Where are Stella & Chewy's ingredients sourced?
All Stella & Chewy's ingredients are responsibly sourced from farmers and ranchers we know and trust.
- The meats, poultry, fish are antibiotic-free and have no added hormones.
- Beef, Lamb and Venison are sourced from North America, Australia and New Zealand. They are grass-fed.
- Chicken, Duck, Goose and Turkey are sourced from North America and Europe. They're cage-free.
- The fish is North American, wild-caught.
- The rabbit is from Western Europe and/or North America.
- All fruits and vegetables are 100% organic. They are all sourced from North and South America based on seasonal availability.
- The vitamin and mineral mix we use our products is formulated for us in the United States the individual components are from the US and Western Europe with Taurine from Japan.
What are the sharp things I'm finding in the freeze-dried foods? Aren't they harmful?
Stella & Chewy's adds raw ground bone to all dinners as it's an essential part of a raw diet. The bone is safe and highly digestible when raw. The bone is ground with a 3/16 grind plate this means the bone could appear up to approximately 1/4-in size. The bone in the diet is ground to that size because of the health benefits it provides. A carnivore's teeth and body are designed to consume bone especially raw bone, like the bone used in each S&C meal. If it's ground to a powder, it doesn't have as many of the benefits. While it may feel sharper to our fingers, a carnivore's body is designed to consume and process the bone effectively and safely, as long as it's never cooked, heated, or microwaved.
What food safety procedures does Stella & Chewy's follow?
Stella & Chewy's has a patented food safety procedure to ensure the safety of every product. The most powerful step in this procedure is the high-pressure processing (HPP) step this is a cold-water pressure process that effectively eliminates harmful bacteria from the food. This process is used on all products, regardless of the protein. As food-borne bacteria can be present in any type of meat, Stella & Chewy's feel that incurring the extra cost of HPP for all products is the responsible thing to do. This way pet parents can rest assured that they're always bring a safe food into their home. Additionally, HPP is the only reliable method for maintaining the wonderful raw nutrition of our products while still removing harmful pathogens.
All batches of food are sent to a 3rd party testing facility to be tested for both Salmonella and E.coli and Listeria no food ever leaves the plant without negative test results in hand. These test results are posted on stellaandchewys.com. Stella & Chewy's is highly committed to creating the most nutritious, safe, and delicious product on the market.
Can I feed my pet more than one flavor of Stella & Chewy's?
We do suggest rotating proteins every 2-6 weeks. This means you would feed one flavor consistently for 2-6 weeks, then switch to another flavor for 2-6 weeks, etc. This is a great way to give your dog variety and to help keep protein-based allergies at bay.
Can the Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried foods be cooked or heated?
Stella & Chewy's products cannot be cooked, heated or microwaved. Doing so removes much of the nutrition. Additionally, we add raw, ground bone to our products as it's an essential part of a raw diet. Raw bone is incredibly safe however when bone cooks, it can become brittle and can splinter. Cooked bone is never safe for animals.
What is the shelf life on Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried products?
Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried foods have an expiration date of 18 months past the date of production. It is suggested to use our products by this date, or within a few days after. Much past that and we would recommend discarding the bag. Freezing or refrigerating would not extend the listed shelf life.
Are the cat and dog products the same and can they be used interchangeably?
It's a question we hear a lot and we always suggest using the Stella & Chewy's product that was designed specifically for your cat or dog. Our dinners for dogs are not harmful to a cat, but they don't offer the balanced nutritional requirements of a cat either. You could occasionally offer the dog food to your cat, but wouldn't you prefer to give them the nutrients their furry little bodies need?
Is Stella & Chewy's suitable for diabetic cats or dogs?
Many pet parents have told us that their animals thrive on a raw diet because of the low carbohydrate content. But every animal is different, so we recommend consulting with your veterinarian to determine what is best suited for your pet.