Does Stella & Chewy's include probiotics?

Yes. Stella & Chewy’s freeze-dried raw patties include four lactobacilli probiotic strains (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium) at labeled colony-forming-unit counts. For owners using probiotic supplementation as part of their feeding strategy (post-antibiotic recovery, IBD management, chronic loose stool support), the four-strain formulation built into the patty eliminates the need for separate probiotic powder dosing. Northwest Naturals Chicken Recipe doesn’t include supplemental probiotic strains — it relies on whole-food sources (organ meat) for the gut microbiome support function.

Where can I buy Northwest Naturals?

Northwest Naturals distribution is concentrated in Pacific Northwest and California independent pet boutiques, with broader online availability through the brand’s own site and select online raw-pet-food retailers (Mud Bay, Only Natural Pet, The Pet Beastro). Mass-market availability is more limited than Stella & Chewy’s, which is stocked at PetSmart, Petco, Pet Supplies Plus, Amazon, and Chewy.com. For owners outside the Pacific Northwest who need reliable on-shelf access, Stella & Chewy’s is the more practical pick; for owners with access to independent pet boutiques or willing to route shipping, Northwest Naturals is fine.

Northwest Naturals vs Stella & Chewy's: Which Is Better for Your Dog?

Q: Is Northwest Naturals or Stella & Chewy's better for dogs?

Both score A/90 on the v15 rubric — tied. Both are freeze-dried raw chicken recipes with whole-prey ratios. Northwest Naturals delivers USDA-inspected meat-sourcing standard, Pacific Northwest regional small-batch production, and a 27-ingredient panel with minimal synthetic supplementation. Stella & Chewy’s delivers four-strain probiotic supplementation baked in, wider mass-market retail availability, 25+ years of brand history, and broader product-line depth. Pick on whether you weight minimal-supplement whole-food sourcing + USDA-inspection (Northwest Naturals) or probiotic supplementation + mass-market convenience (Stella & Chewy’s).

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The short answer: Tie at A/90. Both are freeze-dried raw chicken recipes with whole-prey ingredient ratios and AAFCO complete-and-balanced substantiation. Northwest Naturals leads with USDA-inspected meat-sourcing standard, Pacific Northwest small-batch regional production, and a 27-ingredient panel with minimal synthetic supplementation. Stella & Chewy’s leads with probiotic supplementation (four lactobacilli strains added to every patty), wider mass-market retail availability through PetSmart, Petco, and Pet Supplies Plus, and 25+ years of brand history in the raw-pet-food category.

The scores

Northwest Naturals Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken Nuggets: A (90/100) — Chicken, Ground Chicken Bone, Chicken Liver, Chicken Gizzard, Cantaloupe.

Stella & Chewy's Chewy's Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Patties: A (90/100) — Chicken (Includes Ground Chicken Bone), Chicken Liver, Chicken Gizzard, Pumpkin Seed, Organic Cranberries.

How the ingredients compare

The top-five ingredients reveal the formulation split between these two products:

Northwest Naturals: Chicken, Ground Chicken Bone, Chicken Liver, Chicken Gizzard, Cantaloupe

Stella & Chewy's: Chicken (Includes Ground Chicken Bone), Chicken Liver, Chicken Gizzard, Pumpkin Seed, Organic Cranberries

Both products earn effectively the same v15 score, but the ingredient lineups tell different stories about how they got there — that is where the actual pick decision lives.

Where Northwest Naturals pulls ahead

USDA-inspected meat-sourcing standard: Northwest Naturals explicitly markets USDA-inspected meat as a sourcing standard. The USDA inspection mark verifies federal hygiene and safety standards at slaughter and primary processing. Stella & Chewy’s uses cage-free poultry and grass-fed beef as sourcing claims but doesn’t explicitly market USDA-inspected status at the same emphasis level — the brand uses HPP pathogen kill-step downstream rather than relying on upstream sourcing verification. Shop on Amazon →

Pacific Northwest small-batch regional production: Northwest Naturals operates from Portland, Oregon, with regional Pacific Northwest poultry, beef, and game sourcing. Stella & Chewy’s operates at national scale from Wisconsin production facilities with multi-region supplier sourcing. For owners specifically prioritizing regional small-batch production transparency over national-scale supply chain depth, Northwest Naturals is the structurally aligned pick. Both are independent brands; the production-scale and regional-concentration choices differ.

Shorter ingredient panel + lower synthetic-supplement load: Northwest Naturals carries a 27-ingredient panel with a minimal supplement section (chelated trace minerals plus vitamin E and D supplementation). Stella & Chewy’s Chewy’s Chicken Patties carry a longer ~40-ingredient panel including four lactobacilli probiotic strains (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium), a more conventional vitamin / mineral premix block, and additional supplementation. For owners prioritizing whole-food-derived nutrition with minimal synthetic supplementation, Northwest Naturals is the tighter pick.

Where Stella & Chewy's holds its own

Four-strain probiotic supplementation baked in: Stella & Chewy’s includes four lactobacilli probiotic strains (L. acidophilus, L. reuteri, L. plantarum, Enterococcus faecium) at labeled colony-forming-unit counts in every patty. For owners specifically using probiotic supplementation as part of their dog’s feeding strategy (post-antibiotic gut recovery, IBD management, chronic loose stool support), the four-strain formulation built into the patty eliminates the need for separate probiotic powder dosing. Northwest Naturals does not include supplemental probiotic strains in the Chicken Recipe formulation. Shop on Amazon →

Wider mass-market retail availability: Stella & Chewy’s is stocked at PetSmart, Petco, Pet Supplies Plus, Independent pet boutiques nationwide, Amazon, and Chewy.com. For owners in regions without strong independent pet retail and for first-time-switcher convenience, the availability matters. Northwest Naturals has narrower distribution concentrated in Pacific Northwest, California, and select independent pet boutiques nationwide, with smaller online footprint than Stella & Chewy’s.

25+ years of raw-pet-food brand history: Stella & Chewy’s was founded in 2003 and is one of the longest-tenured raw-pet-food brands at national scale, with broad veterinary recognition in the holistic-veterinary community and well-established sourcing relationships. The brand history gives Stella & Chewy’s deeper supply-chain reliability and broader product-line depth (kibble, raw, treats, supplements, cat food). Northwest Naturals has been in business since 1995 and is also well-established, but at smaller production scale.

The bottom line

Tied at A/90 on the v15 rubric — structurally similar freeze-dried raw chicken recipes from independent brands. Pick on the trade-off you weight more heavily. Northwest Naturals delivers USDA-inspected meat-sourcing standard, Pacific Northwest regional small-batch production, and a tighter 27-ingredient panel with lower synthetic-supplement load. Stella & Chewy’s delivers four-strain probiotic supplementation baked in, wider mass-market retail availability (PetSmart, Petco, Amazon), 25+ years of brand history, and broader product-line depth. For owners prioritizing minimal-supplement whole-food sourcing with USDA-inspection standard, Northwest Naturals. For owners prioritizing probiotic supplementation + mass-market convenience, Stella & Chewy’s.