Why DON'T You Feed Your Dog Merrick's?
 

Okay, on my search for the best doggy foods :D I thought I'd put a twist on the age old YorkieTalk question: What dog food do you feed your dog? ;) So, here's my story and question(s).

On my quest to find an excellent top premiun dog food, I've come across quite a few: Merrick's, Canidae, Innova, Wellness, etc. I've decided (since about 5 or so months ago) to feed Baby Merrick's, and she loves it. My question to you is this: If you DON'T feed your furbaby Merrick's, what premium food do you feed and why? I know this is going to sound snotty and sarcastic, but it's NOT meant to be that way: If you don't feed Merrick's what makes your food seem better and/or what's in Merrick's that you think is not good? :D

I seriously want to know because if the food you are feeding is better, I wanna try it! :thumbup: :D

Now, here's your chance to "sell" your food to me! LOL I will not get upset if you tell me your dog tried Merrick's and hated it...because Baby doesn't like Nutro. :eek:

So, thanks for "listening." I'll also post the ingredients to one of Baby's favorite Merrick's wet food (Smothered Comfort). Thanks!

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (Min.) 8.00%
Crude Fat (Min.) 5.00%
Crude Fiber (Max.) 1.00%
Moisture (Max.) 81.00%

Calorie Content
877 kcal/kg - A 13.2 oz. can provides 330 kcal of metabolizable energy, calculated value.

Ingredients:
Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Whole Barley, Fresh Carrots, Fresh Sweet Potato, Fresh Red Delicious Apples, Fresh Blueberries, Potato Starch-modified, Olive Oil, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Carageenan, Cassia Gum, Sodium Tripoly-phosphate, Flax Seed Oil (for Omega-3), Poultry Seasoning (Thyme, Sage, Rosemary), Salt, Natural Caramel Color, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Choline Chloride, Lecithin, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Tocopherol, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Copper Amino Acid Complex, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite.

Kobe has to eat Hills Prescription l/d. He eats the soft and dry. This is medically necessary for him. Kali on the other hand. I sent my daughter to petco to get her food because I didn't like what the breeder had her on.I told her to either get Merrick, Wellness, or Nutro. She came home with Nutrol Natural lamb and rice. And Royal Canine mini puppy Hard. They were both a huge success. So we have stayed on these.

I can tell you one reason she came home with Nutro...they don't sell Merrick's or Wellness at Petco! ;) :D

Actually, when I first got Baby she wasn't really eating, so the vet gave her the prescription food too. She ate that for a little while, then got sick of that too. She was VERY picky when she was a baby. That's why I had my tube of Nutrical handy at all times! :D

i have never heard of Merrick dog food?
but my puppy like eukanuba small breed dry and you can get $3 off coupons from the eukanuba.com website.

That's actually what they gave me when I got Baby. But she wouldn't eat anything! :( I had to search and search until I found something appetizing for my little spoiled baby. :aimeeyork :p
Here's the link to Merrick if you wanna check it out. The food is very appealing. Did you see the big piece of chicken in the pic up top? It really looks like that! http://www.merrickpetcare.com/

Chicken Soup
 

I, too, was on a quest to find a super premium dog food that Hobbs would like. He is an extremely picky eater. We had a really hard time getting him to eat when we first got him, and we, too, always had a tube of Nutri-Cal handy. Thank goodness for Nutri-Cal :D

So, a fellow YTer sent me several samples of premium dog foods...including Innova, Merrick's, Chicken Soup, and Royal Canine. I put them all out in a row buffet-style...Hobbs sniffed all of them then gobbled up the Chicken Soup. He would never touch any of the other ones. So, that is the reason I chose Chicken Soup...simply because it is a good quality dog food that Hobbs really likes and will eat! :D I now mix it with Missing Link, which Hobbs also loves! He licks it off his food sometimes and always licks the residual from the bottom of his bowl. :p

I think there are a lot of really good super premium dog foods out there, but I think the main thing is finding a good food that your picky yorkie will eat :p Yorkies are so crazy! :cool:

You're right! It could be the best, most expensive food. If your furbaby won't eat it, what good does it do, right? LOL
I actually tried Chicken Soup too. She did her, I like it. Well, maybe I won't eat it for a while! Then again, she does that with Merrick too. I think that's cuz Grandma give her too many treats and she doesn't want to eat her dinner!

Those of you who have read about Sissy are sick of hearing about this. But when she got sick a couple of weeks ago, she went on a dry food strike that is continuing. She was on Royal Canin Puppy Bites and loved it until then. I have tried Merricks, Nutro, most of the Natural Balance dry formulas. She won't eat any of them (and still won't eat her Royal Canin). So, she now gets the Natural Balance that comes in a tube like sausage. She likes all three, lamb/rice, beef/rice, turkey/rice.

P.S. I can't find Chicken Soup anywhere, including PetCo and PetSmart.

I too am on the search for a healthy diet! Does anyone have a dry food preference? I am looking to kick out corn completely because of allergies. Nicole, I promise I'm not trying to be a thread hi-jacker! Right now I'm going to go for Nutro Natural Choice- any opinions?

A thread high jacker! You're funny! That's okay, I don't care. I'm sure I've high-jacked many a threads! :D

I am on a neverending quest for the "BEST OF THE BEST" premium dog food for my growing crew. For me a premium brand contains all ingredients that acceptable for human consumption. The meat source must be listed in the #1 position in the ingredient list and the meat source must be MEAT, i.e. beef, lamb, chicken, etc..... that the food contain NO corn wheat and preferably no soy....

Right now I am feeding a mix of Innova EVO and Canidae. The dogs are ok on it ... they eat it ok, but I am thinking that there must be something better out there. I fed Old Mother Hubbard Wellness Fish and Sweet Potato for over a year because it had been recommended to me for dry coat, but it did little to help Chattie's dry brittle hair.... the Missing Link+ and cold pressed fish oil did that.

I read a thread about someone opening a bag of Merricks and it was full of "live meat" and that really turned me off on that product. I am sure that it was an isolated incident, but if I am going to drive 65 miles (one way) and pay bit $$ for dog food, I don't want any creepy crawlies in the bag :)

I am staying out of the hi-jacking or low jacking which ever.

Innova EVO contains NO GRAINS at all, it is very high protein, and there is a lot of debate about the protein level being too high for the liver :)

:goodpost: btw, Nicole, this is a GREAT thread..... gives everyone a chance to sell their convictions without having to be argumentative.:goodpost:

Loki is on Canidae and we love it. Had had diarrhea issues until I put him on the Canidae at about 10 months old and he hasn't had a bout of it since (he's over a year and a half now). His trainer told me about Canidae and how it has pro-biotics and Omega 3 in it. She also introduced me to WDJ. I've giving him a few pieces of some samples of some of the other good foods and he is just really happy with his Canidae. He scarfs it and his coat looks great on it. And he can eat treats now that would make him sick before.

I always have it in the back of my head that I should switch if there is anything better out there, or that I should rotate or mix foods, and each time I try he pukes or does something to remind me he likes his Canidae best! My husband gets mad if I bring a new food home because of everything we went through to find the Canidae in the first place. So we stick with it. I just give Loki "extras" like eggs and chicken and a green bean or piece of banana once in a while to satisfy my "variety" urges. He's happy to eat the yummy kibble. :D

I buy Bully Sticks from Merrick and I'm always tempted by their food, but it's SO pricey compared to my $6/bag Canidae and the ingredients look similar. I tried Innova and Wellness before we found Canidae and did not have luck with either. He LOVED the evo but it made him sick. The others he did not like.

What about Merrick's dry? Anyone know what's in it? I won't feed Ginger wet/moist.

Still on Nutro Lamb and Rice, everytime we experiment, we have problems.

Chicken Soup
 

You can buy it at an Orschelns store, kinda like a farm and ranch store. Zoe loves it, but she does have "dryish" hair.

I feed Canidae for all the babes
 

I like Canidae. I think it has great ingredients and is price is affordable enough for a good quality food. Plus it has probiotics and essential fatty acids etc..but I have fed other quality foods too like Wysong, California Natural, Innova, Solid Gold etc.. you can't buy these at Petco or Petsmart though. Sofar this dog food works for us. My German Shepherd mix would always have a sensitive stomach so we tried lots of quality foods. When times were tough I would buy Nutro Natural Choice. I was told that it is a couple steps up from the other brands you can buy at the grocery store..?
Anyhow we like Canidae but have never tried Merricks, Chicken soup for dogs( although this has great ingredients too) or Royal Canins-Yorkshire terrier. I have tried Royal canins- Sensible Choice.... It is great that there is a great demand for better quality dog food now, therefore way more choices. :thumbup:

The protein level is too high for the liver in Innova??? I have never heard this, is this true??:confused: I wanted to start all of mine on Innova and plan on doing it soon. I like the fact that I can understand all the ingredients listed. I don't feed any of mine canned food, they tend to get sick, no matter what the brand is, so they only get dry dog food. I can't get chicken soup, there are no stores that carry it here and I don't want to order online. There are however, many stores here that care Innova, it is the best food that any of the stores have carried. I have not found Merricks here either.

I feed Daisy Merricks dry (Grammy's Pot Pie and Cowboy Cookout). She was on Nutro as well but i noticed her skin was getting dry and she was itching. She absolutely loves the Merrick food she's on now. I recommend it. I order it from http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/ that's where a fellow member sent me.

I think the regular Innova is fine...the Innova EVO is the one that has the really high protein content. I tried to get Hobbs to eat Innova, but he just sniffed it...he wouldn't eat it.

Georgie eats Candidae and for the simple reason that it's the only thing and I mean the only thing he likes. We have tried every brand you can imagine and he is just very finicky.

Here is a link from the Chicken Soup website. Click on your state and it will give you a list of all the retailers in your state.

http://www.chickensoupforthepetlover...stributors.php

Chicken Soup contains NO corn, and the first 2 ingredients are CHICKEN and TURKEY.

Here is a list of ALL the ingredients and analysis:

Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, turkey meal, whole grain brown rice, whole grain white rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), oatmeal, potatoes, cracked pearled barley, millet, duck, salmon, egg product, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein 28% minimum
Crude Fat 17% minimum
Crude Fiber 3% maximum
Moisture 10% maximum
Sodium 0.3% maximum
Vitamin E 300 IU/kg minimum
Selenium 0.4 mg/kg minimum
Omega-6 Fatty Acids* 3.3% minimum
Omega-3 Fatty Acids* 0.5% minimum

I do not give Hobbs any wet food either. But he absolutely loves Chicken Soup, especially with Missing Link on it! :p

Merrick & Blue Buffalo
 

I feed my babies 2 different dry foods mixed together (for variety). I feed them Merrick (Tur-Ducken flavor -- this is the only dry food flavor they will eat from Merrick but it's awesome with real peas and carrots in it) and Blue Buffalo chicken flavor dry food. As a treat, I give them once a week a can of Merrick Wing-a-ling -- it has real chicken in it. They love it! They also get green beans, baby carrots, peas and other veggies and fruits as a snack daily.

Great Thread!! Well KimMee is 21 months old- she started on Eukanuba puppy bites, then I switched her to Nutro cause my daughter's yorkie eats that. Then I went on the search for a better food- that became Royal Canin for Yorkies and Merricks Dry- found out Nutro made KimMee itch and have watery eyes cause after I switched her off of it - those issues cleared up. She became even more picky than she was and wouldn't eat Merricks or the Royal. She still likes the Nutro but I don't feed it to her. When I got my new pup- Charlee she was on Innova- so that is what KimMee gets now. I am tired of babying KimMee with food. If she doesn't eat- I don't worry so much now. They are both getting two meals a day and I put fresh fruit, veggies, cottage cheese, cooked chicken or raw hamburger in their bowls at meal time. I leave dry out all the time.

Thanks! I didn't want this to be a "fighting" thread. I really want people's advice as to why they chose their food. Thanks for your reply! Oh, and I heard about the moths too! :eek: That hasn't happened to me, but as you said it was probably an isolate incident! :p

Wing-a-ling is Baby's other favorite. Also, my Uncle was giving his dog a lot of "people" food, and then he tried to go back to feeding Psilo doggy food. Well, he wouldn't eat it. Then I gave my uncle a few cans of Merrick's. Well, he devoured the wing-a-ling and the smothered comfort! I think it's b/c it has real chicken pieces in it! So, now when I go to the store, I have to get Psilo food too! :p

I am not 100% sure. The Evo has a very high protein level. I wish we had a couple of dog nutritionists on board. Labels can be deceiving ...
Moisture 10.0 %
Protein 42.0 %
Fat 22.0 %
Fiber 2.5 %
Calories 1929 Kcal/lb
Calories 4243 Kcal/Kg
Calories 537 KCals/Cup

I also mix in the Royal Canine just because she really likes it. But, if she starts itching, I'm gonna stop giving it to her. I also feed Merrick's dry. I leave that out all day, and give her a little wet at night. I've given her Wellness dry, but she wasn't too crazy about that. She didn't like the Nutro either. And, I really didn't want to feed her to nutro because of the beet pulp. I didn't want her eyes getting those tear stains. Royal and Merrick's both don't have beet pulp and her eyes are tear stain free! :p

Does she really like the Merrick Grammy's Pot Pie and Cowboy Cookout dry food? I was thinking of trying those flavors. I use Merrick Turducken and my babies LOVE it!