# Merrick Grain Free?



## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

In the never ending search for food Hank can tolerate I picked up a small bag of Merrick grain free on a whim. The fish one.

His poops have been normal now for a week. Still some farts and belches but no big piles of yellow mushy poops. 

Has anyone fed this long term? Any thoughts? The vet was wanting to do either Royal Canin or Science Diet Rx food next with him. He has had horrible digestion on all other grain frees (Acana, Wellness- wellness was absolutely horrible, Fromm, etc). He's been eating Purina Sport to so-so results. Summer is having some issues with it though and it's easier if they're all eating the same thing. He did ok on Purina Beyond Superfood and Purina Sensitive Skin and Stomach (what I was initially going to go back to).

But the Merrick seems to be working better. I know nothing about it though.


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## fourdogs (Feb 3, 2014)

Laurelin said:


> In the never ending search for food Hank can tolerate I picked up a small bag of Merrick grain free on a whim. The fish one.
> 
> His poops have been normal now for a week. Still some farts and belches but no big piles of yellow mushy poops.
> 
> ...


This is purely anecdotal: I fed the buffalo/sweet potato to my sensitive tummy poodle. I thought it was amazing because 1. he ate it and 2. great poop! But, he eventually started peeing blood. Stopped the food and pee went back to normal. 
Like I said, completely anecdotal but it didn't work for him.

Have you tried Natural Balance LIDs? The potato/duck is working well for my poodle now. It seems so low in protein/fat but it's ended his digestive misery, so I'm happy.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

I fed Merrick Lars and Ocean for a while and did really great on it. I didn't do grain free because O gets anal gland issues on foods without some sort of grain to bulk up his poop. I really liked it (Merrick Classic) and would definitely feed it again. 

The only reason I am not feeding it right now is because of protein source rotation. Lars can't do beef/buffalo, pork, or chicken. I had been feeding him and O Lamb and Brown Rice Merrick Classic for a while. The other Merrick Classics are beef, pork, and chicken.  So, I switched to Nature's Variety Prairie with Salmon and Oatmeal. Both guys are doing well on that too.


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## Hermes1 (Jan 3, 2014)

Although I have not had any experience with Merrick, I know it is consistently among the higer rated foods and since your dog seems to be doing well on it, I would stick with it. With many dogs, finding the right food can be a huge challenge so I would stop with the first one that works for the dog. As to what your vet is recommending, this comes as no surprise since those are foods vets sell and receive incentives for. Science Diet is not a particularly good food and has not received high marks, Royal Canin is probably the better of what your vet recommends. Although those are foods our vet has in stock, he typically steers his customers away from them because of the high cost, unless nothing else is working.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Merrick's a quality food, iirc. If he's got nice poops on it, I'd stick with it.


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

We feed Merrick Grain Free Texas Beef recipe here. Toby has been on it for... I dunno, 6 months? and he's doing well on it. Nice firm poops, no hives, no furloss, he has a little dandruff but we live in a dry apartment.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Yep I feed all their formulas and havent had an issue with any of the five dogs here (so far *knocks on wood*), they are made with sweet potato, so maybe that makes a difference? But everyone here from Lincoln, who is almost 5 months, to Bear, who is almost 15 years old can eat this food. Right now they are getting the bison and sweet potato (which is really chicken LOL, because the next ingredient is chicken meal after "fresh deboned bison". I only got it because I picked it up by mistake, I plan to switch back to beef the next time around.) They also make a great line of canned food that we feed the old man here.

www.merrickpetcare.com is their website, if you want to check it out.

I also feed this:


and it has really helped my dogs poops, Lincoln was having bouts of diarrhea (though I think it was due to eating things in the yard he wasnt supposed to LOL) and it has really helped him.


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## Caro (Sep 10, 2012)

I feed the Merrick Real Buffalo & Sweet Potato. It is the only thing that has stopped my girl from getting near constant ear infections. (I figured out that she was allergic to flax seed & canola oil - which is in almost all dry kibble - except Merrick & Whole Earth Farms.)

Merrick also makes Whole Earth Farms, which is almost half the cost of Merrick & comes in 2 grain free flavors. It has a lower level of protein but if Merrick is too rich of a formula on the GI tract or too expensive, it is still made in the US so a good option to consider.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

I definitely think we're going to try it long term and see how they all do on it! I'm hopeful!


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## bowie (Apr 26, 2010)

I've fed Merrick GF once, I believe it was the duck variety. Local pet store had it on sale for like 35 dollars for the largest bag! My dogs did well on it but the food is very high in ash (and calcium), which is a big no-no for me. Most likely won't feed it again.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

I dont have giant breeds, so high ash / calcium content isnt an issue for me. But seriously, the probios helped all my dogs loads. It's a powder that easily absorbs into their food (I mix everyone's food with warm water, because they all eat fast and that way no one chokes ) I also like Merrick because its 100% made in the USA, and (fort me) is locally sourced.


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## Cathartica (Feb 12, 2015)

Kaylee has eaten merrick grain free practically since we got her. We LOVE it. The chicken formula gives her stinky farts (but so does plain old chicken), but we rotate freely between the other flavours. It's great food with great ingredients, kaylee's nails and coat look much healthier than when we got her, and she's lost the thin soft fat she was covered in and is now smooth solid lean muscle


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

OwnedbyACDs said:


> I dont have giant breeds, so high ash / calcium content isnt an issue for me. But seriously, the probios helped all my dogs loads. It's a powder that easily absorbs into their food (I mix everyone's food with warm water, because they all eat fast and that way no one chokes ) I also like Merrick because its 100% made in the USA, and (fort me) is locally sourced.


It's not necessarily just about larger breeds. Higher ash often (not *always*, but a lot of the time) can also be harder on the kidneys and often comes from meat of lesser quality. Certain foods will just always be higher in ash, a lot of time lamb and red meat based foods will be higher no matter what. But personally I don't like to go over 9-10% ash, but prefer to stay in the 5-8% range if I can.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Agreed, but I am kind of BTW a rock and a hard place, with five dogs total (counting my parents three dogs) we need something that everyone can eat, and thats hard to find ... so when we find a food WITH formulas that everyone can eat, we stick with it LOL. even if the ash content is a tad high. But we dont feed the red meat or the lamb perminantly ... we cycle through all the formulas and only feet one bag of any given formula at a time.


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

OwnedbyACDs said:


> Agreed, but I am kind of BTW a rock and a hard place, with five dogs total (counting my parents three dogs) we need something that everyone can eat, and thats hard to find ... so when we find a food WITH formulas that everyone can eat, we stick with it LOL. even if the ash content is a tad high. But we dont feed the red meat or the lamb perminantly ... we cycle through all the formulas and only feet one bag of any given formula at a time.


Oh yeah I totally understand and get it! I was just saying that ash isn't ONLY relevant for giant breeds.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Jacksons Mom said:


> Oh yeah I totally understand and get it! I was just saying that ash isn't ONLY relevant for giant breeds.


Agreed  I guess I kind of meant that its only a huge worry for large and giant breeds. Though, the high ash content is actually helping to firm up Lincoln's poop as he goes through teething (poor dude is in full teething mode and has the "teething diarrhea"  ... I have even had to take him off his canned food hes been getting at night for now) probiotics are also helping.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Merrick grain free is my go-to kibble recommendation. I don't feed it regularly, mine are fed prey model raw, but I use it as treats and for use in food dispensers. Many of my training clients have put their dogs on it and love the results but switching from Beneful or Science Diet or whatever corn they've been on, any good kibble is going to have good results. I did have Kaytu on it for a couple weeks when she stopped eating for 4 1/2 days, very sick, didn't want any raw, but liked canned and kibble Merrick (she did go to the vet of course, also got probiotics, antibiotics).


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Well the Merrick is going better than other kibbles but not 100% great. He still has occasional mushy poop and gas. I really would like to avoid RC or SD Rx formulas but it may come down to that. Right now I've switched all his training over to kibble and cut back on chews. Hopefully that helps. I like giving him a bully stick while I'm at work but maybe I need to switch that to a kong with frozen kibble or raw or something. Luckily in agility training he works equally as hard for kibble as treats and meat. Been trying to switch a lot of agility over to toy rewards as much as possible.

The paps are doing fantastic on it.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Laurelin said:


> Well the Merrick is going better than other kibbles but not 100% great. He still has occasional mushy poop and gas. I really would like to avoid RC or SD Rx formulas but it may come down to that. Right now I've switched all his training over to kibble and cut back on chews. Hopefully that helps. I like giving him a bully stick while I'm at work but maybe I need to switch that to a kong with frozen kibble or raw or something. Luckily in agility training he works equally as hard for kibble as treats and meat. Been trying to switch a lot of agility over to toy rewards as much as possible.
> 
> The paps are doing fantastic on it.


Lincoln I think is going to be one of "those" dogs, too. sometimes his poop is really great, other times it looks like if you squeezed toothpaste out of the tube, other times it comes out like water :/. I think it has to d with how much water he drinks, more than his food ... that and teething.


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