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The short answer: Merrick wins by 4 points (B/82 vs B/78). Both are grain-free formulations in the B-tier band — they overlap structurally on legume content but disagree on lead proteins and carbohydrate composition. Merrick Texas Beef leads with deboned beef and beef meal followed by sweet potatoes and potatoes for the carbohydrate base. Wellness CORE Air-Dried leads with deboned turkey and deboned chicken followed by chickpeas, peas, and gelatin. Different protein leads, different carbohydrate strategies, similar B-tier rubric outcomes.

The scores

Wellness CORE Air-Dried Tender Bites Air-Dried Original Turkey & Chicken: B (78/100) — Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Chickpeas, Peas, Gelatin.

Merrick Grain-Free Texas Beef & Sweet Potato: B (82/100) — Deboned Beef, Beef Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Peas.

How the ingredients compare

The top-five ingredients reveal the formulation split between these two brands:

Wellness CORE Air-Dried: Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Chickpeas, Peas, Gelatin

Merrick: Deboned Beef, Beef Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Peas

The 4-point gap (Merrick wins by 4 points) shows where the v15 rubric weights ingredient breadth, protein density, and supplement depth differently.

Where Wellness CORE Air-Dried pulls ahead

Air-dried production method: Low-heat air-drying preserves more nutrition than the 220–250°F extrusion process Merrick uses. Format-quality benefit on the Air-Dried side; Merrick is conventional extruded kibble. Shop on Amazon →

Higher fat density: Air-Dried runs 21% crude fat vs Merrick’s ~14–16% — meaningfully higher caloric density for active or working dogs.

Two named animal proteins in the lead: Deboned turkey at #1 and deboned chicken at #2 supply protein variety. Merrick leads with two beef-variety ingredients (deboned beef + beef meal) — single-protein lead vs multi-protein lead. For owners seeking amino-acid variety from multiple animal sources, Wellness has the structural advantage.

Where Merrick holds its own

Whole-food carbohydrate base: Merrick uses sweet potatoes at #3 and potatoes at #4 — whole-vegetable tubers rather than fragmented binding agents. Wellness Air-Dried uses chickpeas at #3 and peas at #4 (legumes) plus gelatin and vegetable glycerin at positions 5–6 (texture agents). For rubric scoring, whole-vegetable carbohydrate sources outrank texture-agent binding fragments. Shop on Amazon →

Beef-led protein variety: For dogs with chicken or turkey sensitivities, Merrick’s beef-led formulation is the structurally cleaner pick. Wellness CORE Air-Dried is poultry-led across its top two ingredients.

Lower price point: Merrick Grain-Free Texas Beef prices roughly 50–65% below Wellness CORE Air-Dried per pound. For owners feeding a single grain-free formula long-term at sustained pricing, Merrick is the more accessible entry to B-tier grain-free feeding.

The bottom line

Merrick Texas Beef and Wellness CORE Air-Dried both land in the B-tier grain-free band, separated by a 4-point rubric gap. Merrick earns B/82 with deboned beef lead, whole-vegetable carbohydrate base (sweet potatoes + potatoes), and standard kibble pricing. Wellness CORE Air-Dried earns B/78 with multi-poultry-protein lead (turkey + chicken), air-dried low-heat production, and higher caloric density — but the chickpea + pea + gelatin + vegetable glycerin carbohydrate-and-binding structure pulls the rubric score 4 points below Merrick. For owners with chicken-sensitive dogs or those wanting whole-vegetable carbohydrate base at standard kibble pricing, Merrick. For owners specifically seeking air-dried format and higher caloric density, Wellness CORE Air-Dried.