Stella & Chewy's Grain Free Wild Red Raw Blend Dry DOG FOOD Review

With a score of 5.5/10, these foods are considered moderate risk There are 2 recipes that average 36% protein and 24% carbohydrate as calculated.

These recipes are kibble that have been coated with freeze-dried raw proteins and also include freeze-dried chunks but they aren’t the main constituents of the food. It’s being scored based on the kibble content. In theory, the addition of minimally processed proteins should boost the nutrients, but this will be reflected in the Guaranteed Analysis 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 sweet potatoes and tapioca 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 lines, there are added vitamins, minerals and in this line, amino acids. This often indicates a lower quality food that’s lacking naturally occurring nutrients from whole food sources. 

The ingredient safety score is lower because, like all kibbles, these foods are ultra-processed. The individual ingredients in dry dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species. 

However, the fruits and vegetables in all Stella & Chewy’s lines are organic. Organic ingredients are non-GMO and have much lower pesticide/herbicide risk than conventionally grown crops so no ingredient safety points are lost. However, these recipes do lose a point for tomato pomace, which is a high pesticide/herbicide ingredient that’s not described as organic. 

The line loses points for added natural flavor. This ingredient is often animal digest or MSG, which are both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.

It’s good to see that probiotics are included in these foods but the minimum amount is not guaranteed.

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