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Merrick Grain-Free Wet Puppy Food Puppy Plate Chicken Recipe, 12.7-oz can, case of 12
Merrick

Grain-Free Wet Puppy Food Puppy Plate Chicken Recipe, 12.7-oz can, case of 12

Evidence Fair
AAFCO compliance inferred from product name
wet $4.77/lb

Merrick Grain-Free Wet Puppy Food Puppy Plate Chicken Recipe, 12.7-oz can, case of 12 earns a Sniff Score of 62/100 (B) with Fair evidence. 1 controversial ingredient flagged. Reasonable protein quality. deboned chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage..

Graded by The Sniff System

Why this score

Reasonable protein quality. deboned chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage.

PQI

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

FQI

Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.

STACK

Contains guar gum. Emerging microbiome data on emulsifiers; no canine clinical evidence. Minor penalty in canned food..

CIP

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: 50% ⓘ
Protein
9%
min (as fed)
Fat
5%
min (as fed)
Fiber
1.5%
max (as fed)
Moisture
82%
max

Wet and fresh foods contain more water than kibble (typically 65-78%). On a dry-matter basis, this food's protein content is roughly 50%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).

Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

33 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    deboned chicken

    Real meat with the bones removed before grinding. The cleanest version of chicken on an ingredient label.

  2. 2
    chicken broth

    Real broth, adds flavor and moisture. Negligible nutrition on its own but tells you the recipe leans on real meat.

  3. 3
    turkey

    Real meat. Lean protein, good amino acid profile, often well-tolerated by dogs sensitive to chicken.

  4. 4
    turkey broth

    Real broth from named meat. Adds flavor and moisture, signals a recipe that leans on real meat.

  5. 5
    sweet potato

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

  6. 6
    carrots

    Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.

  7. 7
    apples

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

  8. 8
    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 →

  9. 9
    dried egg product

    Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.

  10. 10
    potato protein

    Concentrated potato protein. Like pea protein, it inflates the protein number without matching meat-quality amino acids.

  11. 11
    natural flavor

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

  12. 12
    sodium phosphate

    Mineral source and preservative. Standard inclusion at small doses.

  13. 13
    salt

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

  14. 14
    guar gum

    Thickener common in wet food. Emerging research on emulsifiers and the gut microbiome, but no smoking gun in dogs yet.

  15. 15
    calcium carbonate

    Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.

  16. 16
    potato starch

    Refined potato. Pure carb energy, low on other nutrition. Often used as a binder in grain-free recipes.

  17. 17
    potassium chloride

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

  18. 18
    flaxseed oil
  19. 19
    fish oil

    Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.

  20. 20
    flaxseed meal
  21. 21
    zinc proteinate

    Zinc bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form of the mineral, versus zinc oxide which sits cheaper on the label.

  22. 22
    iron proteinate

    Iron bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.

  23. 23
    copper proteinate

    Copper bound to protein for better absorption. Common in better-formulated diets.

  24. 24
    cobalt proteinate

    Cobalt bound to protein. Trace mineral needed for vitamin B12 synthesis, chelated form for better absorption.

  25. 25
    manganese proteinate

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

Showing first 25 of 33. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.

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