# Merrick



## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

Had to go out of town for a couple days so I purchased some canned food as an easy way to feed my girls. I got some Merrick 96% grain free chicken. Wow do my girls get gassy from this stuff. I'm wondering if there's something wrong with the food. Or if this is normal? I've used this in the past and haven't noticed this problem. Very gassy, whew! Pew feddo as my mom used to say. haha
Jcris


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Merrick was acquired last year by one of the big companies (Purina?) maybe they changed the formula if it didn't have that effect in the past. I tend to think it was the quick change from kibble/raw to canned.


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## NatalieAnne (Jul 23, 2016)

I just purchased some Merrick puppy dry & a can of their Puppy Plate. I have mixed a bit of dry with boiling water then added a heaping teas. of the canned. I haven't noticed any gassy problem as yet.


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

Mfmst is right, Merrick was acquired by Nestle Purina. I imagine the formula has changed to save the company money, although it could also be the fast change in food.


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

My Boston Terrier can't eat Merrick because it gives her gas and diarrhea. Noelle can eat it without a problem. Maybe your dog is like Francis and needs a different brand. Also, Francis can't tolerate grain free dog food. It makes her sick.


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

Was this the first time they have had that food? Sometimes a drastic change in diet will do that. The jury is still out whether it is good to change foods without slowly introducing them. Maybe it depends on the individual dog. (I alternated foods a lot with Callie over the years, and she has a much stronger stomach than Molly, who I have kept on Merrick and some TOW canned - both refuse to eat TOW and Fromm kibble for some reason

I've been watching Merrick closely because of the purchase by Purina and look at ingredients and labels. So far, it doesn't appear anything has changed or been altered. The ingredients are still all from the USA. My girls have been on Merrick grain free forever. 
Even years ago, they both got looser bowels if I gave them "pure" single source meat in the can (I mean the solid, ground up consistency) but they have no problem with any of the multiple ingredient and stews canned foods. Even "iron gut" Callie gets loose on that type of product. I'm thinking it has a higher fat content. (They had a worse problem with Evangers canned (duck, pheasant). I think it is too rich and has too much fat.)

Both girls love and do well on all the Backcountry stews and they are crazy about Turducken. I mix the canned with Merrick kibble for evening meals and alternate with TOW canned as they seem to like variety.

I've never fed canned without mixing 2/3 kibble with it. I've heard that feeding straight canned food will produce looser stools because of the higher fat and water content but haven't experimented doing that.


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## shell (Jul 10, 2015)

It doesn't matter who owns Merrick unless you are boycotting certain companies for personal reasons. If you have never fed this canned food before it is normal for your dogs to be super gassy and have some gastric upset after eating it. Normally once a dog gets used to a food that goes away-but not always. I have only one of three dogs who can eat anything without a transition. My other two dogs have lots of issues when switching cold turkey and some of those issues don't go away at all depending on the foods I choose.


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

I'm hoping that nothing will change with Merrick since it (supposedly) retained the same management, only changed ownership. Purina has such a bad reputation they probably negotiated to buy Merrick so they could have a high quality product. 
We can hope that they wouldn't be stupid enough to start adulterating it with poor quality because it would be defeating the purpose for which they bought it. They will definitely be exposed if they start ruining a great line like that because we will be watching them!


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## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

I'm thinking the quick change to canned food was my mistake.
Jcris


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

When I travel with any of my dogs long enough and far enough that they will need to eat on the trip *I bring food and water from home*. My feeling is that staying in a hotel, not having their yard to run free in and not having their big stash of toys to play with are all potential sources of stress. The last thing in the world I want to do under those circumstances is to upset their digestive tracts. Sudden food change along with travel doesn't sound like something any of my dogs would be happy about.


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

Lily, we do the same. We travel cross country (and all over) with the girls in our fifth wheel. I stock up on 15 cans of assorted Merrick, a 12 lb bag of kibble and a couple of 4 pound bags (for variety), lots of bully sticks and knee caps and bottled water. I never give them tap water when we travel, even though we have a filter. I can get Merrick in Petco in an emergency (but it is much more expensive than on line or in our local family owned pet store - price gouging!) 
Also comes with us: canned pumpkin and a couple jars of baby meat a prescription for intestinal infection, (in case of sick tummies) toys, grooming tools, dog beds, poo bags, essential oil spray for flea/tick repellent, and I probably forgot some other essentials. Its like traveling with a baby, except more complicated!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

SusanG totally more complicated than traveling with a baby I think. In addition to food and water, I also have cooked turkey burgers as a supplement to the regular food, treats of various types and more training stuff than most people could imagine, crates, a folding chair for myself and a wagon along with my clothing and toiletries. As to clothes I usually have show pants, shirts and shoes separately from my down time clothes.

I have a couple of pictures of the piles of stuff that I took for our last trip in this thread. http://www.poodleforum.com/3-poodle-pictures/209905-two-black-poodles-summer-road-trip.html

jcris do think of bringing what your girls are routinely eating for your next road trip with them. Their tummies will appreciate it and I think you will too.


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

Our furry children have us well trained!


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## West U (Jul 30, 2014)

I tried Merrick 2 yeas ago,,,I don't know who owned the company then. My dogs loved it. But the dry food was full of live worms. The dogs didn't mind worms either. I could not handle the worms so quit feeding it,


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## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

Live worms! Seriously?
Merrick is marketed as one of the best. What a sham. Makes me wonder how many liberties are taken with human food. Everyone it seems is chasing a buck at the expense of our sweet animals.
Jcris


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

jcris said:


> Live worms! Seriously?
> Merrick is marketed as one of the best. What a sham. Makes me wonder how many liberties are taken with human food. Everyone it seems is chasing a buck at the expense of our sweet animals.
> Jcris



Just look at all of the food recalls that happen almost routinely these days. Melamine in dog food from overseas also has been in baby formula and other products for human consumption. It is used to trick the nutritional analysis of the food to make it seem like there is more protein present than actually is.

Here is an interesting blog post about this topic. Why is melamine in baby formula, your food -- and your pets' meals? - Scientific American Blog Network


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## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

Melamine, 
My Mom used to have a set of everyday dinner plates that was made of that stuff. There seems no end to what is allowed to go on. The FDA is also a complete sham. The most precious thing in this world is the innocence and beauty of children. And we are leaving them to deal with our foolish ways. Sorry, I'm just constantly amazed at the state of this world. I'm certainly not perfect by any means but the information age has conspired against us all. I enjoy my standards as if they were my children and try to take care of them in the same way. Geez!
Jcris


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I had melamine plates and still have some melamine cooking utensils. It is just grinding it up and putting it into food that stinks to high heaven. I also agree with you about the FDA, but it isn't just them it is the rather unholy triangle of the FDA, big pharma and academic medicine and the wide open doorways that allow people to routinely go back and forth between those "entities" that should be very carefully separated from each other rather than having golf outings and dinners with each other as the people negotiate their next job in one of the other places.

I too worry about the world we are leaving to future generations.


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