Skip to main content
Sniff
Merrick Grain-Free Dry Puppy Food Real Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe, 22-lb bag
Merrick

Grain-Free Dry Puppy Food Real Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe, 22-lb bag

Evidence Fair
AAFCO compliance inferred from product name
dry $3.50/lb

Merrick Grain-Free Dry Puppy Food Real Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe, 22-lb bag earns a Sniff Score of 68/100 (B) with Fair evidence. Zero controversial ingredients flagged. Reasonable protein quality. beef delivers solid amino acid coverage..

Graded by The Sniff System

Why this score

Reasonable protein quality. beef delivers solid amino acid coverage.

PQI

Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).

FQI

AAFCO formulation inferred from declared growth. Verbatim statement not published by retailer.

ACF

Controversial ingredients · 1

  • sodium selenite
    Synthetic selenium source. Selenium is essential, but sodium selenite has a narrower safety margin than organic alternatives like selenium yeast. Better-formulated foods use the organic form.

Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →

Guaranteed analysis
Dry-matter protein: 31% ⓘ
Protein
28%
min (as fed)
Fat
15%
min (as fed)
Fiber
4.5%
max (as fed)
Moisture
11%
max
Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

29 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    beef

    Real meat. Dense in protein and iron. Some dogs are sensitive to it, but for most it's an excellent base.

  2. 2
    chicken meal

    Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken.

  3. 3
    sweet potato

    Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.

  4. 4
    potato

    Standard white potato. Steady carb source, common starch in grain-free recipes.

  5. 5
    peas

    Cheap protein bulk. Fine in small amounts, but when peas stack with lentils and chickpeas in the top ingredients, it's the pattern the FDA flagged in its heart-disease investigation. See why →

  6. 6
    natural flavor

    Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.

  7. 7
    turkey meal

    Turkey with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh turkey.

  8. 8
    chicken fat preserved with mixed tocopherols
  9. 9
    pea protein

    Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.

  10. 10
    miscanthus grass

    Perennial grass used as a fiber source. Replaces cellulose in some recipes. Functional but unremarkable.

  11. 11
    dried yeast

    Natural source of B vitamins and trace minerals. Adds a savory flavor that dogs respond well to.

  12. 12
    salmon oil

    Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.

  13. 13
    flaxseed

    Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.

  14. 14
    potassium chloride

    Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.

  15. 15
    salt

    Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.

  16. 16
    choline chloride

    Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.

  17. 17
    zinc amino acid complex

    Zinc bound to amino acids for better absorption. Same idea as zinc proteinate, the premium form of the mineral.

  18. 18
    iron amino acid complex

    Iron bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.

  19. 19
    sodium selenite Flagged

    Inorganic selenium. Effective at AAFCO levels, no documented safety concern in dogs despite what some pet food blogs claim. Selenium yeast is a marginal upgrade, not a necessity. See why →

  20. 20
    manganese amino acid complex

    Manganese bound to amino acids for better absorption. The chelated form most premium brands use.

  21. 21
    copper amino acid complex

    Copper bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus copper sulfate.

  22. 22
    calcium iodate

    Source of iodine for thyroid function. Functional, required in complete formulas.

  23. 23
    apples

    Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.

  24. 24
    blueberries

    Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.

  25. 25
    dl-methionine

    Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.

Showing first 25 of 29. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.

24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.