Our Rating of Merrick Dog Food
The Dog Food Advisor finds Merrick to be an above-average, grain-inclusive kibble. The Classic recipe appears to use a significant amount of named meat meal as its dominant source of animal protein… thus earning the brand 5 stars. The grain-free dry recipes get 5 stars. Enthusiastically recommended.
What is Merrick Dog Food?
Merrick Dog Food is a premium pet food brand. It was founded in 1988 in the home kitchen of Garth Merrick (owner), who started developing healthy food recipes for his dog Gracie.
Merrick Dog Food’s ideology is built on five promises to their customers: using real whole foods, using high-quality ingredients, health improvement in your dogs, crafted in the original kitchen of Garth Merrick and giving back to society.
Today, Merrick Dog Food is a promising brand of healthy dog and cat food.
My List of the Best Merrick Dog Food Options in 2021:
Merrick, founded in 1988 by Garth Merrick at his family ranch in Texas. Over the years, Merrick’s kitchen has grown, and he now has more than 350 employees and almost 200 recipes.
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Merrick has been producing hand crafted, all-natural recipes for more than 25 years. Its first offering to the dog food market was a natural dog treat, which was an instant success.
After that, Garth Merrick decided to aim higher and make an all-natural dog food that was high in protein, containing the highest-quality ingredients he could get his hands on, and absolutely no preservatives or fillers.
Now, Merrick offers high-protein “ancestral diet” recipes as well as Grain-Free and Limited Ingredient Diet recipes. They also recently brought out a new variety of Grain-Free food called “Lil’ Plates,” which is specially formulated for toy and small breed dogs. The majority of their recipes include ingredients for joint support.
Merrick Dog Food is manufactured by Merrick Pet Care, Inc. and was owned by the same company until 2015 when Nestle Purina Pet Company bought it out.
Despite this, Merrick continues to operate as an independent business, and there are no planned changes for its management or operations.
Merrick has a test kitchen and plants in Texas, where all of their recipes are produced. They use locally-sourced, fresh ingredients, and their facilities adhere to strict FDA standards.
Despite the fact that their food is produced in small batches to carefully monitor their quality, Merrick has been involved in various recalls. All were due to a potential contamination of Salmonella. However, there were no illness reported in any of the cases.
Dog food Mash-up Nutrish vs Merrick
Merrick Dog Food started in Hereford, Texas, in 1988, when the founder, Garth Merrick, began making home-cooked meals for his dog. He quickly found he had a knack for making healthy, nutritious foods pets loved, and his operation expanded from making single meals in his home kitchen to mass-producing food for dogs all over the world.
The company still uses fresh ingredients wherever possible, and gives back to animals by partnering with animal shelters and other charities. Their food isn’t cheap, but it’s created for owners who are willing to spend a bit more to give their dogs a healthy meal.
We’re big fans of Merrick, as their foods tend to be high in protein without also having problematic ingredients like grains. There’s just one issue we have with most of their foods that hold us back from recommending their foods as much as we could — read on to find out what that is.