Rating: 
Stella and Chewy’s freeze dried dog food receives the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.
The Stella and Chewy’s product line includes eight freeze dried raw recipes, each claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages.
The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.
- Chewy’s Chicken Freeze Dried Dinner
- Stella’s Super Beef Freeze Dried Dinner (4.5 stars)
- Stella & Chewy’s Simply Venison Freeze Dried Dinner
- Stella & Chewy’s Absolutely Rabbit Freeze Dried Dinner
- Stella & Chewy’s Dandy Lamb Freeze Dried Dinner (3 stars)
- Stella & Chewy’s Surf N Turf Freeze Dried Dinner (4.5 stars)
- Stella & Chewy’s Phenomenal Pheasant Freeze Dried Dinner
- Stella & Chewy’s Duck Duck Goose Freeze Dried Dinner (4.5 stars)
Stella and Chewy’s Simply Venison Freeze Dried Dinner was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.
Stella and Chewy's Simply Venison
Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Venison, venison kidney, venison lung, venison bone, olive oil, pumpkin seed, potassium chloride, organic cranberries, organic spinach, organic broccoli, organic beets, sodium phosphate monobasic, organic carrots, organic squash, organic apples, organic blueberries, choline chloride, dried Pediococcus acidilactici fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium longum fermentation product, taurine, tocopherols (preservative), zinc proteinate, zinc sulfate, iron sulfate, iron proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, copper sulfate, copper proteinate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, manganese proteinate, thiamin mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, calcium iodate, vitamin B12 supplement
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.2%
Red items indicate controversial ingredients
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 45% | 30% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 47% | 32% | 13% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 35% | 56% | 10% |
The first ingredient in this dog food is venison. Venison is considered “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered” venison and associated with skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.1
Venison is naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient is venison kidney, an organ meat low in fat and rich in protein and essential minerals.
The third ingredient is venison lung. Venison lung is a protein-rich organ meat that’s also low in fat.
The fourth ingredient is venison bone, an excellent source of natural calcium.
The fifth ingredient is olive oil. Olive oil contains oleic acid, a healthy monounsaturated fat. It’s also rich in natural antioxidants and carotenoids.
The sixth ingredient includes pumpkin seed. Pumpkin seeds are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and, more importantly, linoleic acid — an essential omega-6 fat.
The seventh ingredient is potassium chloride, a nutritional supplement sometimes used as a replacement for the sodium found in table salt.
The next several items include a series of nutrient-rich organic fruits and vegetables…
- Cranberries
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Beets
- Carrots
- Squash
- Apples
- Blueberries
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 product.
With two 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.
And lastly, 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.
Stella and Chewy’s
Freeze Dried Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Since this recipe 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 government standards — standards which significantly restrict the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, hormones or antibiotics.
With that in mind…
Judging by its ingredients alone, Stella and Chewy’s freeze dried dog food looks like an above-average raw product.
But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 47%, a fat level of 32% and estimated carbohydrates of about 13%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 47% and a mean fat level of 35%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 10% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 73%.
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 product containing a significant amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Stella and Chewy’s is a grain-free, meat-based freeze dried raw dog food using a generous amount of various species as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.
Enthusiastically recommended.
Please note certain recipes are sometimes given a higher or lower rating based upon our estimate of their total meat content and (when appropriate) their fat-to-protein ratios.
Stella and Chewy’s Dog Food
Recall History
The following list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 directly related to this product line. If there are no recalls listed in this section, we have not yet reported any events.
- Stella and Chewy’s Dog and Cat Food Recall of December 2015 (12/12/2015)
- Stella and Chewy’s Dog Food Recall of July 2015 (7/5/2015)
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls sorted by date. Or view the same list sorted alphabetically by brand.
To learn why our ratings have nothing to do with a product’s recall history, please visit our Dog Food Recalls FAQ page.
Get free dog food recall alerts sent to you by email. Subscribe to The Advisor’s recall notification list.
Dog Food Coupons
and Discounts
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A Final Word
The descriptions and analyses expressed in this and every article on this website represent the views and opinions of the author.
The Dog Food Advisor does not test dog food products.
We rely almost entirely on the integrity of the information posted by each company on its website. As such, the accuracy of every review is directly dependent upon the quality of the test results from any specific batch of food a company chooses to publish.
Although it's our goal to ensure all the information on this website is correct, we cannot guarantee its completeness or its accuracy; nor can we commit to ensuring all the material is kept up-to-date on a daily basis.
Each review is offered in good faith and has been designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food.
However, due to the biological uniqueness of every animal, none of our ratings are intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in a specific dietary response or health benefit for your pet.
For a better understanding of how we analyze each product, please 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 qualified veterinary professional for help.
In closing, we do not accept money, gifts or samples from pet food companies in exchange for special consideration in the preparation of our reviews or ratings.
However, we do receive a fee from Chewy.com for each purchase made as a direct result of a referral from our website. This fee is a fixed dollar amount and has nothing to do with the size of an order or the brand selected for purchase.
Have an opinion about this dog food? Or maybe the review itself? Please know we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
04/13/2015 Last Update
- Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for beef published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, 2008 Edition ↩
