Merrick Grain-Free Wilderness Blend Canned Dog Food

The average dog food we reviewed has 39 total ingredients, with 1 controversial ingredient. This product has 1 controversial ingredient, explained in more detail below.

Top 5 Ingredients

Dog food ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. So when looking at a dog food label, take a close look at the first 5 ingredients. They make up about 80% of the total weight.

• Deboned Duck
  Duck is a waterfowl and generally a healthy dog food ingredient that provides nutrients like protein, fat, iron, zinc, B vitamins, potassium and phosphorous. Raw meat contains about 75% water which is cooked off during the making of dog food. This leaves only a fraction of the protein content in the final product's weight. We recommend looking for dog foods that also include meat meals in the first five ingredients (pre-cooked meat powder that contains four times the amount of protein). De-boned simply means that the bones have been removed.

• Beef Broth
  Broth is often used as a healthy natural flavor or instead of water when making dog food. It makes dogs more likely to eat the food and adds moisture but doesn't provide a lot of nutritional value. Beef Broth is generally a healthy dog food ingredient.

• Vegetable Broth
  Broth is often used as a healthy natural flavor or instead of water when making dog food. It makes dogs more likely to eat the food and adds moisture but doesn't provide a lot of nutritional value. Vegetable Broth is generally a healthy dog food ingredient.
  
  
• Deboned Venison
  Venison is the meat of a deer and is generally a healthy dog food ingredient that offers nutrients like protein, fat and a variety of B vitamins. Raw meat contains about 75% water which is cooked off during the making of dog food. This leaves only a fraction of the protein content in the final product's weight. We recommend looking for dog foods that also include meat meals in the first five ingredients (pre-cooked meat powder that contains four times the amount of protein). Deboned simply means that the bones have been removed.
  
  
• Deboned Buffalo
  Buffalo is generally a healthy dog food ingredient that provides nutrients like protein, fat, iron, zinc and B vitamins. As mentioned right above, deboned means that the bones have been removed.

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‍Controversial Ingredients

1. Caramel Color
2. A concentrated form of caramel used in pet food to change the color of the food. It contains 4-methylimidazole (4-MIE), which has been shown to potentially produce cancer in animals.

‍Country of Origin

Merrick’s dog food is made in the United States. This is very positive, because of the strict dog food safety standards here.

Meat & Fat Quality

The meats and added fats/oils in this dog food are all clearly named. This means the animal and plant sources are clearly showing which species the ingredients come from. This is a sign of transparency and food quality.

Artificial Preservatives

This product contains no controversial preservatives. It’s good to know that ‍not all artificial preservatives are bad. That’s because they serve an important purpose, which is to prevent food from spoiling. However, we consider 11 artificial preservatives controversial because of their potential link to cancer and other serious health conditions.

Artificial Colors

Unlike many other Merrick dog foods we looked at, this one uses Caramel Color. We’ve explained above why that’s not a good thing.

Artificial Flavors

Lastly, no artificial flavors are used in this dog food.