[Jan Ann]

Hi everyone. My miniature poodle was on purina Pro Plan Focus small bites sensitive skin and stomach salmon & rice dry which was recommended by my vet because I could no longer find Purina small bites lamb & rice which she was not fond of anyway. Well after about a month she would not eat the food you could tell she did not like it. Has anyone feed Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Beef & brown rice with Ancient Grains dry? Or Real Beef Green Peas with Ancient Grains. I am slowly switching her over with the little bit of her old food I have left. She seems to like the new food. Can't feed raw as I am on the road alot.
It seems with COVID stores are not getting stock in. After reading the ingredients Merrick has better ingredients than Purina. She has to have small kibble she is only 20 LBS. With Merrick the kibble is small and I just buy the Classic. Any feed back from you all would be appreciated.

 

[FloofyPoodle]

I haven't fed it before, but have considered it at one point. Let me go through and look it up!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

The only red flag for me would be the peas, due to the potential link to DCM:

Diet, Dogs, and DCM - Whole Dog Journal

Food reviews have been a standard feature of WDJ for 22 years, so it’s not a surprise we are asked for dog food recommendations. The inquiries multiply whenever there is any bad news about dog food – and the ongoing mystery about a possible connection between dog diets and a serious heart...

www.whole-dog-journal.com

This is why I chose Farmina, but Peggy loooooves Honest Kitchen, which does contain legumes. So I feed half and half.

 

[FloofyPoodle]

Okay, so, looking at the Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Beef and Brown Rice with Ancient Grains, the label says beef and brown rice recipe, so that means that at least 30% of the calories must come from those sources, which is encouraging. I see two animal protein sources in the first ingredients list, and most importantly, one of them is a meal which means that there is a large amount of protein derived from animal sources, important for a dog. The protein is only at 26%, and I would like to see it a bit higher, with 25% at a minimum, but it isn't too big of a deal, especially if you add a little extra protein every now and then, maybe from canned food. The carbs are decently low, and the fat is relatively high at 17%. And finally, it's nutritionist formulated, meaning that some guy in a kitchen somewhere didn't just throw it together one day and call it good. All in all, it seems relatively decent, and she would probably do well on it. Here's a link to its Dog Food Advisor page. Merrick Dog Food Review 2020 | Ratings | Recalls

The story behind the Beef and Green Peas with Ancient Grains is similar, although the protein content is higher at 30%. However, it is likely that the peas are what makes up a good portion of the protein, not ideal for the dog's health.

 

[Jan Ann]

Okay, so, looking at the Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Beef and Brown Rice with Ancient Grains, the label says beef and brown rice recipe, so that means that at least 30% of the calories must come from those sources, which is encouraging. I see two animal protein sources in the first ingredients list, and most importantly, one of them is a meal which means that there is a large amount of protein derived from animal sources, important for a dog. The protein is only at 26%, and I would like to see it a bit higher, with 25% at a minimum, but it isn't too big of a deal, especially if you add a little extra protein every now and then, maybe from canned food. The carbs are decently low, and the fat is relatively high at 17%. And finally, it's nutritionist formulated, meaning that some guy in a kitchen somewhere didn't just throw it together one day and call it good. All in all, it seems relatively decent, and she would probably do well on it. Here's a link to its Dog Food Advisor page. Merrick Dog Food Review 2020 | Ratings | Recalls

The story behind the Beef and Green Peas with Ancient Grains is similar, although the protein content is higher at 30%. However, it is likely that the peas are what makes up a good portion of the protein, not ideal for the dog's health.

Thank you I prefer the Beef and Brown rice. appreciate your comment.

 

[Jan Ann]

The only red flag for me would be the peas, due to the potential link to DCM:

Diet, Dogs, and DCM - Whole Dog Journal

Food reviews have been a standard feature of WDJ for 22 years, so it’s not a surprise we are asked for dog food recommendations. The inquiries multiply whenever there is any bad news about dog food – and the ongoing mystery about a possible connection between dog diets and a serious heart...

www.whole-dog-journal.com

This is why I chose Farmina, but Peggy loooooves Honest Kitchen, which does contain legumes. So I feed half and half.

Ya I prefer the beef and rice. thanks