Merrick vs. Nutrisca
In this comparison article for Merrick vs Nutrisca, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Merrick and Nutrisca, 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 Nutrisca 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 Nutrisca Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Nutrisca 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. Nutrisca Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Merrick | Nutrisca |
| Crude Protein | 37.2% | 34.1% |
| Crude Fat | 17.0% | 19.3% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.3% | 7.4% |
| Wet/Canned Dog Food | Merrick | Nutrisca |
| Crude Protein | 43.8% | 44.4% |
| Crude Fat | 20.9% | 22.2% |
| Crude Fiber | 8.6% | 5.6% |
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.
According to our data, Merrick guarantees 3.14% more protein than Nutrisca. Although this difference is relatively small, it's still a notable difference. For wet dog foods, Nutrisca and Merrick 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 small difference between the fat content of Nutrisca and Merrick. We can see that Nutrisca guarantees about 2.29% more fat than Merrick. For wet dog foods, Nutrisca and Merrick provide roughly the same amount of fat.
According to our average data, Merrick typically provides less fiber than Nutrisca. However, this difference is relatively small and doesn't represent a significant difference between the two brands. In addition, Merrick wet dog foods also provide more fiber than Nutrisca wet foods.
Merrick Cat Food vs. Nutrisca Cat Food
| Dry Cat Food | Merrick | Nutrisca |
| Crude Protein | 40.7% | 41.1% |
| Crude Fat | 15.7% | 17.8% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.0% | 6.1% |
| Wet/Canned Cat Food | Merrick | Nutrisca |
| Crude Protein | 47.0% | 58.0% |
| Crude Fat | 21.8% | 17.3% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.9% | 8.7% |
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.
Merrick and Nutrisca both provide roughly the same amount of crude protein. For wet cat foods, Nutrisca provides significantly more protein (about 10.96% 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.
If you look at the average percentages of crude fat, you'll notice that Nutrisca typically guarantees 2.04% more fat. This is a fairly small difference between Nutrisca and Merrick, but still worth mentioning. In addition, Merrick wet cat foods also provide more fat than Nutrisca wet foods.
There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. For wet cat foods, Nutrisca typically provides a little more fiber (about 2.84% more).
Merrick Pet Food Ingredients vs. Nutrisca Pet Food Ingredients
Merrick and Nutrisca 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 Nutrisca.
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 Nutrisca.
Product Safety: Recall History of Merrick & Nutrisca?
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
Nutrisca has been recalled 2 times.
- Feb. 11, 2015: Salmonella
- Nov. 2, 2018: elevated levels of Vitamin D
Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?
| Dry Dog Food | Merrick | Nutrisca |
| Per Pound | $4.84 | $2.08 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0028 | $0.0012 |
| Dry Cat Food | Merrick | Nutrisca |
| Per Pound | $7.32 | $1.76 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0043 | $0.0011 |
| Wet Dog Food | Merrick | Nutrisca |
| Per Pound | $4.63 | $3.24 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0106 | $0.0075 |
| Wet Cat Food | Merrick | Nutrisca |
| Per Pound | $5.94 | $7.45 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0126 | $0.0199 |
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 Nutrisca, 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 Nutrisca 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 Nutrisca. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
- $10 Off + Free Shipping Orders $60+ @ PetFlow (Use Code SAVENOW)
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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 Merrick Pet Foods
You can purchase Merrick pet foods from the following stores:
Where To Buy Nutrisca Pet Foods
You can purchase Nutrisca pet food products from these retailers:
Type Of Pet Foods Available
| Product | Merrick | Nutrisca |
| Dry Dog Food | 38 Recipes | 3 Recipes |
| Wet Dog Food | 51 Recipes | 4 Recipes |
| Dog Treats | 29 Treats | |
| Dry Cat Food | 17 Recipes | 2 Recipes |
| Wet Cat Food | 45 Recipes | 4 Recipes |
| Cat Treats |
