The line is built around one animal protein per recipe, listed first on every label: salmon, chicken or lamb in the kibbles, and turkey, chicken or lamb in the wet foods. All 8 recipes are labeled for adult dogs of all breed sizes.
The kibbles sit in a tight band: 23% to 24% protein and 14% fat across the board, as fed, with estimated starch from 40% to 41.5%. Against the catalog kibble average, the line runs lower in protein (23.8% vs 26.9%), higher in estimated starch (40.5% vs 37.4%) and higher in calories (427 kcal vs 395). Three kibbles are grain free and use sweet potatoes, potatoes and peas. The two brown rice kibbles use oat meal and barley, list potato and list no peas or lentils. The wet foods carry 7% to 8% protein against a catalog wet average of 8.3%, and all three list peas or lentils.
The trade-offs: protein is modest for a kibble, estimated starch is on the high side, and because the figures barely change, switching proteins changes little else. The Grain-Free Real Chicken & Sweet Potato kibble is discontinued.
| Recipe | Protein | Fat | Starch | Kcal / cup | First ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grain-Free Real Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe | 24% | 14% | 40.5% | 376 | Deboned Salmon, Salmon Meal, Sweet Potatoes |
| Real Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe | 24% | 14% | 40% | 462 | Deboned Salmon, Salmon Meal, Brown Rice |
| Real Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe | 24% | 14% | 40% | 460 | Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice |
| Grain-Free Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe | 24% | 14% | 40.5% | 387 | Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Sweet Potatoes |
| Grain-Free Real Lamb & Sweet Potato Recipe | 23% | 14% | 41.5% | 450 | Deboned Lamb, Lamb Meal, Sweet Potatoes |
| Line average | 23.8% | 14% | 40.5% | 427 |
All figures as fed, from the guaranteed analysis on each label. Starch is our estimate, since no bag prints it. Highest in the line is marked in bold, lowest in italics.
24% protein · 14% fat · 40.5% starch · 376 kcal/cup · Adult
This grain-free kibble pairs deboned salmon and salmon meal with sweet potatoes, potatoes and peas, and has the fewest calories per cup in the line at 376. It suits owners who want a fish kibble without grain and fewer calories per cup.
Full review of Grain-Free Real Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe24% protein · 14% fat · 40% starch · 462 kcal/cup · Adult
The grain-inclusive salmon kibble uses brown rice, oat meal and barley with no peas or lentils, and has the most calories per cup in the line at 462 (3,726 kcal per kg). It suits owners who want a fish kibble without legumes and with more calories per cup.
Full review of Real Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe24% protein · 14% fat · 40% starch · 460 kcal/cup · Adult
This is the chicken kibble with grain: brown rice, oat meal and barley follow deboned chicken and chicken meal, with no peas or lentils listed and 460 kcal per cup. It suits owners who want a chicken kibble with grains and no legumes.
Full review of Real Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe24% protein · 14% fat · 40.5% starch · 387 kcal/cup · Adult
This grain-free chicken kibble with sweet potatoes, potatoes and peas is listed as discontinued. At 387 kcal per cup it has fewer calories than the brown rice chicken recipe, which matters for owners who already feed it and are planning a switch.
We believe this recipe has been discontinued.
Full review of Grain-Free Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe23% protein · 14% fat · 41.5% starch · 450 kcal/cup · Adult
The only lamb kibble in the line, with deboned lamb and lamb meal ahead of sweet potatoes, potatoes and peas, and the lowest protein (23%) and highest estimated starch (41.5%) among the kibbles. It suits owners looking for a grain-free lamb kibble.
Full review of Grain-Free Real Lamb & Sweet Potato Recipe| Recipe | Protein | Fat | Moisture | Kcal / kg | First ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limited Ingredient Turkey | 8% | 6% | 78% | 1,119 | Deboned Turkey, Turkey Broth, Turkey Liver |
| Limited Ingredient Chicken | 8% | 5% | 78% | 1,140 | Deboned Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver |
| Grain Free Limited Ingredient Lamb | 7% | 9% | 78% | 1,353 | Deboned Lamb, Water Sufficient for Processing, Lamb Liver |
| Line average | 7.7% | 6.7% | 78% | 1,204 |
All figures as fed, from the guaranteed analysis on each label. Wet food is mostly water, so compare it with other wet food only. Highest in the line is marked in bold, lowest in italics.
8% protein · 6% fat · 400 kcal/serving · Adult
The only turkey recipe in the line, with deboned turkey, turkey broth and turkey liver ahead of brown rice and oatmeal, and the fewest calories of the wet foods at 1,119 kcal per kg. It suits owners who want a grain-inclusive wet food built on turkey alone.
Full review of Limited Ingredient Turkey8% protein · 5% fat · 410 kcal/can · Adult
This chicken wet food has the least fat in the line at 5%, with 8% protein and 410 kcal per can. It suits owners who want a lower fat chicken wet food made with brown rice and oatmeal.
Full review of Limited Ingredient Chicken7% protein · 9% fat · 1,353 kcal/kg · Adult
The only grain-free wet food here, built on deboned lamb and lamb liver, with the most fat (9%) and most calories (1,353 kcal per kg) but the least protein of the wet foods at 7%. It suits owners avoiding grain who want a higher fat lamb wet food.
Full review of Grain Free Limited Ingredient LambNot all of it. The Grain-Free Real Salmon & Sweet Potato, Grain-Free Real Lamb & Sweet Potato and Grain-Free Real Chicken & Sweet Potato kibbles and the Grain Free Limited Ingredient Lamb wet food are grain free. The Real Salmon & Brown Rice and Real Chicken & Brown Rice kibbles and the Turkey and Chicken wet foods contain grain.
The three grain-free kibbles list peas, and all three wet foods list peas or lentils. Real Salmon & Brown Rice and Real Chicken & Brown Rice are the only recipes in the line with no peas or lentils.
Four kibbles tie at 24% protein as fed: Grain-Free Real Salmon & Sweet Potato, Real Salmon & Brown Rice, Real Chicken & Brown Rice and Grain-Free Real Chicken & Sweet Potato. Grain-Free Real Lamb & Sweet Potato has 23%.
Protein runs lower than the average kibble we review (26.8% vs 30.1% on a dry matter basis).
Starch is higher than average, at 41% of the food as fed.
100% of recipes lead with a meat, fish or egg ingredient (89% across the site).
50% of recipes are grain-free.
this range, lowest to highest its average average of all 3,205 foods we review
Starch is our estimate from the guaranteed analysis, since no manufacturer prints it. How we work it out
Share of recipes that list each animal protein as an ingredient, not counting oils, fats or flavorings. Useful if your dog has a food sensitivity.
These are not unsafe. They are listed because readers ask about them.
MOST PROTEIN
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Real Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food
27.0% dry matter
LEAST STARCH
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Real Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food
40% as fed
FEWEST CALORIES
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Real Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food
376 kcal per cup
Beef dog treat varieties
We keep reviews of discontinued recipes online, each with suggested replacements, because bags stay on shelves and in pantries for months.
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115 foods in the deck. Grapes are in there. So is cheese.
Ten foods, one at a time. Call each one Safe, In Moderation or Never, then flip the card to see if you had it right. The ones you miss are listed at the end.
Keys: 1 Safe 2 Moderation 3 Never Enter Next
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Look it up: estimated starch, calories per cup and every ingredient, for 3,207 foods.
