Merrick Backcountry Dog Food Review: Recalls, Pros & Cons

Introduction

The Merrick brand was born in founder Garth Merrick’s kitchen in 1988. Merrick wanted to feed his dog the best nutritional diet possible but was frustrated by the commercial dog foods available. So, he decided to take matters into his own hands and prepare his dog’s meals.

Merrick soon realized that his foods had commercial appeal and started selling them locally. The demand soared, and before long, he was mass-producing kibble for dogs worldwide.

While Merrick doesn’t make all the ingredients in his kitchen anymore, the food still comes from his hometown of Hereford, Texas, and an emphasis is still placed on using fresh, premium ingredients. Many of their recipes are grain-free, so even dogs with sensitive stomachs can enjoy the food without paying the price later.

We like most of what the Merrick brand puts out, but the Backcountry line is our favorite since it’s a grain-free kibble with bits of raw, freeze-dried meat mixed in. We have one quibble with this food, which we’ll get to shortly, but overall, we believe it’s one of the best foods available today.

At a Glance: The Best Merrick Backcountry Dog Food Recipes:

Merrick Backcountry Dog Food Reviewed

Who Makes Merrick Backcountry and Where is It Produced?

Merrick Backcountry is made by Merrick Pet Care, which was privately owned until 2015, when the Nestle Purina PetCare Company acquired it. The food is still produced in Hereford, Texas.

Despite being purchased by a corporate behemoth, the company insists that no changes have been made to its management or day-to-day operations.

Which Types of Dogs Is Merrick Backcountry Best Suited For?

Merrick Backcountry is a good choice for pups who need a lot of protein or those considering transitioning to a raw food diet. The raw meat chunks make it attractive to picky eaters, and the kibble is free of grains and other common allergens.

Also, it’s filled with various healthy fruits and vegetables, including blueberries, flaxseed, and more.

Which Types of Dogs Might Do Better with a Different Brand?

Merrick Backcountry is exceptionally high in protein, which is ideal for most dogs. However, it may have too much protein for dogs with kidney or liver issues.

If your dog has a preexisting kidney or liver condition, you should consult your doctor for suggestions on what to feed them. For our part, we recommend Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Multifunction Renal Support + Hydrolyzed Protein.

Discussion of the Primary Ingredients

The first ingredient is deboned beef, which also makes up the freeze-dried chunks. Beef is an excellent source of protein for dogs, as it’s lean, has many vital vitamins and minerals, and has plenty of fatty acids.

After that, animal meals are listed, including salmon meal. It has many essential vitamins and minerals for your dog while ramping up the protein counter. The next ingredients listed are sweet and regular potatoes.

Sweet potatoes have a fair amount of fiber and important nutrients like vitamin A. Regular potatoes, on the other hand, often cause gas and other digestive issues in dogs while only contributing a limited amount of nutrients.

We have slight problems with two other ingredients: pea protein and potato protein. There’s nothing wrong with them, but the manufacturer likely included them to increase the protein content without adding a lot more expensive meat. Plant proteins contribute lots of empty carbs to each serving.

Raw Meat Bits Hearken Back to Your Dog’s Ancestral Diet

Dogs evolved to eat fresh, raw meat, but after years of domestication, their diet changed, and most dogs eat commercial dog food. However, some owners prefer to feed their dogs what wild dogs eat.

The raw meat chunks in Merrick Backcountry give your dog essential vitamins, minerals, and enzymes they can’t get from regular kibble. Plus, most dogs love the taste, so it should encourage your dog to lick the bowl clean.

Merrick Backcountry is Filled with Essential Vitamins and Minerals

In addition to all the naturally occurring nutrients in the chunks of raw meat, the manufacturers added a host of other important compounds. These include a variety of amino acids, potassium, a vitamin pack, choline, various probiotics, and salmon oil.

These nutrients are essential for everything from building healthy bones, skin, and teeth to ensuring your pup’s immune system is turbo-charged.

This is a Premium Food at a Premium Price

As you might expect from a formula that includes chunks of real meat, Merrick Backcountry isn’t cheap. In fact, it’s one of the most expensive foods you’ll find anywhere.

That’s especially true of some of the more exotic flavors, like those that have wild boar or quail. The ingredients are expensive, and the costs are passed down to you. You may feel it’s worth it, given all the other advantages the food has, but Merrick Backcountry is too costly for some owners.

A Quick Look at Merrick Backcountry Dog Food

Calorie Breakdown:

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Recall History

The company has a limited recall history, and its issues have been limited to its treats. In January 2010, they issued a voluntary recall out of fear that their beef treats were contaminated with salmonella.

No animals were reported sick due to eating the treats, but the company issued subsequent recalls for the same reason several times that year and into 2011. In 2018, they recalled a wide range of treats due to elevated levels of a naturally occurring beef thyroid hormone.

It wasn’t a life-threatening issue, but one dog became ill after eating the treats (that animal later made a full recovery).

Reviews of the 3 Best Merrick Backcountry Dog Food Recipes

There are several different recipes in Merrick’s Backcountry line. Below, we put three of the most popular under the microscope:

1. Merrick Backcountry Grain-Free Dry Dog Food Great Plains Red Recipe

Made with deboned beef, the Great Plains Red Recipe is full of omega fatty acids and important nutrients like glucosamine and chondroitin, which help promote healthy joints. It’s ideal for larger breeds since the high protein count (38%) and joint support are excellent for dogs that carry a little extra weight.

In addition to being grain-free, it doesn’t contain gluten, and ingredients containing gluten can contribute to weight gain. If your dog is trying to shed some weight, Great Plains Red is a smart choice.

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2. Merrick Backcountry Grain Free Raw Infused Game Bird Dry Dog Food

You get three birds in one package with the Game Bird recipe, and it’s made with turkey, duck, and quail. The primary ingredient is turkey, which has plenty of protein and is lean, so your dog shouldn’t get too heavy eating it.

There’s also chicken meal and liver thrown in for good measure. The duck is loaded with iron and is typically easy for dogs to digest, while the quail is a great meat for allergy sufferers. Our biggest issue with this formula is the high salt content, but it’s not enough to worry about, given all the other benefits of the recipe.

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3. Merrick Backcountry Wild Fields Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

The Wild Fields Recipe gets its name from hunting dog’s favorite animals, like ducks, rabbits, and quail. This mix of protein creates a very balanced nutritional profile, as each source adds a little something the others lack. All are incredibly lean and should help your dog build muscle without adding weight.

In addition to the listed protein sources, there’s a lot of chicken organ meat, which contains essential nutrients you can’t find in leaner cuts of meat. The Wild Fields Recipe relies heavily on white potatoes, which add carbs without adding many other nutrients.

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What Other Users Are Saying

• HerePup: “The food is so healthy the benefits to [your] pup’s health will be obvious…”
• Dog Food Guru: “They spent years conducting nutrition research and taste tests to develop a collection of top-notch recipes that contain as few ingredients as possible.”
• Amazon: It’s a good idea to read Amazon reviews before making a purchase. You can read these by clicking here.

Conclusion

Merrick Backcountry is one of our favorite brands, and there’s a good chance it will be one of your dog’s favorites, too. The kibble is high in protein and low in carbohydrates, and that’s before they add the freeze-dried chunks of raw meat.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a formula that provides a more balanced nutritional profile, and the fact that it’s grain-free means that it should be easy on your dog’s stomach. Of course, the high-quality ingredients will cost you, but we have a sneaking suspicion that your dog is worth it.

• See Also: PetPlate Dog Food Review: Pros, Cons & Verdict