# Thoughts on Merrick?



## beagle812 (May 18, 2013)

I have an Australian Shepherd and a beagle that are currently on Wellness. I have been doing some research to find a cheaper, comparable food. Merrick grain free is $50 for 25 pound bag at my local feed store. Has anyone tried it? They have different flavors as well that I can rotate through. Any other food recommendations are appreciated  Im paying $60 for 26 pounds of Wellness Core. I like to try to stick to GMO free brands as well. Anyone know if the Farmina is GMO free?


----------



## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Yes, Farmina is GMO free. I know that much as I'm very leery of GMO foods.


----------



## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

I tried it on my poodle and after about three weeks on it, every time he peed he would frantically lick his private parts. Then he started to dribble urine indoors even wetting on my lap when he slept! It took two days after me stopping feeding it and those symptoms stopped. 

Watch how your dog does. It's high in phosphorus and ash which can cause urinary issues. Not saying it's 100%the food but I have had similar issues with wellness too. 

Great stools and he loved the taste of it though!


----------



## zootv (Mar 8, 2014)

Both my aussie and BC got loose stools on it and the aussie got even worse on it. They were on the Real Duck + Sweet Potato. I try to use a 3 week switch over, so i am very gradual with food changes. But after 2 weeks, had to go back to old food. My dad's dog, corgi does well on it though ... He uses the chicken though. Seems like a good food to have in rotation, but it just didn't work for me.


----------



## beagle812 (May 18, 2013)

Maybe Ill just keep them on the Wellness until Farmina comes out then. They are doing good on it, but I have found other comparable foods that are cheaper. Hopefully Chewy gets it soon!


----------



## zootv (Mar 8, 2014)

should hopefully just be a few more days now from what i've been told ... hopefully that is true. I image it will be priced like wellness though and more expensive than merrick.


----------



## leaveittoweaver (Nov 15, 2013)

You could also try Whole Earth Farms. Made by Merrick as well, and they just came out with a very price comparable grain free food.


----------



## beagle812 (May 18, 2013)

I dont really mind the price as long as I'm getting what I pay for. I like Wellness, but for the money I think I could get something better. I've heard that Wellness sources ingredients from China. Merrick I think is worth the money and still cheaper then Wellness and I dont see a major difference between the two. If Farmina is the same price as Wellness I would have no problem paying it because it's a better food


----------



## leaveittoweaver (Nov 15, 2013)

beagle812 said:


> I dont really mind the price as long as I'm getting what I pay for. I like Wellness, but for the money I think I could get something better. I've heard that Wellness sources ingredients from China. Merrick I think is worth the money and still cheaper then Wellness and I dont see a major difference between the two. If Farmina is the same price as Wellness I would have no problem paying it because it's a better food


Yes, Wellness does source vitamins from China. 

I think Merrick is over all a better company. Have you ever thought about going with Fromm? They aren't listed as GMO free but I think they use a lot of GMO free ingredients. If you call them, they will tell you whatever you want to know. They have great customer service!


----------



## beagle812 (May 18, 2013)

The Fromm looks good but it seems to have very little meat. The grain free foods are very expensive and seem like a big bag of peas and potatoes to me. Some of their formulas dont even have a meat meal before potatoes and peas.


----------



## Taser (Mar 14, 2013)

My older JRT has Merrick as part of his rotation and I've never had an issue with it. Matter of fact, in the winter it's our go to food as the Senior has less fat and calories and helps keep him slim when the snow is 2 feet deep and we can't get out. I haven't used the grain free as it's full of peas and the other JRT can't tolerate them.


----------



## AngelaPrimanti (Feb 24, 2014)

Merrick is always on sale where I live for around $40 for the 25lb bag so you have to wonder if the ingredient quality is any good.

The calcium and phosphorus levels are very high in the foods, even the non-grain free foods. They are like 2.80% and 1.70% on a dry matter basis and that doesn't suggest high quality protein sources and its way above the AAFCO limits so why the foods are allowed to be sold would be a question I would ask.


----------



## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

Merrick is in my rotation. take a look at Verus.


----------



## Taser (Mar 14, 2013)

I've never heard of Verus. It appears there is a distributor here in Ontario, but I've never seen the product anywhere.


----------

