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Evolve vs. Merrick

In this comparison article for Evolve vs Merrick, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Evolve and Merrick, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this Merrick vs Evolve comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Evolve Review Page or Merrick Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Merrick vs. Evolve

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Evolve Dog Food vs. Merrick Dog Food

Dry Dog Food	Evolve	Merrick
Crude Protein	28.6%	35.9%
Crude Fat	15.3%	17.2%
Crude Fiber	4.7%	4.2%

Wet/Canned Dog Food	Evolve	Merrick
Crude Protein	44.9%	43.9%
Crude Fat	28.4%	21.1%
Crude Fiber	6.6%	8.3%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Dogs require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Twelve of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining ten are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these ten essential amino acids.

The table shows that Evolve provides far less protein than Merrick. The difference in protein content is roughly 7.27%. For wet dog foods, Evolve and Merrick provide roughly the same amount of protein.

Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Like protein, fats are an essential part of a dog's body. Fats are needed for the proper development and function of the canine body.

As you can see, Evolve and Merrick guarantee a similar amount of crude fat. For wet dog foods, Evolve provides more fat (about 7.35% more).

Merrick and Evolve both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Merrick and Evolve also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Evolve Cat Food vs. Merrick Cat Food

Dry Cat Food	Evolve	Merrick
Crude Protein	38.4%	40.5%
Crude Fat	16.8%	15.7%
Crude Fiber	4.5%	5.1%

Wet/Canned Cat Food	Evolve	Merrick
Crude Protein	50.2%	46.9%
Crude Fat	23.6%	21.3%
Crude Fiber	6.1%	6.0%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Cats require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Eleven of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining eleven are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these eleven essential amino acids.

If you look at the average percentages of crude protein, you'll notice that Merrick typically guarantees 2.04% more protein. This is a fairly small difference between Merrick and Evolve, but still worth mentioning. In addition, Evolve wet cat foods also provide more protein than Merrick wet foods.

Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food

There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):

Help transport nutrients across cell membranes
Fats produce metabolites, which help control inflammation
Maintain healthy blood pressure
Slow the growth of yeast infections
Fats improve the taste/texture of food.

There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fat content of the two brands. For wet cat foods, Evolve typically provides a little more fat (about 2.38% more).

Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet cat food, Evolve and Merrick also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Evolve Pet Food Ingredients vs. Merrick Pet Food Ingredients

Evolve and Merrick both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Canola Oil

Pea Protein

Powdered Cellulose

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Evolve.

Poultry

Iron Oxide

Canola Meal

Durum Semolina

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Merrick.

Garlic

Caramel Color

Meaty Femur Bone

Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Evolve and Merrick both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Evolve & Merrick?

Evolve has been recalled 2 times.

July 29, 2021: Aflatoxin
Nov. 27, 2018: elevated levels of Vitamin D

Merrick has been recalled 6 times.

Jan. 28, 2011: Salmonella
Aug. 8, 2011: Salmonella
July 2, 2010: Salmonella
Aug. 3, 2010: Salmonella
Aug. 13, 2010: Salmonella
May 23, 2018: elevated levels of beef thyroid hormone

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog Food	Evolve	Merrick
Per Pound	$3.03	$6.15
Per Calorie	$0.0019	$0.0036

Dry Cat Food	Evolve	Merrick
Per Pound	$3.11	$4.09
Per Calorie	$0.0019	$0.0025

Wet Dog Food	Evolve	Merrick
Per Pound	$4.91	$5.97
Per Calorie	$0.0133	$0.0126

Wet Cat Food	Evolve	Merrick
Per Pound	$5.93	$7.55
Per Calorie	$0.0155	$0.0168

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Evolve or Merrick, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Evolve or Merrick will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Evolve and Merrick. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.

Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Evolve Pet Foods

You can purchase Evolve pet foods from the following stores:

22 Recipes In-Stock Today

25 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Merrick Pet Foods

You can purchase Merrick pet food products from these retailers:

136 Recipes In-Stock Today

107 Recipes In-Stock Today

104 Recipes In-Stock Today

17 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

Product	Evolve	Merrick
Dry Dog Food	12 Recipes	53 Recipes
Wet Dog Food	7 Recipes	58 Recipes
Dog Treats	26 Treats	35 Treats
Dry Cat Food	5 Recipes	18 Recipes
Wet Cat Food	11 Recipes	50 Recipes
Cat Treats	None	None