Safety and recall record
We found 1 recall for this brand line since 2016. Older and less related recalls count for less.
- 2018Serious. Merrick Backcountry beef dog treats: elevated beef thyroid hormone. Source−3
Nutrition standards (WSAVA)
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association guidelines tell owners to ask a pet food company who formulates its food and how qualified they are, who makes it, what quality checks it runs, and whether it publishes research. If a company can't or won't answer, WSAVA says to be cautious. We use the answers each maker gave the Pet Nutrition Alliance, which puts those questions to pet food companies.
Maker: Nestlé Purina PetCare.
- ✓Qualified nutritionist. Employs a full-time board-certified veterinary nutritionist (DACVIM Nutrition or ECVCN), plus PhD and MS nutritionists.8/8
- ✓Makes its own food. Owns 100% of the plants that make its food.6/6
- ✓Answers the questions. Answered the survey and shared nutrient data on request.5/5
- ✓Published research. Purina Institute and Purina research centres publish in peer-reviewed journals.6/6
What owners say
Rated 4.4 out of 5 across 2,736 ratings on Chewy. Ratings from a small number of shoppers get pulled toward the average, so for scoring this counts as 4.40.
Value
At $93.98 for 30 lb, this costs $1.88 per 1,000 kcal, above the middle of the dry dog foods we graded.
For a 40 lb neutered adult dog (about 985 kcal a day), that works out to about $1.85 a day, before treats.
Details
| Size priced | 30 lb |
|---|---|
| Price checked | $93.98 at Chewy, October 2026 |
| Unit cost | $1.88 per 1,000 kcal |
| Calories | 3,676 kcal/kg, 389 kcal per cup |
| First ingredients | Deboned beef, pork meal, salmon meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes |
Grades compare products within the same category only. We don't test products ourselves or judge individual recipes, and every food here is sold as complete and balanced. Nutrition standards rate the maker against WSAVA's questions, using answers collected by the Pet Nutrition Alliance in 2022. How we grade.