Stella & Chewy's Grain Free Raw Coated Baked Dry DOG FOOD Review

With a score of 5.5/10, these foods are considered moderate risk. There are 11 recipes that average 34% protein and 27% carbohydrate as calculated. 

This is a line of baked kibble that’s been coated with freeze-dried raw proteins that aren’t a main constituent of the food. In theory you’d expect this to boost the nutrients, but that would be reflected in the Guaranteed Analysis numbers, including the protein content.. 

This line loses ingredient quality points for its high carbohydrate content. This is a grain-free line yet it includes high starch ingredients like peas, chickpeas and lentils that boost the carb content. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrate but starch is required for extrusion in dry foods like these. Excessive carbohydrates are an indicator of low quality foods as they keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.

Like all of Stella & Chewy’s foods, these recipes have added vitamins and minerals and, in this line, added amino acids. These additions often indicate a lower quality food that’s lacking naturally occurring nutrients from whole food sources. A few recipes also use sunflower oil, which is a highly processed and highly inflammatory oil. Seed oils are an inexpensive alternative to higher quality animal fats and oils. 

Plant proteins are also used as a less expensive substitute for quality animal protein. You want to see animal sources because they’re more digestible and  contain a wider array of amino acids than plant based protein sources.

The ingredient safety score is somewhat improved compared to kibble, because these foods are baked so there is less processing and fewer nutrients are lost. 

Rounding out the ingredient safety scores, these recipes lose points for foods known to have high pesticide or herbicide residues (like chickpeas, peas and lentils)  in the top five ingredients. These recipes also include alfalfa which isn’t described as organic and is a known GMO crop. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. This line also loses points for added natural flavor. This ingredient is often animal digest or MSG, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.

It’s good to see that probiotics are included in these foods but the minimum CFU amount is only guaranteed in 4 of the recipes (Ocean Recipe, Prairie Recipe, Puppy Prairie Recipe and Red Meat Recipe). 

It’s worth noting that these recipes contain sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s usually added in very small amounts. However some research suggests that sodium selenite may be associated with potential toxicity, so selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral.  

The company uses unsubstantiated marketing terms such as cage-free or humanely-raised. Without third-party certification, these are marketing terms that have no legal meaning under pet food regulatory standards.  And in fact, all chickens raised in the US are cage free as per USDA standards.

The label does not provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.