So, you are now planning to give raw foods for your dog. Raw dog foods aren’t just raw meat pieces; they also need to be formulated carefully to ensure complete, balanced nutrition. Two of the most popular raw dog foods in the market right now are Primal Dog Food vs Stella and Chewy’s. Which one is better?
Continue reading below to learn more about:
– When to use raw dog foods
– The ingredient quality of each raw dog food
– The comparison of their nutritional values
– The track record of Primal Dog Food vs Stella and Chewy’s
– Which brand that is generally more recommended
Why Use Raw Dog Foods
At the first time hearing about raw dog foods, you probably already have a picture of what they are. But what you imagine them to be is probably not exactly accurate. Raw dog foods aren’t just raw meats – while they are mostly meats, they also still combine some vegetables and fruits in order to ensure complete, balanced nutrition. See also: NomNomNow vs Ollie.
There are many benefits from using raw dog foods. Such foods are closer to what dogs and wolves eat in the natural habitat. As the effect, these foods like Primal Dog Food vs Stella and Chewy’s are supposed to provide better nutrition. The nutrients can be absorbed more easily by the digestive system of your dog. Raw dog foods have been proven to improve the dental health, digestion quality, skin and coat, and immune system.
Since raw dog foods are typically heavier in protein than carbohydrate, these foods can also help to ensure that your dog does not get overweight. However, raw dog foods also have some disadvantages. First, they are generally more expensive than traditional kibbles. Second, they don’t last for a long time. You need to store them in a refrigerator. This also means that you need to thaw and warm the food before giving it to your dog.
Ingredients of Primal Dog Food
Primal Dog Food is based in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 2001. Since the founding, the company has tried to elevate the health of pets in the United States by offering a wide range of formulas with complete and balanced nutrition as well as supplemental foods. The company claims that they only use the highest-quality human-grade ingredients, and they follow strict standards for quality and safety.
Primal Dog Food uses steroid-free meats, antibiotic-free poultry, and certified organic produce. This is to ensure that their products are truly safe and healthy for your dog, and to ensure that they are truly the best raw dog food brand in the market.
There is a wide range of options available here. If you prefer frozen foods for easy storage, there are nine different formulas with high-quality proteins from duck, chicken, pheasant, lamb, and rabbit. There are also the Raw Primal Pronto recipes, which are basically the same formulations but are shaped into small bite-sized pieces. You can also make your own raw dog foods at home, as Primal Dog Food also provides raw frozen mixes and grinds.
Ingredients of Stella and Chewy’s
Stella and Chewy’s is a company that has carved quite a niche brand into the industry of quality pet food. The company makes recipes that are inspired by the natural diets of wild dogs. They use premium-quality raw ingredients, such as cage-free poultry, grass-fed meat, wild-caught fish, and organic vegetables and fruits. They have two options of raw dog foods, which are frozen and freeze-dried.
The raw frozen dog food is available in two types, morsels and patties. The morsels are bite-sized pieces that contain 100% complete, balanced meals. The morsels thaw quickly and are easy to feed. Meanwhile, the patties also provide complete and balanced nutrition. The patties are available in large 8-oz patties and small 1.5-oz patties.
The company is truly committed to quality. Their raw frozen dog foods use a wide variety of premium proteins. There are several options available, including duck, chicken, goose, pheasant, rabbit, lamb, and venison. The names of the products may sound amusing, such as Dandy Lamb, Duck Duck Goose, and Phenomenal Pheasant. Even so, the quality of the nutrition is guaranteed to be good.
Nutrition
Now, let’s compare the nutrition of Primal Dog Food vs Stella and Chewy’s. As mentioned above, both of these dog foods are rich in protein. Dogs require proteins in order to survive. This is because dogs need twenty two amino acids for various bodily functions, and ten of those amino acids can only be acquired from proteins in foods.
Fat is also an important macronutrient for dogs. There are various fatty acids that are needed by a dog; these fatty acids are also acquired from foods. Carbohydrate and fiber are needed, too, but in relatively smaller amounts.
Every serving of Primal Dog Food is guaranteed to have 49.2% crude protein, 31.7% crude fat, and 3.9% crude fiber. Meanwhile, every serving Stella and Chewy’s is guaranteed to have 44.5% crude protein, 29.9% crude fat, and 5.8% crude fiber.
As you can see, there are notable differences here. Primal Dog Food is generally better than Stella and Chewy’s in terms of nutrition because it contains higher amounts of protein and fat.
Recall History
Unfortunately, Primal Dog Food has been recalled twice so far. To be fair, the reasons for these recalls were not incredibly worrying. The reasons were still problems, but they were not as worrisome as, say, salmonella contamination.
The first recall was in March 2015 because of low thiamine levels. The company had to recall some products to ensure that they provide ideal levels of vitamins and minerals. The second recall was in December 2017 because of an incorrect bone grind size.
Stella and Chewy’s has a clean track record. So far, it hasn’t been recalled. So, the quality control is really good. Hopefully, the recall history will remain clean in the future.
Primal Dog Food vs Stella and Chewy’s
| Primal Dog Food | Stella and Chewy's |
|---|---|
| - Uses steroid-free meats, antibiotic-free poultry, certified organic produce | - Uses cage-free poultry, grass-fed meat, wild-caught fish, organic vegetables and fruits |
| - Available in bags and as bite-sized pieces | - Available in morsels and patties |
| - Higher in protein and fat | - Lower in protein and fat |
| - Has been recalled in March 2015 and December 2017 | - Hasn’t been recalled |
Conclusion
In general, Primal Dog Food is still more recommended. This raw dog food has higher nutritional values. It uses premium-quality ingredients to provide complete, balanced nutrition, and is available with a wide range of options.