MERRICK FULL SOURCE DRY DOG FOOD Review

With a score of 4.3/10, this is considered a high risk dog food. Full Source Dry is Merrick’s main dry dog food line and the company’s highest scoring dry dog food. These foods are made in-house at one of Merrick’s three plants. 

There are 6 recipes that average 32% protein and 30% carbohydrates as calculated. This line lose ingredient quality points for its high carbohydrate content. Excessive carbohydrate is an indicator of low quality foods as it’s often used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance. 

This line loses significant ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes. 

It’s also worth noting that the line contains sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s usually added in very small amounts. However some research suggests that sodium selenite may be associated with potential toxicity, so selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral.  

The line also loses quality points for using seed oil. Seed oils like canola, safflower and sunflower are highly processed and rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which can cause systemic and gut inflammation.  

It doesn’t affect the score, but it’s good to see these foods include probiotics, however Merrick don’t guarantee the amount. 

The ingredient safety scores for this line are low, with many concerns. Like all kibbles, Full Source Dry is ultra-processed. The individual ingredients in dry dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species. 

These recipes also use foods in the top 5 ingredients known to be high in pesticide/herbicide residues, including oatmeal and barley. Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers pose a significant health risk to plants, animals and soils. Foods with the largest reported amount of residue are penalized, including crops that are known to be spray-dried with glyphosate. There are also known GMO foods in the top 5 ingredients including potatoes. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, carry increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.

Another ingredient safety concern costing points is the use of rice. Arsenic contamination is a significant concern since rice naturally absorbs arsenic and the water it’s grown in can be contaminated with arsenic. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues. Finally, points are lost as natural flavor is used in each recipe to make processed food more palatable. But natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.

This is described as a raw-coated kibble but that is just a marketing term that has no legal meaning under pet food regulatory standards. Any nutritional benefit would be reflected in the Guaranteed Analysis. The fact remains that the product is an ultra processed kibble. 

These foods don’t specify whether the fish is farmed or wild caught. Farmed fish is less nutritious than wild caught fish and doesn’t contain the same healthy fatty acid balance. 

Merrick doesn’t state the omega6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is true of most foods, AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation and disease.