With so many different dog food brands and recipes out there, it can be challenging trying to find the right food for your pup. The good news is that if you’ve narrowed it down to Merrick and Wellness, you’re looking at two great dog foods.
The bad news is that since they’re both great dog foods, it’s even more challenging to pick one. That’s why we produced this guide, to compare these foods so you can get the perfect dog food.
Not only will we help you go with the right company, but we’ll also help you pick out the perfect recipe for your dog!
A Sneak Peek at the Winner: Wellness
Image Product Details
Wellness Complete Health Adult Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe Dry Do
GMO free
Nutritionally balanced diet
Fiber keeps your pet feeling full
Check Price
Wellness Complete Health Adult Whitefish & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog
Premium protein choice
Only high-quality ingredients
Great for pets with sensitive stomachs
Check Price
Both Wellness and Merrick produce high-quality foods, but Wellness gets the nod because it gives it to you at a lower cost per pound. If there was a drop-off in quality between the two foods, we could understand the difference, but the nutritional quality of each food is almost identical.
Two of the top recipes are the Wellness Complete Health Adult Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal and the Wellness Complete Health Adult Whitefish & Sweet Potato Recipe. They both can provide high-quality, nutritionally complete diets for your dog.
About Merrick
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Formed in 1988 in Hereford, Texas, Merrick is an American-founded company that produces high-quality, natural dog food. While it doesn’t exclusively produce its food in Hereford anymore, all its production facilities are still in the United States.
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In 2015, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company purchased Merrick, adding it to an already large and impressive pet care portfolio.
Merrick makes many different recipes and only uses high-quality ingredients for its pet food, and it’s still one of the most popular brands in the industry.
Pros
Made in the U.S.A.
Only high-quality ingredients
Well-established and reliable company
Many recipes
Cons
Slightly expensive
Made in the U.S.A.
Only high-quality ingredients
Well-established and reliable company
Many recipes
- Made in the U.S.A.
- Only high-quality ingredients
- Well-established and reliable company
- Many recipes
Slightly expensive
- Slightly expensive
About Wellness
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While the sub-brand Wellness only came about in 2007, it’s been in the dog-food industry much longer than that. It has been producing food since 1926 and created a dedicated dog food in 1985.
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Today, Wellness makes its food in Indiana and is well-known for its high-quality ingredients and top-notch recipes. While Wellness dog food might be on the newer side of things, it’s still a top-notch brand that you can trust!
Pros
Affordably priced
Only top-notch ingredients
Made in the U.S.A.
Many recipes
Cons
New sub-brand
Affordably priced
Only top-notch ingredients
Made in the U.S.A.
Many recipes
- Affordably priced
- Only top-notch ingredients
- Made in the U.S.A.
- Many recipes
New sub-brand
- New sub-brand
3 Most Popular Merrick Dog Food Recipes
There are multiple size options, so you can geta smaller size to try at first, and then you can purchase in bulk to drive down the cost. Even doing this, though, it’s an expensive option per pound of kibble. Still, it is a high-quality food.
With a premium protein choice and many high-quality ingredients, Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Real Beef + Brown Rice Recipe is a popular option. It comes with everything that you need to keep your pup on a balanced diet, and the fiber-rich formula keeps your pup feeling full longer.
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Pros
Only high-quality ingredients
Multiple size options available
High-quality protein choice
Fiber-rich formula keeps your pup feeling full longer
Outstanding quality ingredients
Nutritionally balanced diet
Cons
Slightly expensive dry dog food
Just like with the beef formula, the chicken formula comes in multiple size options and only has top-notch ingredients. While you’re saving a bit of money by going with the chicken recipe instead of beef, it’s not that much savings. Considering that you’re giving up a premium protein, it’s no wonder that so many people prefer to stick with the beef recipe.
Only high-quality ingredients
Multiple size options available
High-quality protein choice
Fiber-rich formula keeps your pup feeling full longer
Outstanding quality ingredients
Nutritionally balanced diet
- Only high-quality ingredients
- Multiple size options available
- High-quality protein choice
- Fiber-rich formula keeps your pup feeling full longer
- Outstanding quality ingredients
- Nutritionally balanced diet
Slightly expensive dry dog food
- Slightly expensive dry dog food
If you’re looking for a traditional chicken-based dog food, Merrick has a great option for you. It’s full of fiber and healthy grains for your dog, giving them a nutritionally balanced diet that keeps them feeling full and happy.
Finally, even with the cost savings, Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Real Chicken + Brown Rice is still an expensive dry dog food per pound of kibble.
Pros
Outstanding quality ingredients
Fiber-rich formula keeps your pup feeling full longer
Nutritionally balanced diet
Only high-quality ingredients
Multiple size options available
Cons
Slightly expensive dry dog food
Even better, while many premium foods add chicken to the recipe to drive down the cost, that’s not what Merrick does. This is a true single-protein-source formula, and since that protein is salmon, it’s an excellent choice for dogs with sensitive stomachs or food allergies.
Outstanding quality ingredients
Fiber-rich formula keeps your pup feeling full longer
Nutritionally balanced diet
Only high-quality ingredients
Multiple size options available
- Outstanding quality ingredients
- Fiber-rich formula keeps your pup feeling full longer
- Nutritionally balanced diet
- Only high-quality ingredients
- Multiple size options available
If you have a pup that’s constantly dealing with food allergies, Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet With Healthy Grains is an outstanding choice. Even with a limited-ingredient formula, it’s a nutritionally balanced diet.
While there are two different size options available, it tops out at 22 pounds. The 22-pound bag is about the same price as the 24-pound bags of other Merrick dog food, making it the most expensive option per pound on this list.
Pros
Chicken-free recipe
Limited-ingredient formula is great for dogs with food sensitivities
Nutritionally balanced diet
Multiple size options
Cons
More expensive per pound than other Merrick foods
Chicken-free recipe
Limited-ingredient formula is great for dogs with food sensitivities
Nutritionally balanced diet
Multiple size options
- Chicken-free recipe
- Limited-ingredient formula is great for dogs with food sensitivities
- Nutritionally balanced diet
- Multiple size options
More expensive per pound than other Merrick foods
- More expensive per pound than other Merrick foods
3 Most Popular Wellness Dog Food Recipes
The entire recipe is GMO free and has fiber to keep your dog feeling full between meals. There are three size options available, so you can get a small bag for your pup to try before saving money by getting the large option.
If you’re looking for the most popular Wellness dog food, it must be the Wellness Complete Health Adult Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal recipe. It has nothing but high-quality ingredients, including everything that you need to keep your pup healthy and happy.
The largest bag option is 30 pounds, which costs about the same as the 24-pound Merrick dog food bags. So, with this dog food, it’s like you’re getting 6 pounds of food for free.
Pros
Great combination of price and quality
Nutritionally balanced diet
GMO free
Only high-quality ingredients
Fiber keeps your pet feeling full
Three size options
Cons
Not the best choice for pets with sensitive stomachs
It’s GMO free and full of high-quality ingredients, including fiber to keep your dog feeling full. The drawback is that this Wellness dog food has less protein than the other options on this list. But with a minimum protein content of 2%, the food is still more than enough to keep your pup healthy and strong.
Great combination of price and quality
Nutritionally balanced diet
GMO free
Only high-quality ingredients
Fiber keeps your pet feeling full
Three size options
- Great combination of price and quality
- Nutritionally balanced diet
- GMO free
- Only high-quality ingredients
- Fiber keeps your pet feeling full
- Three size options
Not the best choice for pets with sensitive stomachs
- Not the best choice for pets with sensitive stomachs
If you’re looking for the most affordable option and have a dog with food sensitivities, you can’t top the Wellness Complete Health Adult Whitefish & Sweet Potato Recipe. It’s rare that the most affordable option has a premium protein that’s great for allergies, but that’s exactly what Wellness offers with this dog food.
Pros
Affordable recipe
Three size options
GMO free
Great for pets with sensitive stomachs
Only high-quality ingredients
Fiber keeps your pet feeling full
Premium protein choice
Cons
Slightly low protein content
Only high-quality ingredients are used, and just like all the other Wellness recipes on this list, it’s full of fiber to keep your dog feeling full. This food is an excellent choice for your dog’s health, and while it’s more expensive compared to other Wellness dog food options, it’s a more affordable choice per pound.
Affordable recipe
Three size options
GMO free
Great for pets with sensitive stomachs
Only high-quality ingredients
Fiber keeps your pet feeling full
Premium protein choice
- Affordable recipe
- Three size options
- GMO free
- Great for pets with sensitive stomachs
- Only high-quality ingredients
- Fiber keeps your pet feeling full
- Premium protein choice
Slightly low protein content
- Slightly low protein content
If you want a premium protein for your dog, you’re not alone. That’s why Wellness makes this Wellness Complete Health Adult Lamb & Barley recipe. Even better is the fact that it’s an outstanding mix of price and quality, considering the protein that your dog is getting.
The drawback with this recipe is that there are only two size options, so you’ll need to get a large bag before your dog has a chance to try it.
Pros
Great combination of price and quality
Only high-quality ingredients
Fiber keeps your pet feeling full
Great for all-around health
Premium protein choice
Cons
Limited size options
Great combination of price and quality
Only high-quality ingredients
Fiber keeps your pet feeling full
Great for all-around health
Premium protein choice
- Great combination of price and quality
- Only high-quality ingredients
- Fiber keeps your pet feeling full
- Great for all-around health
- Premium protein choice
Limited size options
- Limited size options
Recall History of Merrick and Wellness
Both Merrick and Wellness have one recall on their respective records, due to elevated thyroid hormones. Furthermore, the recall didn’t affect the primary dog food recipes, just treats and toppers.
In 2018, Merrick recalled a few of its pet treats due to the elevated hormone levels, and in 2017, Wellness recalled one of its beef toppers. Both companies voluntarily recalled these products, and there are no reported cases of long-term damage.
Therefore, the likelihood of either brand pushing out contaminated food is extremely low.
Merrick vs. Wellness Comparison
Taste
While we haven’t tried the different dog foods for ourselves, our experience with picky dogs points us toward Merrick in this category. It seems to be a more flavorful dry dog food that fussy eaters are more likely to gobble down.
Nutritional Value
When you dive into the nutritional information of both Merrick and Wellness dog foods, one thing stands out: They’re almost identical. The only differences are the secondary ingredients, and there’s no right or wrong choice with either option. Both are great for your pup!
Price
This is one area that we can give a clear winner: Wellness. The price for each of its bags is about the same, but Wellness has a 30-pound bag, while the comparable size for Merrick is 24 pounds. Going with Wellness is the equivalent of getting 6 extra pounds of dog food for free.
Selection
While Wellness might have more selections compared to Merrick, it’s still a draw here. Those additional selections don’t offer that much more, and many of the recipes are redundant.
Overall
While there’s an argument for going with the tastier Merrick dog food, we can’t look past the cost savings that Wellness offers. If your dog likes Wellness dog food, it’s a more affordable option and offers near-identical nutritional value. So, go ahead and save yourself money with this high-quality dog food.
Conclusion
Both Merrick and Wellness dog food are high-quality options. But with almost identical nutritional information and quality, most people should go with Wellness. That said, if you have a picky eater, Merrick dog food might be the better choice.
No matter what dog food you go with, you can feel good about putting either Wellness or Merrick dog food in your pup’s bowl every day.
