Classic Healthy Grains Real Beef + Brown Rice Recipe with Ancient Grains Adult Dry Dog Food, 33-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Real Beef + Brown Rice Recipe with Ancient Grains is a dry food for adult dogs, featuring beef as its main protein.
This recipe offers good protein quality, with beef providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber, and the fat sources are good, featuring named fat and marine oil for EPA and DHA.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for adult dogs of any size. Nothing serious working against it.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for lower-energy giant working breeds, including the Saint Bernard, navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Working in its favor: taurine listed as added ingredient. Beef anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus salmon meal at position 7. What we'd flag: calorie density (436 kcal/cup) is rich for a lower-activity breed. Based on 3,363 OFA cardiac screenings, 1.0% of Saint Bernards had abnormal findings. Dilated cardiomyopathy and subaortic stenosis are noted heritable cardiac diseases in the breed (OFA) .
Looking at this for adult Saint Bernards or Saint Bernards with diet-associated DCM concerns ? We are building dedicated pages for these combinations.
Auto-matched from this product's measurements (ingredients, life stage, calorie density) to a breed archetype. Not a substitute for vet input on your specific dog.
Research informing this analysis
MethodologyThe Sniff System grades this product against 4 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- FDA, 2022epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 4 claims
- FDA, 2019cardiac concerns with named research if dcm predisposed · diet composition· cited in 3 claims
- NRC, 2006nutrient bioavailability
- OFAcardiac concerns with named research if dcm predisposed
Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Solid grade. 71/100 (B) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+15.5 points): Reasonable protein quality. beef delivers solid amino acid coverage. The supporting beat: carbohydrate quality (+13 points). Quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber. What's keeping it out of A-tier: protein quality (15.5 of 27 possible). Full protein quality requires named-species named-cut proteins in the top of the deck (e.g., "deboned chicken" rather than "chicken meal" or "poultry meal").
Reasonable protein quality. beef delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Lowest crude fiber in Merrick's lineup (3.9% DMB)
- Top quartile for carb quality in Merrick's lineup (13/16)
- Bottom quartile for DMB protein in Merrick's lineup (29.2%)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
Similar dog foods worth considering
Three lenses on products with formulation profiles similar to this one.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1protein animalbeef
Real meat. Dense in protein and iron. Some dogs are sensitive to it, but for most it's an excellent base.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 2: major carbohydrate source.
- 3oat meal
Alternate spelling of oatmeal. Gentle whole grain, steady carb energy, soluble fiber.
- 4pork and bone meal
Position 4: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 5grainbarley
Whole grain with a low glycemic profile and some soluble fiber. Easy on blood sugar.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 7protein animalsalmon meal
Salmon cooked into a dry concentrate. Carries both protein and natural omega-3s in one ingredient. See why →
Position 7: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 8pork fat
Real animal fat from a named species. Clean energy source.
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9protein plantpotato protein
Concentrated potato protein. Like pea protein, it inflates the protein number without matching meat-quality amino acids.
Position 9: moderate plant-protein boost. Less likely to materially shift the protein profile.
- 10grainquinoa
Pseudo-grain with a complete amino acid profile. Rare in dog food because it's expensive.
Position 10: minor grain inclusion.
- 11fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 11: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 12dried yeast
Natural source of B vitamins and trace minerals. Adds a savory flavor that dogs respond well to.
- 13fibermiscanthus grass
Perennial grass used as a fiber source. Replaces cellulose in some recipes. Functional but unremarkable.
Position 13: trace fiber inclusion.
- 14mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 15mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 16fatsunflower oil
Common plant oil. Useful in moderation for omega-6, though too much skews the omega ratio against the dog's favor.
- 17supplementalfalfa meal
Dried alfalfa. Real fiber and trace minerals. Functional plant ingredient.
- 18supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 19fruitapples
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
- 20vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
- 21mineraliron amino acid complex
Iron bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 22mineralzinc amino acid complex
Zinc bound to amino acids for better absorption. Same idea as zinc proteinate, the premium form of the mineral.
- 23mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 24mineralsodium selenite Flagged
Inorganic selenium. Effective at AAFCO levels, no documented safety concern in dogs despite what some pet food blogs claim. Selenium yeast is a marginal upgrade, not a necessity. See why →
- 25mineralmanganese amino acid complex
Manganese bound to amino acids for better absorption. The chelated form most premium brands use.
Showing first 25 of 38. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.