Taste of the wild has been around since 2002, and they pride themselves on natural ingredients with no preservatives or fillers. They also source their meat from animals raised in North America, which means they are free-range, antibiotic-free, and never fed animal byproducts like corn or soy.
Which is better for your pup? It’s hard to know how much of a difference there could be between two brands, but it depends on what you search for. Merrick feeds their dogs with high-quality meat and vegetables, while Taste of the Wild offers grain-free dog food with tasty ingredients like real fruits and veggies.
It’s a tough decision to find the best dog food for your pup, but if you’ve settled on one of these choices, then we’re proud that it was this brand! Merrick and Taste of Wild are both excellent brands with loyal customer followings. But there is something distinctly different about each choice- they offer two very unique flavors for your hungry pup’s next meal.
So before concluding, make sure you take some time to read through what makes them so special? Here are some products from both brands to help you discover what suits your canine friend the best!
- Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free Dog Food
- Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Food For Dogs
- Merrick Grain-Free Dog Food
- Whole Earth Farms Grain-Free
Taste Of The Wild Dog Foods
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free Dog Food
Overview
The Taste of the Wild High Prairie Food For Dogs is perfect for furry friends who need balanced nutrition without grains.
The grain-free formula includes peas and sweet potatoes to deliver natural antioxidants that will help your pup stay energized, while novel proteins like buffalo and bison make it a nourishing mealtime for all breeds. With this high-quality stuff from nature’s recipe book, you can ensure your pup eats well.
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Food For Dogs blends the yummy free-range protein with fruits and veggies, so you know their stomachs are happy too! The real ingredients in this nutritional recipe are sure to set Fido up for success with his next big adventure or relaxing at home.
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Food For Dogs is a human-grade, raw diet for dogs that tastes so good and benefits their health in the process. Humans and animals have been eating organic foods like this since we first descended from the trees.
This delicious dish features real fruits and vegetables, dried chicory root to promote healthy digestion, essential amino acids chelated with minerals for maximum absorption—fantastic ingredients in an easy pack you can feel confident about giving your dog any time of day.
Canines will be feeling like they’re free-ranging under the high plains when you give them this dog food. Free of grains, Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is full of meat protein to help maintain lean muscles and get them strong. Paired with potatoes and sweet potatoes for a humane carb alternative, this one’s got all your herbivorous canine needs covered.
Key Features:
- 32% protein helps support your pet’s bones and muscles
- High in antioxidants to help promote healthy skin
- It contains probiotics for digestive health
- All-natural, sustainably sourced ingredients
Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Food For Dogs
Overview
Taste of the Wild creates a rich, flavorful and nutrient-packed meal that combines familiar ingredients with new and innovative flavors. These recipes feature high-quality meats like Whitefish or Chew Roasted Pork on every single king-sized piece to give your pup all the natural vitality he needs from start to finish.
And with peas and sweet potatoes at its core, this grain-free recipe can easily be customized into a balanced diet for any furry guy!
Your furry friend deserves a taste of the wild, too! A high-protein and carbohydrate custom diet for dogs. Packed with fresh fruits and vegetables to nourish your pup’s wild side, this grain-free food is enriched with omega-6 fatty acids and prebiotic fiber to help support small intestinal health as well.
Plus, there are probiotics in each bite to aid digestion. With Taste of the Wild High Prairie Dog Food, you can be sure that your dog lives on a schedule that caters to their nutritional needs!
This dog food is made with nutritious ingredients in a way that’s safe and healthy for your best friend. There are many health benefits, including no GMO, natural goodness from organic vegetables, flaxseed for skin and coat health, antioxidants to support the immune system, protein content to promote lean muscle growth and provide energy.
Your furry pal will love the wholesome Taste of this tasty meal served up every day!
Key Features:
- High-quality, healthy pet food
- It has ingredients suitable for your pet’s digestive system and immune system
- It can be served warmed up slightly to make it tasty
Merrick Dog Foods
Merrick Grain-Free Dog Food
Overview
Serve your furry friend a toothsome fish dish with Merrick Dog Food. This dog food is made with protein and healthy fat, with deboned salmon as the number one ingredient.
The remaining 40% includes producing fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other natural ingredients to create a complete and balanced diet. Plus, all of this comes in an easy-to-serve 12-pound bag that will save you from any shopping day blues!
Lab-tested for high levels of omega fatty acids, Glucosamine, and chondroitin, promoting hip and joint function. Free from poultry ingredients, corn, soy, and gluten, also completely free from artificial preservatives!
The most delicious food your pup has ever tasted with complete no-grain nutrition to mature gastrointestinal systems and high levels of Lamb meal as a quality protein source to help maximize caloric intake.
Your weary-legged pup is anxious to get back on the field and run yet again. But before you let them, first give them the new Merrick Grain-Free Real Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food.
This diet has an abundance of carbs and fiber that can keep your pet’s energy tanks full throughout the day while providing a meal rich in protein from digestible salmon, which also supports healthy digestion. This food makes it safe for you to take your best friend back out to play!
Key Features:
- Innovative protein blend
- Unique taste and texture that’s easy on the stomach
- Grain-free recipe packed with flavor and nutrients
- Help your pup maintain proper weight and increased energy
- It contains Omega 3 fatty acids to support skin and coat health
- Glucosamine and Chondroitin help support healthy hips and joints
Whole Earth Farms Grain-Free
Overview
Stand tall with Whole Earth Farms Grain-Free. This well-balanced meal is all you need to give your pup a tasty and healthy diet! Real high-quality animal protein, like pork (with 82% meat), beef (80%), and lamb (68%, the most muscle of any red meat), sets the base for this balanced food recipe developed by veterinarians and nutritionists.
Field-grown veggies provide plenty of fiber too. It’s as wholesome as it gets: no preservatives, low sodium, fillers, or grains – just simple ingredients from real farms that are made in America!
Whole Earth Farms pet food is a healthy and natural way to feed your pet. This product promotes a strong immune system for furry loved ones while eliminating unhealthy additives like corn, wheat, soy, and artificial flavors.
It contains protein from beef, lamb, and pork along with antioxidants for a healthy fur coat and omega fatty acids for long-lasting skin health that has been known to get dry in cold winter months.
With all these natural ingredients, you can have peace of mind knowing this dish feeds the nutritional needs of your best friend rather than those pesky fleas on their tail that try their best to bite off any chance they get!
Key Features:
- Carnivores rule – Pork, beef, and lamb are the #1 ingredient
- Omega 3 and omega-six fatty acids for skin/coat health
- Antioxidants for a healthy immune system
- 100% Grain-Free nutrition
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Buying Guide
Taste of the Wild History
Taste of the Wild was established back in 2007 by Diamond Pet Foods, making them a popular choice among pet owners.
They have always been using quality ingredients that are affordable for all pets to enjoy, and that is why it has become so successful over the years.
Taste of The Wild’s natural recipe provides premium-quality protein sources like a beef meal, lamb meal, venison, and bison, as well as high levels of omega fats from flaxseed oil (Omega 3) & salmon oil (Omega 6).
With their high levels of fiber content, this food also helps regulate your dog’s digestion system, which can lead to better health, but they still make sure you never run out with an 8 lb bag available now at Walmart stores nationwide!
Diamond Pet Foods has had some trouble with customer relations recently. Still, Taste of The Wild seems to win customers back and prove that they are not just another company trying to capitalize on pet owners’ lack of knowledge.
Merrick History
In his family kitchen, Garth Merrick, founder of the popular pet food company “Merrick Food,” first learned to nurture dogs. His tireless dedication to loving pooches is what makes their success so amazing: 30 years ago, he set out on a journey from Texas, where they produced canine dentistry treats.
Today, Merrick dog food is one of America’s most acclaimed dog food brands with products all over the country.
As the trend for healthy pet food continues, their popularity is only growing with a loyal base of customers who highly recommend them as an excellent choice, even when compared to bigger brands.
Their affordable prices make it easy on any budget with options ranging from $5-$6 depending on size, making them accessible for all types of households!
Nutritional Value
Dog food companies are required to list the nutrition analysis on their packages, which allows dog owners like you and me to easily choose a product that will meet our furry friend’s dietary needs.
As per AAFCO requirements, these two brands offer guaranteed analyses of ingredients in their products. This makes it easy for us pet parents; we can quickly pick out nutritious foods without researching!
The dry matter basis is a way to measure the essential nutrients content of food. When we compared various products, some variations in levels were likely due to how each maker uniquely prepares their dog’s diet.
Although Merrick had more proteins than other manufacturers, it was still an unsettling number for us at first glance and doesn’t necessarily suggest that they are better-quality pet foods either.
But there weren’t any glaring differences between them all, so we would say you don’t jump just yet! Then Taste of the Wild led with a few points ahead on fiber content. Both brands are a win on fat, but in different ways: dry kibble hits 17% while canned formula is at 20%.
Ingredients Used By Both the Brands
While comparing Taste of the Wild vs. Merrick pet care in ingredients use, we can say they are pretty much on even footing for quality. Both brands craft their dog recipes from wholesome foods sourced from farms and wilderness.
Also, both contain real meat as the first ingredient to offer high-quality protein that is great for boosting your pup’s growth and optimizing muscle strength if he or she happens to be active.
All the brands are against artificial additives, not just for flavor or preservation. The original flavors of ingredients like fish and fruit make up most natural sauces, while Merrick also uses mixed tocopherols as preservatives.
Recalls
Merrick is no stranger to recalls. It’s been voluntarily recalling dog treats for well over a year now, only the most recent case on July 6th when they recalled their “Beef Filet Squares” product due to Salmonella bacteria contamination.
Since January 2010, Merrick has had six other voluntary recall notices in addition to this one.
This follows six voluntary recall notices and one mandatory federal government order over the past three years. One such notice was expanded to include 83 cases last week alone after being voluntarily recalled back in August 2010 due to possible contamination with Salmonella bacteria from beef that was used as an ingredient throughout production at Merricks facility in Texas.
Merrick has issued seven recalls on its own accord during this period; six were voluntary, while only one required intervention by authorities or mandated through public safety regulations (August 16).
Merrick recalls Doggie Wishbone pet treats due to the potential contamination with Salmonella bacteria. There is no word on how this happened, but Merrick has decided it would be too risky not to recall and reassess the situation before selling any more products.
The company also announced a voluntary beef treat product recall because of elevated levels in naturally-occurring thyroid hormone that could cause increased thirst and urination for consumers who are hypersensitive or allergic to them.
Diamond Pet Food has been having a hard time with recalls. The parent organization of Taste of the Wild, Diamond Pet Food, had several recalls over recent years, including one direct hit on their own brand’s product: May 5th, 2012 – Taste of the Wild recalled some as preventive measures associated with another company’s salmonella concerns that affected other brands manufactured in Diamond Pet Foods’ facilities.
Although the recall had a large impact on both pets and owners, the food tested by Diamond Pet Food showed negative results for salmonella.
Safety
As the pet owner, you want nothing more than to feed your family’s beloved pup nutritious and safe food. The best of these brands have been counting on their recipes for years without a single production flaw until now. Merrick’s recalls have been more severe, with five of six involving Salmonella contamination.
Meanwhile, Taste of the Wild had only one recall in 2012 involving Salmonella bacteria. We all know that pets are our children, and we want them to be healthy. But it’s been found out recently that some pet food brands may not have the best intentions for us at heart after being implicated in a recent FDA investigation.
This comes as an alarming report claims they were blocking taurine absorption from grain-free nutrition blocks, which could lead to a higher risk of heart disorders – something no one wants their furry friend to come across with! If you want to ensure your pup is healthy and happy, then it’s time for a change! Stop feeding them foods that are bad for their health with grains.
Stop giving food containing chicken or other ingredients which they might not be able to digest properly.
Price
The cost of food is determined by the moisture content and can vary dramatically depending on what type of product you’re looking for. For example, wet dog food might have a different price than dry cat food because it has more water to increase its overall weight.
The average cost-per-kcal accounts for this difference since both types are equal in caloric value regardless of whether they contain higher or lower amounts of water, as we see with other products like canned goods vs. dried fruit. Average price data can identify if there is a significant difference between the two brands of dog food.
If you usually shop around, then it won’t matter which brand Merrick or Taste of the Wild, since both will be cheaper than what they would have cost retail prices for either, and their average savings may even exceed 25%.
Taste
Dogs’ taste buds are highly refined. As they age, the flavors that used to be their favorite food have lost their appeal and now have a different preference every few months.
It is important for me as her owner to pay attention and take note of what my dog doesn’t want because it will guide me in finding out which flavor they prefer on any given day or week when I’m shopping at our local pet store!
Crude Protein Comparison
Protein is essential for dogs to live. Dogs require twenty-two amino acids, ten of which are not synthesized naturally and must be consumed through food sources like protein. Merrick dog foods provide a higher level of protein than most other brands.
In contrast, Taste of the Wild provides an average amount with more diversity in types because they have twelve different proteins, including chicken meal, lamb meal, and even duck!
Crude Fat Comparison
For centuries, nutritionists have been telling us that fats are bad for our health. But recent research has shown that not only do fats provide energy and help the body function properly, but they serve important roles in the normal development of your canine companion’s body as well.
For example, fat produces prostaglandins that reduce inflammation and other significant functions, all while tasting great to dogs! One of the most important aspects for those who are considering wet dog food is fat content.
Taste of the Wild and Merrick didn’t disappoint in this regard, as their respective products provide roughly equal amounts within a small margin – but they also offer other significant differences to consider, such as flavor!
Some pet owners get hung up on one aspect of buying wet dog food: crude fat content. But what about choosing between flavors like chicken or salmon? What’s your pup’s favorite meaty meal?!
Sneak Peek At The Winner
When it comes to nutrition for your best friend, why settle for anything less than the most natural and balanced? Taste of the Wild is committed to creating a better quality meal that will give you dogs what they need.
However, Merrick has also been on top of the line in this industry since 1982, so whichever way you go -you’re making an excellent decision! If you are searching for pet food to feed your pup, there is one thing that all experts agree on – it’s important.
Many studies have been brought out over the years that suggest various brands, and types of diets are better than others, but ultimately, what matters most in terms of feeding time is who their owner wants them to be!
Whether they want them strong or happy depends largely on circumstance and also belief system, so if these two companies produce either sort, then I’m sure whichever company suits best will make any pup healthy and content as well.
Conclusion
Taste of the Wild and Merrick are both excellent brands for your dog’s health. They have natural, holistic diets that include high-quality ingredients from the farm and wilderness. Furthermore, their food formulas contain multiple essential vitamins to help your pet grow and maintain his health.
If you’re looking for a great option when deciding which brand is best for your pup, consider either one! So, if you’re considering Merrick vs. Taste of the Wild, we hope this article has helped answer any questions you had.
Remember to ask your vet about which type and brand they recommend for your pet because it is not just simple dog foods we are talking about here.
You can get some great advice from them on how much food to give each day and what types will be best suited for the specific needs of your animal friend(s).
In addition, even though Taste of the Wild does cost less per bag than Merrick, consider purchasing a larger size so that you don’t end up overpaying in shipping costs by ordering smaller quantities every time.
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