Freeze Dried Dog Food for Adult Dogs, Surf & Turf Dinner, 15-Ounce Bag

2/13/18: My two dogs love, I repeat, LOVE Stella & Chewy's (all flavors). In fact, they love it so much that I can no longer get them to eat anything else. They were previously eating Orijen and Honest Kitchen (both high quality dog foods, as far as my research tells me) but now they turn their noses up at both. I almost wish I hadn't introduced them to this because it's pretty expensive, especially for two dogs.... 8/31/18 UPDATE: I exclusively fed my dogs Stella & Chewy's for about 6-9 months. They love this food. I mean really, really love it (see prior review from February above). I purchased the first bag at a local pet store and intended to give it as an occasional treat but it quickly became the only thing they wanted. Given the cost, the joke was on me. Anyway, two weeks ago one of my dogs became VERY sick with pancreatitis and cholangiohepatitis. I mean sick as in she almost died. She was treated inpatient at a prestigious animal hospital in NYC and multiple doctors on the internal medicine service stated that although there is no way to prove it 100%, they felt extremely confident that my dog became ill as a result of infection from her raw diet, the very high fat content of the food, or more than likely a combination of both. This was devastating to me, as I had been paying an arm and a leg for what I thought was the best possible food for my dogs. These reputable, expert veterinarians who treat thousands of animals each year told me that since the raw food craze has taken over they have seen a huge spike in infections resulting in the deaths of many beloved pets. It honestly sort of pains me to write this review, as I think that overall Stella & Chewy's creates good products and as a company I do not doubt their good intentions. However, apparently the risks of feeding our pets a raw diet are many and this is not information that I want to keep to myself. If you are not worried about infection (because yes I know, this is a chance you take buying ANY commercial pet food), please also pay attention to the high fat content of these patties compared to that of many other types of dog foods. Understand that like humans, dogs are at risk for things like pancreatitis when they are eating food that is too high in fat. I was most recently feeding my dogs the Duck Duck Goose formula and in retrospect realize that the fat content was probably way too high. I feel like a moron for not paying closer attention to this. It is suspected that my dog had a low grade, chronic pancreatitis for many months from the higher fat diet which then became exacerbated by an infection from the raw food (this assessment from the veterinarians was backed up by many expensive tests but I will not bore you with those details). In summary, I suppose this review is not specifically for Stella & Chewy's but applies to all raw pet food or any pet food with very high fat content. I wish that I had known some of the negative experiences of pet owners before me so that I could have made a better choice for my dogs. I don't doubt that millions of pets are eating raw without any issues, but I trust that the animal hospital was not lying when they told me of this epidemic of sorts that they have been seeing with the recent rise in raw food popularity. Many people who read this will continue to buy raw, but having read my review at least they can consider themselves warned. After much research and debate my dogs are back to eating Honest Kitchen Base Mix topped with home-cooked lean meats.

We have been feeding our Westie Freeze dried raw food for about a year. It is pricey but the difference in health is worth it. We started with Primal because we had fed our last dog Primal raw frozen. She liked it, but one time I tried Stella & Chewy's and we found that the patties stayed together a little better, they have more variety and Millie likes some of their flavors better. Besides that I found it to be just a little cheaper for an extra ounce (15 oz vs 14oz for primal. Millie loves all the varieties but Surf and Turf is one of her favorites along with Duck Duck Goose. The food comes in a ziplock bag and contains patties. You feed your dog a certain number of patties based on their weight and how much activity they get. I feed my 17lb Westie 2 patties in the morning and 2 at night. I never counted how many patties are in a bag, but I am guessing this would last at least a week. We feed her something different for each meal so I never finish one bag all at once. To feed you just break up the patty into crumbs and add water to rehydrate. Some dogs might be able to eat it dry but I prefer to feed it with moisture as it would be naturally. The freeze drying just makes it easier to ship and store but in my opinion it should really be served wet. I feed this as a complete meal but you can also add just a small amount as a topper or mixer to dry food. Thanks for reading my review Becky Brooks *I paid full price for this food it was not a sample. I paid $24.99. I see it is now listed at $25.99 I have noticed these foods go up and down in price so it's best to stock up when you see that the price is lower

**UPDATE** Our dog still loves Stella’s. Humphrey always eats Stella’s first...kibble last. Why, you may ask. Because dog’s love it. It is nutritious and delicious. Humphrey has a beautiful coat, is healthy, and happy. Give your dog something nutritious and delicious. Stella’s is hands down the best on the market.** My 1 1/2 year old terrier mix, absolutely loves Stella & Chewy's food. When we adopted him he was quite sick, which required him to be on many antibiotics for several months. Due to a weakened immune system, the additional probiotics in the patties drew me initially to the product. Also all of their patties are high protein and include a great deal of fruits and vegetables, and are overall highly nutrient dense. Another great feature of the food is that you are able to add water to rehydrate it if your dog is not consuming adequate water. Our dog is 10 lbs., and gets a total of 3 patties daily the Surf and Turf. With 30 patties per bag, it is on the more pricey side. To offset some of the cost, I give him a hard boiled egg with 1/2 a patty in the morning. **Take note of how many patties are recommended daily, depending on the type of food (i.e. Dandy Lamb, Duck Duck Goose, Surf and Turf, etc.) can have slightly different number of servings.**

Our cavalier Benny can’t wait to eat his Stella and Chewy Surf and Turf patties. He eats them in literally 10 seconds. We give him 3 patties twice a day which is based on his weight as detailed on the package. We do wet the patties and break them into smaller pieces for him. Also his coat is always shiny and we always get compliments on his great it looks.

This dog food comes in round hard patties! You have to leave them sit in water for 45 minutes to soften them before you can give to your dog!!! A complete waste of money!