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35% OFF
Merrick &
Dr. Tim's
First Auto-Ship
20% OFF
Merrick &
Dr. Tim's
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Merrick
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
Merrick vs. Dr. Tim's
In this comparison article for Merrick vs Dr. Tim's, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Merrick and Dr. Tim's, 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 Dr. Tim's vs Merrick comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Merrick Review Page or Dr. Tim's Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Dr. Tim's vs. Merrick
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.
Merrick Dog Food vs. Dr. Tim's Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Merrick | Dr. Tim's |
| Crude Protein | 35.9% | 34.5% |
| Crude Fat | 17.2% | 19.8% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.2% | 4.8% |
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.
There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude protein content of the two brands.
Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food
Fats are an absolutely vital component of a balanced canine diet. Not only do fats provide energy, but they also serve important roles in the normal development and function of your dog's body. For example, fats help dogs produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among many other significant functions.
There is a small difference between the fat content of Dr. Tim's and Merrick. We can see that Dr. Tim's guarantees about 2.62% more fat than Merrick.
Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.
Merrick Cat Food vs. Dr. Tim's Cat Food
| Dry Cat Food | Merrick | Dr. Tim's |
| Crude Protein | 40.5% | 41.1% |
| Crude Fat | 15.7% | 24.4% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.1% | 3.6% |
| Wet/Canned Cat Food | Merrick | Dr. Tim's |
| Crude Protein | 46.9% | 40.9% |
| Crude Fat | 21.3% | 22.7% |
| Crude Fiber | 6.0% | 4.5% |
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.
As you can see, Merrick and Dr. Tim's guarantee a similar amount of crude protein. For wet cat foods, Merrick provides more protein (about 6.03% more).
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):
- Fats help with the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
- Reduce inflammation associated with arthritis
- Slow the growth of yeast infections
- Prevent or reduce the likelihood of certain heart problems.
- Aid in the development of the retina and visual cortex.
The comparison table above shows that Dr. Tim's dry cat foods provide significantly more fat than Merrick. More specifically, Dr. Tim's guarantees at least 8.71% more fat. For wet cat foods, Dr. Tim's and Merrick provide roughly the same amount of fat.
Dr. Tim's and Merrick both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet cat food, Merrick and Dr. Tim's also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.
Merrick Pet Food Ingredients vs. Dr. Tim's Pet Food Ingredients
Merrick and Dr. Tim's both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Merrick.
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Dr. Tim's.
We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.
Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Merrick.
Product Safety: Recall History of Merrick & Dr. Tim's?
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
According to our records, Dr. Tim's has never been recalled.
Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?
| Dry Dog Food | Merrick | Dr. Tim's |
| Per Pound | $6.15 | $2.92 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0036 | $0.0018 |
| Dry Cat Food | Merrick | Dr. Tim's |
| Per Pound | $4.09 | $4.37 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0025 | $0.0023 |
| Wet Cat Food | Merrick | Dr. Tim's |
| Per Pound | $7.55 | $6.39 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0168 | $0.0128 |
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 Merrick or Dr. Tim's, 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 Merrick or Dr. Tim's will depend on your shopping habits.
Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Merrick and Dr. Tim's. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
- 20% Off First Auto-Ship @ PetFlow (Use Code PAWDIET20)
- 35% Off First Auto-Ship @ Chewy (No Code Required)
- 15% Off The Entire Site @ OnlyNaturalPet (Use Code AFPAWDIET)
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 Merrick Pet Foods
You can purchase Merrick pet foods from the following stores:
Where To Buy Dr. Tim's Pet Foods
You can purchase Dr. Tim's pet food products from these retailers:
Type Of Pet Foods Available
| Product | Merrick | Dr. Tim's |
| Dry Dog Food | 53 Recipes | 11 Recipes |
| Wet Dog Food | 58 Recipes | None |
| Dog Treats | 35 Treats | 1 Treats |
| Dry Cat Food | 18 Recipes | 1 Recipes |
| Wet Cat Food | 50 Recipes | 1 Recipes |
| Cat Treats | None | None |
Top Rated Merrick Recipes
Top Rated Dr. Tim's Recipes
