I called the company and told them about what happened. They wanted to send me a coupon for a free case of dog food, and I explained to them that I wasn’t trying to get “something for nothing” but to be ASSURED that my dog’s food is SAFE. I’m paying ALOT of money for food for my girls - which I don’t mind - if it’s good for them and safe for them.

I hate when a company thinks they can shut you up just by giving you something for free…….NO MORE MERRICK.

Now I feed them Blue (Buffalo) and they’re even happier!

-Sandra, NJ

So the label is only marketing hype.

Call the company and ask for an ingredient analysis test report. Ask them to prove what’s in the food. Ask them if they test for toxins. What toxins? Ask for a copy of their last test report.

They don’t test the food, so they don’t know.

Make your own food. At least you’ll know what’s in it.

Ingredients:

Fresh beef, GROUND YELLOW CORN, SOYBEAN MEAL, CORN GLUTEN MEAL, WHEAT MIDDLINGS, GROUND WHEAT, beef tallow, cooked bone meal, beef trachea, flaxseed, natural flavor, calcium carbonate, salt, yeast culture, dicalcium phosphate, fish meal, distillers dried grains, dried whey, choline chloride, zinc proteinate, dl-alpha tocopherol (vitamin E), manganese proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, vitamin B12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, niacin, lecithin, d-activated animal sterol (source of vitamin D3), riboflavin, biotin, ethylenediamine dihydriodide, cobalt proteinate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, thiamine mononitrate, cobalt carbonate, sodium selenite.

Many dogs have allergies to wheat, note this food is full of wheat fillers. Wow. This is not a food I would recommend for pets.

Dog Food scores:
Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Van Patten’s Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Van Patten’s Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Beneful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

http://www.pedigreedatabase.co.....61660.html

Learn what each ingredient is and what it is good or bad for your pet. Don’t be fooled by pretty packaging.

How to grade your dog’s food: Start with a grade of 100:
1) For every listing of “by-product” , subtract 10 points
2) For every non-specific animal source (”meat” or “poultry”, meat, meal
or
fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4) For every grain “mill run” or non-specific grain source, subtract 5
points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first
five
ingredients (I.e. “ground brown rice”, “brewers rice”, “rice flour” are
all
the same grain), subtract 5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2
meats
in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2
points
11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is
allergic
to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog is not allergic
to
wheat), subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog is not allergic
to
beef), subtract 1 point
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:
1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add
5
points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3
points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2
points
8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the
first one; count “chicken” and “chicken meal” as only one protein
source, but “chicken” and “” as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are
pesticide-free, add 1 point

Score:
94-100+ = A 86-93 = B 78-85 = C 70-77 = D 69 and below = F

I do like the results of Wellness. One of my dogs was sick and temporarily had to be on one of the Hills Science Diet. Her coat started to get rough pretty fast. After she recovered I put her back on the Wellness and her coat got very silky soft again. The coat is the first to go. If there is proper nutrition then the dog, after taking care of the inside, will be able to form a smooth shiny coat on the outside. But I am afraid of Wellness, and am also afraid that my dogs are not getting the proper nutrients if I fed exclusively home cooked. I am now cutting the amount of Wellness in half and cooking chicken and green beans plux vitamins and minerals for them. It’s actually cheaper than feeding the Wellness! I use only Smart Chix as the chickens are raised without bad stuff and also killed much more humanely.

Celestial Pets has solutions and recipes for dogs as well as cats.

I hope this helps.

http://www.celestialpets.com