Feeding your dog raw pet food for thought remains a controversial subject , with some claiming it ’s the healthiest way to feed dog due to how their ancestor live , and others saying that it ’s a dangerous option due to potential bacterium and parasite . The truth is probable somewhere in the middle . So what are the facts on the benefits of commercial raw dog food for thought diets , its possible peril and how to avoid them ?
On this podcast , I had the pleasure to interviewMark SapirfromStella & Chewy ’s , a well - known pet nutrient brand with a smashing report . The company is concentrate on create raw frankfurter food accessible to canines in a healthy and secure agency . Their diets go through rigorous examination to prevent any bacteria or leech .
Mark explained a little more about what stark naked dog food brand really offer , what are their benefits , and whether it ’s always the right option for dogs of any breed , age and size . This turned out to be a very educational podcast , which I advocate you listen to if you ’re interested in feed your pet commercial raw pet food brands .
Listen to the sequence in the video above and find the full podcast transcript below . For more , visit this episode ’s station on the officialTheory of Petswebsite .
Benefits of Commercial Raw Dog Food Diets(podcast transcript)
The raw dieting is a very controversial topic in the favorite industriousness right now . Some pet owners feel that our PET ' ancestors ate a raw diet and that it ’s honest to fee our domesticated brute the same type of food . On the other hand , there are people who believe that raw food can be a house for bacteria and some very dangerous parasites that could make our pets wan .
So which side of the fence should you be on ? Is raw food safe ? Is it harmful to our dogs ? Is it healthy ? Is it going to give your pet all the alimentation that they need ?
Today , I was able to speak with Mark Sapir , and he is the Chief Marketing Officer at Stella & Chewy ’s . Stella & Chewy ’s is a company , if you ’ve done any research on the matter of in the altogether food , you certainly have pick up this name before . They focus on making levelheaded and safe commercial sensitive food for our ducky . Mark was able to tell me more about the dieting , its pros and convict , the benefits of grease one’s palms a commercial raw dieting instead of making your own at home . And we also chatted a little bite about the company ’s raw ware which is really corking and innovative . It ’s really a kibble , but it ’s been roll up in the company ’s raw food mixing . So it ’s a kibble that still offers the benefits of birthday suit , which is something that I think is going to pique the stake of a luck of favored owners .
So without further ado , this is what Mark had to say —
Interview with Mark Sapir
Mark : You know , we found this business almost 15 years ago and our founder , Marie Moody , had two dog who were Stella and Chewy ’s . They ’re not mythical figures ; they ’re real hound that had real challenges with nutrition . Fifteen years ago , really , commercialized new diets did n’t survive . Marie went to the veteran and pop learning about nutrition and diets . The internet did n’t really exist . She was reading books and talk to vet and dietitian .
It became clear to her that her dogs would thrive on a diet that was most alike to what click ate in the wild ; not needs manufactured food as it existed that day , but a cutting dieting . And certainly enough , she begin feed her dogs a raw dieting — fresh meat and electronic organ — and herdogs begin to thrive . It became very clear to her that nutrition matter .
As a pet parent who loves her blackguard , it became very clear that there was an opportunity to facilitate pet parent , because no one was commercially making a tender pet food diet available . And she begin in her own kitchen and her own apartment in Brooklyn at the time , survive to the butcher ’s and getting meat and making this dieting and then door to door in Manhattan , taxi by cab , developing at the time what was a fixed business and taking it to depot and building the stage business , door - by - door .
And not amazingly , it began to take off , because pet parent want the best for their beast and they were seeing a meaningful difference in term of vital force , in terms of palatability , in terminal figure of performance . It bewilder bigger and self-aggrandising and bigger , and it got so prominent that she needed to come back to Wisconsin where she grew up and start making the food . That ’s when she make our first kitchen , and now we ’re onto our fourth kitchen as need has increase , and the occupation has develop .
We ’ve gone from frozen to adding a freeze - dried component , which is for many pet parent more convenient and shelf - static and does n’t need the preparation or the storage . We ’ve added a meal social which allows the preferent parents the power to premise some sensitive into the stadium and not necessarily eat raw exclusively . Then more recently , we ’ve launched a baked kibble with a bare-assed coating and an ingredient of raw .
And that ’s sort of our evolution of the business . We really do believe in the might of a raw diet . For me , as a pet parent , it furnish a gravid root for a lot of people . I mean if your blackguard ’s finicky , it ’s a great solution . If your hotdog has certain favorite sensitivities to fixings , a cracking solution , because the far far majority of our diets are lawful special ingredient diet , and they ’re one protein and that ’s it . Our diets are high and rich in omegas . It ’s groovy for peel and coat . Our diet are high in glucosamine chondroitin naturally because of the ivory in them .
So it really supply a keen solvent for a circle of pet parents , and we ’re watch more and more favored parent get more interested and knowledgeable on what ’s in their pet food for thought . And as they ’ve gotten more diligent , more deliberate , they ’re gravitating towards solutions like ours that are more pristine solutions for their animals .
Samantha : Absolutely . And I lie with , you know , a lot of … You talked a niggling snatch about nutritionary challenges and those seem to be becoming more commonly hear in a lot of pet .
So one of the big things I always hear from people about the raw nutrient diet is that major deviation between raw and traditional commercial diets that let in some filler , stilted ingredients , some ingredients that are n’t as healthy for our pet . And the raw dieting , at the same time as people are thinking that there are some healthier expression to it as well , there are a lot of people that worry about the naked as a jaybird diet and contamination of the food and affair like that . Can you address on that ?
Mark : Yes , I ’d love to talk on both the ingredients and the food for thought . I correspond with you on constituent , I intend , the reality is every single one of our diets at its foot , is 90 - 95 % meat , reed organ , and bones . So essentially outside of vitamins and minerals and some vegetables , you are have 95 % gist , organs , and clappers , and the factor are proudly put on the recording label , the sourcing we ’re proud of — all of these are coming from a USDA - inspected readiness . None of this is 4D meat , it ca n’t be 4D meat .
It ’s meat , organs , and bones , so I think the ingredients matter and the beautiful thing about a raw diet is 90 - 95 % kernel , organs , and bones , and that to me , as a favorite parent , reach me a quite a little of confidence in what I ’m feed .
individually , I conceive there are a lot of head on the safety of raw food , and there should be because pet parents want to know what they ’re feed their dogs is safe . And I will order you , when this business originally establish , you know Marie was making this stuff in her own kitchen , which probably , candidly , was n’t the most safe solution .
And I think Marie quickly realized about two years into her journey that it was n’t enough just to have gravid nutrition , but it needed to come with nutrient safety . She was keenly aware of pathogens and she knew she require to cypher out a way to eliminate pathogens to not only birth great nutrition but to delivery intellectual nourishment base hit . And Marie looked everywhere .
She have intercourse she was n’t going to cook the food , because that obviously changes the value of the food and Marie found HPP which was being used on the human side . It ’s recognized by the FDA as a pathogen - killing .
And she started doing tests with HPP , and she cursorily realise that it would allow for her to decimate pathogen but at the same time not de - nature or not devalue the nutrition value or the palatableness . And at the fourth dimension , which was a very controversial determination and not wildly embraced by thepet community , made a dedication to HPP every single product , because she felt and we still cover to feel that it ’s the safest manner to deliver raw that eliminates pathogens but still delivers all the economic value of a raw diet .
And ab initio there were other competition that did n’t participate . It seems like , over clip , more and more and the far majority of multitude are now HPPing , because it ’s what , we think , a ask footprint to ensure nutrient safety and to check that our food is pathogen - devoid and that ’s something we do . I acknowledge there are people that do n’t , and that ’s their route and I can only worry about our business and what we cogitate is good for favorite parent . We conceive strongly that it provide extra protection and allows our products to be pathogen - free .
Beyond that , as an organization , we have a tremendous amount of procedures in place to ensure solid food guard start out from all of our incoming ingredients , verify they ’re come from qualified sources that are USDA or equivalent - inspect . When the meat comes we have our own procedure to ensure that the heart and soul is issue forth in fair . And , in fact , our kitchens we ’re constantly try for pathogens , environmentally . We ’re testing intersection as we make it , significantly , to make certain before we free anything , we hold it to ensure that it ’s pathogen - complimentary .
So it ’s not just leaning on HPP as that step . It ’s a collective and holistic approach to nutrient condom that we ’re proud of . And it ’s always ameliorate and always buzz off estimable just like any business enterprise . That ’s how we approach solid food safety , and that ’s what we do to assure for best-loved parent that they ’re getting merchandise they can feel effective about in terms of aliment as well as food prophylactic .
Samantha : So that ’s a big difference . The first thing that I cerebrate of , as I ’m take heed to you talk , is it ’s such a Brobdingnagian deviation between make your own in the buff food at rest home . Because , of course of action , then you ’re responsible for for the ingredients that are going into it and the room that they ’re disposed and making certain that you ’re following as many food safety road map as you may . And I cogitate what you pronounce in the rootage with Stella and Chewy ’s cooking it in just a standard kitchen , obviously , not for want of caring about your pet . But it ’s just unsufferable to get it as safe as a commercial raw diet can get it when you use those other technologies .
home run : I call up that ’s bonny . I ’m not suggest people should n’t makehomemadefood . I think it ’s terrific that people have the Passion of Christ and the time and the resourcefulness to do that . And I think more than likely it ’s utterly good and more than likely even if somehow salmonella from the rejoinder top , from something else , or a sort of environmental pathogen got in there , I think we all roll in the hay dogs are fairly resistant .
So , again , I do n’t want to suggest that we ’re anti - people - making - their - food - at - home . We just provide what we think is a great solution for those that perhaps do n’t have the resources , clock time . As well , we have a lot of steps in there that should give them the confidence in food refuge , as well .
But the reality is , and I think preferent parents get it on this that make their own food , there ’s always risk with pathogens because they ’re everywhere and they ’re around and we should all be aware of that . We ’re certainly mindful of it , and that ’s why we do everything we do to see food safety .
Samantha : Yes . perfectly . I accord . And certainly , there are best-loved parents out there that have the clock time , the power to make the food at home . But it sure as shooting sounds like a commercial raw food dieting , there ’s a batch of safety measures in place that you ca n’t get at home , first of all . And second of all , when I speak to anybody or anybody asks me about the raw food diet , it ’s almost instantly the headache is the base hit of it .
So it vocalise like , to me , that go commercial , it ’s a way for pet owner to still provide the welfare , the health benefits , of the sensitive food diet . But they do n’t have to worry about contaminating themselves , or their pets at home , or anything like that in dealing with actually creating the raw nutrient themselves .
Mark : Yes . I match with that . And I think pet parent should do their inquiry . There are different sensitive providers that have different standards and different requirements . We ’re proud of our prerequisite . There are other raw diets that in all likelihood have alike outlook and requirements . But favored parents , as they ’re make decision , should do their research and I ’m convinced when they do , they ’ll see what makes us unique and special .
Samantha : With run a new diet , are there certain vitamins , mineral that you add up to the raw solid food ? Or do they all … Everything that a dog would course need , does it come from the component itself ?
Mark : Yes . groovy question . We do add vitamin and minerals , and we think it ’s important . And I will secern you — 99 % of everything that ’s required comes naturally . belike on many levels , everything comes naturally . But the reality is , when you ’re deal with raw ingredients , right , apples and kernel . An apple today is n’t orchard apple tree tomorrow . A small-arm of core today is n’t precisely a piece of meat tomorrow . Naturally , there ’s mutual exclusiveness . Right ?
Samantha : Of course .
Mark : And separately , course , vitamin and mineral erupt down . And the vitamin and mineral of an apple today are dissimilar than what they are in 20 days . And oftentimes , that ’s essentially make come in and out . It change .
Samantha : Sure .
Mark : And we do n’t finger , in person as a party , that it ’s in thebest interestof preferred parents not to append extra insurance policy and add vitamins and mineral in addition to 100 % be convinced that every individual handbag from Clarence Day 1 to day 360 is 100 % delivering on those AAFCO required vita - mineral to let for great nourishment and animation .
So we do deliberately and intentionally tot vitamins and mineral , and we suppose that ’s the most creditworthy thing . If we did n’t , we would literally palpate like it ’s demand to examine every single base , given the inconsistencies and we would feel less confident at day 360 than we do now , where we recognize we ’re entirely 100 % compliant from day 1 to the end of our shelf - cycle . And that ’s why we do it . That ’s why human - state vitamins and minerals , likewise , in the same way and why we made that conclusion . Again , there are different companies out there that have different approaches . Our coming is always about favored parent and always about what we cogitate is correct for their dogs . And we guess that ’s the right matter to do .
Samantha : Yes . sure . I agree with that , as well . And are there some dog who , or pets in world-wide , I guess — are there health conditions or anything like that , are there certain types of dog that should n’t be eating a raw food diet ? Or is it something that ’s healthy for all dogs and all life sentence stage ?
Mark : I require to be measured on that . Because to blanket suggest that , I think , would be irresponsible . mean there are diets , or dogs , that perhaps have a specific issuance . Maybe it ’s a disease , and they postulate a dieting that has less than 8 % fatty , so …
Samantha : Right . utterly .
gull : — So I do n’t desire to blanket say that our diet is appropriate for every detent out there . I think if your heel has an emergence , you require to lean on the vet more specifically . I can say for 98 % of dogs that do n’t have a specific sorting of more issue , it ’s a great diet . It ’s not bad nutrition . It ’s unbelievably high-pitched in protein . It ’s unbelievably low in carbs . It ’s great fuel that weenie thrive on . And beyond thrive on sexual love , if you ’ve ever put a sports stadium of halt - dried down versus a bowl of kibble , it ’s a different …
Samantha : Absolutely .
Mark : Most dogs will deplete anything . I get it . But those frank that are particular or even not the story of excitement is different and unrivalled . But yet for the far , far more legal age of andiron that are eat on kibble , it ’s a cracking answer . I just desire to be careful to say it ’s great for everyone , because there ’s a nonage dogs that have specific military issue and they need a specifically - catered , perhaps , diet and the vet should help them more on solution .
Samantha : Yes . Absolutely . And I agree with that , as well . But the raw diet , it ’s safe for puppies , for older senior dog .
Mark : Yes . 100 % . It ’s great for … It ’s an all life - point diet . And , manifestly , to be able to say that it ’s not just me with an belief , AAFCO , has rigid rule of thumb of what is appropriately for all life stages in terms of Ca , in terms of sodium , in full term of vitamin D. We craft these diets to check that we are completely compliant for all life stages . It ’s outstanding dieting for all spirit stages . It ’s a great diet for small strain to big stock . And we rightfully believe that any constituent of rude in adog ’s dietis comfortably than none and there ’s cocksure that come from it . We have a spate of different way and unlike offerings that set aside preferred parents to feed their dogs exclusively or to feed it as an element .
I think , flop now , on our frozen , the far bulk of people that frozen , it ’s a great scotch manner to flow raw . On our freeze - dried business concern I ’d say it ’s disconnected — one-half of them fertilise exclusively and likely purchase our patties , and one-half of them buy our meal mixer and love the power to boost nutrition and boost palatableness in their dog ’s kibble .
Samantha : Yes . And that ’s in reality a sodding segue , because now I desire to jump in and kind of public lecture more about Stella and Chewy ’s . And you have touched on the many different products so it allows that flexibility of do you desire to bung 100 % raw . And I know , for a lot of favorite owner , it ’s not that they do n’t want to feed a mellow - quality naked diet , but it may be an affordability issue . It ’s just it ’s too expensive . So you have other alternatives to add toppers and mixer and just kind of tote up those benefits to your casual kibble diet , which , I call up is enceinte . One , it makes it more low-priced , which all of us are on a budget now . So that ’s a big concern for a good deal of people that I speak with , a heap of favorite possessor .
But it also fix it leisurely for favorite owner in the frozen as well . If you think about lay down raw intellectual nourishment at home , what does that imply ? First of all , before you even lead off , it ’s a ton of research and a ton of oeuvre to figure out the recipes for your dog ’s nutritionary motivation . And then it ’s all the prep work and thing like that . You have to go to the computer memory . You have to go to the blunderer store . You have to get the ingredients and you have to prep them .
So there ’s a lot of great benefit all around with all of the Stella and Chewy ’s short letter , which is what sticks out to me , really , about the brand . I intend , it ’s plain the high - quality dieting , but that you really make it easy for preferred owners to blame whatever they need , whether it ’s a full - on diet or whether it ’s just a little food for thought topper , something redundant to give their hound the nutritional benefits .
scar : Yes . give thanks you for your feedback and I agree . I think we recognise that not everyone can fertilise 100 % undivided raw . That does n’t indicate they ’re not great pet parent . It ’s just the world .
But we ’ve provide a lot of dissimilar ways to either feed raw only or to provide more pet parent an opportunity to introduce raw and have an element of raw . So we have a frozen business sector , and our quick-frozen business is where we bulge . The benefit of the frozen occupation — it is the most pristine manner of deliver sensitive . It ’s basically meat that ’s grinded and HPP’d and immediately frozen and packaged . As well as it ’s a more economical style . It ’s about 35 % cheaper to bung a bare-ass diet frozen than it is freeze - dried . So for those that are most often all in , frozen is a great agency to feed raw entirely .
singly , we make out that not everyone is feed entirely as well ; not everyone perhaps has the time to let it melt and prepare . For me , I can use rude , I put it out the nighttime before , and it ’s fairly methodical . But for other people , bet people are busy . That ’s why we launch freeze - dry out . halt - dried is ledge unchanging , so it does n’t ask freeze . It does n’t require thawing . It ’s just like our pantry . You take it in and out , and you feed it . And that ’s the welfare of our frost - dried diet .
We have patties that make groovy meal solution . We provide feeding guidelines and it ’s a fairly easy transition from kibble to freeze - dry out . And that ’s why we have our patties clientele . Then separately , about four years ago , we recognize that many consumer were n’t feeding freeze - dried exclusively . About half of them were tote up it to their kibble , which is great . It ’s a bang-up way to make kibble more interesting for the dog and more palatable and more nutritious .
We launched meal mixers which is a bit more commodious way to add raw into their kibble bowl and it ’s a sort of smaller physique , more kibble - esque , and grant you to sort of flux it in and the frank go crazy . Unfortunately , pet parents find that often frank find the raw and plunk out the rude first and then get to the kibbles . It just establish you the exponent of raw . And then they end up adding two scoops and three scoop and the dogs are delighted and we ’re delighted , because they ’re getting more sensitive into the diet .
But meal mixers make it really light and commodious and affordable for favored parents to begin to introduce cutting into the bowl . And that business concern has become swelled and handsome as more and more masses are curious of stark naked , but perhaps not yet ready or truly aware of all the benefits to well engage and not change their behaviour . It seems to be a sort of gateway of people into raw .
Having said that , we recognized twelvemonth ago that that looking at the kibble landscape painting , that we felt there was an chance to come out with a better kibble , a less sue kibble , a kibble with well ingredients , in a kibble with an element of raw . We ’ve spent three years developing that . We know there ’s a lot of kibbles out there . We wanted to do something that was unparalleled and special and more consistent with Stella and provided pet parent that were flow kibble a better solution and allowed them to present to our sword and make eating raw or an component of natural more convenient .
That ’s really why we launched kibble . And I reckon , for us , we will still bear on at our foundation to have raw , quick-frozen , and halt - dry out . But the reality is it ’s not truly available for everyone in term of resource and costs . For many , it ’s not perfectly commodious . You got to get the kibble , and you got to get the raw . For us launching a keen kibble with an element of stark naked is a perfect solution for a wide number of people . And the initial response we have gotten is unbelievably positive . We ’re mad to have that as a full complement to our raw for those that are feeding kibble but need something honorable .
I think , to me , what makes our kibble special and unique is one , is we bake our kibble . And the far majority of kibbles out there in the worldly concern are extruded . Extruding was created about 80 years ago by openhanded manufacturer , because it allowed them to make a circumstances of product quick and cheaply . The downside of it is it basically atom-bomb the kibble as a kill pace and much of the nutritional value and much of the kind of overall time value is destroyed . Then they seek to offset that at the closing by add together stuff and nonsense .
For us , it was really important to get into kibble to do it a less processed fashion , in a more , what we call up is nutritious way , and that ’s baking it . The temperature in baking it is at the max 200 degree , and it ’s a slow - James Cook which fully grown kibble players do n’t like because it ’s slow and that ruins efficiency . For us , it ’s less about efficiency , it ’s more about nutrition . It ’s a more nutritious kibble because it ’s bake and that is a big period of difference , and it ’s more consistent with our philosophical system that less processed is better and that ’s what we ’re doing .
one by one , our ingredients are dissimilar . The far bulk of kibbles out there are n’t using grass - fed kick . They ’re not using cage - liberal Gallus gallus . They ’re not using reed organ meat . We get it on organ meat . We know how authoritative organ meat is in our raw dieting and we ’re proudly putting it into our kibble as basal ingredient . We ’re put organic fruits and vegetable into our kibble . When you buy our beef kibble , it ’s forebode “ Grass - fed beef formula , ” because at least 25 % of that bag is weed - fertilise beef . The far absolute majority of kibbles are beef , plus potatoes , plus lentils because collectively those equal 25 % . We do n’t need to work that game because 25 % at least of that old bag is proudly squawk . Our diet are 70 % meat .
So , these are uniquely dissimilar kibble offerings than what the far bulk of people are doing both in terms of process and ingredients . And , then , the magic is at the end where all of our kibble is coated with our raw .
So , we ’re need our raw cake , we ’re grind them up and we ’re coating them on kibble . Which , for dogs , is special and again we ’re tricking them into thinking this is all raw and the chemical reaction is unlikely and our intellectual nourishment is more toothsome . That in tandem bicycle seduce for what we remember is a great kibble solution .
We ’re excited to collaborator with Neighborhood Pet and make it available . And ab initio the reaction has been very positivist . For those that could n’t afford or were n’t yet ready to go all the way in into raw , it does require educating , it does require a behavior variety , it let them to not deepen behaviour , but to provide a well kibble and begin to see the welfare of raw .
Samantha : Yes and I will check too and it ’s not up on our Top Dog Tips website yet , but I did receive a base of the novel kibble to review and to try with our dog . So we have a chocolate lab who will eat anything and everything . And it does n’t even need to be intellectual nourishment . But then we also have a picayune beagle mixture , and she ’s very picky . I typically , normally , I tip ahomemade — it ’s cooked , it ’s not natural — but a homemade frump fooddiet . So she ’s had that . We ’ve had her since she was a puppy , and that ’s pretty much all she ’s ever sleep with .
So to get her to try out and eat traditional , commercial-grade kibble sometimes can be a little intriguing . She ’s even fussy with her bounder treat , just because she ’s used to fresh , the protein sources , the enticing smell , and thing like that that you do n’t get with a circumstances of commercial diet . So she ’s typically , fairly , picky when it comes to commercial message . And she gobble the Stella and Chewy ’s right up .
So I guess , like you said , just that small coating of bare-assed it sort of fox them into think that they ’re drive this really enticing raw solid food when it ’s actually just a small coating of raw food and then the inside is the kibble .
Mark : Yes . I ’m delighted to discover that . And I ’m sure the team will be excited and proud , because we spent a lot of time on ensure that this kibble would feed phenomenally well . Obviously victuals and food safe are of import to us , but palatability is a breaker point of difference in everything we do .
We know there ’s nothing more concerning for a preferent parent to see their dog not eating , and palatability is really important . And I ’m glad to hear your pawl liked it . We ’re hearing similar feedback from other dogs , and it ’s rewarding . I really would encourage favorite parent , even if the dogs are loving their nutrient , just from a nourishment perspective to study turn over it a endeavour . But also sure from a palatability perspective , there ’s a meaningful departure in unlock — and that ’s great to hear from you . We ’re always looking at new means to unlock nourishment and palatability and we ’re move to continue to do that .
Samantha : If you have any other questions on the raw food diet , either that I could answer for you or that I can run onto Mark and get an answer for you from Stella and Chewy ’s , please stand out on our website — it ’s theoryofpets.com . you may leave your questions there . you may send them to me in an audio single file . I might use those on future podcasts , which is really helpful for other favorite owners that are having the same questions . A mess of you guys have the same types of questions . I have the same questions as you , as well . It ’s a pet proprietor affair . We want what ’s best for our pets , so we end up asking a passel of similar question . But , of course , if you just want to email those , there ’s a spot for that , like I said on our internet site , Theoryofpets.com it ’ll total to me in an email and I will be sure to get back to you as soon as possible .
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