Whole Earth Farms vs. Merrick
In this comparison article for Whole Earth Farms vs Merrick, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Whole Earth Farms 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 Whole Earth Farms comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Whole Earth Farms Review Page or Merrick Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Merrick vs. Whole Earth Farms
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.
Whole Earth Farms Dog Food vs. Merrick Dog Food
Dry Dog Food | Whole Earth Farms | Merrick |
Crude Protein | 29.0% | 35.9% |
Crude Fat | 15.1% | 17.2% |
Crude Fiber | 5.0% | 4.2% |
Wet/Canned Dog Food | Whole Earth Farms | Merrick |
Crude Protein | 39.2% | 43.9% |
Crude Fat | 21.2% | 21.1% |
Crude Fiber | 8.1% | 8.3% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food
Protein is an extremely important part of your dog's diet. Without sufficient protein, dogs can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.
Whole Earth Farms dry recipes contain 6.90% less protein than Merrick dry recipes. This difference in protein content is a notable difference between Merrick and Whole Earth Farms. In addition, Merrick wet dog foods also provide more protein than Whole Earth Farms wet foods.
Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food
Dietary fats serves a multitude of roles in the proper development and function of our canine companions. Here are some of the benefits (not exhaustive):
- Help produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among other critical functions.
- Aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
- Improve skin and coat health
- Improve the palatially of your dog's food
According to our average data, Whole Earth Farms typically provides less fat than Merrick. However, this difference is relatively small and doesn't represent a significant difference between the two brands. For wet dog foods, Whole Earth Farms and Merrick provide roughly the same amount of fat.
Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Merrick and Whole Earth Farms also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.
Whole Earth Farms Cat Food vs. Merrick Cat Food
Dry Cat Food | Whole Earth Farms | Merrick |
Crude Protein | 39.6% | 40.5% |
Crude Fat | 14.8% | 15.7% |
Crude Fiber | 4.7% | 5.1% |
Wet/Canned Cat Food | Whole Earth Farms | Merrick |
Crude Protein | 42.2% | 46.9% |
Crude Fat | 19.7% | 21.3% |
Crude Fiber | 12.4% | 6.0% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food
Protein is an extremely important part of your cat's diet. Without sufficient protein, cats can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.
As you can see, Whole Earth Farms and Merrick guarantee a similar amount of crude protein. For wet cat foods, Merrick provides more protein (about 4.75% 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):
- Aid in the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
- Improve the health of skin/coat
- Slow the growth of yeast infections
- Slow the development and spread of certain type of cancers.
- Maintain healthy blood pressure
Whole Earth Farms and Merrick both provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. With regards to wet cat food, Merrick and Whole Earth Farms also provide roughly the same amount of crude fat.
There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. For wet cat foods, Whole Earth Farms provides more fiber (about 6.38% more).
Whole Earth Farms Pet Food Ingredients vs. Merrick Pet Food Ingredients
Whole Earth Farms and Merrick both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Whole Earth Farms.
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Merrick.
We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.
Whole Earth Farms and Merrick both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:
Product Safety: Recall History of Whole Earth Farms & Merrick?
According to our records, Whole Earth Farms has never been recalled.
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 | Whole Earth Farms | Merrick |
Per Pound | $3.33 | $6.15 |
Per Calorie | $0.0021 | $0.0036 |
Dry Cat Food | Whole Earth Farms | Merrick |
Per Pound | $6.34 | $4.09 |
Per Calorie | $0.0040 | $0.0025 |
Wet Dog Food | Whole Earth Farms | Merrick |
Per Pound | $5.63 | $5.97 |
Per Calorie | $0.0108 | $0.0126 |
Wet Cat Food | Whole Earth Farms | Merrick |
Per Pound | $7.73 | $7.55 |
Per Calorie | $0.0150 | $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 Whole Earth Farms 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 Whole Earth Farms 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 Whole Earth Farms and Merrick. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
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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 Whole Earth Farms Pet Foods
You can purchase Whole Earth Farms pet foods from the following stores:
Where To Buy Merrick Pet Foods
You can purchase Merrick pet food products from these retailers:
Type Of Pet Foods Available
Product | Whole Earth Farms | Merrick |
Dry Dog Food | 9 Recipes | 53 Recipes |
Wet Dog Food | 15 Recipes | 58 Recipes |
Dog Treats | 3 Treats | 35 Treats |
Dry Cat Food | 5 Recipes | 18 Recipes |
Wet Cat Food | 17 Recipes | 50 Recipes |
Cat Treats | None | None |