The scores
Open Farm Harvest Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food: A (90/100) — Chicken with Ground Bone, Chicken Liver, Chicken Neck, Organic Butternut Squash, Organic Carrots.
Open Farm Harvest Chicken Rustic Stew Wet Dog Food: A (90/100) — Humanely Raised Chicken, Chicken Bone Broth, Pumpkin, Carrots, Spinach.
How the formats compare
The top-five ingredients reveal the formulation split between these two format expressions of the same brand:
Open Farm Harvest Freeze-Dried (freeze-dried raw): Chicken with Ground Bone, Chicken Liver, Chicken Neck, Organic Butternut Squash, Organic Carrots
Open Farm Rustic Stew (canned wet stew): Humanely Raised Chicken, Chicken Bone Broth, Pumpkin, Carrots, Spinach
Both products earn the same v15 rubric ceiling because Open Farm applies the same Certified Humane + GAP-3-graded chicken sourcing, the same traceable supply chain disclosure (each bag carries a lot-traceable QR code), and the same exclusion of artificial preservatives, by-product meals, and unnamed protein sources across both formats. The format split is fundamentally about hydration: the Freeze-Dried Raw is shelf-stable at room temperature with ~3% water content; the Rustic Stew is refrigerated-after-opening canned wet stew at ~75-80% water content. The hydration profile drives the feeding-context decision more than rubric score does.
Where Open Farm Harvest Freeze-Dried pulls ahead
Shelf-stable storage + sole-diet sublimation-preserved raw nutrition — no refrigeration required: Open Farm Harvest Freeze-Dried Raw is fully shelf-stable at room temperature in sealed pouches (typical shelf life 12-18 months unopened) and remains shelf-stable after opening if resealed in the original pouch. The shelf-stable format eliminates the refrigeration logistics that wet-stew formats require, supports travel feeding, multi-day boarding contexts, emergency-preparedness pantries, and households without sufficient refrigerator space for sole-diet wet feeding. The Rustic Stew requires refrigeration after opening (24-72 hours of refrigerated shelf life depending on package size) and produces meaningful food-waste loss if opened cans are not consumed within the refrigerated window. For owners running sole-diet feeding without the refrigerated-storage logistics, the freeze-dried format is structurally aligned. Shop on Amazon →
Prey-model formulation with ground bone + organ meats — higher animal-source nutrient density than the wet stew: The Freeze-Dried Raw leads with chicken (including ground chicken bone) + chicken liver + chicken neck in the first three positions — a prey-model ratio delivering muscle meat + organ meat + bone-source calcium + phosphorus in animal-bioavailable forms. The Rustic Stew leads with humanely-raised chicken muscle meat + chicken bone broth (hydration matrix, lower nutrient density per gram than direct organ inclusion) + whole vegetables. The freeze-dried’s organ-meat inclusion delivers concentrated vitamin A, B12, copper, iron, and folate in animal-bioavailable forms that the stew’s broth-based structure delivers in lower density. For owners specifically valuing maximum animal-source micronutrient density, organ-meat nutritional contribution, or wanting prey-model raw nutrition without DIY raw-feeding complexity, the freeze-dried is structurally aligned.
Lower carbohydrate dilution + no broth-base water adding feeding volume to displace nutrients: The Freeze-Dried Raw operates an approximately 95% animal-source-plus-whole-vegetable ratio with no broth-base dilution and no starch-source carbohydrates beyond the squash + carrots whole-vegetable contribution. The Rustic Stew operates approximately 75-80% water content (chicken bone broth as the hydration matrix), which while nutritionally valuable for hydration support also dilutes the calories-and-nutrients-per-gram density relative to the freeze-dried. For active dogs, working breeds, dogs in lean body-condition feeding programs where small-volume calorie-dense feeding is required, or dogs with picky-eater patterns where small meal volumes are more palatable, the freeze-dried’s higher nutrient density per gram is structurally aligned.
Where Open Farm Rustic Stew holds its own
Hydration-supportive feeding matrix — chicken bone broth at panel position two delivers structural hydration plus collagen-source amino acids: Open Farm Rustic Stew leads with humanely-raised chicken + chicken bone broth in the first two positions. The chicken bone broth delivers approximately 6-8 grams of structural hydration per ounce of stew alongside collagen-derived amino acids (glycine, proline, glutamine), glucosamine + chondroitin from connective tissue, and trace minerals from the long-simmer bone extraction process. For senior dogs prone to chronic mild dehydration, dogs with chronic kidney disease (CKD) under veterinary supervision where hydration support is part of the management plan, dogs recovering from urinary tract issues, or simply dogs that don’t reliably drink enough water, the wet-stew hydration matrix is structurally aligned. The freeze-dried format requires the owner to rehydrate manually with warm water, which is a step many owners skip — the wet stew is hydration-by-default. Shop on Amazon →
Whole-vegetable visible-ingredient panel — pumpkin + carrots + spinach in identifiable pieces for picky-eater palatability: The Rustic Stew presents pumpkin + carrots + spinach as visible whole-vegetable pieces in a chicken-bone-broth matrix — a presentation that resembles human stew preparation rather than processed pet food. The visible-ingredient format produces higher palatability response in many picky-eater dogs, supports food-positive sensory engagement (dogs that prefer to lick + chew slowly rather than scoop-and-swallow kibble), and reduces gulping-related GI issues in dogs prone to fast eating. For owners managing picky eaters, dogs with eating-pace concerns, or simply dogs that respond more enthusiastically to recognizable food forms, the Rustic Stew’s whole-vegetable visibility is a feeding-engagement value-add. The Freeze-Dried Raw is presented as a compressed patty — visually less differentiated from typical processed pet food.
Meaningfully lower per-pound cost than the freeze-dried line — supports sole-diet feeding economics or hybrid topper-with-kibble feeding: Open Farm Rustic Stew retails approximately $5-7 per pound of wet product (which contains ~75-80% water, so the dry-equivalent comparison shifts). Open Farm Harvest Freeze-Dried Raw retails approximately $25-35 per pound of dry product. For sole-diet feeding contexts where owners want Open Farm ingredient sourcing standards without the freeze-dried per-pound cost basis, the Rustic Stew provides Open Farm-tier ingredients at meaningfully lower per-meal cost. The trade-off is the refrigerated-after-opening storage requirement and the food-waste risk on partially-consumed cans. For owners running sole-diet wet feeding, hybrid kibble + wet-topper feeding (where the stew adds palatability and hydration to a kibble base), or simply wanting Open Farm at lower per-meal economics, the Rustic Stew is structurally aligned.
The bottom line
Open Farm Freeze-Dried Raw and Rustic Stew tie at A/90 — an honest tie reflecting Open Farm’s consistent Certified Humane + GAP-3-graded sourcing translating across two structurally different formats. Pick Open Farm Harvest Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw when shelf-stable storage is essential (travel, boarding, emergency preparedness, refrigerator-space-constrained households), prey-model nutrient density supports your feeding philosophy, DCM-precaution legume-and-grain avoidance matters for your breed, or you want maximum animal-source organ-meat micronutrient density per gram. Pick Open Farm Harvest Chicken Rustic Stew Wet when hydration support is part of your feeding strategy (senior dogs, CKD management under veterinary supervision, dogs with chronic mild dehydration), whole-vegetable visible-ingredient palatability supports picky-eater engagement, you want Open Farm ingredient sourcing standards at lower per-meal cost than the freeze-dried line, or hybrid kibble + wet-topper feeding fits your household pattern. Both products deliver A/90 Open Farm-tier nutrition — the pick is fundamentally about format-context fit rather than rubric ranking.