Although the most famous Merrick who ever lived was "Elephant Man" John Merrick, Merrick dog food has nothing to do with the Elephant Man. (Sorry). Unlike many other lines of pet foods, Merrick dog food and cat food is a family owned small business where everything is made in the United States. Merrick dog food and cat food were NOT affected at all by the massive pet food recall of early 2007.

You Get What You Pay For

Let's get this right out in the open – Merrick dog food and cat food costs a heck of a lot more than Alpo. However, Alpo is junk food for dogs. Do they love it? Yes – but it's not good for dogs to eat junk food all of the time. Ever wonder where the ingredients in your dog's cans and kibble comes from? Meat and offal (including hooves and hair) that are not considered fit for human consumption.

You could argue that dogs have evolved to eat carrion. That is true – if they are used to eating carrion, being gradually introduced to it. Even pariah and feral homeless dogs need to be supplemented with human grade food in order to avoid an early, preventable death from complications due to eating carrion.

Besides, doesn't your dog deserve decent food? Merrick dog food uses human grade food in their cans and kibble, which is why it costs more. This stuff is better for you than most human food. And, if times get really tough and you have to eat dog food, at least you'll stay healthy on Merrick dog food.

Would I Feed It To My Dog?

I admit I haven't tried Merrick dog food for my own dinner, but I have treated my British mongrel to special Merrick dog food in cans for special occasions like Christmas. They have flavors like (I kid you not) Granny's Pot Pie, Thanksgiving Day (with all the trimmings except the whip cream on the pie) and Cowboy Cookout. If I made more money, I would treat my dog to Merrick dog food more often.

Cans come in two sizes; 5.5 ounces for smaller dogs and 13.2 ounces for medium sized dogs. If you have a giant breed like a Great Dane, then you will have to supplement a can with kibble or feed two or three cans at one sitting. And the best part is that Merrick dog food does not smell like dog food – it has very little odor at all.

Where Do I Find It?

Sadly, Merrick dog food is not available in grocery stores or large chain supermarkets. You have to search them out in "mom and pop" pet stores and online.