Blue Buffalo for a winner. While Merrick provides more protein, a better balance of ingredients, Blue Buffalo is very close but wins on price. If you can afford the Merrick Cost, it's a sensible choice for your pup.
Merrick BackcountryThe primary ingredient is USDA-inspected, human grade deboned chicken paired an exotic game meat like rabbit, salmon, and venison. These high-quality ingredients are the primary reason Merrick Backcountry is an expensive dog food brand.
Nutrish Zero Grain Natural Dog FoodCelebrity chef Rachael Ray's Nutrish is a high-quality grocery store brand, and the grain-free formulas are especially healthy. This chicken and sweet potato formula is a great choice for dogs with protein and grain allergies.
Yes. In May 2018, some Merrick beef-based dog treats were recalled because of potentially elevated beef thyroid hormone. The company said it was aware of a single customer complaint of a sickened dog.
For wet dog foods, Wellness typically provides a little more fat (about 3.61% more). Merrick and Wellness both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. For wet dog foods, Merrick typically provides a little more fiber (about 3.89% more).
Top Rated Grain-Free Food
- Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-free Roasted Bison & Venison Dog Food.
- Merrick Grain-free Real Texas Beef + Sweet Potato Dog Food.
- WholeHearted Grain-free All Life Stages Beef & Pea Formula Dog Food.
- Orijen Original Dry Dog Food.
- Merrick Backcountry Grain-free Raw Infused Big Game Dry Dog Food.
The Food and Drug Administration is investigating a potential link between certain brands of dog food, including Blue Buffalo, Merrick and Rachel Ray Nutrish, and an increased risk of heart disease in pets.
Despite the benefits for some dogs, there are downsides to feeding a grain-free dog food. Many people assume grain free means low carb, but that's not the case. In fact, some dog foods without grains are higher in alternative carbohydrate sources like potatoes and peas. This could result in unintentional weight gain.
According to a warning from the Food and Drug Administration released last week, grain-free food might be giving dogs a life-threatening heart problem called dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM. The science is still preliminary, and it's based on a potential association between diet and heart disease in fewer than 600 dogs.
Merrick never uses ingredients from China and all of their products are hand-crafted and produced in Hereford, Texas using locally sourced ingredients.
Recap: Best Dog Food Made in the USA
- Merrick Grain Free Dry Dog Food - Beef + Sweet Potato Recipe - Adults, All Breeds.
- Merrick Grain Free Dry Puppy Food - Chicken + Sweet Potato Recipe - Puppies, All Breeds.
- Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain Free and Poultry Free Salmon Recipe - Adults, All Breeds.
- The Farmer's Dog.
- Instinct RawBoost Mixers.
- Zignature Lamb Limited Ingredient Canned Dog Food (limited availability)
- Freshpet Fresh From the Kitchen.
- Organix Chicken & Oatmeal Dry Dog Food.
- Taste of the Wild Ancient Prairie.
- Orijen Original Dry Dog Food.
- Spot Farms Turkey & Whole Grain Recipe.
16 Dog Food Brands to Avoid in 2020
- Cesar Filets.
- Sportmix Wholesomes Gourmet Biscuits.
- IAMS Proactive Health Adult Chunks (Dry Dog Food)
- Kal Kan Complete Adult.
- Twin Pet.
- Gravy Train.
- Purina Dog Chow.
- Beneful.
Dry Dog Foods with No Recalls
- Acana.
- Annamaet Petfoods.
- Blackwood Slow Cooked Pet Nutrition.
- Canine Caviar.
- Eagle Pack.
- Earthborn Holistic.
- Holistic Select.
- Nature's Logic.
Winner. Once again, due to the full range of formulas they offer, Merrick comes out as the winner. Unfortunately, Taste of the Wild does not offer anything for dogs in their golden years. Merrick is actually one of our favorite foods for senior Boston Terriers and one of our food favorites for senior Cocker Spaniels.
Here are The Dog Food Advisor's best dry dog foods for December 2020.
- Wellness Complete Health Dry Dog Food.
- Instinct Original Grain-Free Dry.
- Nature's Logic Dry Dog Food.
- Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dry.
- Canidae Grain-Free Pure Dry Dog Food.
- Orijen Dry Dog Food.
- Diamond Naturals Dry Kibble.
- Nulo Freestyle Dry Dog Food.
Top Healthy Dog Food Picks
- Nature's Logic Sardine Meal Feast.
- Merrick Grain Free Dog Food.
- Taste of the Wild.
- Blue Buffalo.
- Canidae All Life Stages.
- Canidae Grain-Free Pure.
- Wellness Core Natural Grain Free.
- Diamond Naturals.
When it comes to dog-food brands, three of the vets we spoke to recommend Hill's Science Diet, which meets AAFCO nutritional standards and comes in a wide variety of breed, size, and age-specific formulas.
In late September of 2020, the FDA hosted a symposium on the topic of DCM at Kansas State University, which Blue Buffalo participated in, along with other industry experts. To date, no causative link has been established between DCM and a grain-free diet in dogs.
Many vets don't like Blue Buffalo in large part because of extremely deceptive marketing practices, using a lot of guilt to imply that if you don't feed their food you hate your pet and are contributing to his/her early death.
Dog Food Recall 2020 — Full List
| Date | Brand Name | Product |
|---|
| Sept. 2, 2020 | Paws Happy Life | Butcher's Choice Beef, Chicken & Cheese |
| Aug. 24, 2020 | Nature's Menu | Chicken and Quail |
| March 23, 2020 | Icelandic+ | Capelin Whole Fish Pet Treats |
| Feb. 14, 2020* | Aunt Jeni's Home Made | All-Natural Raw Turkey Dinner |
Hill's Science Diet is overall good dog food made with quality ingredients. It lacks in animal-based protein and is a mostly plant-based diet, but it is significantly higher in quality than many of the cheapest commercial brands.
WholeHearted Grain Free Dog Food Review (Dry) Rating: WholeHearted Grain Free Dog Food receives the Advisor's second-highest tier rating of 4 stars.
Here are The Dog Food Advisor's top 10 best dog foods for Labrador Retrievers for December 2020.
- Wellness Core Large Breed Dog Food.
- Sport Dog Active Series Field Dog Formula.
- Taste of the Wild High Prairie.
- Nutro Ultra Adult Dog Food.
- Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Adult.
- AvoDerm Natural Large Breed Adult Dog Food.
Three Merrick Lil' Plates dry recipes feature probiotics and prebiotic fiber for optimal digestion, plus industry-leading levels of glucosamine and chondroitin for healthy joints. The small kibble size in the three dry recipes makes it easy for small breed dogs to pick up and chew for proper digestion.
Ingredient Requirements: Merrick dog food line meets AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages when evaluating their diet using food composition tables of the ingredients. All of Merrick dry dog foods have an AAFCO statement on the bag. Feeding Trials: Merrick dog food has not undergone any food trials with dogs.
Since 1988That's how we got our start. Merrick was born over 30 years ago in Garth Merrick's family kitchen in Hereford, Texas. That's when Garth began home-cooking food for his beloved dog, Gracie, to make sure she was eating the most wholesome and nutritious food possible.
25, 2012) – Merrick Pet Care Inc., makers of Merrick and Castor & Pollux Organix brands, announced today it has earned organic certification under the USDA National Organic Program (NOP), for all of its Texas based manufacturing facilities.
