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Merrick Dog Food Review 2025: Recalls, Pros & Cons

Evaluation Abstract

Our Remaining Verdict

We give Merrick Pet food a score of 4.75 out of 5 stars.

Garth Merrick based Merrick Pet Care in 1988 out of a need to create home made meals for his canine, Gracie. He crafted his recipes in Hereford, Texas, the place the corporate nonetheless has workplaces. Merrick prides itself on producing meals within the U.S. and sourcing components instantly from farmers. One of many model’s hottest recipes, Actual Texas Beef + Candy Potato, helps the state’s ranchers.

Merrick is a premium pet meals model that gives a formidable array of recipes. There’s a method to suit nearly any canine’s dietary wants. Merrick is understood for its charitable contributions to organizations like K9s for Warriors and Austin Pets Alive!

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At a Look: The Finest Merrick Canine Meals Recipes:

Merrick has dozens of high-quality recipes, usually including to their line-up. It wasn’t straightforward to decide on our 5 favorites that are listed under.

Score Picture Product Particulars

Our Favourite

Winner

Merrick Real Texas Beef and Sweet Potato Dry Dog Food
Merrick Actual Texas Beef and Candy Potato Dry Canine Meals
  • Actual deboned hen as first ingredient

  • Consists of important nutritional vitamins and minerals

  • Wholesome grains

  • Second place

    Merrick Classic Small Breed Recipe
    Merrick Basic Small Breed Recipe
  • Smaller kibble dimension

  • Accommodates probiotics

  • Made within the U.S. with domestically sourced components

  • Third place

    Merrick Backcountry Grain-Free Dog Food
    Merrick Backcountry Grain-Free Canine Meals
  • Accommodates 96% beef

  • Accommodates beef broth, not water

  • Made within the U.S.


  • Merrick Senior Recipe Dry Dog Food
    Merrick Senior Recipe Dry Canine Meals
  • Deboned hen as its first ingredient

  • Assist hip and joint well being

  • Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids


  • Merrick Healthy Grains Real Chicken & Brown Rice
    Merrick Wholesome Grains Actual Rooster & Brown Rice
  • Obtainable in a number of bag sizes

  • Made in Hereford, Texas

  • U.S. sourced components

  • Merrick Canine Meals Reviewed

    In the event you take into account switching to Merrick pet food, you may need questions concerning the model. Let’s take a better on the firm’s historical past, recollects, and components.

    Who Makes Merrick Canine Meals and The place Is It Produced?

    Nestle Purina acquired Merrick in 2015, however the firm continues to function as an unbiased enterprise.

    Merrick manufactures all its meals and treats within the U.S. Most moist and dry pet food recipes are produced on the firm’s three Hereford, TX amenities. Merrick companions with veterinarians and animal nutritionists to create scrumptious and nutritious pet meals.

    Which Kind of Canine Is Merrick Canine Meals Finest Suited For?

    Merrick has eight strains of pet food: Full Supply, Backcountry, Grain Free, Wholesome Grains, Lil’ Plates, Restricted Ingredient, Pet, and Gradual-Cooked BBQ. There’s a method to fulfill nearly each canine’s dietary wants.

    Merrick is a premium model, and their pet meals is priced accordingly. The corporate will impress homeowners who need ingredient transparency. Many pet food manufacturers on the identical worth level don’t supply their very own components as Merrick does.

    Which Kind of Canine Would possibly Do Higher with a Totally different Model?

    Chances are you’ll must look elsewhere in case your canine requires a novel protein. Merrick’s Restricted Ingredient line of dry meals has choices containing beef, hen, salmon, and lamb. You’ll want to seek out one other model in case your canine can solely tolerate single novel proteins like bison, venison, or duck.

    siberian husky puppy eating dog food
    Picture Credit score: Andrii Spy_k, Shutterstock

    A Nearer Have a look at A few of Merrick’s Main Substances

    Many homeowners need to make an knowledgeable resolution about what meals to feed their canine. There may be quite a lot of misunderstanding about some components or why they’re included in pet food. We cowl a few of Merrick’s mostly used components under.

    “Deboned” meat comparable to hen, turkey, or beef is the flesh and pores and skin with the bones eliminated. Dehydrated alfalfa meal is a supply of a number of vitamins, together with nutritional vitamins B5, B7, and Okay.

    Meat “meals” create confusion amongst pet homeowners. Beef meal, hen meal, salmon meal, and many others., make use of animal elements left over from the butchering business. These components are floor up after which cooked at a excessive temperature. The tip product is a high-protein, dry powder. Meat meal is simple to move and retailer because it doesn’t require refrigeration.

    Pure taste is one ingredient we’d prefer to see extra details about. The FDA’s definition of “pure taste” is sort of prolonged. Briefly, pure flavors are “flavoring constituents” derived from vegetation or animals “whose important operate in meals is flavoring somewhat than dietary.”

    Salt (sodium chloride) acts as a taste enhancer and pure preservative. It’s protected for wholesome canine to eat in low portions. Your vet might place your canine on a sodium-restricted weight loss program if they’ve sure well being circumstances.

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    A Fast Have a look at Merrick Canine

    Execs
    • Made within the U.S.
    • Most recipes are produced at Merrick’s Hereford, TX amenities
    • No synthetic flavors, colours, or preservatives
    • Substances sourced instantly from U.S. farms
    Cons
    • Some recipes include unspecified “pure flavors”
    • Costly

    Merrick Canine Meals Recall Historical past

    Merrick voluntarily recalled a few of their Backcountry beef canine treats in 2018. There was concern over elevated ranges of a naturally occurring beef hormone.

    There have been additionally Merrick canine deal with recollects in 2010 and 2011.

    Get Free Canine Meals Recall Alerts!

    Keep within the know. Get prompt updates on pet food recollects right here

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    Critiques of the three Finest Merrick Canine Meals Recipes

    Let’s take a better take a look at three of Merrick’s pet food recipes:

    1. Merrick Actual Texas Beef and Candy Potato Dry Canine Meals

    Merrick Real Texas Beef and Sweet Potato Dry Dog Food

    Merrick pays homage to their residence state’s beef business with this in style pet food. The recipe is grain-free and poultry-free. It comprises omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, glucosamine, and chondroitin.

    The protein content material is excessive, with a minimal of 34%. Analysis reveals that meals with a protein content material over 30% might not present any well being advantages to your canine. Test together with your vet earlier than switching to this or any grain-free pet food. Most canine tolerate grains simply fantastic. The highest three meals allergy symptoms for canine are literally protein sources: beef, dairy, and hen.

    Grain Free Real Texas Beef and Sweet Potato’s major components are deboned beef, lamb meal, salmon meal, candy potatoes, and potatoes. Pork fats, whitefish meal, and beef liver additionally contribute to the meaty taste. Superfoods like blueberries, flaxseed, salmon oil, and probiotics spherical out the ingredient checklist.

    Merrick’s Grain Free Actual Texas Beef and Candy Potato Dry Canine Meals is available in 4, 10, 22, and 30-pound luggage. Judging by the variety of on-line opinions, that is considered one of Merrick’s hottest dry meals recipes.

    Execs
    • Obtainable in a number of bag sizes
    • Made in Hereford, Texas
    • U.S. sourced components
    • No synthetic colours, flavors, or preservatives
    Cons
    • Some canine don’t want greater than 30% protein
    • Comparatively costly
    • Not all canine will profit from a grain-free weight loss program

    2. Merrick Small Breed Recipe Grownup Dry Canine Meals

    Merrick Healthy Grains Premium Dry Dog Food for Small Dogs

    Merrick didn’t neglect concerning the littlest pups. Their Classic Healthy Grains Small Breed Recipe comprises deboned hen, hen meal, brown rice, barley, and turkey meal. This method is nutritionally balanced for grownup canine weighing 3 kilos and up. The smaller kibble items are completely sized for the tiniest canine. The added probiotics may help digestion.

    Merrick’s Basic Wholesome Grains Small Breed Recipe is offered in 4 and 12-pound luggage. Like all of Merrick’s pet food, this recipe is made within the U.S.

    Execs
    • Smaller kibble dimension
    • Accommodates probiotics
    • Made within the U.S. with domestically sourced components
    • No synthetic colours, flavors, or preservatives
    Cons
    • Comparatively costly
    • Accommodates unspecified “pure taste”

    3. Merrick Grain-Free Actual Beef Dinner Canned Canine Meals

    Merrick Backcountry Grain-Free Real Beef Canned Dog Food

    The principle components in Backcountry Grain-Free Real Beef Dinner are deboned beef, beef broth, beef liver, dried egg product, and pure taste. Whereas many canned canine meals include water as a major ingredient, Merrick makes use of beef broth. This ingredient provides a flavor and protein boost.

    Contemplate this canned meals in case your vet recommends a grain-free weight loss program and your canine loves beef. Merrick produces and sources all of its meals within the U.S.

    Execs
    • Accommodates 96% beef
    • Accommodates beef broth, not water
    • Made within the U.S.
    • No synthetic colours, flavors, or preservatives
    Cons
    • Not all canine profit from a grain-free weight loss program
    • Comparatively costly

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    What Different Customers Are Saying

    You’ll discover it useful to know what different prospects must say about Merrick. Listed below are a number of the extra useful opinions we’ve discovered.

    • Chewy – “Our nearly 13 YO rescue has by no means favored kibble. She has horrible enamel, a ridiculously delicate abdomen, superior arthritis, and thinks she’s a cat. Not a simple canine to feed. Ever. However she wants the fiber for her digestion, so I stored making an attempt—high-end, low-end, grain-free, potato-free, rice-based, legume-based, and many others. advert nauseam. You title it, I purchased it and he or she hated it. FINALLY, I discovered this. And, hallelujah, she eats it, typically preferring it over her moist meals. Bonus factors that it doesn’t upset her abdomen.” (By KarmaKeeper on Sep 5, 2021)
    • Chewy – “I’m very happy with this meals. After making an attempt a number of small breed meals which have smaller kibble I ran throughout this. All of my canine adore it. My aged pug combine who’s lacking enamel handles it effectively.” (By Karin on Dec 23, 2021)
    • Amazon – As fellow canine homeowners, we all the time double-check with Amazon opinions from consumers earlier than we purchase one thing. You can read these by clicking here.

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    Conclusion

    Garth Merrick based the corporate in 1988 when he created homemade food for his dog, Gracie. All of Merrick’s pet food recipes are made within the U.S., primarily in Hereford, Texas. Merrick pet food doesn’t include synthetic colours, flavors, or preservatives. The corporate is now owned by Nestle Purina however continues to function as an unbiased enterprise.

    Merrick canine treats had been recalled in 2010, 2011, and 2018. Merrick appeals to canine homeowners keen to pay a premium worth for domestically sourced components. Some consumers additionally respect the corporate’s charitable donations to organizations like K9s for Warriors and Austin Pets Alive!

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