Stella's Solutions Digestive Support Freeze-Dried Raw Grass-Fed Beef Dinner Morsels Dog Food, 13-oz bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Stella & Chewy's Stella's Solutions Digestive Support Freeze-Dried Raw Grass-Fed Beef Dinner Morsels Dog Food is a freeze-dried raw food built around beef, beef kidney, and beef liver.
This formula offers good protein quality, with beef providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes organ meats like beef kidney and liver, plus egg yolk, for diverse, highly bioavailable protein. You'll find quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber here too.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for dogs needing digestive support or owners looking for a freeze-dried raw diet. Nothing serious working against it.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for adult Golden Retrievers and similar active sporting breeds navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Beef anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus beef kidney at position 2 (a natural taurine precursor). In its 2022 update on diet-associated DCM, the FDA identified Golden Retrievers as the most reported breed, with 121 cases out of 1,382 total canine reports (8.8%) received between January 1, 2014, and November 1, 2022 (FDA, 2022) .
Looking at this for adult Golden Retrievers or Golden Retrievers with diet-associated DCM concerns ? 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.
Research informing this analysis
MethodologyThe Sniff System grades this product against 3 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- FDA, 2022cardiac · epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 5 claims
- FDA, 2019diet composition· cited in 2 claims
- NRC, 2006nutrient bioavailability
Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Solid grade. 65/100 (B) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+18.5 points): Reasonable protein quality. beef delivers solid amino acid coverage. The supporting beat: carbohydrate quality (+12 points). Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. What's keeping it out of A-tier: fat-quality declaration (6 of 16 possible). Full fat-quality declaration requires a named-species animal fat (e.g., chicken fat, salmon oil) plus a marine oil with declared EPA/DHA milligram content.
Reasonable protein quality. beef delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Lowest crude fiber in Stella & Chewy's's lineup (5.3% DMB)
- Bottom quartile for DMB protein in Stella & Chewy's's lineup (37.9%)
- Bottom quartile for fat quality in grain-free freeze-dried foods (6/16)
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.
Stella & Chewy's Remarkable Red Meat Recipe Dinner Patties Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food, 14-oz bag
Scores 8 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Stella's Super Beef Dinner Patties Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food, 25-oz bag
$30.71/lb vs your seed's $39.37/lb (22% less) at a comparable score.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1protein animalbeef
Real meat. Dense in protein and iron. Some dogs are sensitive to it, but for most it's an excellent base.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalbeef kidney
Organ meat. Dense in B vitamins, iron, and trace minerals. Among the most nutritious ingredients on any label.
Position 2. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 3protein animalbeef liver
Organ meat. Among the most nutrient-dense ingredients available, rich in B vitamins, iron, and vitamin A.
Position 3. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 4coconut flour
- 5vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
Position 5: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 6fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 6: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 7egg yolk
Position 7: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 8pineapple stem
- 9pineapple
- 10papaya
- 11dandelion greens
- 12supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 13preservative naturaltocopherols
Natural preservative. Methodologically preferred over synthetic alternatives.
- 14fenugreek seed
Herb seed. Trace inclusion, mostly for flavor and label appeal.
- 15dried chicory root dried pediococcus acidilactici fermentation product
Position 15: trace fiber inclusion.
- 16probioticdried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product
A probiotic strain. Whether the dose is high enough to actually colonize is debated, but it's a real beneficial bacterium.
- 17dried bifidobacterium longum fermentation product
- 18probioticdried bacillus coagulans fermentation product
Probiotic strain. More heat-stable than lactobacillus, which means more of it likely survives kibble processing.
- 19sodium phosphate
Mineral source and preservative. Standard inclusion at small doses.
- 20mineralzinc proteinate
Zinc bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form of the mineral, versus zinc oxide which sits cheaper on the label.
- 21supplementdried kelp
Natural source of iodine and trace minerals. A common premium-brand inclusion.
- 22mineraliron proteinate
Iron bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 23supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 24mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 25vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
Showing first 25 of 37. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
16 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.