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Merrick vs Chicken Soup For The Soul

Merrick vs. Chicken Soup For The Soul

In this comparison article for Merrick vs Chicken Soup For The Soul, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Merrick and Chicken Soup For The Soul, 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 Chicken Soup For The Soul 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 Chicken Soup For The Soul Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Chicken Soup For The Soul 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. Chicken Soup For The Soul Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodMerrickChicken Soup For The Soul
Crude Protein35.9%28%
Crude Fat17.2%14.4%
Crude Fiber4.2%5.9%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodMerrickChicken Soup For The Soul
Crude Protein43.9%41.6%
Crude Fat21.1%25.1%
Crude Fiber8.3%5.7%

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 large difference between the protein content of Merrick and Chicken Soup For The Soul. On average, Chicken Soup For The Soul dry dog food recipes contain 7.87% less protein than Merrick recipes. For wet dog foods, Merrick typically provides a little more protein (about 2.32% more).


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 Merrick and Chicken Soup For The Soul. We can see that Merrick guarantees about 2.74% more fat than Chicken Soup For The Soul. In addition, Chicken Soup For The Soul wet dog foods also provide more fat than Merrick wet foods.


There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. For wet dog foods, Merrick typically provides a little more fiber (about 2.63% more).

Merrick Cat Food vs. Chicken Soup For The Soul Cat Food

Dry Cat FoodMerrickChicken Soup For The Soul
Crude Protein40.5%37.4%
Crude Fat15.7%16.5%
Crude Fiber5.1%6.3%
Wet/Canned Cat FoodMerrickChicken Soup For The Soul
Crude Protein46.9%49.8%
Crude Fat21.3%26.4%
Crude Fiber6.0%5.7%

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, Chicken Soup For The Soul typically provides less protein than Merrick. However, this difference is relatively small and doesn't represent a significant difference between the two brands. In addition, Chicken Soup For The Soul 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):

  • 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.

Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. For wet cat foods, Chicken Soup For The Soul provides more fat (about 5.11% more).


As you can see, Merrick and Chicken Soup For The Soul guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet cat food, Merrick and Chicken Soup For The Soul also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Merrick Pet Food Ingredients vs. Chicken Soup For The Soul Pet Food Ingredients

Merrick and Chicken Soup For The Soul both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Pea Protein
Caramel Color
Powdered Cellulose
Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

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

Garlic
Canola Oil
Meaty Femur Bone

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Chicken Soup For The Soul.

White Rice
Animal Liver
Tomato Pomace
Dried Tomato Pomace
Poultry Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

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.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Merrick & Chicken Soup For The Soul?

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, Chicken Soup For The Soul has never been recalled.

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodMerrickChicken Soup For The Soul
Per Pound$6.15$2.21
Per Calorie$0.0036$0.0014
Dry Cat FoodMerrickChicken Soup For The Soul
Per Pound$4.09$3.00
Per Calorie$0.0025$0.0019
Wet Dog FoodMerrickChicken Soup For The Soul
Per Pound$5.97$3.48
Per Calorie$0.0126$0.0070
Wet Cat FoodMerrickChicken Soup For The Soul
Per Pound$7.55$4.54
Per Calorie$0.0168$0.0083

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 Chicken Soup For The Soul, 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 Chicken Soup For The Soul 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 Chicken Soup For The Soul. 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 Chicken Soup For The Soul Pet Foods

You can purchase Chicken Soup For The Soul pet food products from these retailers:


50 Recipes In-Stock Today

21 Recipes In-Stock Today

4 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductMerrickChicken Soup For The Soul
Dry Dog Food53 Recipes15 Recipes
Wet Dog Food58 Recipes14 Recipes
Dog Treats35 Treats10 Treats
Dry Cat Food18 Recipes8 Recipes
Wet Cat Food50 Recipes12 Recipes
Cat TreatsNoneNone

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