Merrick and Wellness Core questions

[dirtybirdsoaps]

I have been feeding my cats Merrick for the past few months and it seems lately I've been having problems with the food. One case I got looked and smelled funny, and then the other batches I have been getting look different. The consistency hasnt been the same and theres been black pieces and fatty pieces in it. Id like to say it was the end of a batch, but is my luck that bad that I'd get a few of these "end batches"? Has anyone else had problems with them lately? I feed them the turkey pate, chicken pate, and the beef pate.

Also, does anyone know if the carb % on Dr. Lisa's food chart is accurate for the Wellness Core line? I have read theyve changed their formula several times over the years and didn't know if it was accurate.

I have been thinking about switching them to Wellness Core or Canidae Pure elements, but can't find recent info on either. I really hate having to switch food again but I dont know whats going on with Merrick.

 

[JenM]

I'm not sure - but I feed Wellness Grain Free (not Core) and the company representatives (1-800-225-0904) are very willing to give nutritional information. Though I would assume you need to be specific in what you're asking as they often list different carb values that we're looking for and some calculations are required.

THIS (see below) was sent to me from Wellness recently - the carbs are quite different from the list, no matter which number you use... but I think there's additional calculations we use here - though I've never been able to wrap my brain around them...

On Monday, June 9, 2014 9:00 AM, "info@wellpet.com" <info@wellpet.com> wrote:

Thank you for taking the time to call about Wellness® Wet Cat Food.

Here are the nutritional values you have requested:

Wellness® Complete Health Wet Cat Foods
Complete Health Chicken Recipe
As Fed: 1.74%
Dry Matter: 6.48%
Complete Health Chicken & Herring Recipe
As Fed: 2.10%
Dry Matter: 8.40%
Complete Health Beef & Chicken Recipe
As Fed: 1.42%
Dry Matter: 5.91%
Complete Health Turkey Recipe
As Fed: 1.67%
Dry Matter: 6.22%
Complete Health Turkey & Salmon Recipe
As Fed: 1.79%
Dry Matter: 7.35%
Complete Health Salmon & Trout Recipe
As Fed: 2.89%
Dry Matter: 11.17%
Complete Health Chicken & Lobster Recipe
As Fed: 3.81%
Dry Matter: 15.16%
Complete Health Kitten Recipe
As Fed: 1.99%
Dry Matter: 7.40%
Complete Health Beef & Salmon Recipe
As Fed: 2.12%
Dry Matter: 8.66%
Complete Health Salmon, Shrimp & Crab Recipe
As fed: 3.87%
Dry Matter: 13.52%

Wellness® CORE® Wet Cat Foods
CORE® Grain Free Chicken, Turkey, & Chicken Liver
As Fed: 3.09%
Dry Matter: 11.12%
CORE® Grain Free Salmon, Whitefish, & Herring
As Fed: 4.65%
Dry Matter: 16.93%
CORE® Grain Free Beef, Venison & Lamb
As Fed: 1.95%
Dry Matter: 7.24%
CORE® Grain Free Turkey & Duck
As Fed: 1.89%
Dry Matter: 7.55%
CORE® Indoor
As Fed: 3.27%
Dry Matter: 14.17%
CORE® Kitten
As Fed: 2.03%
Dry Matter: 7.79%

Wellness® Cubed, Sliced and Minced Wet Cat Recipes
Cubed Chicken Entrée
As Fed: 2.81%
Dry Matter: 12.51%
Sliced Chicken Entrée
As Fed: 2.85%
Dry Matter: 12.74%
Minced Chicken Entrée
As Fed: 2.94%
Dry Matter: 13.15%
Cubed Turkey Entrée
As Fed: 3.48%
Dry Matter: 15.25%
Sliced Turkey Entrée
As Fed: 3.58%
Dry Matter: 15.98%
Minced Turkey Entree
As Fed: 3.72%
Dry Matter: 16.47%
Cubed Turkey and Salmon Entrée
As Fed: 3.33%
Dry Matter: 14.73%
Sliced Turkey and Salmon Dinner
As Fed: 3.47%
Dry Matter: 15.57%
Minced Turkey and Salmon Entrée
As Fed: 3.60%
Dry Matter: 15.90%
Minced Salmon Entrée
As Fed: 2.49%
Dry Matter: 11.37%
Cubed Salmon Dinner
As Fed: 2.72%
Dry Matter: 12.36%
Sliced Salmon Entrée
As Fed: 2.71%
Dry Matter: 12.36%
Cubed Tuna Entrée
As Fed: 3.52%
Dry Matter: 15.51%
Minced Tuna Dinner
As Fed: 3.32%
Dry Matter: 14.70%

Wellness® Signature Selects
Signature Selects Shredded White Meat Chicken with Chicken Liver Entrée in Sauce
As Fed: 6.63%
Dry Matter: 32.89%
Signature Selects Shredded White Meat Chicken & Beef Entrée in Sauce
As Fed: 6.40%
Dry Matter: 31.79%
Signature Selects Shredded White Meat Chicken & Turkey Entrée in Sauce
As Fed: 6.52%
Dry Matter: 32.82%
Signature Selects Chunky Beef & White Meat Chicken Entrée in Sauce
As Fed: 6.47%
Dry Matter: 36.74%
Signature Selects Chunky White Meat Chicken & Wild Salmon Entrée in Sauce
As Fed: 6.16%
Dry Matter: 32.04%
Signature Selects Chunky Turkey & White Meat Chicken Entrée in Sauce
As Fed: 6.10%
Dry Matter: 34.09%
Signature Selects Flaked Skipjack Tuna with Wild Salmon Entrée in Broth
As Fed: 3.43%
Dry Matter: 15.75%
Signature Selects Flaked Skipjack Tuna with Shrimp Entrée in Broth
As Fed: 3.64%
Dry Matter: 17.01%

Thanks again for contacting us.

Maryann
Consumer Affairs Representative
WellPet

000374202A

 

[dirtybirdsoaps]

Thank you for the info. Your info might be more accurate since it's more current. I emailed them so we'll see. I hate having to change foods, but it seems Merricks quality is going down hill. I'd love to feed a raw diet and I keep thinking about it, but I worry about leaving the food out. Right one I use a timed feeder that's out for several hours.

 

[BJM]

You can freeze some of the food to be eaten when it thaws.

You can put cooling packs under a plate or timed feeder (some come with them) or even set a bowl inside a bowl of ice.

And the black bits may be part of the back of the eye. I see them in Friskies, too.

 

[JenM]

Unfortunately, it seems a lot of the formerly GREAT food companies have gone downhill. Many (including Wellness) have been bought up by larger companies. These companies start out small and with good intentions (ie. pet nutrition as priority #1) and then when they get successful, they outgrow their facilities and methods and the dollars that larger (often competing) companies throw at them is just irresistable. It would be like having some rich guy offer you a billion dollars for your little house you've lived in for 30 years. Yes, you love your house... but a BILLION DOLLARS??? I'd sell!

We see the same thing with human food - with the big guys like Kraft and PG buying all the little start-ups (as a vegetarian seeking out these smaller market vendors, I see this a lot).

We recently had a GMO labelling bill fail in our state - but it brought to light how monopolized our food industry is. I saw a thing floating around the internet showing all these brand logos and who owned them. It was pretty crazy. There's basically 3 major food companies in the country. But I digress (though not entirely as the same thing applies to pet food).

I would say that Wellness is also not as good as it used to be - and I feel that way more so after seeing the new lines they've released which seem to go against everything they've ever done and market directly to the mainstream buyer. Those foods that appeal to the human eye, despite being nothing close to what an animal should be eating. The higher carb contents, etc. I DO still feel it's FAR better than the big commercial brands - though I have to wonder for how long this will be the case.

I give it another decade at most and I'm sure I'll be making my own pet food just because I'm not satisfied with anything left on the market. The only reason I dont do this already is because with 5 cats (my 4 plus a formerly feral neighborhood cat that seems to consider my porch her primary home) and two dogs (one larger breed) - it would just add SO much work to my already crazy life. As a single mother working a full time job and tending my home and little mini farm on my own - and now with a diabetic cat in the mix... I have to be careful what else I add to my plate. I'm hanging on for dear life to those couple hours a month that I get to spend pretending I have a social life. :lol: