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MERRICK · LIL' PLATES

Merrick Lil’ Plates Small Breed Chicken Grain-Free Wet Dog Food

Wet food in 3.5 oz tubs, complete and balanced for adult dogs. With the water taken out it is 44% protein and 17% fat, and each tub carries 92 kcal.

  • Complete & balanced for adult dogs (AAFCO, on the label)
  • 3.5 oz tub
  • 82% water
Protein is 44.4% once the water is taken out, close to the wet food median of 43%. The label prints 8.0% because that figure includes the water. One tub carries 92 kcal and about 2.9 oz of water.
PROTEIN, WATER OUT
44.4%
KCAL / TUB
92
TUBS A DAY*
11.7

*For a 45 lb adult dog on this food alone. Set your own dog.

Compare With Another Food
Merrick Lil’ Plates Small Breed Chicken Grain-Free Wet Dog Food

Ingredient Wiki

FIRST 5 OF 22 COMPONENTS
Chicken

Chicken

The clean flesh of the chicken, with or without skin, used fresh. Roughly 70% of its weight is water, most…
Chicken Broth

Chicken Broth

The liquid produced by simmering chicken, used to add moisture and flavor.
Turkey Broth

Turkey Broth

The liquid produced by simmering turkey, used to add moisture and flavor.
Chicken Liver

Chicken Liver

The liver of the chicken, an organ meat.

Dried Egg Whites

The white of the egg, dried.
READING THE LIST

What’s in the tub

First meat
DEBONED CHICKEN, first on the list. Named meats near the top: DEBONED CHICKEN, CHICKEN LIVER and DRIED EGG WHITES.
Thickeners and binders
POTATO STARCH, GUAR GUM and XANTHAN GUM. They give the food its texture and hold pieces together. Normal in wet food; starches and flours also add carbohydrate.
Added color
None listed.
Flagged additives
None from our list.

Guaranteed
Analysis

As printed on the tub, measured “as fed”

Calories
929 kcal/kg
Crude Protein (min.)
8.0%
Crude Fat (min.)
3.0%
Crude Fiber (max.)
1.4%
Moisture (max.)
82.0%

92 kcal per 3.5 oz tub.

Put these nutrition facts on your site

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Full Ingredient
Declaration

Exactly as the tub prints it, heaviest first

SALT DIVIDER

DEBONED CHICKEN, CHICKEN BROTH, TURKEY BROTH, CHICKEN LIVER, DRIED EGG WHITES, POTATO STARCH, POTATOES, CARROTS, PEAS, APPLES, GUAR GUM, SUNFLOWER OIL, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SALT*The Salt Divider. Ingredients are listed heaviest first, and a dog food needs very little salt, so everything after this point is present in an even smaller amount., SODIUM PHOSPHATE, NATURAL FLAVOR, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, MINERALS (ZINC AMINO ACID CHELATE, IRON AMINO ACID CHELATE, COPPER AMINO ACID CHELATE, MANGANESE AMINO ACID CHELATE, SODIUM SELENITE, COBALT AMINO ACID CHELATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE), CHOLINE CHLORIDE, VITAMINS (VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, NIACIN SUPPLEMENT, d-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT, BIOTIN, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, FOLIC ACID), XANTHAN GUM

Ingredients are listed heaviest first, and a dog food needs very little salt, so everything after the divider is present in an even smaller amount.

NUTRITION WITH THE WATER TAKEN OUT

Wet food is mostly water, so the label’s percentages look small next to kibble. Taking the water out is the only fair way to compare it with other foods.

NUTRIENT ON THE LABEL WATER OUT WET FOOD MEDIAN
PROTEIN 8.0% 44.4% 43.2%
FAT 3.0% 16.7% 22.2%
FIBER 1.4% 7.8% -
CARBS (EST.) - 20.0% -

Carbohydrate is not on any label: it is what is left after protein, fat, fiber, water and an assumed 2% ash.

AMONG 816 WET FOODS
Protein, water out
44%
Higher than 67%. Median 43%.
Calories
929 kcal/kg
Richer than 35%. Median 994 kcal/kg.
Water
82%
Wetter than 58%. Median 78%.
HOW MUCH TO FEED

Daily portion calculator

Weight
45 lb
Weight goal
OF THIS FOOD, PER DAY
11.7TUBS
    1,076 kcal40.9 oz

    Calculated from the resting energy formula vets use and this food’s actual calorie density (929 kcal per kg, 92 kcal per tub). A starting point to adjust from, not a prescription.

    RECALL HISTORY // MERRICK

    1 FDA Recall On Record

    MAY 23, 2018
    INGREDIENT LEVEL

    ‎Beef dog treat varieties Matched by brand. The notice lists the exact products and lots.

    None in the last three years. Older events stay on the record. See the recall log

    SAME LINE

    Other Flavors

    Backcountry Grain Free Real Beef 45.5% Backcountry Grain Free Real Chicken 45.5% Lil’ Plates Small Breed Thanksgiving Grain-Free 44.4% Lil’ Plates Small Breed Grain Free Duck 44.4%

    Protein with the water taken out, read the same way.

    One honest caveat. These figures are what a label will tell us: protein, calories, the top of the ingredient list, flagged additives and the brand’s recall record. They cannot tell you whether your dog will do well on this food. Allergies, gut sensitivity, age and health conditions all matter more than any of it, and none of them are printed on a tub. If your dog is thriving on a food whose figures read lower than this one, that is not a mistake, and we would not switch on our say-so.

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