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Merrick vs. I and Love and You

In this comparison article for Merrick vs I and Love and You, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Merrick and I and Love and You, 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 I and Love and You 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 I and Love and You Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: I and Love and You 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. I and Love and You Dog Food

Dry Dog Food	Merrick	I and Love and You
Crude Protein	35.9%	33.8%
Crude Fat	17.2%	15.4%
Crude Fiber	4.2%	5.0%

Wet/Canned Dog Food	Merrick	I and Love and You
Crude Protein	43.9%	42.1%
Crude Fat	21.1%	18.1%
Crude Fiber	8.3%	5.5%

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 small difference between the protein content of Merrick and I and Love and You. We can see that Merrick guarantees about 2.11% more protein than I and Love and You. For wet dog foods, Merrick and I and Love and You provide roughly the same amount of protein.

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 relatively insignificant difference between the crude fat content of the two brands. For wet dog foods, Merrick typically provides a little more fat (about 3.01% more).

Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. For wet dog foods, Merrick typically provides a little more fiber (about 2.80% more).

Merrick Cat Food vs. I and Love and You Cat Food

Dry Cat Food	Merrick	I and Love and You
Crude Protein	40.5%	43.0%
Crude Fat	15.7%	15.9%
Crude Fiber	5.1%	4.7%

Wet/Canned Cat Food	Merrick	I and Love and You
Crude Protein	46.9%	45.4%
Crude Fat	21.3%	18.2%
Crude Fiber	6.0%	5.1%

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.

According to our average data, Merrick typically provides less protein than I and Love and You. However, this difference is relatively small and doesn't represent a significant difference between the two brands. For wet cat foods, Merrick and I and Love and You provide roughly the same amount of protein.

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.

As you can see, Merrick and I and Love and You guarantee a similar amount of crude fat. For wet cat foods, Merrick typically provides a little more fat (about 3.04% more).

I and Love and You and Merrick both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet cat food, Merrick and I and Love and You also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Merrick Pet Food Ingredients vs. I and Love and You Pet Food Ingredients

Merrick and I and Love and You both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Garlic

Canola Oil

Pea Protein

Powdered Cellulose

Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

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

Caramel Color

Meaty Femur Bone

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by I and Love and You.

Dried Tomato Pomace

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

Merrick and I and Love and You both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by I and Love and You.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex

Menadione Sodium Disulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Merrick & I and Love and You?

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

I and Love and You has been recalled once.

July 14, 2015: Salmonella

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog Food	Merrick	I and Love and You
Per Pound	$6.15	$6.91
Per Calorie	$0.0036	$0.0043

Dry Cat Food	Merrick	I and Love and You
Per Pound	$4.09	$3.67
Per Calorie	$0.0025	$0.0023

Wet Dog Food	Merrick	I and Love and You
Per Pound	$5.97	$5.15
Per Calorie	$0.0126	$0.0078

Wet Cat Food	Merrick	I and Love and You
Per Pound	$7.55	$7.28
Per Calorie	$0.0168	$0.0170

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 I and Love and You, 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 I and Love and You 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 I and Love and You. 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 Merrick Pet Foods

You can purchase Merrick pet foods from the following stores:

136 Recipes In-Stock Today

107 Recipes In-Stock Today

103 Recipes In-Stock Today

17 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy I and Love and You Pet Foods

You can purchase I and Love and You pet food products from these retailers:

50 Recipes In-Stock Today

43 Recipes In-Stock Today

39 Recipes In-Stock Today

13 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

Product	Merrick	I and Love and You
Dry Dog Food	53 Recipes	11 Recipes
Wet Dog Food	58 Recipes	6 Recipes
Dog Treats	35 Treats	11 Treats
Dry Cat Food	18 Recipes	7 Recipes
Wet Cat Food	50 Recipes	12 Recipes
Cat Treats	None	2 Treats