarily a meat-based canned dog food using a notable amount of assorted named meats as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand 5 stars.

Enthusiastically recommended.

A Final Word

This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.

For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”

Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.

Have an opinion about this dog food brand… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.

Notes and Updates

06/18/2010 Original review
06/03/2011 Review updated

  1. Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for chicken published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Official Publication, 2008 Edition ↩
Dog Food Advisor IconThe Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.


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  • erin c.

    Tonight our 13 yr.old ate a mix of Evo & Blue & Pinnacle (free sample) Grain Free Salmon & Potato dry. She also ate the same mix soaked in veg. water. It is good to see a little more excitement in her. Pinnacle might be the first dry food I am thinking of buying in a long time.
     
    She has been very picky about eating for about 3 months. I have baked whole turkeys, steamed peas & carrots, browned ground beef and made rice. I now soak her dry dog food in vegetable water saved from steaming vegetables. Some might say she isn’t getting all she needs. BUT she’s finally back to eating and she’s alive. (Better stuff than what the vets offer sick dogs.) 

    One thing that she liked when she was being picky is WELLNESS VENISON & SALMON STEW. And now it’s the WELLNESS BEEF STEW. We are still using Evo small dog dry and Blue Wilderness Duck dry. (Too many dry food products do not smell very inviting. I have tried lots of 5 star products available locally–some were samples.)

  • Gemarie

    Is there any site where they sell Wellness Stew Grain-Free Canned food for puppies per can instead of cases? I want to try them out first if my puppy will like them before I buy cases of them. Thank you.

  • John Huff

    Thanks for some great information. I have my Golden and Jack Russell on Acana and top it with the Wellness stews for variety. They LOVE it and are doing great on it.

  • Jenny

    Canned foods cannot have probiotics. Probiotics are good bactiera that live in your dog’s gut. Canned dog foods are cooked in the can, which will destroy all bacteria. So probiotics will not survive processing.

  • sandy

    Perhaps you can look at the Wellness website. It will list all ingredients for all formulas.

  • Kris

    Are there probiotics in Wellness canned dog foods? If not all formulas, which formulas of the canned do have probiotics? The one listed on this page says there are probiotics in the summary section, but I do not see them in the ingredients listed. Thanks.

  • sandy

    Erin,

    Merrick has about 2 dozen flavors of canned. So you can rotate for the picky one.

  • Erin W

    My dog is a very picky eater, and I usually spend a good bit of time coaxing him to eat his dog food. He likes the regular Wellness canned food ok, so I bought him a can of the grain free beef Wellness Stew, and he loves it! When he finished his first plate, he stood in front of it and barked until I gave him more. It even smells and looks good. It is a little pricier but definitely worth it!

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Linda C… In our review, please notice that we always use “dry matter” when we report protein and fat figures from a food’s label. Be sure to click on that link. It will help you understand why we mathematically remove all the water in every product we review. Hope this helps.

  • Gordon

    Linda – It can be confusing but this site’s calculation is based on what’s called, ‘Dry Matter Basis’, where as the the label you’re reading on this product is calculated on a Guaranteed Analysis or As fed basis or Crude percentages. Dry Matter Basis is calculating the nutrient percentage like protein and fat by taking water completely out of the equation, and hence is actually a more accurate way in comparing canned foods to kibble nutrient percentages.

    It makes sense to me, but I understand that it can seem confusing.

    So for example, you said that the product shows a minimum of 8% protein and minimum of 4% fat, And so to calculate the Dry Matter percentages based on http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product-details.aspx?pet=dog&pid=90#guaranteed-analysis claim that it contains 82% moisture……….

    ……You then subtract 100 from 82 giving you 18, of which you then calculate DM by:-

    For protein – 8/18 = 44.4 repeater % rounded down to 44% protein on a DMB

    For fat – 4/18 = 22.2 repeater % rounded down to 22% fat on a DMB (Dry Matter Basis)

    That’s the reason for the above figures.

    I hope this helps.

  • Linda C

    I have just started using wellness grain free stews for my dogs.
    They have been fed a grain free diet for a few years now.
    The protein lists as not less than 8% and fat not less than 4 % so what actually does this mean. In your analysis the protein and fat was a lot higher albeit the can had barley in it.I am looking for a good protein and a low fat food with limited ingredients as my old Ridgeback has gastro intestinal problems and suffered from a severe pancreatitis earlier this year.Please give me your thoughts on this

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Wil… To me, the primary attraction to most grain free products is their (usually) higher meat protein content. In any case, after revisiting this report today, it’s apparent Wellness Stews were probably underrated when I first reviewed this line over a year ago. Three of the six are grain free and the others are not. But all six appear to contain the same amount of meat.

    So, you’ll notice I upgraded the rating of the full line to 5 stars today (which is unrelated to the grain free nature of some of the recipes).

    Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

  • http://wcandrews@sccoast.net Wil

    Mike,

    I just bought a can of Wellness Beef Stew. The label on the can said “Grain Free.” The ingredients on the can support that statement.

    You reported on the Turkey variety of the Wellness stews which lists barley. Does the “Grain Free” property with the following dry analysis upgrade the Beef Stew to 5-star.

    Dry Protein 44.44
    Dry Fat 22.22
    Dry Carbs 25.33
    Dry Fiber 5.56

    Wil

  • erin c.

    Our 13+ dog enjoyed her Wellness Turkey Stew this morning. She wouldn’t eat the Nat.Bal.Ultra Prem. so I offered the stew. I knew she liked the stew, but it’s more pricey. What’s more pricey than a dog who won’t eat the cheaper food you offer, or ends up at the vet.

    Wellness stews look good, smells good, and the dog says, “tastes good.” :-)

  • Aimee

    hey,
    i just bought this dog food yesterday and i gave my dog a spoonful to try adnd he won’t touch it. i got the turkey stew canned food. i was just wondering if anyone else had this problem with their dog not liking it. it could just be because my dog has tummy sickness right now and he’s just not interested. advice? experience?

  • Jan

    I avoid venison since deer have a “wasting disease” and have been dying for some time now, and, officials do not know why they are dying or what is causing it.

  • Sheila Zevit

    Hi, Just my “two cents” again. with reference to mixing different canned and dry food. I do it with my overweight Norwich using some of the recommended weight loss foods. i.e.-Acana Light & Fit, rotated to Core reduced calorie (tranistioned slowly for a change), dog is losing weight quite nicely. In the evening meal I cut back some of the kibble and either add some of the Merrick or Wellness suggested cans.
    I try to keep the calorie count as close as possible. My cats eat raw in the a.m. and canned & Orijen/Acana grain free in the p.m., no problem. I am looking into K9Natural or closer to raw for the dog in the future, also HKitchen. It does however take sometime to tranistion as with Johnathon’s comments of PH and digestion. I think what the pet store girl was referring to was mixing raw and kibble in the same meal, I interpreted it that way. I like to be able to rotate nutritional profiles every so often.
    Correct me if I am wrong….
    SZ

  • J.J.

    Thanks for the tip Mike P.

  • Mike P

    J.J. I get coupons from emailing and calling the home office . I call 4 and 5 star companies . Avoderm , wellness , fromm, pro plan select , canadie ,by nature , solid gold , and more. They all send with no problems . I only use 1/4 can mixed with her BG kibble . A new flavor every 4th day . Most companies will send you a coupon every 4 to 6 weeks if you ask them . Avoderm sent me coupons for 9 free cans in on envelope .

  • J.J.

    Thanks for the input Mike and Jonathan!

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi J.J… The controversy over feeding multiple proteins that you hear about is more often related to other issues. For example, feeding various proteins can hamper any effort to investigate the cause of a specific allergy or food intolerance. In addition, feeding different proteins can make it less likely an animal will develop allergies in the first place.

    In any case, there’s probably no sound medical basis to support the belief that different proteins “are digested at different rates”.

  • Jonathan

    J.J., I don’t buy what the girl at the per store said to you…
    Now, what does digest quite differently, despite the fact that it is mixed in every dog kibble and almost every meal we eat, is concentrated carbohydrates and proteins. These require different pH levels in the stomach to digest. If you eat them together, the resulting neutralization of the stomach acids can cause the proteins to putrefy and the carbohydrates to ferment, leading to upset tummy, gas, etc. And dogs (and usually us too!) always eat them together now-a-days. In the ancestral diet of man and wolf, the wolf would eat all protein and almost no carbohydrates (and certainly no “condensed” carbs) and the human would eat what ever was either harvested from the earth that day, or occasionally (but less frequently) killed in a hunt. Mixing calorically dense proteins and carbs are a modern (within the last few thousand years) invention. We really aren’t smarter than nature, so maybe we should start to think of what our (and our dog’s) bodies evolved eating! :-)

    Oh, but your question about mixing various proteins with toppers… yeah, if your dog tolerates it fine, then do it! There’s nothing like variety to keep life interesting! Besides, as you mentioned, many of the best dog food contain lamb, chicken, and fish in the same kibble.

  • J.J.

    Rachel & Mike P.
    Our two rescue girls are on Acana Grain Free Dry food and we top with a couple spoonfuls of one of the Wellness Stews. Our girls love it. One of ours is finicky, so the variety of stews keeps her interested. They are both doing wonderfully on this mix. I don’t think it hurts one bit to mix brands as long as they are similar quality. Mike P. where are you getting all the coupons?

    Mike Sagman, your site is an invaluable resource. I love it and all your frequent commentators who add their valuable two cents. I know you’re a big fan of topping and rotation. I have been wondering about mixing proteins when topping and whether that would be a good or bad idea. One of the gals at my locally owned pet food supplier said that it’s not a good idea to mix protein types together during one meal because the types of proteins are digested at different rates. So if feeding a poultry based kibble, top with a poultry based canned food and so forth. However, I have noticed that many dog food formulas will mix different protein types in the same food like chicken and salmon. What are your thoughts on this?
    I welcome thoughts from everyone on this question as I find that the comments of others adds to the depth of the information on this site.

  • Mike P

    Rachel , I too am a adopter . Adopted a Boxer girl last October . She came home with Pedigree . Thanks to this site and Mike Sagman she is eating like a Queen . When I mix the topping ,my dog crys and can’t wait for her food . Great to see she enjoys her meal so much . Good luck to you Rachel

  • Rachel

    Hi mike p….

    So you top your kibble with a different brand than your kibble? Good…then I know it is okay…I do about a 1/4 as well…I was feeding Ciro 1/2cup kibble in morning and evening…. But I think I will cut kibble to 1/3 cup and add add 1/4 cup canned … Thank you so much for writing….. I am very impressed with Mike Sagman…..I’m a dog rescuer … I volunteer a ton of my free time to make every “fur” feel special cared for and loved….thank you again for your message…

    Mike Sagman…THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME!

  • Mike P

    Rachel, I have called a bunch of 4 and 5 star companies and have a bunch of coupons for canned food . I hope it does not matter what cans i use , as i only use 1/4 can per topping . I think the topper only makes it tastey . So far so good

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Rachel… Your “rescue” is one lucky dog. Like you, we also “top” our Bailey’s kibble, too. Thanks for the kind words. :)

  • Rachel

    Hi Mike…
    Thank you. I meant can I top off my kibble with a different brand canned wet food? My Shih Tzu is finicky and I have him on NB L.I.D. Sweet potato venison….I top off with Wellness Turkey Stew ( rating 4 stars ) on your site! I know you can’t give advice on foods….just wondered about topping canned wet food over my kibble? ( but different brand names) …YOur website is EXCELLENT….THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOU TIME AND PATIENCE…. I have a rescue and he is finicky and I want to feed the BEST food I can….I had allergy test done and know the foods he is possibly allergic too, as I know there are many false positives…. I rescued him in very bad shape and spent ALOT of money to heal him! I don’t care about the money, I just want to continue to heal him and give him proper foods…being no wheat, soy, corn,artificial flavors, bi products…etc…. The dog food industry is so over shelling and I have done a lot of studying on dog food…..! I second guess my choices…. I want to switch his kibble to Pure Vita grain free turkey….knowing I have to have a topper like the one I am using…lol….Thank again for listening and responding back….YOU ROCK!

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Rachel… I don’t see any reason you can’t do this. But it would be unusual to top a kibble with a dry food. We usually recommend toppers be canned or fresh food.

  • Rachel

    Can you mix two different brands together…kibble and different brand dry for a topping?

  • roy greenberg

    answered all my questions.