Stella & Chewy's Chicken Little Lil' Bites Freeze-Dried Dog Food

Stella & Chewy's Chicken Little Lil' Bites Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food

Small morsels sized for small mouths, 95% cage-free chicken with organs and bone. And a measuring trap that catches people constantly, so we'll put it first.

A quarter cup of this is not a quarter cup of Meal Mixers

A quarter cup of Lil' Bites is 68 calories. A quarter cup of Stella's Chewy's Chicken Meal Mixers is 50.

Same brand, same bird, same scoop, 36% more calories. The reason is physical: these are small dense morsels that pack tightly, where the Mixers are larger crumbled pieces with air between them. Run Stella's own numbers and a quarter cup of Lil' Bites weighs about 14.9 grams against roughly 11.3 grams for any of the Meal Mixers.

So if you've been feeding a Stella topper and you move to this bag at the same volume, you have increased your small dog's intake by about a third without changing anything you can see. On a 10 lb dog that is not a rounding error. Measure to this product's own chart, below, and not to the one you had memorized.

It is also not the same recipe as the chicken patties

This is worth saying because the guaranteed analysis looks nearly identical, 48% protein and 29% fat here against 48% and 28% on Stella's Chewy's Chicken Dinner Patties.

But the calorie density is different, 4,572 kcal/kg here against 4,420, and the ingredient list is different: this recipe adds turmeric, chia seed and salt, none of which appear in the patty recipe. Close relatives, not the same food. We checked both pages rather than assume.

What's in it

Chicken with ground bone, chicken liver, chicken gizzard. We read the whole list and chicken is the only animal species in it... no secondary protein, not even a fish oil at the bottom. That's worth knowing if you're working through an elimination diet with your vet, and it isn't true of every bag in this line.

Then pumpkin seed, organic cranberries, spinach, broccoli, beets, carrots, squash and blueberries. Turmeric, chia seed, fenugreek seed, kelp, a full vitamin and mineral package, added taurine.

Pea-free, lentil-free and potato-free, as published for this recipe. Not true of everything Stella makes, so check each item rather than the brand.

Who it's for

Small dogs, on two counts. The morsel size suits a small mouth, and the feeding chart is built around small-dog weights... it runs in 5 lb steps from 5 to 30 lb where Stella's patty charts jump from 20 straight to 40.

At 29% fat this is one of the leaner raw foods Stella makes, which suits a small dog that's an easy keeper. A dog with a pancreatitis history, or on a vet-prescribed low-fat diet, still needs that vet's view first... but if you want Stella's leanest, this and the chicken patties are it.

The probiotics, named

Four fermentation products in the list: Pediococcus acidilactici, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum and Bacillus coagulans. Stella publishes no CFU count for this product, so we can't give you one.

Full ingredient list

Chicken with Ground Bone, Chicken Liver, Chicken Gizzard, Pumpkin Seed, Organic Cranberries, Organic Spinach, Organic Broccoli, Organic Beets, Organic Carrots, Organic Squash, Organic Blueberries, Turmeric, Chia Seed, Fenugreek Seed, Potassium Chloride, Dried Kelp, Sodium Phosphate, Mixed Tocopherols (preservative), Choline Chloride, Dried Pediococcus Acidilactici fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus fermentation product, Dried Bifidobacterium Longum fermentation product, Dried Bacillus Coagulans fermentation product, Salt, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Taurine, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Niacin Supplement, D-calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid.

Reproduced exactly as Stella & Chewy's publishes it.

Guaranteed analysis

• Crude Protein (min) ... 48%
• Crude Fat (min) ... 29%
• Crude Fiber (max) ... 5%
• Moisture (max) ... 5%

Calorie content

68 kcal per quarter cup ... 4,572 kcal/kg

Feeding guidelines

Stella's published chart for adult dogs. Cups mean a level standard 8-fluid-ounce dry measuring cup. Split the daily amount across two meals.

Unlike most of Stella's charts this one carries its own extension rule above the last row, so you don't have to guess for a bigger dog. Stella notes puppies may need up to twice the adult amount, and to consult a veterinarian for pregnant and nursing dogs. Treat it as a starting point... check body condition after two or three weeks and adjust.

How to serve it

Straight from the bag or rehydrated with warm water. Stella suggests bone broth as the liquid if you want to go further, and we carry their Bountiful Bone Broth.

Shelf-stable, no refrigeration needed.

Switching over

Stella's guidance is to introduce gradually over seven to ten days, mixing with the current food and shifting the ratio across. They note sudden diet changes and overfeeding can both cause digestive upset.

On the label statement

Stella & Chewy's publishes no AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement and no life stage for this product, and they do not describe it as complete and balanced, even though the chart above is a full-meal chart. Their own patty pages do carry that description and this one doesn't.

We can't fill that gap in for them. If this is going to be your dog's only food, ask us and we'll read it off the bag, and talk to your vet.

**************************

For this product and for the best prices on all of your pet food and supply needs The Hungry Puppy Pet Food & Supplies is your one-stop shop. Whether your animal barks or chirps, neighs or moos, meows or squawks, we have it all. Shop at the convenience of your home or on the go. In a rush, you can place a curbside pickup order and we will make sure you are here and gone in a flash. Live in NJ? The Hungry Puppy delivers FREE to your front door every week.

Live outside of our Central NJ Local Delivery area? Don’t worry, we now ship right to your front door!

Either Way The Hungry Puppy offers online shopping, with Curbside Pickup, Local Delivery or Nationwide Shipping at a place you can trust for the highest quality pet products at the lowest possible prices!