Merrick Grain Free Dog Food Review (Dry)

Merrick Grain Free product range consists of 11 recipes, each receiving the Dog Food Advisor’s rating of 5 stars.

With up to 84% protein in each of these recipes, along with healthy fats, fibre, vitamins, and minerals to support your pup’s health

The table below shows each recipe in this range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Merrick Grain Free Real Texas Beef + Sweet Potato was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is beef. Although it’s a quality item, raw beef contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.

After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.

The second ingredient is pork meal. Pork meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh pork. Yet it can also be high in ash – about 25-30%.

However, the ash content of the final product is typically adjusted in the recipe to allow its mineral profile to meet AAFCO guidelines.

The third ingredient is bone meal. Although it’s considered a quality source of calcium, magnesium and essential trace minerals, even human-grade bone meal supplements can contain higher levels of mercury, lead and other metals.¹

The fourth ingredient is salmon meal, yet another high protein meat concentrate.

Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations.²

The next ingredient includes sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a gluten-free source of complex carbohydrates in dog food. They are naturally rich in dietary fiber and beta carotene.

The sixth ingredient is potato. Potatoes can be considered a gluten-free source of digestible carbohydrates. Yet with the exception of perhaps their caloric content, potatoes are of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The seventh ingredient includes peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber.

However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

After natural flavor we find, potato protein, the dry residue remaining after removing the starchy part of a potato.

Even though it contains over 80% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.

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 three notable exceptions…

First, flaxseed is one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.

However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

We also note the use of taurine, an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.

Since taurine deficiency appears to be more common in pets consuming grain-free diets, we view its presence in this recipe as a positive addition.

And lastly, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Merrick Grain Free Real Texas Beef + Sweet Potato looks like an above-average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 36.4%, a fat level of 17.4% and estimated carbohydrates of about 34.5%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 34.5% and a mean fat level of 17.3%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 35.8 for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 50%.

Which means this Merrick product line contains…

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

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the pea products, potato protein, alfalfa meal and flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a significant amount of meat.

Merrick Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Merrick through December 2025.

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

Our Rating of Merrick Grain Free Dog Food

Merrick Grain Free is a dry dog food using a significant amount of named meat as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.

Highly Recommended

About

All Merrick dog foods are produced in the United States. Most of the brand’s dry and wet recipes are manufactured at one of its 3 company-owned facilities in Hereford, Texas. Unlike most pet food brands, Merrick owns its own cannery.

Merrick also owns Castor and Pollux Natural Petworks (a quality brand known for its certified organic dog and cat foods)… and produces Whole Earth Farms pet foods, too.

Merrick was sold to Nestle Purina PetCare in 2015.

Compare Merrick Grain Free Dog Food

How does Merrick Grain Free compare with The Dog Food Advisor's most recommended brands?