{"product_id":"stella-chewys-itty-bitty-beef-lil-bites-freeze-dried-dog-food","title":"Stella \u0026 Chewy's Itty Bitty Beef Lil' Bites Freeze-Dried Dog Food","description":"\u003ch2\u003eStella \u0026amp; Chewy's Itty Bitty Beef Lil' Bites Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSix beef components in the first six lines: beef, beef kidney, beef liver, beef heart, beef tripe, beef bone. For a small-breed food that's an unusually complete organ profile.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTwo things you should know before you buy it, though, and we'd rather lead with them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eIt contains salmon oil, despite the single-protein claim\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStella's bullet list describes this as a single source protein, useful for food allergies and sensitivities. \u003cstrong\u003eThe final ingredient on their own published list is salmon oil.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSalmon oil is fish. Fish is a second animal species. For most dogs that is completely irrelevant... but \u003cstrong\u003eif you are on an elimination diet, or your dog reacts to fish, this is not a single-protein food and the bullet on the bag will mislead you.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf a true single-species beef food is what you need, Stella's Super Beef Dinner Patties list beef and beef organs with no fish anywhere. We'd point you there instead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eStella's published ingredient list looks incomplete\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTheir list for this product ends at salmon oil, with no vitamin or mineral premix, no proteinates, no added taurine and no probiotic fermentation products in it... yet their own bullets for this same product claim added taurine and added probiotics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThose two things can't both be right. The most likely explanation is a truncated list on Stella's website, and we have precedent: their published Tantalizing Turkey list dropped a zinc line that the actual bag panel does carry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSo \u003cstrong\u003ewe are not telling you this food lacks vitamins, and you shouldn't conclude that either.\u003c\/strong\u003e We're printing exactly what Stella publishes, telling you it looks short, and offering to read the real bag panel in the shop if it matters to you. That's as far as the evidence goes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eA quarter cup of this is not a quarter cup of Meal Mixers\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA quarter cup of these morsels is \u003cstrong\u003e75 calories\u003c\/strong\u003e. A quarter cup of Stella's Super Beef Meal Mixers is \u003cstrong\u003e56\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSame brand, same animal, same scoop, 34% more calories. The morsels are small and dense and pack tightly where crumbled Mixers hold air. On Stella's own numbers, \u003cstrong\u003ea quarter cup here weighs about 14.9 grams against roughly 11.3 grams for any Meal Mixer.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSwitch from a Stella topper to this bag at the same volume and you've raised a small dog's intake by a third without seeing anything change. Measure to this product's chart, below.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eIt is also not the same recipe as the Super Beef patties\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis runs \u003cstrong\u003e37% protein and 37% fat\u003c\/strong\u003e where the Super Beef patties run 41% and 35%. Calorie density is 5,030 kcal\/kg here against 4,940. The organ order differs too, kidney ahead of liver rather than behind it, and this recipe adds turmeric, chia seed and the salmon oil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRelated foods, not the same food. We checked both of Stella's pages rather than assume it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eProtein and fat being equal at 37% makes this a rich food. A dog with a pancreatitis history, or one on a vet-prescribed low-fat diet, needs that vet's view first. If you want Stella's leanest small-breed option, their Chicken Little Lil' Bites run 48% protein and 29% fat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWho it's for\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSmall dogs, on two counts: the morsel size suits a small mouth, and the feeding chart runs in 5 lb steps from 5 to 30 lb where Stella's patty charts jump from 20 straight to 40.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe organ list is the real draw. Kidney, liver, heart, tripe and bone alongside the muscle meat is more than most small-breed foods attempt, and tripe in particular is rare on any shelf.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eFull ingredient list\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBeef, Beef Kidney, Beef Liver, Beef Heart, Beef Tripe, Beef Bone, 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, Salmon Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReproduced exactly as Stella \u0026amp; Chewy's publishes it, including ending where theirs ends. See the note above on why we think their list is short.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eGuaranteed analysis\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCrude Protein (min) ... 37%\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCrude Fat (min) ... 37%\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCrude Fiber (max) ... 5%\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMoisture (max) ... 5%\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCalorie content\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e75 kcal per quarter cup ... 5,030 kcal\/kg\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eFeeding guidelines\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStella's published chart for adult dogs. Cups mean a level standard 8-fluid-ounce dry measuring cup. Split the daily amount across two meals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eYour dog's weight\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eCups per day\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5 lb\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e½\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e10 lb\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e15 lb\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1¼\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e20 lb\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1½\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e25 lb\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1¾\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e30 lb\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOver 30 lb\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2, plus ½ cup for each additional 10 lb\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStella 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHow to serve it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStraight 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShelf-stable, no refrigeration needed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSwitching over\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStella's guidance is to introduce gradually over seven to ten days, mixing with the current food and shifting the ratio. They note sudden diet changes and overfeeding can both cause digestive upset. At 37% fat, take the slow route.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eOn the label statement\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStella \u0026amp; Chewy's publishes no AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement and no life stage for this product, and \u003cstrong\u003ethey do not describe it as complete and balanced\u003c\/strong\u003e, even though the chart above is a full-meal chart. Their patty pages do carry that description and this one doesn't.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCombined with the short ingredient list, that's two gaps on one page. If this is going to be your dog's only food, ask us and we'll read the bag panel, and talk to your vet.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stella \u0026 Chewy's Raw Natural Pet Food","offers":[{"title":"7-oz","offer_id":67745550565661,"sku":"42886-G","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0079\/0498\/5185\/products\/LilBites-Beef.jpg?v=1556662129","url":"https:\/\/www.thehungrypuppy.com\/products\/stella-chewys-itty-bitty-beef-lil-bites-freeze-dried-dog-food","provider":"The Hungry Puppy","version":"1.0","type":"link"}