# Solid Gold Wee Bits, Flint River, or Merrick



## bellasmommy (May 8, 2005)

Well I think I might switch Bella's food. She currently eats Natural Ballance Duck and Potato, but I'm a little scared because of the other flavors of NB which were recalled. I'm especially wary of it since NB's people didn't even know the suspect ingredient had been added, and then today I saw the post about the cat food in the dog food bag. Anyway, enough is enough. I'm just not sure what to switch her to. She used to eat Flint River and she liked it a lot, but the pieces were so big I had a paranoia about her choking so I swictched to Natural Balance. I would like to try Merrick (dry) or Solid Gold. If anyone feeds these please share your experience if you have time. I have only had Bella on a couple of foods her whole life so I'm a little confused. She's picky, so that doesn't help. I know I'm not the only one with this problem right now and if you're busy trying to figure out what to feed your own baby please ignore this, but if you think you know something that might work for Bella let me know. I think I would like the Merrick or Solid Gold Wee Bits because they're small kibble and I can leave it down for her if I'm not home. I don't even know if I should try to find another Duck formula or let her try something different. Gee, i'm not having skin kids, I can't imagine.


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## precious paws (Jun 7, 2006)

> Well I think I might switch Bella's food. She currently eats Natural Ballance Duck and Potato, but I'm a little scared because of the other flavors of NB which were recalled. I'm especially wary of it since NB's people didn't even know the suspect ingredient had been added, and then today I saw the post about the cat food in the dog food bag. Anyway, enough is enough. I'm just not sure what to switch her to. She used to eat Flint River and she liked it a lot, but the pieces were so big I had a paranoia about her choking so I swictched to Natural Balance. I would like to try Merrick (dry) or Solid Gold. If anyone feeds these please share your experience if you have time. I have only had Bella on a couple of foods her whole life so I'm a little confused. She's picky, so that doesn't help. I know I'm not the only one with this problem right now and if you're busy trying to figure out what to feed your own baby please ignore this, but if you think you know something that might work for Bella let me know. I think I would like the Merrick or Solid Gold Wee Bits because they're small kibble and I can leave it down for her if I'm not home. I don't even know if I should try to find another Duck formula or let her try something different. Gee, i'm not having skin kids, I can't imagine.[/B]


I think merrick makes their own food. That is a good thing. If it were me, who manufactures the food would be a huge influence in what food I choose.


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

Merrick does make their own food which was a big plus in my book!! hehe....I have switched Mia over to Merrick after recalled their food. I too was feeding her the d&p but the recall was a little too close for comfort (if ya know what I mean!)...

So anyway, back to the topic! LOL

Mia loves her Merrick! The kibble is A LOT smaller than the NB so she has an easier time eating it! The only thing that I have noticed is that she poops A LOT more than she did on the NB....

Merrick has a ton of different flavors, you should try it!


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## bruinkoala (Aug 18, 2005)

When Bruno was a puppy, he started off with Merrick's puppy plate. He LOVED it... for a while. After the 2nd bag, he just wouldn't eat it anymore. So I tried the Solid Gold puppy food and he LOVED it also. Once he became 11 months old, I switched him to Wellness (adult food - the lamb one - i think chicken formulas add to bruno's tear stain) and even though the kibbles are a bit large, he eats it with no problem.

For my new puppy (Bruno's half sister), she is eating Artemis. The only reason I started her off on that rather than Merrick is because there was no more Merrick puppy plate at the store. I like Artemis because of it being for only small breed puppy's are the kibble is really small. My only complaint... I don't think Mocha is handling the food switching all that great. Before I got her, she was on Science Diet, now I am trying to transition her to Artemis = softer stool


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## dolcevita (Aug 3, 2005)

I have fed Solid Gold Wee Bits in the past, and Dolce really liked it. The pieces are smaller and easier for her to chew, and the ingredients seem good. The only think I don't like about it is that it smells fishy, because it has salmon in it, and I hate the smell of fish.


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## bellasmommy (May 8, 2005)

Thanks for the replies everyone, it sounds like maybe I should ask the companies for some samples. I don't know of anyone in my area that carries Merrick, but I'm going to double check. If I can get a sample from them I would like to do that first. Maybe Solid Gold has samples too. I know I don't want to end up with lots of bags everywhere...what's Petco's return policy? I know they carry Solid Gold, but not Merrick. I guess I'll check Petco's website for return info and write both food companies for samples. I'm glad so many of you have used these brands successfully, its also nice to know ahead of time both are small bites. Off to do some checking...


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## beckybc03 (Jul 6, 2006)

Lilly has eaten Merrick since I brought her home. I chose the food because I read an independent study on premium foods and Merrick ranked the highest. Who knows if that is true but that is why I chose Merrick. I'm glad I did because Merrick makes their own food and if you read the ingredients there is no wheat/rice gluten in their food. Lilly eats her food fine. She is kind of a picky eater but she does eat, some days just more than others. She has the Wilderness blend right now and I will probably pick out a different flavor next bag just so she gets a change every now and then. You can switch between all of the different flavors within Merrick with no problems.


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## bellasmommy (May 8, 2005)

Well I called my local Petco and while they carry Solid Gold, they don't stock the Wee Bits which was the one I was interested in. I sent Solid Gold an email asking for samples, but this was before I checked what it would cost to have it shipped to me from Solid Gold, are you ready for this? For an almost $9.00 bag of food the shipping would be $13. No way. Not gonna happen. The shipping from petco (online) was 8 something, still would be like paying for the food twice.

So then I went to Merricks site and noticed they offer free shipping in the US, yay Merrick! I called about samples and she said they are currently out of stock and they won't have more for maybe a month, I guess they've probably been flooded with calls lately. Merrick isn't carried locally either, but with free shipping, I think I will give it a try anyway, now to just choose a flavor and pray Bella will eat it....


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## lillady (Jan 25, 2007)

I switched, on Krystal's recommendation from NB D & P to Merrick-Kosmo loves it!!!


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Archie, Abbey & Tinker don't lift their heads out of their bowls until they are clean...

I put Solid Gold Hunden flocken (Spelling?) dry food in first, then I take some Merrick Turducken and mix it with organic chicken broth and heat it in the microwave for 15 seconds, stir, then put some chunks and broth in each bowl on top of the dry food. 

Yum Yum.


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## bellasmommy (May 8, 2005)

Ok, I'm ordering the Merrick. Other than the ingredients and all of your positive reviews this is what sold me, from the FAQ section of their site:

What if a customer is unsatisfied with your food?
We stand behind all of our products 100%. We will gladly replace anything that a customer is not happy with. If the animal doesn’t like the food or if the color of the bag clashes with the carpet at home, we stand behind Merrick Pet Care 100%.

Made me laugh, so I thought I would share. So for those of who who used to use NB Duck and Potato, what flavor of Merrick does your fluff like? Seems like an odd question I'm sure, but I'm curious.


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

> Well I think I might switch Bella's food. She currently eats Natural Ballance Duck and Potato, but I'm a little scared because of the other flavors of NB which were recalled. I'm especially wary of it since NB's people didn't even know the suspect ingredient had been added, and then today I saw the post about the cat food in the dog food bag. Anyway, enough is enough. I'm just not sure what to switch her to. She used to eat Flint River and she liked it a lot, but the pieces were so big I had a paranoia about her choking so I swictched to Natural Balance. I would like to try Merrick (dry) or Solid Gold. If anyone feeds these please share your experience if you have time. I have only had Bella on a couple of foods her whole life so I'm a little confused. She's picky, so that doesn't help. I know I'm not the only one with this problem right now and if you're busy trying to figure out what to feed your own baby please ignore this, but if you think you know something that might work for Bella let me know. I think I would like the Merrick or Solid Gold Wee Bits because they're small kibble and I can leave it down for her if I'm not home. I don't even know if I should try to find another Duck formula or let her try something different. Gee, i'm not having skin kids, I can't imagine.[/B]


I've been considering the Solid Gold Wee Bits too. 

As far as skin kids go. I breastfed both of mine and then when it came to solids I didn't give them anything in a jar--I bought organic meats and veggies and cooked & pureed them and froze the puree in ice cube trays. Whenever baby needed food I'd just defrost it and heat it. Fruits you could just puree fresh & uncooked and feed. I loved doing it. I read up on all this stuff prior and had a good time. So don't worry, there's ways to feed skin kids healthily (is that a word?)!!


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## bellasmommy (May 8, 2005)

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I might reconsider skin kids someday...maybe....I hope. I don't know. I sound real sure huh?







I applaud everyone who survives them, I just can't imagine the amount of worry that must go into it, I mean there's something I worry about everyday with Bella and she's perfectly healthy and a dog (don't tell her I said that).


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

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LOL! You're too funny! Sometimes I think skin kids and having a dog are equally as stressful, lol. Or maybe hard work is a better way to put it? I really do feel like Ollie is a family member--and I never thought I would think that way about a dog. And I can't understand people who DON'T feel that way!

Let us know what food you decide on. Did anyone else mention they fed the Solid Gold Wee bits...I didn't get a chance to read through all the replies...


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## charmypoo (Sep 11, 2004)

I used to feed Solid Gold around 5 years ago and my kids hated it. I recently tried it again and they absolutely LOVED IT (my groomer feeds it). I am not sure if they changed the taste or I fed a different one.

I also feed Merrick and I highly recommend it.


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## bellasmommy (May 8, 2005)

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I might reconsider skin kids someday...maybe....I hope. I don't know. I sound real sure huh?







I applaud everyone who survives them, I just can't imagine the amount of worry that must go into it, I mean there's something I worry about everyday with Bella and she's perfectly healthy and a dog (don't tell her I said that).
[/B][/QUOTE]

LOL! You're too funny! Sometimes I think skin kids and having a dog are equally as stressful, lol. Or maybe hard work is a better way to put it? I really do feel like Ollie is a family member--and I never thought I would think that way about a dog. And I can't understand people who DON'T feel that way!

Let us know what food you decide on. Did anyone else mention they fed the Solid Gold Wee bits...I didn't get a chance to read through all the replies...
[/B][/QUOTE]

Yes, Dolcevita replied that she uses the wee bits and 2maltmom uses the hundenflocken. I really wanted to try it, but with the shipping being at least as much as the food, i just don't think its very practical for me. I wonder why my Petco carries Solid Gold but not the wee bits one? Weird. I think I will try the puppy plate Merrick...if it doesn't work out I will send it back and try another one, but I hope Bella likes it. She's had Merrick's canned food before and didn't like it, but I think that's just because she doesn't like canned food. She prefers dry by far. I guess I could try a different kind of Solid Gold that petco does carry, I should probably choose one and try to stick with it though so I don't upset her stomach. I will be in town (the next town over from where I live in the middle of nowhere) and I might look at all the kinds Petco does have before I make a descision. As far as making their own food, looks like Merrick's my best bet, but I guess ordering online will be fine since shippings free.


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

I have Mia on the Puppy Plate and she loves it. I am not too sure if you can feed an adult puppy food though....hummm....LOL

I think Gena has Kosmo on the Cowboy Cookout, and he loves it! 

You may want to just get the dry sample pack (it has samples of everything for only $6)
Dry Sample Pack


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## bellasmommy (May 8, 2005)

> I have Mia on the Puppy Plate and she loves it. I am not too sure if you can feed an adult puppy food though....hummm....LOL
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The not so good news: The sample pack is out of stock, no wonder really considering so many people are having to switch their dogs food

The good news: The Puppy Plate is fine for adult dogs so I might order it tonight, since they have a return policy if she doesn't like it I will just return it and I will try the Cowboy Cookout. If Petco has one of the Solid Gold flavors I think she might like I might try it too, but just if she doesn't like the Merrick I guess since I'm ordering it. Wish us luck, Bella's one picky girl. I will let everyone know how it goes when it comes in.


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## angelsugar (Apr 22, 2006)

*My boyz eat Solid Gold Wee Bits and love it. They are just a little over one year old and I still leave the food down for them. Their poopies are nice and firm and don't really smell .... we have had good luck with it and I would recommend it to other Maltese owners.*


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## THE GiZ&THE CHAR (Dec 14, 2006)

I recently switched the boys from NB Sweet potato & fish to Merrick Wilderness Blend and they really like it! The pieces are smaller than the NB sp&f and it smells a million times better. I heard/read somewhere that this formula was good for allergy sufferers.


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## bellasmommy (May 8, 2005)

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with the the different foods. There are no premium pet food places around here and its nice to be able to chat with people who don't think I'm nuts.


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## beckybc03 (Jul 6, 2006)

> Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with the the different foods. There are no premium pet food places around here and its nice to be able to chat with people who don't think I'm nuts.[/B]


Did you try the retail locator on Merrick's site?? You might be surprised and find a store near you!


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## PreciousPrince (Feb 27, 2006)

Hi Brandy--you mentioned that you don't have any premium pet food places around you, but did you know that feed stores often carry some top brands? At least in my area they do, so it's worth a shot,. Becky's idea of the retail locater is good to find these type of stores.


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

Let us know how it works out for ya!!!







I love the Puppy Plate...It looks EXACTLY the way it does on the site! hehe....Mia always eats the veggies first!!!! LOL


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## bellasmommy (May 8, 2005)

Merricks retail locator tells me the the closest retailer is in Fort Worth but I live near Wichita Falls







That's about an hour and a half drive. Last night I ordered Merrick's Puppy Plate and Solid Gold's Wee Bits from Waggin Tails (online), I don't have any experience with them, but they had both brands I wanted her to get to try. I hope she likes one of them, or both of them, I guess I could mix them if she likes them both. I'll let you know how it goes when they arrive. I'm hoping she likes the Merrick since their shipping if you order directly from them is free. Long term, that would be the best choice if she will eat it.


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## beckybc03 (Jul 6, 2006)

I hope she likes one of those!! I guess I have been fortunate in that Lilly tolerates the Merrick and that is what she has been on since day one. It makes me happy to know that they make their food at their own factory and they use only human grade products. I don't even buy organic chicken for myself for goodness sake!!


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## Kissi's Mom (Apr 21, 2006)

> Well I think I might switch Bella's food. She currently eats Natural Ballance Duck and Potato, but I'm a little scared because of the other flavors of NB which were recalled. I'm especially wary of it since NB's people didn't even know the suspect ingredient had been added, and then today I saw the post about the cat food in the dog food bag. Anyway, enough is enough. I'm just not sure what to switch her to. She used to eat Flint River and she liked it a lot, but the pieces were so big I had a paranoia about her choking so I swictched to Natural Balance. I would like to try Merrick (dry) or Solid Gold. If anyone feeds these please share your experience if you have time. I have only had Bella on a couple of foods her whole life so I'm a little confused. She's picky, so that doesn't help. I know I'm not the only one with this problem right now and if you're busy trying to figure out what to feed your own baby please ignore this, but if you think you know something that might work for Bella let me know. I think I would like the Merrick or Solid Gold Wee Bits because they're small kibble and I can leave it down for her if I'm not home. I don't even know if I should try to find another Duck formula or let her try something different. Gee, i'm not having skin kids, I can't imagine.[/B]


I feed Merrick both canned and dry...Grammy's pot pie kibble and NewZealand Summer Sausage & Grammy's pot pie canned. My girls love it. When we first started hearing about the recalls I called the info number on the can and actually talked with a REAL person. She assured me that they produced all of their own foods and there are no wheat/rice gluten in any of their products.
good luck,
Linda


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

> I feed Merrick both canned and dry...Grammy's pot pie kibble and NewZealand Summer Sausage & Grammy's pot pie canned. My girls love it. When we first started hearing about the recalls I called the info number on the can and actually talked with a REAL person. She assured me that they produced all of their own foods and there are no wheat/rice gluten in any of their products.
> good luck,
> Linda[/B]



I also called the customer service when deciding whether or not I wanted to switch her to Merrick and they were very helpful and reassuring!


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## bellasmommy (May 8, 2005)

I'm still wating for my order, I wil update when it comes in...just didn't want anyone to think I forgot. I hope it gets here soon, we are running out of food and a drive to Petco is almost in order.


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## bellasmommy (May 8, 2005)

I promised I would come back and let you know which brand Bella likes but it's tricky. She's eating both of them, seemingly without preference, nutty girl. Yesterday she was picking out the peas and apple pieces from the Merrick and moving them away from her food like they were gross or something and eating the Solid Gold Wee Bits instead, almost exclusively. She must have accidentaly eaten a pea and decided she likes them though because now she's eating both foods. I have no idea which one she prefers. I guess I should've put one brand out at a time. I did notice she hasn't touched the NB since I opened the new stuff. I will let you know if she makes up her mind. I would like her to eat the merrick since the shipping is free, I may just keep her on it if she keeps eating it without a preference. You know what else is weird? Absolutely no stomach upset with all of this switching, I was worried about that and she's fine.


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## bellasmommy (May 8, 2005)

Because I'm weird and really into the search feature I found that post a while ago about the point system you can use to help figure out food. Here's the link: point system This is what I came up with:

Solid Gold Wee Bits: vegetables +3, fruit +3, flaxseed +2, barley +2, additional protein source +1= 111

Merrick Puppy Plate: Organic meat +5, fruit +3, vegetables +3, probiotics +3, barley +2, flaxseed +2, oatmeal +1, addtional protein source +2= 122

It looks (to me) like they are both good foods and Merrick gets kudos for the organic meat, probiotics, and oatmeal. I think I will leave both foods out all night and see which one dissapears in the morning. I'm glad this point system thing exist, helps me to remember what to look for.

Oh, in case any one has been wondering about Harley, she LOVES both foods. I think I will keep her on the Merrick by itself simply because she swallows the wee bits whole because they are so "wee" and I would like her to chew her food


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## bellasmommy (May 8, 2005)

Well the dog food switch saga is finally over here, unless there are more recalls anyway. Bella finally chose the wee bits, she's ignoring the Merrick now. I had planned to leave both out just so she has some variety but she's picking the wee bits out to eat them so I guess she has a favorite. I'm taking the Merrick to Harley since she likes both a LOT. I think I can order both from Waggintails without a hassle in the future, so that's good. I think Bella likes the little size of the Solid Gold, she's eating really fast compared to how she used to. I hope everyone else having to find a new food has good luck, I was nervous because Bella is picky so when she started eating BOTH new foods I was so relieved.


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

> Well the dog food switch saga is finally over here, unless there are more recalls anyway. Bella finally chose the wee bits, she's ignoring the Merrick now. I had planned to leave both out just so she has some variety but she's picking the wee bits out to eat them so I guess she has a favorite. I'm taking the Merrick to Harley since she likes both a LOT. I think I can order both from Waggintails without a hassle in the future, so that's good. I think Bella likes the little size of the Solid Gold, she's eating really fast compared to how she used to. I hope everyone else having to find a new food has good luck, I was nervous because Bella is picky so when she started eating BOTH new foods I was so relieved.[/B]


<span style="font-family:Comic Sans Ms">My saga is finally over too! I had Zoe on NB Fish & Sweet Potato then started making homeade during her 3 weeks of being on meds. Didn't want to go back to NB after the recall so tried Merrick. Had to mix it w/the homeade and increase portions of Merrick to get her to eat. But once we got to mostly Merrick, she just wouldn't eat it. Also her pooping really increased with the Merrick so my vet said she didn't think Zoe's body was using it. I picked up a bag of Solid Gold Wee Bits on Friday & mixed it with the Merrick & Zoe did the same thing as Bella, she picked out the Solid Gold so there was no switching her slowly. She LOVES the Solid Gold & actually eats breakfast & dinner now as opposed to dinner only. Hopefully this continues & she doesn't get tired of the SG. But in her entire 3 yrs, the only food she has eaten so well was the homeade stuff so I have really high hopes!! Oh and no problems with the quick switch. Zoe's pooping only twice a day again & they are back to being really small!!!</span>


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## THE GiZ&THE CHAR (Dec 14, 2006)

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You know what, I've had my boys on Merrick for about a month now and I too have noticed an increase in their poo especially Charlie's. And I was thinking the other day if maybe they're body wasn't absorbing what's needed because it was being poo'd out. So, could that be true??? I'm gonna go buy a bag today of the Wee bits or ask for samples at the local store that sells it to give it a try or some Canidae.


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