# innova vs. merrick



## bella&lola'smom (Oct 10, 2007)

my puppies are on innova puppy food both cans and dry kibble. i want to introduce other flavors occasonally into their diet. i am a sucker for the marketing of the merrick products. i really want to try their can food once in awhile do u think i will have any problems? i am going to stay on the innova kibble but want to give merrick cans in addition to innova cans for vairety. i have had dogs with sensitive tummies. i have found that when i give a small variety when they are young their stomachs acclimate to diferent foods better when they are adults. i just want to make sure the quailty of the foods are consistant. I just really do not know much about the merrick line. thanks.


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## all4thedogs (Sep 25, 2006)

I like Merrick canned foods. I especially like the ones that have whole chicken pieces (wingaling, smothered comfort), but all formulas are a big hit around here


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

I changed my dog from Merrick to Innova because it was making her tear stains worse and made her hyper. On Innova, she's calm and her tear stains have improved. However, this does not mean that Merrick isn't a good food for your dog. Their canned foods look good enough for me to eat so why not just mix in a bit? I have a friend who feeds her dog a mix of Orijen and Merrick and is doing well on it. Merrick is a premium food so I don't think you can go wrong with it.


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## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

i just switched my dog from innova to merrick only because he started refusing to eat it. he seems to like the merrick better and i have to say i like the ingredients better too. i don't like that it has peas and garlic in it, but he doesn't eat those anyway, spits them out


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

Another reason I like Innova is that it is baked, not extruded. When foods are prepared by extrusion, they lose a lot of the digestive enzymes. What I also like about Innova is that they list the amino acids that make up the protein - amino acids that are important for a dog. I also like that the first three ingredients are meat sources. However, Innova is quite rich so if you choose it, make the switch very gradual - take more than the usual ten days to switch. Innova puppy has 500 calories per cup while Merrick has around 369???? (approx.).


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## TibetanFan (Aug 31, 2007)

Why would Merrick make a dog hyper and make their tear stains worse?


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

I wasn't making a general statement about Merrick dog foods as I think they make good food but I noticed that my dog became really hyper and her tear stains were worse and both problem were alleviated when I switched to Innova. Tear stains can and often are a result of a food allergy; the same goes for the hyper behaviour. So all I was suggesting was that my dog was sensitive to something in Merrick's Chicken pot pie.


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