I AND LOVE AND YOU STIR & BOOM FREEZE-DRIED DOG FOOD Review

I and Love and You’s Stir & Boom line of freeze-dried dog food is rated a moderate risk food, with an overall score of 7.3

The line loses ingredient quality points for its level of carbohydrates, calculated as an average 38.5%. This is very high for a freeze-dried food, especially in the case of the lamb recipe which loses an extra point for having 45% carbohydrates. Dogs have no nutritional need for carbohydrates, and excessive carbohydrate is an indicator of food quality as it can reduce manufacturing cost. Foods that are high in carbs can raise insulin and cause obesity, and may cause changes to gut bacteria.  

There are excessive added vitamins and minerals in the recipes, which reduces the ingredient quality score because it’s best that nutrients come from the whole food ingredients without the need for fortification. 

The Stir & Boom freeze-dried line loses ingredient safety points for ingredients known to be high in pesticide/herbicide residues, like peas (yellow split peas) and.spinach.  Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers pose a significant health risk to plants, animals and soils. Foods known for high residues are penalized, especially when they’re in the top 5 ingredients. 

The company does state their food is all  non-GMO, but non-GMO doesn’t mean pesticide-free. They also claim the protein is GMO free and that’s a difficult claim to make if you don’t specify what the meat animals were fed.  

Unlike the company’s other lines, this line doesn’t have added probiotics. Finally, the food does not provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.