Merrick Dog Food Reviews, Coupons and Recalls 2023

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The Merrick Pet Care Company was founded in 1988 with the release of a line of all-natural dog treats including chews, bones, and various other options. Over the years since the company was founded, they have earned a name for themselves as a premium-quality pet food brand. When you visit their website you will notice their tagline – “whole health made right”. This tagline speaks not only to the company’s nutritional philosophy but also to their commitment to quality. They follow a wholesome approach to pet nutrition, formulating their recipes around fresh, nutritious ingredients that will nourish your dog’s body from the inside out. This company even offers the “Merrick Guarantee” which promises a full refund if you aren’t completely satisfied.

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When it comes to their pet food products, Merrick offers their customers their 5-star promise. The first start involves local growers – they source all of their ingredients locally from family farms around the country. Second, they utilize real, whole foods in all of their recipes. Whole foods are better for your dog and they are full of natural flavor as well. Third, the brand promises that all of their products are made in company-owned kitchens which helps them to control quality every step of the way. They have been cooking their own products for more than 25 years and all of their recipes are cooked in small batches to ensure nutritional integrity as well as safety. Fourth, they promise balanced nutrition and fifth, health you can see. Simply put, Their products are top of the line and any dog would be lucky to receive Merrick.

The Merrick Pet Care company offers a large assortment of different products divided over several product lines. The Grain-Free line of products features real meat as the number-1 ingredient in every recipe and they are all naturally grain-free and made with real fresh produce. The Backcountry line features protein-rich, grain-free kibble infused with freeze-dried raw pieces. These recipes are inspired by the natural diet of wild wolves. The Backcountry Raw line is also infused with freeze-dried raw pieces and can be used as a complete meal or as a mix-in. The Limited Ingredient Diet line features a single source of protein in simple, easy to digest recipes and the Classic line uses real meat, real produce, and fiber-rich grains for nutritional balance.

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Merrick Recalls 2023:

The pet food company produces all of their recipes in five-star kitchens and manufacturing facilities that are company-owned. Their website states that these facilities uphold strict FDA guidelines and that they are the only company to receive Safe Foo Quality (SFQ) level 3 certification. Although They market themselves as a high-quality brand of natural pet food, it is important to note that the company has been affected by numerous recalls. It is interesting to note, however, that all of these recalls were for dog treats, not for canned or dry food products. Here is a list of recalls affecting the brand:

  • In July of 2010, the FDA issued a recall for their Beef Filet Squares and Merrick Texas Hold’ems treats due to potential salmonella contamination.
  • In January 2011, the FDA issued a recall for all Jr. Texas Taffy treats with a certain lot number due to potential salmonella contamination.
  • In August 2011, the FDA issued a recall for the Doggie Wishbone treats due to potential salmonella contamination.

Merrick Dog Food Coupons 2023

Because the Merrick Pet Care Company offers such a wide variety of different foods, you can expect to see a wide range of prices as well. For the most part, however, the products are more expensive than traditional kibbles because they are made with premium-quality ingredients and many of their recipes are freeze-dried raw. A 25-pound bag of Merrick Classic costs about $50 while a 22-pound bag of Backcountry Raw Infused food sells for about $65. The Limited Ingredient Diet dry food costs about $50 per 22-pound bag and cans of the wet food range from $2.50 per 12.7-ounce can to about $3.00 per 13.2-ounce can. To save money on this brand, look for printable Merrick coupons online or on the Merrick website.

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Merrick Reviews

The Pet Care Company offers several different lines of products including Backcountry, Backcountry Raw, Limited Ingredient Diet, Grain-Free and Classic – they also offer an assortment of treats. The Backcountry product line was inspired by the natural ancestral diet of wild wolves – it is a blend of protein-rich kibbles and freeze-dried raw bites and all of the formulas are completely natural and grain-free. Some of the flavor options include Big Game, Pacific Catch, and Game Bird. The Backcountry Raw line of products comes in freeze-dried form and they can be used as a complete meal or as a mixer to provide your dog with a boost of raw nutrition. Each recipe features a single source of animal protein like real beef or real chicken.

Is this brand good for your Dog?

The Pet Care company offers a wide variety of different products which makes it a little more difficult to pass judgment on the brand as a whole. If you believe what their website says, however, you can feel good knowing that Their products are made with fresh, high-quality ingredients in protein-rich formulas that are easy for your dog’s body to digest. While they offer a number of different product lines, all of their ingredients are locally sourced and their recipes are prepared in 5-star company-owned kitchens. They are very transparent about the ingredients they use and about their manufacturing processes – they have nothing to hide which is definitely a good thing when it comes to evaluating the quality of a brand. All in all, the  Pet Care company seems to be an excellent brand that produces high-quality products that will be very good for your dog.

Dry: When it comes to their dry food offerings, the company has a huge variety. Their products are divided across four product lines and each line offers a number of different recipes formulated for specific life stages and sizes. The Grain-Free line of products features real protein like chicken, buffalo, and duck as the primary ingredient, paring it with digestible carbohydrates like sweet potato or chickpeas. The Classic line of recipes features real deboned meat and other locally sourced ingredients in simple size- and life stage-specific formulas. The Limited Ingredient Diet line of products is particularly beneficial for dogs suffering from food allergies or sensitivities because they are naturally grain-free and made with a limited number of ingredients including premium proteins like lamb, duck, and salmon. The Backcountry line of products features high-quality kibbles mixed with pieces of freeze-dried raw protein for a boost of natural flavor and nutrition.

Canned: Many of the same recipes that are offered in dry food form are also available in canned food recipes. They offer a wide variety of grain-free and meat-rich recipes, many of which are simmered in savory gravy or cooked into a stew. There are a number of recipes made with 96% real meat as well as classic dinners, limited ingredient diets, and life stages formulas.

Treats: In addition to a wide selection of dry and canned foods, they also offers a large variety of treats. All of the dog treats are made with real deboned meat as the number-1 ingredient and each recipe is great-tasting and all-natural. There are too many different options to name them all, but here is a list of the types of dog treats they have to offer:

  • Backcountry, protein-rich meat treats
  • Kitchen Bites, oven-baked biscuits
  • Power Bites, soft and chewy treats
  • Dental Chews, premium dental chews
  • Jerky Chip Treats, oven-baked cookies
  • Natural Bones, all-natural bones and chews

Grain-Free Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Review:

This Grain-Free Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe belongs to the grain-free line of dry foods and it is an all-natural, grain-free diet that features real deboned meat as the primary ingredient. The company’s grain-free foods are award-winning in both flavor and quality, made with an assortment of real whole foods and produced in small batches to ensure safety and quality. This recipe features 70% protein ingredients and 35% produce, vitamins and minerals. Simply put, this recipe provides your dog with complete and balanced nutrition that is full of delicious flavor and that doesn’t contain any artificial additives. This recipe is free from corn, wheat, and soy ingredients and prepared in company-owned kitchens in the United States.

The first ingredient in Grain-Free Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe is deboned chicken, as promised. Deboned chicken is simply fresh chicken meat and it is a great way to start off a pet food recipe. One thing you should know about fresh meats, however, is that they contain up to 80% moisture which means that when you cook out the moisture during processing, a significant portion of the ingredient’s volume will be lost. In the end, the actual volume of protein the deboned chicken provides could be much lower than prior to cooking. This is not a problem in this recipe, however, because the deboned chicken is accompanied by both chicken meal and turkey meal. Meat meals have already been cooked to remove moisture so their volume doesn’t change much – they contain up to 300% more protein by volume than fresh meats. Other sources of protein that are used in this recipe include salmon meal and, for some plant-based protein, organic alfalfa.

After the first three ingredients come the main sources of carbohydrate – sweet potatoes, potatoes, and peas. All of these are gluten-free and grain-free carbohydrates, plus they are easy for your dog’s body to digest. In addition to providing your dog with some slow-burning energy, these carbohydrates also provide dietary fiber to help regulate and improve his digestion. Later in the ingredients list you will see several fresh fruits and vegetables including apples and blueberries. These ingredients provide some dietary fiber but their main purpose is to act as natural sources for key nutrients. The remaining ingredients consist of fats like chicken fat, flaxseed oil, and salmon oil as well as nutritional supplements and probiotics. Fats provide a concentrated source of energy for your dog and they also help to keep his skin and coat healthy. Dried fermentation products act as probiotics to support your dog’s digestion.

Overall, the Grain-Free Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe has a guaranteed analysis as follows:

  • Crude Protein (Min) – 38%
  • Crude Fat (Min) – 17%
  • Crude Fiber (Max) – 3.5%
  • Moisture (Max) – 11%
  • Glucosamine (Min) – 1,200 mg/kg
  • Chondroitin (Min) – 1,200 mg/kg
  • Omega-6 Fatty Acids (Min) – 4.8%
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Min) – 0.4%
  • Calorie Content – 460 kcal/cup

Bottom Line:

Overall, Merrick appears to be a very high-quality brand of food that offers a great many options for pet owners. Their products are divided across several lines so you can choose the one that best fits your dog – there are grain-free options as well as protein-rich and freeze-dried raw foods, not to mention quite a variety of canned food options. If you are looking for a pet food brand that uses only the freshest natural ingredients and manufactures all of their own products, this is definitely an option to consider. When you feed your dog Merrick, you can count on it to not only provide for, but to exceed his minimum nutritional requirements. These products are also loaded with natural flavor that your dog won’t be able to resist.

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5 Comments

  1. As a pet parent of two corgis, I am changing their dry kibble today as they are showing allergic reaction to Merrick Grain Free Healthy Weight dry kibble. They have been on Merrick for about two years starting it in 2014. Due to bad reviews of Blue Buffalo that they had been on for years, I changed to Merrick and was very pleased. Then, I found out they were bought out by Nestle Purina in 2015. Merrick spokesman promised the recipes would not be changed so I stayed with them. My corgis started itching probably in the last 9 months but not until recently did they show terrible signs, scratching, licking feet, red/itchy ears, and even swelling and redness on their rears. Been to vet who prescribed meds for the itching and anti-fungus/bacterial cream. I went on website, that does dogfood reviews/forums and saw several Merrick customers having the same problem with their dogs showing allergic reaction to Merrick. I have ordered Acana, hope it will relieve their allergies and am posting this just to let you know to research Merrick reviews and decide for yourself. Thank you.

  2. I had been very confident that Lil’plates. Was petfect until I saw Merrick has Recalled some food.
    Which one is it.
    I am now terrified.

  3. Are you aware that Merrick got bought out by Nestle Purina? I among many concern cat owners are skeptical and weary about the fact that Nestle bought them out. Are you sure they’re still a reputable company? I’m trying to find more info about Merrick after Nestle acquisition as I currently feed my cat Merrick and now am concerned.

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