Which Merrick Limited Ingredient Recipes Get Our Best Ratings?

Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet canned dog food receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4 stars.

The Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet product line includes the 4 canned dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet with Healthy Grains Real Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.

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Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.¹

Chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is chicken broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common component in many wet products.

The third ingredient is chicken liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The fourth ingredient lists brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest. However, aside from its natural energy content, rice is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The fifth ingredient is oatmeal, a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, dietary fiber and can be (depending upon its level of purity) gluten-free.

After the natural flavor, we find potassium chloride, a nutritional supplement sometimes used as a replacement for the sodium found in table salt.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Merrick product.

With 2 notable exceptions…

First, this recipe contains sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.

And lastly, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher quality dog foods.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet looks like an above-average wet dog food.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 36%, a fat level of 23% and estimated carbohydrates of about 33%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 35% and a mean fat level of 30%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 27% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 85%.

Which means this Merrick product line contains…

Near-average protein. Above-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical canned dog food.

Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a canned dog food containing a moderate amount of meat.

Our Rating of Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Canned Dog Food

Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet includes both grain-free and grain-inclusive canned dog foods using a moderate amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.

Highly recommended.

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Merrick Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Merrick through April.

• Merrick Recalls Multiple Dog Treats (5/23/2018)
• Merrick Recalls Dog Treats (8/9/2011)
• Merrick Pet Treats Recall 2011 (1/30/2011)
• Merrick Expands Dog Treats Recall (8/16/2010)
• Merrick Expands Recall of Dog Treats (8/4/2010)
• Merrick Dog Treats Recall (7/6/2010)
• Merrick Dog Treats Recall 2010 (1/15/2010)

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

Get Free Recall Alerts

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More Merrick Brand Dog Food Reviews

The following Merrick dog food reviews are also posted on this website:

• Merrick Backcountry Grain Free Dog Food Review (Canned)
• Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Grain-Free Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Merrick Classic Chunky Dog Food Review (Canned)
• Merrick Classic Dog Food Review (Canned)
• Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Merrick Dog Food Review
• Merrick Grain Free Dog Food Review (Canned)
• Merrick Grain Free Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Merrick Lil’ Plates Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Merrick Lil’ Plates Grain Free Dog Food Review (Cups)
• Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Dog food Review (Dry)