The scores
Dr. Marty Nature's Blend: B (88/100) — Turkey, Beef, Salmon, Duck, Beef Liver.
Stella & Chewy's Freeze-Dried: A (90/100) — Chicken (with ground bone), Chicken Liver, Chicken Gizzard, Pumpkin Seed, Organic Cranberries.
How the ingredients compare
Both panels open the way the rubric rewards most — whole, named animal proteins before anything else. Dr. Marty leads with turkey, beef, salmon, and duck, then beef liver, giving it a true multi-protein deck with four distinct muscle meats plus a nutrient-dense organ. Stella & Chewy’s Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Patties lead with chicken including ground bone, then chicken liver and chicken gizzard — muscle, organ, and bone from a single species — followed by pumpkin seed and organic cranberries. Neither food carries grains, corn, wheat, soy, or a pea-and-lentil pulse stack heavy enough to trigger a DCM-context flag, so both clear the filler and legume checks cleanly.
The contrast is concentration versus variety. Stella runs roughly 95% animal ingredients, and the included ground bone supplies calcium in its natural form rather than as a synthetic mineral add-back, which the rubric reads as a structural strength. Dr. Marty spreads its protein across more species, which is excellent for rotation and novelty, but it also includes a single pea-flour ingredient that nudges the panel toward plant protein, plus a lighter synthetic premix. Both are grain-free, premium direct-to-consumer freeze-dried raw formulas with strong first-five panels — the daylight between B/88 and A/90 comes from animal density and what backs the label, not from any glaring weakness on either side.
Where Stella & Chewy's pulls ahead
Documented HPP pathogen control: The single biggest reason Stella & Chewy’s (A/90) edges ahead is safety substantiation. Stella documents high-pressure processing on stellaandchewys.com — a validated kill step that uses extreme cold pressure to reduce pathogens like Salmonella and Listeria before the patties are freeze-dried. This matters because freeze-drying by itself is not a kill step; it removes moisture but does not reliably destroy bacteria, so a raw food without a validated intervention leaves pathogen reduction to chance. Dr. Marty documents no comparable HPP or kill step, which is the core mechanical gap the rubric registers. For any household that wants raw-feeding benefits with documented raw-handling peace of mind — especially homes with small children, seniors, or immunocompromised members — that documented control is decisive. Shop on Amazon →
Roughly 95% animal, with ground bone for calcium: Beyond safety, Stella simply packs more animal into the patty. At about 95% animal ingredients — chicken muscle, chicken liver, and chicken gizzard — it delivers concentrated protein and organ nutrition with minimal plant material diluting the panel. The ground bone is a quiet but real advantage: it provides calcium and phosphorus in the natural, bioavailable form a whole-prey diet would supply, rather than leaning on a synthetic mineral premix to hit AAFCO targets. Paired with stronger AAFCO substantiation overall, that combination of high animal content and natural calcium sourcing is exactly what earns the A/90 and lifts Stella one full tier above an already-excellent competitor.
Where Dr. Marty holds its own
Genuine multi-protein variety: Dr. Marty Nature’s Blend (B/88) is not the runner-up because the formula is weak — it is a very strong freeze-dried raw deck that happens to trail on substantiation. Its standout edge is protein diversity: turkey, beef, salmon, and duck in a single bag give owners built-in rotation and novelty that Stella’s single-chicken patty cannot match. That variety is valuable for dogs prone to protein boredom, for owners who want to expose a dog to multiple amino-acid and fatty-acid profiles (the salmon adds omega-3s the poultry proteins do not), and for households rotating proteins to manage sensitivities. The broad whole-food produce panel rounds out the formula with real fruits and vegetables rather than synthetic-only micronutrients. Shop on Amazon →
A strong, clean B/88 deck: It is worth keeping the gap in perspective — two points and one tier separate these foods, not a chasm. Dr. Marty leads with four named muscle meats plus beef liver, skips grains and corn, and avoids any heavy legume stack. Its only real drags are a single pea-flour ingredient that nudges the panel slightly toward plant protein and a lighter synthetic premix, neither of which is disqualifying. For owners who prize multi-protein variety and a wide produce panel above documented pathogen control, Dr. Marty remains a premium, defensible freeze-dried raw choice that earns its B/88 honestly.
The bottom line
These are two of the better freeze-dried raw foods on the market, and the right pick depends on what you weight most. Choose Stella & Chewy’s (A/90) if documented pathogen safety and the highest animal content are your priorities — the validated HPP kill step plus roughly 95% animal ingredients with natural-source calcium make it the safer-by-substantiation pick, and the better fit for any household that wants raw-handling peace of mind. Choose Dr. Marty (B/88) if multi-protein variety is what your dog needs — turkey, beef, salmon, and duck in one bag deliver rotation and novelty a single-chicken formula cannot. Both are grain-free, premium, and formulation-strong; the verdict goes to Stella by two points on safety and animal density, but neither household will be feeding a bad bowl.