Each week we will be trying a new flavor from Merrick Elements and will post our reviews here:

Cowboy Cookout

Beef, beef and more beef.  Nothing gets Tug drooling faster than when he watches me grill steaks. The loving stares from his “Don’t-you-love-me?” brown eyes just beg for his own ribeye grilled to perfection, and I have to admit to serving Tug a steak or two (or 20) during our years together.

When I heard Merrick Pet Care had Cowboy Cookout, a beef entree among its 5-star line of gourmet dog food and that it included its Elements additives to promote Vision, Joint and Breath health, I knew Tug and I had hit the mother lode.

Tug, like any Texan,  is a beef fanatic.  His appetite seems has swelled since we opened Cowboy Cookout. He seems to love the taste–whether wet or dry. (Like all of the other 5-star Elements flavors, Cowboy Cookout comes with a homestyle gravy created when adding a bit of warm water to the food.) Tug attacks his bowl of Cowboy Cookout with a ravenous zeal that suggests he hasn’t been fed in a few days, which is hard to believe when the dog eats 10 cups of food each day. He finishes the bowl, investigates the other dogs’ food bowls for any scraps, and then looks up at me with the same eyes he stares at me when I am at the grill.  And the amount of drool is comparable.

Cowboy Cookout is a hit, and thus far, is the favorite among the flavors we’ve tried. Tug gives it five paws.

Wilderness Blend

Ever thought of riding horseback across the plains with your BDF (best dog forever) trotting alongside? Roaming the wilderness, living off the land, being a cowboy? I reckon it’s the dream of most people who enjoy the outdoors. As a boy I always thought it would be cool to be a cowboy, and now, in my late 30’s, I find myself daydreaming about the alluring call of the wild. Those dreams were reinvigorated this week when Tug and I opened a bag of Merrick Elements Wildnerness Blend.

This  exotic blend of Merrick 5-star dog food blends buffalo, venison and salmon into what Tug seems to enjoy with the zeal of a child on Christmas morning. The flavors of the wild are mixed a healthy does of whole grains like oatmeal, barley and brown rice; white potatoes, peas and carrots; apples and blueberries; and the benefit of Merrick Elements to promote healthy vision, joints and breath.

Merrick sweetens the dog bowl with a savory “wilderness” homestyle gravy that Tug enjoys by just adding a bit of warm water to the kibble. The enhanced flavors of the gravy are sure to have your dog drooling just as it does Tug. Well, maybe not as bad as my drool beast. It’s sometimes necessary to wear a rain coat when feeding a St. Bernard.

If you’re looking for healthy alternative to the usual chicken and beef options you feed your dog, consider Merrick’s Wilderness Blend. Not only will your dog enjoy it, but you will enjoy the benefits of a happy dog with better breath–especially on those early mornings your dog wakes you up for that early morning walk. Nothing like a blast of dog breath to start your morning, and if you can control it and make it better with Merrick Elements, then why not give it a try?

Turducken

A chicken stuffed inside a duck, which is then stuffed inside a turkey. Does it really get any better? Personally, this Louisiana delicacy is in a league of its own. Just thinking about it makes me want to fire up the turkey fryer. When I heard that Merrick had a Turducken flavor among its 5-star line of entrees, I knew Tug and I had to try it.

At first observation, Turducken does not disappoint.  Merrick blends organic chicken with turkey and duck to induce an aroma of Southern cooking that emanates immediately from the open bag and throughout the kitchen. To me, it smells even better than Grammy’s Pot Pie.

If you’re a label reader, the Turducken bag will convince you to give it a try. The poultry is combined with sweet potatoes, peas and carrots, along with apples and blueberries to provide a well-balanced serving of nutritional goodness.

Like the Grammy’s Pot Pie, I defer to Tug on taste.  He seemed as interested in the new flavor, but he has taken to preferring the Merrick food with a little bit of water added to it create Grammy’s Homestyle Gravy. He did give the Turducken a try completely dry, but after a few seconds with his head buried in the bowl he looked up with slobbery jowls and eyes that asked, “Where’s the gravy?”  I added the water, and Tug went right back to work and licked the bowl clean. If the long slumber that ensued is any indication, Tug is a fan. If Tug is a fan, I’m a fan. Based upon his reaction, which slightly paled in comparison to his reaction to Grammy’s Pot Pie, we are giving Turducken four paws.

Grammy’s Pot Pie

The first thing that catches your attention about Merrick Elements is the name on the bag. Grammy’s Pot Pie just sounds like the comfort food you craved on a cold winter day. The bag even evokes those cravings with a description of “a home-cooked memory made with chicken.” The list of ingredients reads like a who’s who from your local natural food store–organic chicken, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, supplements, etc. For a complete list of ingredients, click here.

Grammy’s Pot Pie is Merrick’s top seller among its five-star gourmet line, and the canned version of Grammy’s has won the Glycemic Institutes Pet Food of the Year three years in a row. Naturally, it seemed like an obvious choice to begin Tug’s review of Merrick Elements and test the Vision, Joint and Breath elements being introduced to Merrick’s line of dry dog food.

Tug, normally a picky eater and a dog that seems to crave flavor on his food, was overcome with excitement by the smell of Grammy’s, when I opened the bag. He is not afraid to turn up his nose and walk away from his bowl if he has an issue with the smell. If they made a canine-pleasing Febreze for dogs, I would not be shy about using it. The smell alone was enough to wake Tug from his ever-present slumber and hold his interest. Score one point for Grammy.

With the St. Bernard’s slobber in full effect (yes, he managed a head shake in the middle of the kitchen and caused it to rain what I refer to as Tug goobers) I filled his bowl with recommended feeding amount. For a dog his size, Merrick recommends 6+ cups per day (6 for the first 100 pounds and 1/2 a cup for each additional 10 pounds). For Tug, that means 10 cups of dry dog food per day. I feed him twice a day–5 cups in the morning and 5 in the evening.

Normally my dog waits for his food dish to hit the floor so he can smell what’s in there and decide if he is going to eat right away or not.  For his first taste of Grammy’s, Tug was eating out of the bowl as I carried from the counter to his eating spot on the floor. Finally, after four years, I had him eating out of the palm of my hand. He devoured it in just a few minutes and looked up at me with eyes that begged for more.

The initial smell and taste reviews are that Grammy’s Pot Pie exceed Tug’s approval. The jury is still out on the long-term impact of Merrick Elements. I am interested to see how Elements affects his vision, joint and breath health. For now, on smell and taste alone, we’ll give it five paws.