Merrick Lil' Plates Itsy Bitsy Beef Stew | Dog Food Review

Nutrition

This food has well-balanced amounts of protein, fat, and carbs. Diets that are high in protein and fat, with moderate to low carbs, are ideal for most dogs.

To evaluate dog foods, we first calculate out the moisture. This is called the “dry matter basis” and shows you only the solid ingredients in the food. These estimated “dry matter” numbers are different from the food label, but a better way to understand the real nutritional value of the food. We also calculate the carbs. Find out more

Dry Matter

Min. Protein 44.44%

Min. Fat 16.67%

Min. Carbs 27.78%

Max. Fiber 7.78%

Max. Ash11.11%

Max. Moisture 0.00%

Food Label

Min. Protein: 8.0%

Min Fat: 3.0%

Min Carbs: N/A

Max Fiber: 1.4%

Max Ash: N/A

Max. Moisture: 82.0%

Calories

90 Calories per Can

This product has a below average amount of calories for wet food. It’s important to understand how many calories you are feeding to prevent under or overfeeding. Based on your dog's current weight and activity level you may want to feed more or less than the recommended amount.

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FDA Alert

Grain-Free Dog Foods

This is a grain-free dog food. The FDA is investigating a potential connection between grain-free diets and canine heart disease. There is not enough evidence yet to affect our ratings but we've created an article for you explaining the topic.

Learn More

99.5%

WATCHDOG
SCORE

Ingredients

100%

Total Ingredients

Controversial Ingredients

Beef, Beef Broth, Venison Broth, Beef Liver, Dried Egg Whites, Potato Starch, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Green Beans, Apples, Peas, Guar Gum, Tricalcium Phosphate, Sunflower Oil, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Natural Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Potassium Iodide), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Choline Chloride, Xanthan Gum.

The average dog food we reviewed has 39 total ingredients, with 1 controversial ingredient. This product has 0 controversial ingredients listed on the packaging.

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.

Beef
Beef is the culinary name for cuts of meat from cattle, particularly skeletal muscle. In dog food, beef can also include muscle tissues from the tongue, heart, diaphragm or esophagus. Beef is rich in protein and nutrients like niacin, vitamin B12, creatine, iron and zinc. Beef is generally a healthy dog food ingredient. Whole 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. We recommend looking for dog foods that also include meat meals (pre-cooked meat powder that contains four times the amount of protein).

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.

Venison Broth
Venison broth is generally a healthy dog food ingredient and is made from deer meat.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 Liver
Beef liver is an organ that's rich in iron, copper, and vitamin A and B. Generally, the liver is a nutritious and healthy ingredient that provides nutrients and flavor that makes your dog want to eat the food.
Dried Egg White
Dried egg whites are a powder made by drying shell-free egg whites. Eggs are a high-quality protein source that offers excellent amino acid availability to dogs. They also provide healthy nutrients like vitamin A, calcium and iron. We consider this a healthy dog food ingredient.

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‍Controversial Ingredients

This food includes no controversial ingredients.

‍Country of Origin

Merrick 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 excellent because it’s a sign of transparency and dog 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

No artificial colors are to be found either, very good.

Artificial Flavors

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

Recalls

100%

Brand Recalls

Merrick has a below-average number of dog food recalls.

Transparency

95%

We love dog food brands that are committed to transparent business practices. If you make quality dog food you should be willing to openly talk about how it’s sourced and produced. That’s why we reached out to pet food companies, asking questions about all their brands and products. Each company had three weeks to reply to our messages.

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How Easy Was it to Reach the Company?
Merrick responded within 1 day with complete answers. Unfortunately, they have an aggressive disclaimer in their email that prohibits us from sharing the answers they provided.

Does Merrick have a veterinary nutritionist on staff? If so, who are they?‍‍‍