Merrick Dog Food Review Nov 2024 | Ratings | Recalls | Ingredients

Topic: Merrick Dog Food Review – This article contains detailed, in-depth Merrick Classic Dog Food Review 2024 or Merrick Classic Puppy Food Reviews. Check the details about Merrick Dog Food Recall 2024 history and find the detailed analysis of Merrick Dog Food Ingredients along with different Merrick dog food brands. You can also check about where to buy Merrick dog food or can check about how to find Merrick Dog Food Near Me.

At the nascent stage, your puppy needs all the nutrients for proper growth and development. Therefore, you should look forward to buying amongst the top dog food brands that fill in all the necessary nutrients. In this Merrick Dog Food Review, you will know why Merrick Classic Dog Food is one of the best dog food that claims to take care of all the essential needs of your cute little puppy.

Merrick Dog Food Rating

Keeping all the pros and cons in mind based on this Merrick dog food review, we would therefore like to give Merrick Dog Food a rating of 5 stars out of 5. Check the Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Dry Dog Food Puppy Recipe product.

Who Owns Merrick Dog Food

Merrick Pet Care, Inc., one of the fastest-growing manufacturers of natural and organic pet foods, has been successfully acquired by Nestlé Purina PetCare Company. Nestlé Purina PetCare Company declares the successful completion of accession of Merrick Pet Care, Inc. 

Merrick Dog Food Brands

There are six Merrick Dog Food Brands available in the Merrick product line mentioned below.

• Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Dog Food
• Merrick Limited Ingredient Dog Food
• Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Dog Food
• Merrick Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
• Merrick Grain-Free Canned Dog Food
• Merrick Lil’ Plates Wet Dog Food

1. Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Dog Food

Rating (Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Dog Food)

Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Dog Food is for those who want conventional, grain-based dry dog food.

• Available in Healthy grain inclusive recipe and Raw-coated Healthy Grain recipe.
• Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Dog Food delivers formulae for maintenance, all life stages, and all breed sizes.
• Merrick Classic dog food is potato free, pea free, and lentil free recipe.
• Prepared with a combination of grains including brown rice, barley, and quinoa to sustain optimal digestion.
• No other high-risk preservatives or BHA are present in Merrick dog food with grain Classic.
• Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Dog Food recipe includes 13 various formulas. Ratings may differ.
• Each age-based puppy and dog food recipe comprises of below AAFCO nutrient profiles while arriving in the market.
  • Growth (Puppy),
  • Maintenance (Adult),
  • All Life Stages,
  • Supplemental/Unspecified

2. Merrick Limited Ingredient Dog Food

Rating (Merrick Limited Ingredient Dog Food)

Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Dog Food is simplified diet formula prepared for dogs with allergies and food sensitivities. Will discuss on Merrick Limited Ingredient Dog Food Review later.

• Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Dog Food includes both Grain-free and Grain inclusive recipes.
• Deboned Meat, Chicken or Fish are the primary ingredients
• It uses ten or fewer essential ingredients for healthier digestion.
• Grain-free recipes include fiber-rich sweet potato as a high-quality source of carbs for energy. 
• Grain-inclusive recipes include healthy grains like brown rice, oatmeal, and barley to help support healthy digestion.
• Merrick Limited Ingredient Dog Food includes 5 different recipes which comprises of below AAFCO nutrient profiles while arriving in the market.
  • Growth (Puppy),
  • Maintenance (Adult),
  • All Life Stages,
  • Supplemental/Unspecified

3. Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Dog Food

Rating (Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Dog Food)

Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Dog Food is a Protein-Rich Ancestral dog diet formula. Merrick Backcountry dog food recipe presents a broad collection of different protein options for an ancestral dog food diet that produces an impressive variety of freeze-dried raw-coated kibble with natural freeze-dried raw pieces of deboned meat, poultry, or fish. Will discuss on Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Dog Food Review later.

• Merrick Backcountry presents dog food recipes for all life stages, maintenance, and also for all breed sizes.
• Available in both grain-free and with healthy grains recipes.
• The Grain-free recipes include fiber rich sweet potato as a high-quality carbohydrate source.
• The with-grain recipes include oatmeal, brown rice, and barley for healthy digestion.
• Merrick Backcountry dog food includes 7 different grain-free and 3 healthy grain-inclusive recipes comprises of below AAFCO nutrient profiles while arriving in the market.
  • Growth (Puppy),
  • Maintenance (Adult),
  • All Life Stages,
  • Supplemental/Unspecified

4. Merrick Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

Rating (Merrick Grain-Free Dry Dog Food)

Merrick Grain-Free dog food is the most popular sub-brand and is perfect for those looking for dry dog food prepared without Grain. Will discuss on Merrick Grain-Free dog food review later.

• Merrick Grain Free dog food formulas are specially prepared to provide all the great taste and high-quality nutrition the best dog needs. 
• Merrick Grain Free Recipes contain up to 84% animal protein and do not contain any corn, wheat or rice.
• Merrick Grain Free dog food recipes are available for adult maintenance, all life stages, and all breed sizes.
• It contains natural, whole foods like sweet potatoes, apples, and blueberries for optimal nutrition to maintain your dog going healthy.
• Merrick Grain Free dog food contains Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids to support healthy skin and coat.
• Merrick Grain Free product includes 12 recipes, which comprises of below AAFCO nutrient profiles while arriving in the market.
  • Growth (Puppy),
  • Maintenance (Adult),
  • All Life Stages,
  • Supplemental/Unspecified

5. Merrick Grain-Free Canned Dog Food

Rating (Merrick Grain-Free Canned Dog Food)

Merrick Canned Dog Food, or the Merrick Wet Dog Food, is Merrick’s highest-selling wet dog food product because of the healthy and delicious wet formulae that contain a mixture of tastes and textures.

• Merrick Canned Dog Food is a Grain-free recipe with no corn, wheat, rice, or barley.
• Prepared with locally sourced ingredients.
• Merrick Wet Dog Food product line includes 20 recipes, which comprises of below AAFCO nutrient profiles while arriving in the market.
  • Growth (Puppy),
  • Maintenance (Adult),
  • All Life Stages,
  • Supplemental/Unspecified

6. Merrick Lil’ Plates Dog Food

Rating (Merrick Lil’ Plates Dog Food)

Merrick Lil Plates dog food is particularly designed for small dogs and is also popular as Merrick Small Breed Dog Food.

• Merrick Lil Plates dog foods are designed with probiotics and prebiotic fibre for digestive health.
• The smaller-sized kibble in crispy bites helps clean teeth, plus glucosamine and chondroitin to help support a small breed dog’s healthy joints and hips.
• Merrick Lil’ Plates dog food includes flaxseed for Omega-3 fatty acids that help support healthy skin and coat.
• Merrick Lil Plates dog food includes 15 recipes, which comprises of below AAFCO nutrient profiles while arriving in the market.
  • Growth (Puppy),
  • Maintenance (Adult),
  • All Life Stages,
  • Supplemental/Unspecified

Merrick Dog Food Review 2024

The question that thus arises is whether the brand does justice to all its claims? Well, we have covered all the points for you in this detailed Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Dog Food Review so that you can make a well-thought decision for your pup. Starting from the ingredients to the packaging, along with an analysis of the nutrients’ percentages, we have presented all the information just for you. So without any more delay, let’s start with the Merrick Classic Dog Food Reviews. 

The Pros and Cons of Merrick Dog Food

After the detailed discussion about the brand, it’s time that you get to know the details of the ingredients in this Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Puppy Review. Choosing the right combination of ingredients is the most important and basic step for any brand. This is where the best brands move ahead of others in terms of the right ingredients, therefore delivering the best possible nutrients while keeping in mind all the necessities for digestion. 

As far as Merrick Classic Puppy Food Reviews is concerned, let’s check whether the decades-old brand delivers all the nutrients for the puppies.

Pros of Merrick Dog Food

1. Top Notch Packing 

Packing for any kind of food product should be top-notch in order to prevent any leakages. In the case of Merrick Dog Food, the brand has ensured simplistic yet the right packaging while providing all the details of the ingredients. Details of the macro nutrients go a long way in establishing the much-needed transparency of the product. Besides this, proper packaging doesn’t damage the food inside, especially when ordering the product online. 

2. High Concentrates of Proteins in Merrick Dog Food

Your dog needs high-quality proteins for healthy growth and the necessary muscle building. Any dog food would therefore focus on the right protein proportions, especially if the dog food is meant for growing ages. 

When it comes to puppies, brands have the added responsibility of taking care of your fur babies. Merrick puppy dry dog food generally comes in two variants, one being chicken based and the other being beef based. In the first case, we get chicken meals and de-boned chicken as the primary ingredients, both of which are excellent providers of proteins. In the second case, beef acts as the source of your dog’s proteins. We hope that Merrick hasn’t compromised on the beef quality while preparing the dog food. 

Apart from these, we also have chicken and salmon meals to add more proteins to the dog food. Meals, in a way, are better than processed chicken or beef, as they contain way more meat concentrates if compared to processed ingredients. There are even lamb meals in certain Merrick puppy dog foods, thus serving as yet another protein-rich ingredient. As per the Calorie Weighted analysis, the protein percentage is around 25%, while the percentages of fat and carbohydrates stand at 35% and 40%, respectively.

If these aren’t enough, the dog food product also has alfalfa meal as another ingredient. Alfalfa meal is rich in plant proteins and even acts as a significant fiber source. The addition of peas in the dog food also helps in contributing certain amounts of proteins. Altogether, the food product maintains the necessary protein proportions for the puppies. 

3. Right Source of Omega Fatty Acids 

Omega fatty acids are equally required for multiple reasons, along with the right quantities of proteins, minerals and vitamins. Omega acids help in protecting the heart along with your dog’s skin and furry coat. It also helps in protecting the kidney and plays a crucial role in helping fight arthritis. Some other benefits of omega acids are strengthening the immune system and acting as a helping hand while fighting allergies. 

You can therefore understand the immense need for fatty acids in dogs, especially when your pet is in a growing phase. Fish oils are the best ingredients for omega fatty acids. Thus, we expect quality dog food to have the right reserves for omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. 

Merrick has taken care of the fatty acids, as the food contains salmon oil, chicken fat and sunflower oil to take care of the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. For other variants, we also saw the presence of pork fat, which would also serve as a significant source of omega-6 fatty acids. 

4. Taken Care of Minerals and Vitamins 

On checking the ingredients, we noticed that the brand has equally taken care of the vitamins as well. Minerals have varied functions depending on the type of minerals. We saw the presence of Zinc, Calcium, Iron and Copper, to name a few, among the various vitamins and minerals present in dog food. Each of these has its benefits and contributes to the dog’s general health. 

We also saw the presence of Potassium Iodide in the dog food, which aids in improving your pup’s metabolism and thyroid hormones. However, too much of it can act oppositely and prove to be harmful to your dog. 

The presence of chelated minerals is also a plus point. Chelated minerals are nothing but minerals to which we have chemically attached proteins. This improves digestion so that your doggy won’t struggle with any digestion-related issues. 

Lastly, we noticed the presence of taurine, which is a kind of amino acid. Taurine is another beneficial addition as it would take care of your dog’s heart. 

5. Presence of Fermented Products

Lastly, various fermented products improve overall digestion by providing necessary enzymes to the dog’s diet. This acts as a last touch to the entire process but helps speed up digestion. 

Cons of Merrick Dog Food

1. Presence of Sodium Selenite 

Sodium Selenite is mostly considered to be inferior if you compare it to Selenium. Although we aren’t totally against Sodium Selenite, we would go for Selenium in its natural form rather than Sodium Selenite. 

2. Better Proportion of Omega Fatty Acids

Even if the current ratios are okay, there could be a bit of improvement in the omega fatty acids present in the dog food product. From a bigger point of view, the macro nutrient’s percentages look good. 

Merrick Dog Food Recall 2024

What are the Problems with Merrick Dog Food – Like in any other review, we always prefer to give you a brief overview of the brand and any recalls in the brand’s history so that you get a transparent idea of the same. We genuinely believe you should know about the history and any side effects their products cause to make a prudent and fair decision. In the case of Merrick, here are the key points we thought you must know as a proud dog owner.

1. The Merrick brand started in 1988 when Garth Merrick started with his dog food preparation in his kitchen. From 1988 to this date, there has been a series of changes, with Nestle Purina Pet Care acquiring the firm back in 2015. 
2. Merrick became a success story in the 90s as Garth Merrick put in all the hard work for the best dog food preparation. He tested the food on his dog Gracie and soon formulated what came back as Flossies Dog Treats. 
3. Treats were a success and ignited the mental thrust in the Merrick‘s to now focus on developing proper dog food. 
4. The brand started expanding in Texas, Illinois, Hereford, etc. In 2010, Merrick Pet Care came under the ownership of Swander Pace Capital. For those who haven’t heard of Swander Pace Capital, it’s one of the renowned equity firms primarily investing in mid-market consumer products, with its majority presence in North America.
5. The ownership pushed the brand far from its competitors and helped it establish its presence firmly in the dog food market. In 2012, Merrick’s line of organic dog foods was the only dog food product to win the prestigious USDA National Organic Program certificate. 
6. Three years down the line, Nestle Purina Pet Care bought the company, which unfortunately triggered a lot of criticism among the masses. 

Here is the brand’s timeline that we tried explaining briefly, highlighting the vital points. In the next section, we will also make you aware of the brand’s recalls. 

Looking back at the history, we noticed that there had been several instances where the brand’s products faced recalls. Following are some noticeable recalls that we checked from the past.

1. In 2018, Merrick’s beef treats faced recalls because of probable high quantities of beef thyroid hormones. Even if the company claimed that there had been a single complaint, Merrick’s beef treats were already in the market by then.
2. Going back a few years, the US FDA discovered Salmonella in some of the Merricks dog food products. More specifically, these recalls were in January and August 2011 and in July or August 2010. 
3. In 2019, FDA put forward a list of all the brands that may be related to heart diseases in dogs. Merrick is also one of the 16 brands that find its place on the FDA’s list.
4. Back in 2002, US’s neighbor Canada warned its consumers to stop buying Merrick beef treats for the most likely salmonella contamination. 
5. Even in October 2003, Go! Natural’s dry dog food faced recalls, leading to almost 20 deaths in the San Francisco Bay area. The reason why we thought of mentioning Go! Natural is simply because Merrick manufactured the food at its Texas facility. 

So, these were certain recalls and information that we thought of sharing with you. We firmly believe that before making a buy call, you must know the entire picture and details. 

Where To Buy Merrick Dog Food | Merrick Dog Food Near Me

You can review the price and buy Merrick Dog Food products from online retailers like Amazon. We may receive an affiliate fee from online retailers if you purchase any product by clicking our website links. This support helps us maintain the cost and maintenance of our free blog, which we provide to our readers.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Is Merrick dog food grain free?

Merrick manufactures both grain-inclusive and grain-free dog foods and produces almost 36 grain-free dry dog foods and around 60 grain-free wet dog food recipes. Besides that, Merrick also formulates approx 14 types of grain-inclusive dry dog foods. Merrick pet care does not manufacture any grain-inclusive wet dog food choices.

Is Merrick healthy for dogs?

​Is Merrick brand dog food good? The answer is yes, as you can see that Dogfoodzoneonline believes Merrick is a good quality dog food brand along with healthy, balanced, and natural ingredients that benefit most dogs. We would like to rate Merrick Classic Healthy Grains product line 4.6 stars out of 5, Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet dog food product line 4 stars out of 5, Merrick Backcountry raw infused products 5 stars out of 5, and Merrick Grain Free dog food products range 5 stars out of 5.

Is Merrick dog food AAFCO approved?

All Merrick dog food products with protein-rich diet recipes are prepared to be complete and balanced and fulfill or surpass the nutritional guidelines of AFFCO (The Association of American Feed Control Officials).

Is Merrick pet food owned by Purina?

Yes, Nestle Purina PetCare Company own Merrick pet food after Merrick Pet Care Inc. was vended to Nestle Purina PetCare in 2015.

Is Merrick dog food good for puppies?

Is Merrick good puppy food? Yes, there are nine different types of balanced and nutritionally complete puppy food variants produced by Merrick. The Merrick product line contains one grain-inclusive puppy food, three grain-free puppy foods, three wet puppy foods and two freeze-dried raw coated puppy food recipes. Every puppy food recipe satisfies AAFCO nutrient profiles for either growth or all life stages.

Is Merrick dog food made and sourced in the USA?

All Merrick dog food products are produced and formulated in the United States. The Merrick wet dog food recipes were manufactured in one of the three facilities in Hereford, Texas, which are Safe Quality Food (SQF) Level 3 certified.

Has Merrick dog food ever had a recall?

Has Merrick Ever Been Recalled? Yes. In May 2018, some of the beef-based Merrick dog treats were recalled because of potentially higher beef thyroid hormone.

What happened to Merrick dog food?

Merrick Pet Care Inc. was sold to Nestle Purina PetCare in 2015.

Conclusion on Merrick Dog Food Review

Based on the above Merrick Classic Dog Food Review, Merrick dog food seems to be well-balanced, with the company noticing all the necessary nutrients required in a dog. The protein-to-use fats and carbs ratio also looks good. The presence of minerals and vitamins also do the needful for the overall development of your dog. Keeping all these things in mind, we would therefore like to give it a 5 star rating out of 5. Before buying the product, kindly check with your pet’s vet. 

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