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PRODUCT LINE

Merrick Backcountry

A line from Merrick

RECIPES REVIEWED
21
AVG PROTEIN, DM, KIBBLE
38.0%
AVG STARCH, KIBBLE
29%
FDA RECALLS
1
LINE REVIEW

The Merrick Backcountry Line, Reviewed

21 recipes, read label by label

Merrick Backcountry Kibble 13 recipes

Recipe Protein Fat Starch Kcal / cup First ingredients
Raw Infused Hero’s Banquet Grain-Free 38% 17% 24.5% 396 Deboned Beef, Pork Meal, Turkey Meal
Raw Infused Wild Fields Recipe Grain-Free 38% 17% 24.5% 402 Deboned Duck, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal
Raw Infused High Plains Recipe Grain-Free 38% 17% 24.5% 402 Deboned Beef, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal
Raw Infused Great Plains Red Recipe Grain-Free 35% 17% 27.5% 394 Deboned Beef, Pork and Bone Meal, Salmon Meal
Bone Broth Coated Beef & Bison 34% 16% 29.5% 522 Deboned Beef, Chicken Meal, Sweet Potatoes
Raw Infused Game Bird Recipe Grain-Free 34% 17% 28.5% 386 Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal
Raw Infused Great Plains Red Recipe + Grains 34% 17% 28.5% 399 Deboned Beef, Chicken Meal, Salmon Meal
Raw Infused Large Breed Recipe Grain-Free 34% 17% 28.5% 459 Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal
Raw Infused Big Game Recipe Grain-Free 34% 17% 28.5% 392 Deboned Lamb, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal
Raw Infused Pacific Catch Recipe Grain-Free 32% 16% 31.5% 464 Deboned Salmon, Salmon Meal, Sweet Potatoes
Raw Infused Pacific Catch Recipe + Grains 32% 16% 31% 477 Deboned Salmon, Salmon Meal, Brown Rice
Raw Infused Puppy Recipe Grain-Free 28% 14% 37.5% 462 Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Sweet Potatoes
Raw Infused Puppy Recipe + Grains 28% 16% 35.5% 480 Deboned Chicken, Brown Rice, Chicken Meal
Line average 33.8% 16.5% 29.2% 433

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.

Merrick Backcountry Wet food 4 recipes

Recipe Protein Fat Moisture Kcal / kg First ingredients
Grain Free Real Beef 10% 6% 78% 1,099 Deboned Beef, Beef Broth, Beef Liver
Grain Free Real Chicken 10% 6% 78% 1,219 Deboned Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver
Grain Free Hero’s Banquet 9% 4% 82% 919 Deboned Beef, Beef Broth, Turkey Broth
Slow-Cooked BBQ Chopped Lamb Grain-Free 8% 3% 82% 1,126 Deboned Lamb, Beef Broth, Chicken Broth
Line average 9.3% 4.8% 80% 1,091

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.

Merrick Backcountry Toppers 4 recipes

Recipe Protein Fat Starch Kcal / cup First ingredients
Freeze-Dried Raw Mixer Real Chicken Recipe 40% 15% 30% 290 Deboned Chicken, Chicken Liver, Peas
Freeze-Dried Raw Meal Mixer Real Beef Recipe 40% 18% 27% 230 Deboned Beef, Beef Liver, Dried Potatoes
Freeze-Dried Raw Meal Mixer Real Chicken Recipe 40% 15% 30% 290 Deboned Chicken, Chicken Liver, Peas
Freeze-Dried Raw Mixer Real Beef Recipe 38% 15% 32% 301 Deboned Beef, Beef Liver, Peas
Line average 39.5% 15.8% 29.8% 278

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.

All recipes

21 foods matched · newest first
DEEP DIVE

Inside The Merrick Backcountry Range

Across 21 recipes we review

Protein runs higher than the average kibble we review (38.0% vs 30.1% on a dry matter basis).

Starch is lower than average, at 29% of the food as fed.

100% of recipes lead with a meat, fish or egg ingredient (89% across the site).

86% of recipes are grain-free.

NUTRITION

How The Range Measures Up

this range, lowest to highest its average average of all 3,089 foods we review

Protein, dry matter 38% 32% to 43%
15%site avg 30%50%
Fat, dry matter 19% 16% to 19%
5%site avg 18%30%
Starch, as fed 29% 25% to 38%
10%site avg 37%60%
Kcal per cup 433 386 to 522
250site avg 395600

Starch is our estimate from the guaranteed analysis, since no manufacturer prints it. How we work it out

INGREDIENTS

What Goes In The Bowl

Chicken 62% 56%
Fish 48% 35%
Beef 48% 19%
Turkey 43% 20%
Lamb 33% 14%
Egg 19% 31%
Pork 14% 11%

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.

Ingredients Some Owners Avoid

By-products 0% 13%
Artificial colors 0% 1%
Chemical preservatives 33% 9%
Corn 0% 15%
Wheat 0% 13%
Soy 0% 10%

These are not unsafe. They are listed because readers ask about them.

LIFE STAGE
  • Adult17
  • Puppy2
  • All Life Stages1
BREED SIZE
  • All Breeds21
  • Large Breed1
SPECIAL DIETS
  • Grain-free (no wheat, corn, rice, barley or oats)18
Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Wild Fields Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food MOST PROTEIN Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Wild Fields Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food 42.7% dry matter Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused High Plains Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food LEAST STARCH Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused High Plains Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food 25% as fed Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Game Bird Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food FEWEST CALORIES Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Game Bird Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food 386 kcal per cup
RECALL HISTORY // MERRICK

1 FDA Recall On Record

MAY 23, 2018
INGREDIENT LEVEL

‎Beef dog treat varieties

See the recall log

NO LONGER SOLD

2 Discontinued Recipes

We keep reviews of discontinued recipes online, each with suggested replacements, because bags stay on shelves and in pantries for months.

Keep In The Know,
Know What's In The Bowl

The In the Kibble newsletter. Useful emails for dog owners: what we find inside dog food, how to feed well, and a heads-up when a food is recalled.
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