Merrick bargain shopping and review

So few months ago, I bought a bag of Merrick Beef and Barley formula for Indy. I've been trying to find a food for him that works with his sensitive stomach. He's done well on Instinct, but its very expensive and I was concerned about the ash levels in the food.
I do have a few reservations about Merrick, there have been some quality control issues, like people finding plastic in food (but than again, I'm not sure about the reliability of the source). I mainly got this food because they reformulated their line and increased protein to 30% which to me is far more appealing.

I've tried Indy on several grain inclusive foods, but the ones that tend to be 24-26% protein give him dry coat and make him itch. The high protein grain free foods(except Instinct and Holistic Select), give him the runs. My mindset has shifted over the last few months in regard to grain free foods. So many companies are incorporating potatoes/sweet potatoes into their formulas, I'm starting to wonder whether the dogs are better off eating certain grains over high glycemic starches.

So I was curious to try this food. Ingredient wise it looks good to me:

Deboned Beef, Pork Meal, Barley, Salmon Meal (source of Omega 3 fatty acids), Peas, Brown Rice, Sweet Potato, Pork Fat (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols), Oats, Pea Protein, Natural Flavor, Flax Seed, Carrots, Apples, Blueberries, Organic Alfalfa, Salmon Oil, Minerals (Salt, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Amino Acid Complex, Sodium Selenite), Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Rosemary Extract.


I like the inclusion of salmon meal that lists before pea protein, along with salmon oil further down the list. It still has sweet potatoes in it, but it's not a 2nd ingredient. I also like the fact that it contains probiotoics for digestive health. 

He's been on this food about 3 weeks and I've definitely noticed a huge change in his skin and coat. Previously he was on Dr. Tims Pursuit. While he liked the food, it dried out his coat, made him itchy and he had a yeasty odor to his skin. Since the switch, his itching has subsided and he has the softest and shiniest coat right now. The poops are small and firm and his energy levels are pretty good as well. You can see how his coat looks in this picture taken few days ago:

The Classic line comes in 3 flavors (beef, chicken and lamb) and several life stages including adult, small breed, puppy and senior. It costs around $53-55 for a 30 lb bag. Not cheap, but little less than Instinct. 


Last week I was browsing some deal sites and someone posted a great deal on Merrick puppy food, $5 for 5 lb bag, plus 15% off coupon to first time customers and free shipping on orders over $60. 

I was a bit apprehensive about ordering puppy food since neither of my dogs are puppies, but based on guaranteed analysis, there's very little difference between the 2. 

The puppy formula has 60  more calories per cup and 1% more fat, otherwise it's identical to the adult food. I ended up ordering 12 bags (60 lbs total) which after discount and free shipping cost me only $51. 
I'll be donating some of it to the rescue and give couple bags to my sisters hyper dog, but I want to see how Indy does on it compared to the beef formula. 
The ingredient list for this food:

Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Brown Rice, Peas, Barley, Sweet Potato, Chicken Fat (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols), Salmon Meal (source of Omega 3 fatty acids), Oats, Natural Chicken Flavor, Carrots, Apples, Blueberries, Organic Alfalfa, Salmon Oil, Minerals (Salt, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Amino Acid Complex, Sodium Selenite), Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Rosemary Extract.

30% protein and 16% fat

I still plan on doing more research on Merrick and emailing them with specific questions about the quality of their ingredients. 

Anyways, here's my haul for the day (now I need to figure our where to hide it, so the dogs dont get to it.