Hearty Beef Stew Grain-Free Wet Dog Food, 8-oz tub, case of 8
Graded by The Sniff System
Rachael Ray Nutrish Hearty Beef Stew Grain-Free Wet Dog Food is a grain-free wet food, primarily featuring beef and chicken.
This food has a strong protein profile, with beef as a primary ingredient, which means good biological value for your dog. It also includes quality fat sources, like marine oil, which provides beneficial EPA and DHA. Plus, ingredients like dried egg product add diverse, highly bioavailable protein.
The biggest watch item is the lack of an AAFCO statement, meaning its nutritional completeness is unverified. The formula also contains menadione, a synthetic vitamin K3, which is permitted in pet food but has toxicity concerns at high doses.
Good fit for adult dogs needing wet food with strong protein. Less ideal if you prefer verified AAFCO statements or no menadione.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Neutral fit for active large working breeds, including the Boxer, at the adult life stage. Chicken broth leads the deck at position 1, 41% DMB protein, 23% DMB fat.
Looking at this for adult Boxers ? We are building dedicated pages for these combinations.
Auto-matched from this product's measurements (ingredients, life stage, calorie density) to a breed archetype. Not a substitute for vet input on your specific dog.
Sniff scored this formula 58/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was protein quality (+21.5 points): Strong protein profile with beef as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. A hard cap of 59 also applied because the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement isn't disclosed on the retailer page (so our methodology can't verify the formula meets adult, growth, or all-life-stages standards). If the brand publishing the AAFCO statement were on the label, the cap would lift and this formula could clear the B-band threshold (60).
Strong protein profile with beef as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
Contains menadione. Banned for human OTC use but tolerated at AAFCO-permitted levels in pet food. The only AAFCO-permitted vitamin K source..
- Top 10% for protein quality in Rachael Ray Nutrish's lineup (21.5/27)
- Top quartile for DMB protein in Rachael Ray Nutrish's lineup (40.9%)
- Top quartile for crude fiber in grain-free wet foods (9.1% DMB)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
Similar dog foods worth considering
Three lenses on products with formulation profiles similar to this one.
Blue Buffalo Blue’s Stew Hearty Beef Stew Grain-Free Canned Dog Food, 12.5-oz, case of 12
Scores 2 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Rachael Ray Nutrish Premium Pate Variety Pack Wet Dog Food, 13-oz can, case of 12
$2.94/lb vs your seed's $4.74/lb (38% less) at a comparable score.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Controversial ingredients · 1
- menadioneSynthetic vitamin K3. Banned in human supplements due to toxicity concerns at high doses. Permitted in pet food but premium brands use natural vitamin K alternatives.
Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →
Wet and fresh foods contain more water than kibble (typically 65-78%). On a dry-matter basis, this food's protein content is roughly 41%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1chicken broth
Real broth, adds flavor and moisture. Negligible nutrition on its own but tells you the recipe leans on real meat.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalbeef
Real meat. Dense in protein and iron. Some dogs are sensitive to it, but for most it's an excellent base.
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3protein animalchicken
Real meat. Primary protein source, with the amino acid profile dogs actually evolved to eat.
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 4dried egg product
Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
Position 4: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 5egg white
Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 6protein plantpea protein
Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.
Position 6. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 7othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 8vegetablepotato
Standard white potato. Steady carb source, common starch in grain-free recipes.
Position 8: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 9vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 9: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 10green pea
Position 10. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 11ground tapioca
Starch from cassava root. Highly digestible energy source, but pure starch with minimal nutrition beyond that.
- 12mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 13fiberguar gum
Thickener common in wet food. Emerging research on emulsifiers and the gut microbiome, but no smoking gun in dogs yet. See why →
Position 13: trace fiber inclusion.
- 14caramel
- 15mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 16mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 17supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 18mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 19fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
- 20mineralzinc proteinate
Zinc bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form of the mineral, versus zinc oxide which sits cheaper on the label.
- 21mineraliron proteinate
Iron bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 22mineralmagnesium sulfate
Source of magnesium, a required mineral. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 23celery powder
- 24vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 25l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate
A stable form of vitamin C used in pet food. Provides antioxidant support and survives processing better than plain ascorbic acid.
Showing first 25 of 40. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
21 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.