Merrick Grain Free Wilderness Blend Classic Recipe Review

Merrick Canned Dog Food Review


Quick Analysis

Ingredients:

Nutrition:

Potential Allergens: beef, seafood and eggs

Est. Calories: 79 cal/100g

Price: $$

Overall, Merrick Grain Free Wilderness Blend Classic Recipe is an above average dog food, earning 7 out of a possible 10 paws based on its nutritional analysis and ingredient list.


Ingredient Analysis

When evaluating a dog food, the first five ingredients can tell you a lot about the quality of a product as they make up the bulk of the product. Ideally, you're looking for quality protein sources with a minimum of cheap starches, fillers or by-products. Continuing down the ingredient list, look for ingredients that resemble real food with a minimal number of unpronounceable chemicals - the same as you would for human food.

Merrick Grain Free Wilderness Blend Classic Recipe includes the following:

Quality Ingredients

  • deboned salmon
  • deboned venison
  • deboned buffalo

Questionable Ingredients

  • potato starch

Potential Allergens

  • deboned salmon
  • beef broth
  • dried egg product

Note - a bolded ingredient in the above tables indicates it is one of the first five ingredients listed by the product manufacturer.

In this case, Merrick Grain Free Wilderness Blend Classic Recipe's most plentiful ingredient listed is deboned salmon, which is considered a quality protein source. It also contains deboned venison and deboned buffalo as additional quality protein sources.

Additionally, it's worth noting that this product does not list either by-products nor bulk-adding fillers within its top ingredients. By-products are considered inferior, lesser quality ingredients. Common fillers typically used to add bulk to the product are not required in your dog's diet. Together, their combined absence may be indicative of a higher quality product.

Allergen alert: This product contains beef broth, deboned salmon and dried egg product which may be problematic for dogs who suffer from beef, seafood or eggs food allergies.



Nutritional Analysis*

Compared to the other 1160 dog foods in our database, Merrick Grain Free Wilderness Blend Classic Recipe has:

  • significantly more protein than average
  • fewer carbohydrates than average
  • an average amount of fat
  • significantly more fiber than average
In general, dogs have been shown to do better with a higher protein, medium fat, lower carb diet with sufficient moisture. However, specialty diets as recommended by your veterinarian may prioritize a different nutritional breakdown.

Calorie Breakdown

Using the calculations provided by the AAFCO, Merrick Grain Free Wilderness Blend Classic Recipe has approximately 79 calories per 100g (22 calories/ounce), which is fewer calories compared to the average of the other wet dog foods in the DogFoodDB.


All the product information on this page is based on data collected from the manufacturer's product website as retrieved on April 23, 2017.


Ingredients

Ingredients as published by the dog food manufacturer:

Deboned Salmon, Beef Broth, Deboned Venison, Deboned Buffalo, Peas, Natural Pork Flavor, Potatoes, Carrots, Apples, Dried Egg Product, Potato Starch, Canola Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate), Carageenan, Cassia Gum, Olive Oil, Flax Oil, Minerals (Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Glucoheptonate, Sodium Selenite), Carmel Color, Yucca Schidigera Extract


Guaranteed Analysis

Nutritional information as published by the dog food manufacturer.*

Protein: (min)
8.0%
Fat: (min)
3.5%
Fiber: (max)
1.4%
Carbs: (est)
6.1%
Ash: (est)
0.0%
Moisture: (max)
81.0%

Dry Matter Analysis

The manufacturer's published guaranteed analysis values normalized for moisture content.

Protein: (min)
42%
Fat: (min)
18%
Fiber: (max)
7%
Carbs: (est)
32%
Ash: (est)
0%
Calories: (est)
79/100g

*Note that some nutritional percentages reported are only estimated values, and are indicated as such as (est). Each dog food manufacturer is required by law to publish a Guaranteed Analysis, which defines each product's maximum values of fiber, moisture and ash in addition to the minimum values of protein and fat contained within. Exact nutritional percentages are not available and hence all calculated values (including carbohydrate percentages and calorie amounts) are determined using these minimum and maximum published values and therefore may differ from actual values.


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