merrick food any good?

Does no one care that Merrick manufactured food for another company that killed dogs? This was in 2003, not too long ago.

This has already been stated several times on this thread.  Don't you feed natural balance which was involved in the recall and also implicated in pet deaths/illness?  I'm not sure why you are pushing this so hard.  [sm=beatdeadhorse.gif].

but I think a lot of people feed Merrick based on the cute packaging and catchy product names and not on how their dog does on the food

 
I don't what people you are referring to, but I can assure you that no one on this board is feeding Merrick cuz of the "cute" packaging.
Im fairly certain every member on this forum feeds their brand of choice becausse it's what is best for their pet.

ORIGINAL: ottoluv

Does no one care that Merrick manufactured food for another company that killed dogs? This was in 2003, not too long ago.

This has already been stated several times on this thread.  Don't you feed natural balance which was involved in the recall and also implicated in pet deaths/illness?  I'm not sure why you are pushing this so hard.  [sm=beatdeadhorse.gif].

I know I mentioned it in the beginning of the thread, but never saw it mentioned again. Of course I haven't been refreshing my memory everytime I look at the thread so maybe I missed something. Didn't think I was beating a dead horse since staples and pieces of plastic (although not good to find) seem to be more of a concern in this thread than actual dog deaths.

No, I do not feed Natural Balance. I merely mentioned in another thread that my picky eater likes that food and I would be willing to feed it to him. My dog eats a combination of homecooked meals, Evanger's cans, and a rotation of kibble, which does not include NB. I know it is manufactured by Diamond, and I know of Diamond's QC issues and the NB recalls.

ORIGINAL: jode88

but I think a lot of people feed Merrick based on the cute packaging and catchy product names and not on how their dog does on the food

I don't what people you are referring to, but I can assure you that no one on this board is feeding Merrick cuz of the "cute" packaging.
Im fairly certain every member on this forum feeds their brand of choice becausse it's what is best for their pet.

[sm=2cents.gif] I don't think that person was referring to people on this board. Merrick's packaging is cute, and it draws people in the store. Hopefully they look beyond the packaging to the mediocre ingredients and high price tag, but if they don't it's not surprising. And if they do and still decide that's what they want to feed, then good for them for doing their research. Beneful's commercials have fooled a lot of people too. Marketing is powerful.

ORIGINAL: jode88

but I think a lot of people feed Merrick based on the cute packaging and catchy product names and not on how their dog does on the food

I don't what people you are referring to, but I can assure you that no one on this board is feeding Merrick cuz of the "cute" packaging.
Im fairly certain every member on this forum feeds their brand of choice becausse it's what is best for their pet.

I think I mentioned already that if Merrick works well for your dog then more power to you. If I had meant people on this board I would certainly have said so.

ORIGINAL: maxdad
(never used cans since 25 years of any brand because of tartar on teeth issues)

I just noticed this. It's a very widespread myth that canned food will cause more buildup on the teeth. And actually a high quality canned food can be even healthier than kibble because of the higher meat and lower grain content. It's closer to what a dog was designed to eat; much more so than a dried "cereal" type of food.

Also, unless it's a specially designed "dental diet" type of kibble, it's not going to clean the teeth at all. Dogs hardly chew their food; they crunch it once or twice, the kibble crumbles and does NOT scrape plaque off the teeth. My dog, Gingerbread, has been eating canned mixed with kibble for over a year now and (according to my vet) has better teeth than most dogs his age.

Here's a link with some info:
http://www.allourpets.com/holistic/dental-care.shtml

I edited to delete the sarcasm...it's not necessary.  I am sorry...just trying to point out why I thought you were referring to us as a group.
Just cuz you started your post talking to us as a group.  No harm.

I just noticed this. It's a very widespread myth that canned food will cause more buildup on the teeth. And actually a high quality canned food can be even healthier than kibble because of the higher meat and lower grain content. It's closer to what a dog was designed to eat; much more so than a dried "cereal" type of food.

Also, unless it's a specially designed "dental diet" type of kibble, it's not going to clean the teeth at all. Dogs hardly chew their food; they crunch it once or twice, the kibble crumbles and does NOT scrape plaque off the teeth. My dog, Gingerbread, has been eating canned mixed with kibble for over a year now and (according to my vet) has better teeth than most dogs his age.

Here's a link with some info:
http://www.allourpets.com/holistic/dental-care.shtml

 
I've looked on pubmed about this multiple times and there is no good evidence that canned is better.  On the link you posted it doesn't say canned is better either, The vet just lists the same few studies that are on pubmed that show kibble is not superior to canned and one that showed plaque accumulation is greater on canned, but kibble does not clean the teeth.  I don't think the answer to this question is as clear cut as some are making it sound.  There is a reasonable argument in regards to increased water content and less processing, but as for dental health the evidence just isn't there.  I'd like to see some good prospective work in the area.  Anyone can have any theory they want, but without the proper evidence, it's just that theory.

ORIGINAL: jode88

I edited to delete the sarcasm...it's not necessary.  I am sorry...just trying to point out why I thought you were referring to us as a group.
Just cuz you started your post talking to us as a group.  No harm.

Sorry if I was confusing. I have no intentions of insulting anyone on this forum. I automatically assume that if anyone here feeds a specific food they probably do it for good reason, including Merrick. I should have been specific about what I meant; I have met many people in my own life who buy Merrick simply because they like the packaging. It is usually a huge leap from what they were feeding their pets before.

Just want to add that I've been lurking here for awhile and for the most part I respect what people have to say. I just like to talk about dog food []

Now back on topic..........

ORIGINAL: Luvntzus

ORIGINAL: jojo the pogo

Seriously, why aren't we this emotional about any other food?  Diamond, Natural Balance, even TWO has had problems - remember - they were customer service related too, but we forgave Timberwolf Organics. 

I didn't forgive TWO and I know several other people here didn't either. I don't feel at all comfortable feeding their food because of various issues that I've mentioned on other threads. With all due respect, I think the quality control issues with Merrick were major ones. I don't know of another food that people have found so many foreign objects in them. It's definitely something that people should be aware of IMO.

While working for a Pet Supplies Plus for 4 years, I have seen many bags of dog food returned with foriegn objects in it.  A bag of Eagle Pack Natural had a chunk of plastic in it.  A bag of Burns had some sort of plastic wrap in it.  A bag of Royal Canin cat had a chunk of plastic in it.  Not once was a bag of Merrick, at least at the store I worked at returned for having foriegn objects in it.

It's not just Merrick.

ORIGINAL: terrierlover

Just out of my head more of a figure of speach written in somewhat of a percentage...LOL And you would be shocked at those people who do spend that kind of money on food that don't pay any attention.
Being in Rescue and doing dog placements and homevisits..
Iv seen alot in 5 years and it blows my mind.
I think it has alot to do with people like us on this board that really care about our dogs more than the average person we are the ones that check the food... and our dogs oop and all the other doggie stuff that goes with dogs!

 
I am a little embarrassed (I am ok admitting it here in this forum) to admit it in public that I do check my dog's poops....consistently...lol.  And like most folks here, I look up soooo many doggie stuff for my 7 month old yellow lab...

Honestly, I wasn't really all that upset when I found the plastic.  Hey, things happen, I can imagine where the plastic came from.  And, the explaination was good enough for me.  I kept feeding the product.  But, then when I found the shipping staple that upset me.  That could of seriously injured her and possibly killed her.  And, they've continued to be lax in letting metal sneak though into the finished product.  For me, things like the wrong food in the can, plastic, differences in the food, etc, don't upset me enough to discontinue.  But, when I find something that could of killed her, well, they've lost me as a customer. 
 
I'm not saying others should stop using anything.  But, to just be aware these things do happen and to be on the look out.  That's all I've ever said even when this originally happened. 
 
I don't think people are discontinuing feeding because of anything someone said but because they are concerned and have had their own issues too.  It's similar to the food recalls now.  There are a lot of people who are worried and have stopped commerical food even though there are still a lot of companies that haven't had a problem. 
 
[]

I talked to a higher up in Merrick.

I have confirmed Willow's statements that a staple was found in her can of Wingaling.  5 cans thourghout the US were reported to have "Kosher" wing clips in them.  In other words, the wing clip was there to identify the chicken as kosher - so...not from a rendering plant.  Infact all of the meat in Merrick dry and canned is grade "A."  Their chicken is not only kosher, but organic. 

Merrick does own a rendering plant for it's body part treats only.  They render retired dairy cows.  Much of the meat they render is sold to human food companies to make grade D or lower hamburger meat like the hamburger you buy in large boxes at Aldis.  The beef used in Merrick's dry and canned food are not from their rendering plant, but purchased from several grade "A" beef farmers.

They do make a cheap dog food for Sams Club called Beefy Meal (or something like that) that does contain beef from their rendering plant.  This was the food that had recall and illness issues several years ago.

This is what Dan Patrick, regional sales manager from Merrick told me.

I have confirmed Willow's statements that a staple was found in her can of Wingaling.

I didn't find a staple in a can of Wingaling--in fact not sure Wingaling even exisited when all this took place in 2004.  I've been saying all along I found a shipping staple in a can of Grammy's Pot Pie.  And, a piece of blue plastic in another can of the same flavor. 
 
My incident was way before the Wingaling recall happened.