Meet Stella and Chewy’s Dog Food
Meet Stella And Chewy’s Dog Foods
Stella and Chewy’s is a premium pet food brand that’s owned by pet food and accessories online retailer, Chewy.com. In direct contrast to other dog food brands, Stella & Chewy’s concentrates on providing dogs with a diet that’s as close as possible to natural.
The philosophy of Stella and Chewy’s is to provide pet parents with a raw food diet that relies heavily on meat and protein as the main ingredient. The brand believes in closely mimicking what dogs would eat in the wild and catering to those animal instincts.
The company provides a wide variety of dog foods that cater to pups of every kind with every type of unique need. It also offers meal toppers and mixers that you can use alongside a traditional diet of kibble to supplement their diet.
All of the foods are rich in protein with the concentration being between 30 and 50 percent, which is considered incredibly high.
In this Stella and Chewy’s dog food review, we’re giving you the whole scoop to help you decide if switching to this dog food brand is the right choice for you and your pup.
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Brand Quick Look
- Parent Company: Stella and Chewy’s LLC
- Founded in: 2003
- Made in: Wisconsin USA
- Available at: Chewy and Amazon
- Types of Food: Freeze-dried, raw, wet food, and treats
- Real Meat in First 5 Ingredients? : Yes
- Recalled in Past? : Yes
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Stella & Chewy's Stella's Super Beef Meal Mixers
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Stella & Chewy's Chewy's Chicken Meal Mixers
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Stella & Chewy's Chewy's Chicken Dinner Patties
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Stella & Chewy's Carnivore Crunch Duck Recipe
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Stella & Chewy's Lil' SuperBlends Chicken Recipe
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Stella & Chewy's Red Meat Wild Weenies Treats
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Stella & Chewy's Marie's Magical Dinner Dust
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Stella And Chewy's Top Products
- Stella & Chewy's Stella's Super Beef Meal Mixers
- Stella & Chewy's Chewy's Chicken Meal Mixers
- Stella & Chewy's Chewy's Chicken Dinner Patties
- Stella & Chewy's Carnivore Crunch Duck Recipe
- Stella & Chewy's Lil' SuperBlends Chicken Recipe
- Stella & Chewy's Red Meat Wild Weenies Treats
- Stella & Chewy's Marie's Magical Dinner Dust
1. Super Beef Meal Mixers
- Overall: 5 out of 5
- Ingredients: 5 out of 5
- Flavor: 4.5 out of 5
- Packaging: 4.5 out of 5
- Price: 4 out of 5
A rather popular dog food offering on Chewy.com, this recipe has a perfect star rating from over 800 reviewers.
This grain-free pet food formulation is meant as a topper to kick up an average dog food diet into a super nutrition-boosted one. It’s number one ingredient is grass-fed beef meat, bones, and organ meat for a protein-rich meal.
Although it’s a supplement, you can also use this recipe as a full meal (but that can be expensive). It provides complete nutrition courtesy of not only the meat, but of the 100% organic vegetables and fruits included in the ingredient list.
First 5 ingredients:
- Beef
- Beef liver
- Beef kidney
- Beef heart
- Beef tripe
Nutrition Analysis:
The nutritional content is incredibly high, because for starters, dry kibble only has to have 18% protein. At 44%, it’s more than double the requirement.
If you’re going to use it as a complete meal, however, take care not to do so always since the fat content is also pretty high. While fat is good for dogs, too much always can bulk them up real fast.
What customers say:
According to many pet owners, dogs simply love the stuff. Genuine enthusiasm can be seen on many pups, even the picky ones, when this mixer is added to their regular dog food. The meaty content ensures that your finicky pet can’t resist.
One customer also says that the mixers, when broken up and rehydrated, makes a great gravy for her dog’s regular kibble. The patties are said to be easy to measure out and just as easy to cut into smaller pieces. The only drawback is the price, although many say that it’s worth it.
2. Chicken Meal Mixers
- Overall: 5 out of 5
- Ingredients: 5 out of 5
- Flavor: 4.5 out of 5
- Packaging: 4.5 out of 5
- Price: 4 out of 5
This grain-free raw food is one of the brand’s most popular offerings with 782 reviews on Chewy. It boasts an unbelievable 4.7 stars out of 5 with 95% of reviewers recommending this product. Right away, that says a lot about the quality and reputation of this dog food.
The chicken meal mixer uses cage-free chicken free from hormones and antibiotics alongside 100% certified organic fruits and vegetables.
Stella and Chewy’s recommends using this as a meal supplement, but the company also says you can serve it as a complete meal, but we realize it would get expensive.
First 5 Ingredients:
- Chicken with ground bone
- Chicken liver
- Chicken gizzard
- Pumpkin seed
- Organic cranberries
Nutrition Analysis:
The ingredients in this grain-free food are hard to beat, and they lead the pack in nutritional value. 48% protein and 28% fat are incredibly high, so we can understand why most customers use this as a meal supplement to a standard kibble. The pet food also contains a lot of healthy bacteria for gut health.
What customers say:
Dogs look forward to mealtimes when these chicken meal mixers are added in. The raw goodness of the food comes through and dogs go “nuts for it,” according to a reviewer. Not only is it yummy for dogs, but the raw diet is also quite healthy for them, which their owners love.
The freeze-dried mixers are perfect crumbled up, rehydrated, or cut into pieces. They also make great treats for training your pup. It’s a nice addition to any dog’s diet because the frozen raw food makes pets eat up. A lot.
3. Chewy's Chicken Dinner Patties
- Overall: 5 out of 5
- Ingredients: 5 out of 5
- Flavor: 4.5 out of 5
- Packaging: 4.5 out of 5
- Price: 4 out of 5
Next, we want to take a look at the dinner patties to see if there is much difference other than its shape. The patties are larger and closely resemble something you would give your dog as a treat. Some reviewers of the product say they use them as raw treats every now and again.
95% of the frozen raw diet is made up of muscle and organ meats as well as bone to make a meaty meal. This also contains all natural grass-fed protein with 100% organic fruits and vegetables, like organic blueberries, organic spinach, organic broccoli, organic carrots, organic beets, organic squash, fenugreek seed, and organic squash for a more rounded dietary approach.
You can serve the freeze-dried patties frozen or rehydrate them using water.
First 5 Ingredients:
- Chicken With Ground Bone
- Chicken Liver
- Chicken Gizzard
- Pumpkin Seed
- Organic Cranberries
Nutrition Analysis:
Everything about this food screams health and nutrition. With chicken and organs taking center stage, you immediately get a good feeling about this formula just by reading the ingredients.
What customers say:
This Stella and Chewy’s dog food recipe is another popular offering from the brand. The dog food reviews for this formulation is 4.6 stars out of 5 from 717 customers. Dogs who have a problem gaining weight have had their weights stabilized when fed with this frozen raw diet. Pups simply can’t resist.
Dog owners also reported that their pups’ coats became softer and healthier looking on this pet food. Bowel movements are also more regular and the waste looks more solid. The only real drawback is the price of the product, which is higher than most.
4. Carnivore Crunch Duck Recipe
- Overall: 5 out of 5
- Ingredients: 5 out of 5
- Flavor: 5 out of 5
- Packaging: 4.5 out of 5
- Price: 4 out of 5
These grain-free treats are exceptionally nutritious, which is why it’s not surprising to see that the product has received a rating of 4.6 stars from reviewers. It features real freeze-dried meat to give dogs the powerful nutrition of raw.
The dog treats are 98% made of real protein, coming mostly from the meat, bones, and organs of cage-free duck. There is also turkey and goose protein included. There are no fillers, artificial preservatives, grains, or gluten anywhere in the recipe.
First 5 ingredients:
- Duck with ground bone
- Turkey
- Turkey liver
- Goose
- Turkey gizzard
Nutrition Analysis:
Treats are supposed to be flavorful to make getting them feel like a reward. These treats not only got the “yummy” down pat, they’re also extremely healthy because of the non-inclusion of filler ingredients.
All of the first 5 ingredients are animal protein sources, while the rest is made up of healthy pumpkin seed and fenugreek seed.
What customers say:
Some customers say that if you want your dog to behave during training, then these are the treats to use because dogs love them. When these grain-free treats are in play, dogs give their full attention. Bowls are also licked clean when these are given as a reward.
The pet food is also easy to chew and not crunchy, as a few reviewers said. Senior pups have no trouble eating these up, and the size is perfect too, although if you want it smaller, it’s easy enough to break into smaller pieces.
A common negative comment about the treats is that some of the bags come with plenty of crumbled pieces, which makes them unusable as treats.
5. Li’l SuperBlends Cage-Free Chicken Recipe
- Overall: 5 out of 5
- Ingredients: 4 out of 5
- Flavor: 5 out of 5
- Packaging: 4.5 out of 5
- Price: 4.5 out of 5
The Li’l SuperBlends formulation is specifically designed for the needs of small breed dogs. The dry food toppers are made in little bite-sized pieces perfect for little mouths.
Like the rest of Stella & Chewy’s dog foods, this grain-free recipe is based on the philosophy that a dog’s diet should be composed of what he would naturally eat in the wild.
Chicken makes up the majority of the meal, with bones and organs accompanying fresh meat for a more flavorful food. The rest of the dog food is made up of mostly superfoods like cranberries, spinach, and bananas, which give the mixers a boost in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
First 5 ingredients:
- Chicken with ground bone
- Chicken liver
- Chicken gizzard
- Organic bananas
- Organic wild blueberries
Nutrition Analysis:
The crude protein here is at a very high 45%, about double and a half of what the minimum protein content should be in dry food. This means that your little dogs have enough to repair or maintain their muscles and tissues, while the leftover can be converted to energy.
The fat is a good 28%, which can help dogs absorb and digest all the vitamins in their food. The fiber, meanwhile, supports a healthy digestive system for pups.
What customers say:
Thai Stella and Chewy’s food gets the thumbs up from most of its reviewers. It’s a highly recommended food for little pups who may be hard to feed. Even old dogs, because this is designed for all life stages, get excited when the topper is added to their dry dog food.
These frozen raw treats also work well on sensitive stomachs. It has also been reported to give dogs a nice and soft coat. However, a common complaint about the toppers is that there are too many fruit bits included.
6. Red Meat Wild Weenies Treats
- Overall: 5 out of 5
- Ingredients: 4.5 out of 5
- Flavor: 4.5 out of 5
- Packaging: 4.5 out of 5
- Price: 4 out of 5
Dogs will go wild over the Red Meat Wild Weenies Treats. This Stella and Chewy’s recipe combines three of the most popular red meats — beef, goat, and lamb — into one awesome reward. Each of the treats contain no less than 97% of real animal protein to delight our beloved little carnivores.
To keep your pets healthy, there are no antibiotics, hormones, or artificial ingredients added here. It’s also grain- and gluten-free to appeal to food sensitive dogs.
First 5 ingredients:
- Beef
- Beef liver
- Beef kidneys
- Sodium alginate
- Goat
Nutrition Analysis:
The ingredient list in this treat recipe is blissfully short. It’s only missing lamb and tocopherols to bring up the number of ingredients to 7.
While we like the number of animal protein sources here, we have to take off .5 points for having a stabilizer and binder as the fourth (sodium alginate) in the list. But overall, it’s still a good and healthy rewarding treat to give any pet.
What customers say:
The Wild Weenies treats get the nod of approval from many of Chewy’s customers. For many dogs, these are the only treats they will beg for. The freeze-dried formulation is also something that owners commend, along with the short but very healthy ingredient list.
The treats aren’t hard like many are, but these are softer and can be fed to dogs with bad teeth or no teeth. You can even push your dog’s med inside. Some people have noted that their pets fur look rather amazing after being given these treats for some time and they have to thank the raw diet for that.
Several consumers, though, wish for a bigger package for the price.
7. Marie’s Magical Dinner Dust
- Overall: 5 out of 5
- Ingredients: 4.5 out of 5
- Flavor: 4.5 out of 5
- Packaging: 4.5 out of 5
- Price: 4 out of 5
Crafted right here in the U.S., Marie’s Magical Dinner Dust combines the power of raw grass-fed beef with organic veggies and fruits like cranberries and broccoli.
The recipe is designed to be sprinkled over food (thus the ‘dust’ in the name) to give your furry companion an extra helping of vitamins and minerals.
What’s good about this topper formulation is that 95% is made up of real animal protein, while the rest is composed of fruits and vegetables. It’s 100% free of gluten, binders, grains, antibiotics, and hormones.
First 5 ingredients:
- Beef
- Beef liver
- Beef kidney
- Beef heart
- Beef tripe
Nutrition Analysis:
The list of ingredients is somewhat long here, but there are a lot of animal protein sources (the 6th ingredient is also animal protein) to suit a dog’s carnivorous diet. The rest of the ingredients contribute to the overall nutrition content of the toppers, which is high by the way.
Aside from those provided by the fruits and vegetables, the brand has also added vitamin and mineral supplements into each topper for a truly nutritious feast.
What customers say:
Stella and Chewy’s Dinner Dust is an amazing daily topper according to reviewers who gave the product a combined rating of 4.7 stars out of 5. It works as a great incentive to get your pup to finish his meal. Many say that just a little sprinkle of the dust over regular kibble will get dogs to lick their bowls clean.
The pet food topper is a little pricey but a little goes a long way so it evens out.
And because it has an impressive list of ingredients that include pumpkin seeds, dried kelp, organic fruits and veggies, and numerous vitamins and minerals (choline chloride, D-calcium pantothenate, niacin supplement, riboflavin supplement, etc), dog owners are assured their pups are only getting nothing but healthy food.
Behind The Brand: Prey Model Diet
This company believes that selecting the right food for your dog is the most important decision you could make. And because of its commitment to quality, the brand only uses high-quality ingredients sourced from farmers that it knows and trusts.
Even if dogs are considered carnivores, an ideal diet for them is one that heavily relies on meat. Each of Stella and Chewy’s raw dog food recipes contain 90-95% meat, organs, and bones. And all the proteins contain no added hormones or antibiotics.
On the brand website, a seemingly endless amount of information about where the company’s products come from can be found. It’s pretty transparent about its pet food sources and lists down Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and North America as places where it gets its proteins.
Stella and Chewy's products focus a lot of energy on raw food, and the business claims that this type of diet offers numerous health benefits, such as:
- Stimulating the appetite
- Relieving allergy symptoms
- Encouraging healthy stamina
- Supporting the immune system
- Improving digestion
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Revitalizing the skin and coat
Why Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food?
The freeze-drying process removes all the moisture from raw meat, allowing the product to stay fresh for a long time without diminishing its nutritional value.
Because the freeze-dried raw meat is minimally processed, it comes out with all the flavor, minerals, vitamins, omega fatty acids, and amino acids it went in with. It doesn’t need any other preservative to keep it viable for a long time.
As for food safety, Stella and Chewy’s pet food products go through a 100% natural cold-press process that creates tremendous water pressure. This process eliminates any harmful bacteria that may be present on the raw meat.
What Types of Dog Food Does Stella And Chewy's Offer?
Stella and Chewy's offer an endless variety of foods ranging from raw food toppers, moist foods, to biscuit treats.
Within these categories are dozens of flavors and specific foods catering to weight loss, vitality, puppies, and allergies. This dog food brand has a type of food for every need.
Here is every type of food available for purchase on Chewy.com with a brief explanation of the intention for each line.
Meal Mixers – These contain 95% of proteins and are freeze-dried. The meal mixers are not intended for solo consumption but instead are for topping a standard dry kibble or wet food for additional nutrition.
- Chicken
- Beef
- Turkey
- Salmon and Cod
- Lamb
- Duck Duck Goose
Meal Mixer Lil’ SuperBlends – The company recommends using the super blends as an addition to a regular diet, but these contain superfoods like berries and bananas. In addition to 95% of all natural proteins, they add 100% organic fruits and vegetables to the food for more nutrients and antioxidants.
- Chicken
- Small Breed Chicken
- Beef
- Duck Duck Goose
Dinner Patties – The dinner patties contain the same nutrients and vitamins as the other food lines, but these are intended as a meal substitute instead of supplementary nutrition. You can slowly wean your pup off their current food using these dinner patties. They contain a single source of organic protein with 100% organic fruits and vegetables.
- Beef
- Chicken
- Duck Duck Goose
- Lamb
- Surf ‘n Turf
- Turkey
- Rabbit
- Venison
- Red Meat
Lil’ Bites – This line of food contains all the proteins, vitamins, and nutrients from every other food but in smaller bites for small breed dogs.
- Small Breed Beef
- Small Breed Lamb
- Small Breed Chicken
- Small Breed Duck
Stella and Chewy's Recall History
Based on our research we found two different recalls of Stella and Chewy's dating back to 2015. Here are the details on these recalls.
- July 2015 – Stella and Chewy's voluntarily recall 20 brands of their raw dog food due to possible Listeria contamination.
- December 2015 – Stella and Chewy's voluntarily recall four brands of their dog and cat food due to possible Listeria contamination.
Customer Reviews
The only way to know if a dog food will work for your pup is to buy it and try it for yourself. The next best way is to read reviews from real customers who already purchased the product and tried it out.
During our research, we found that almost all the foods available on Chewy.com from this dog food brand have between four and five stars. Many customers say they love the meal toppers because they help their dogs stay full longer. They also say that when they tried to feed their pup something else after giving them this food for a while, they wouldn’t touch it.
Here are some real reviews from customers who have tried Stella and Chewy's.
Positive
- Three calories each, use for treats also. – I have been buying this product for my two little dogs as their treat. I have one very picky dog with treats, but she loves these. I know they are a meal mixer, but I use them as treats due to the fact they LOVE them and only being three calories per treat. I buy in different flavors for a taste change. They love each flavor. – Chewy Customer
- My dog loves this – I purchased this Stella and Chewy's Meal mixers freeze dried raw dog food to try something different, and my dog loves this. I put a handful on her kibble and some chicken, and she loves it. Nice treat. – Chewy Customer
- My dog is obsessed – This is literally like crack for my dog. I don’t think anyone has ever liked anything more than my dog likes these. They’ve made him a bit of a diva though because he now won’t even touch his food until we add in the mixers. I love how these are natural and contain so many good ingredients! Not cheap, but worth every penny! – Chewy Customer
Negative
- Helps but not as much as I expected – My dog is a picky eater. The first few days I mixed this into his kibble, he finished with no issues. However, after a week or so, my dog went back to his picky self. Overall, probably wouldn’t reorder as it is a bit pricey and my dog didn’t love it. Off to the drawing board… – Chewy Customer
You Won’t Get Much Better Than This
We wholeheartedly believe that Stella and Chewy's is one of the best freeze-dried raw foods on the market. The brand provides 100% all natural, organic ingredients in everything it sells, and Stella and Chewy’s products are available in a wide variety of flavors and styles to appeal to each pup’s palette.
We don’t think that any pet owner should have reservations about switching to or adding Stella and Chewy’s to their pups’ diet. Dogs love the taste and the frozen raw diet keeps the food as healthy and as minimally processed as possible.