1. Nature’s Domain Grain-Free All Stages Mix
Key Features
Calorie content per serving: 359 per serving
Protein content (minimum): 24%
Fat content (minimum): 14%
Fiber content (maximum): 3%
Moisture content (maximum): 10%
With a primary focus on protein from salmon meal and a healthy blend of vegetables, you’re going to give your dog every bit of nutrition they deserve, and every single flavor that they go crazy over. It’s a tightrope act: supplying them with sufficient nutrition, while still trying to focus on something they’ll be happy with. That choice just got simpler.
With a plethora of powerful antioxidants and digestive support system additives, this Kirkland grain free dog food is packed with a full balance of what your pup needs to have clear, stable energy throughout the day. If they’ve got a sensitive stomach, you may have just found their holy grail of dog food.
Ingredients include salmon meal, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, pea protein, and high levels of iron, zinc, vitamin B12, B2 and D. For a well-balanced diet and a growing pup, this is your best option.
2. Kirkland’s Signature Turkey Dog Food
Key Features
Calorie content per serving: 336 per serving
Protein content (minimum): 24%
Fat content (minimum): 14%
Fiber content (maximum): 4%
Moisture content (maximum): 10%
You’re sick of the same old, where it feels like you’re trading each dollar per pound of dog food. Kirkland doesn’t hide behind attractive prices; they let it all hang out there in the open. As part of their Nature’s Domain lineup, this turkey-based protein blend is designed for all stages of life. Prebiotics and probiotics work in tandem to supply your pup with an immune system that’s nigh unseizable.
One key component here comes down to the dried chicory root, which is a major cleanser and powerful item to have for your dog’s digestive tract. With most Kirkland products, or any dog food for that matter, the transition to a new blend can be a little tricky on your dog’s digestion. This promises as smooth a transition as possible, while helping to continuously boost healthy enzymes and function.
Main ingredients include turkey meal, sweet potatoes, tomato pomace, flaxseed, salmon oil, dried chicory roots, and strong sources of vitamins B12, B6, B1 and B2. While this is built for all stages of life, there are obvious benefits to older dogs with this high level of vitamin content.
3. Kirkland Signature Chicken and Pea Formula
Key Features
Calorie content per serving: 347 per serving
Protein content (minimum): 22%
Fat content (minimum): 12%
Fiber content (maximum): 5.5%
Moisture content (maximum): 10%
It’s okay to pamper your pooch, they deserve every bit of it. This dog food is a bit steeper on the pricing scale, but for some peace of mind in knowing that just about all of the materials are organically sourced. Primary protein comes from the organic chicken, while numerous other benefits play out in creating a healthy all-stage formula.
Because this is all organic, you’ll actually have to feed your pooch a little bit more than usual just to upkeep with their weight. They process this food so much quicker, but also more easily, prolonging their life. You’re giving them all the nutrition that they deserve, and they’re getting the taste that they’ll go nuts for. If only it were this easy to get kids to eat their greens and meats.
Primary ingredients include organic chicken, organic peas, organic lentils, garbanzo beans, sweet potatoes, and canola oil. Your dog will get major vitamin boosts in B1, B6, B12, D and folic acid, promoting a well-rounded an all organic palette.
4. Small Breed Adult Dog Formula
Key Features
Calorie content per serving: 362 per serving
Protein content (minimum): 22%
Fat content (minimum): 11%
Fiber content (maximum): 3%
Moisture content (maximum): 9%
Built for adult dogs, and a prime fit for your wallet, Small Breed is designed for dogs under 40lbs who have a hard time getting adjusted to a new formula. As you know, any time you switch from one brand or blend to another, there’s usually a digestive catastrophe, and it rarely has a happy ending. Smooth transition and comfortable digestion are but a bag of Small Breed away.
Crushed into a more fine pebble-like consistency, your dog(s) will pulverize their chow, automatically helping in a smooth digestion process from their stomach until their walk the next day. Users rave about how simple the transition process is, and how quickly their pups take to the new kibble.
Some of the key ingredients include chicken, white and brown rice, potatoes, beets and other vegetables. This is a very basic formula that’s a big hitter with picky dogs, and associated nutrients come directly from those main ingredients.
5. Signature Puppy Formula with Chicken and Vegetables
Key Features
Calorie content per serving: 371 per serving
Protein content (minimum): 28%
Fat content (minimum): 17%
Fiber content (maximum): 3%
Moisture content (maximum): 10%
Designed for puppies, beloved by ever breed of dog, Kirkland signature puppy food boasts an impressive collection of protein sources. In these critical early years, growth is important, and while some of the ingredients (brown rice, barley) may be filler products, they give necessary fat content that promotes healthy muscle development, and dually keeps your dog’s stomach feeling satiated for much longer.
With a high concentrate of omega-6 (3.0% minimum), brain and joint development isn’t even a concern. If you’ve had your furry friend for years, this blend might not be suited for their full growth stage. Puppies have the energy to burn, and after feeding them this, your only worry will be if you can keep up with their energy or not.
Main ingredients include chicken, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, egg product, flaxseed, fish meal, and a blend of vitamins including B12, B6, D, riboflavin and folic acid. This high protein blend is perfect for the early stages of life when proper growth is most important.
6. Turkey and Pea Stew Dog Food
Key Features
Calorie content per serving: 567
Protein content (minimum): 23%
Fat content (minimum): 33%
Fiber content (maximum): 3%
Moisture content (maximum): 14%
Twenty-four cans of wet food for the hungry beast in the next room. Most of us don’t have wet food as the main menu staple for our pups, but they’ll go haywire for this delectable high protein treat. With an excellent blend of healthy fats and proper moisture for digestion, you’ll have a happy pooch that will be thanking you (and looking for where you hid the other cans).
This comes with twenty-four cans that have about one and a half servings each, so you’ll be able to stash the rest away, and give them one full meal before or after that long run through the park on Sunday, or when they get home from being with the dogwalker. They’ll know you missed them, and you’ll know that their nutrition is on point.
Primary ingredients include turkey meal, which is proven to have three times the concentrated protein of fresh turkey, as well as sweet potatoes, peas, and canola oil. This wet dog food is formulated with a healthy blend of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids for a healthy, well-rounded health card.
7. Nature’s Domain Beef Meal and Sweet Potato Blend
Key Features
Calorie content per serving: 350
Protein content (minimum): 24%
Fat content (minimum): 14%
Fiber content (maximum): 5.5%
Moisture content (maximum): 10%
Last but not least, another off the Nature’s Domain lineup brings us a healthy blend of beef and potatoes, with a volley of other vegetables in the mix. As an excellent source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, this all stage chow provides major benefits, but especially little pups with a lot of energy, and a lot of room to grow. Depending on your breed, they’ll require an insane amount of protein to keep that muscle development strong and steady.
It’s a little more dollar-per-pound here: Kirkland doesn’t skirt around on quality, even if it’s not in the price range you’re looking for. It’s fortified to bring quality nutrition to your companion, and above all else, that matters most. For the furry friend in your family, they need to grow alongside you, and be there for the long haul.
Your main blend of ingredients and vitamins are beef meal, sweet potatoes, flaxseed, pea protein, salmon oil, egg product, all bringing you vitamins D, B2, B12 and B6, among others. For all stages of life, from big to small, they deserve the best.
Kirkland Dog Food Review
We’ve shown you the best, but now it’s time to tell you how we came to our conclusions. Buying a bag of Kirkland adult dog food isn’t enough; you’re invested in your partner’s health, so we’ve broken the brand wide open to pull everything into the light.
Kirkland Dog Food Company Overview
Kirkland is a division of Costco, one of America’s largest “club style” retail wholesale distributors. As being apart of that corporate giant, they’re constantly under a microscope, which is good for consumers. To date, Kirkland has only had two recalls on dog food, and both instances were found to have no cases of the potential contamination outbreak. They pay attention to quality, but it wasn’t always that way.
They’ve changed up their formula a few times in the past, getting rid of a few filler products and replacing them with clever titles for more filler products. Part of the issue here is that everyone in the dog food game is doing it, so there’s not many other options; everyone is going to use a little bit of filler, just sure to pay attention to percentages.
Why Kirkland Dog Food?
Kirkland is basically your perfect introduction to feeding that new addition to the family. Affordable, rich in nutrients, and built with the genuine ideal that your pet’s health comes first, Kirkland is a rather large player in the dog food market.
We’ll break down their main ingredients lists in a few moments, but the main thing you need to know is that while many other brands are known to use anywhere from 10-40% filler products, Kirkland, while sometimes utilizing fillers, rarely meets even half of that limit.
Since there’s relatively no filler and major amounts of proteins, omega-3 fatty acids and other health benefits, your dog will gain muscle over fat. During daily walks or runs in the park, they’re burning energy, and without a stable influx of nutrients and vitamins, they’ll take those burned calories out of their muscle storage. With Kirkland dog food introduced into their diet, they’ll use the energy from their meals and build on their doggy physiques.
On top of that, with Kirkland being a Costco brand, their customer service is widely available, and extremely friendly. Warranty ranges are flexible (given the fact that you’re buying food), and they’re always a delight to work with.
Head over to our review of High Protein Dog Food for more choices.
Kirkland Dog Food Recalls
No company is perfect, and where Kirkland has failed in the past, they’ve since made up. Kirkland dog food recalls have been sparse, which is why the company is more transparent than ever before about what ingredients, processes and packing standards go into their signature dog food.
2012 - One of two only recalls in history. Kirkland dog food, led by Diamond Pet Foods, Inc., issued a recall because they couldn’t be 100% certain that their dog food didn’t contain salmonella contamination. While the recall didn’t yield any cases of salmonella in pups or adult dogs, they went on the side of caution to prevent a possible issue from arising. The contamination leak proved false, and the products were completely fine.
2007 - Similar to the 2012 issue, this decade-old occurrence was sparked out of similar issues. Diamond Pet Foods, Inc., couldn’t say for certain that their most recent batch of Kirkland dog food didn’t contain melamine. A hole in their system brought focus to the issue, and while no cases of melamine were ever found in any dogs who had ingested Kirkland dog food from that batch, they wanted to be absolutely certain.
Kirkland is synonymous with one thing: taking care of your pet first. We see major food companies only issue recalls after problems have arisen, but they strive to be proactive about every possible issue. Even though it resulted in some users disavowing their brand loyalty to Kirkland, they fulfilled their obligation to consumers by ensuring their product was safe to
Kirkland Dog Food Ingredients Analysis
It isn’t enough to point and declare which bags and blends are the best. We’ve dissected every one of the Kirkland dog food ingredients in each bag, so you can rest easy knowing that Fido is full-up on all his proper nutrition. Keep in mind, these are ingredients that Kirkland uses, but it doesn’t mean all of these will be in each blend.
Assorted Vegetables - Vegetables: there’s no downside to eating them. Kirkland packs some serious green nutrients in their dog food, avoiding the practice that low quality brands use. Their ingredients are fresh, and preserved through less harsh means than others, which throw so many chemicals into the mix, that you don’t even know if what you’re feeding your dog is healthy. It’s about the ingredients, but it’s also about how they’re prepared.
Lamb - An excellent source of protein, and more recently popular than it used to be. Lamb is clean eating for dogs, bringing a calming effect to the table. If your dog has ever had a reaction to the preservation methods used in beef or chicken in their dog food, you’re about to be in for a wonderful surprise. Lamb exists to basically help dogs with skin conditions and sensitivities, while still allowing them to get their protein in.
Chicken - Chicken has always been a fantastic source of protein for your pup, from the clean and lean protein it offers, right on down to the mild preservation methods. High chicken content dog foods are especially necessary for a growing pup’s muscle development.
White Rice - White rice is higher in fat than brown, and offers a little less protein. It’s a filler product that doesn’t bring a lot to the table, but isn’t totally useless, either. In some instances, small percentages are introduced to mitigate the potent flavors in the other ingredients, so it’s not so overwhelming to your dog.
Brown Rice - Brown rice offers a mild level of protein, and is fairly low in fat for a starch-based product. Like white, brown rice may be used to help soften the overall flavor of the dog food, so your pup doesn’t get quite so much flavor in each bite. Their taste buds are sensitive as can be, and the last thing you want to do is deter them from enjoying their meal.
Chicken Fat - Contrary to popular belief, having some high fat content in your dog food is actually a good thing. Your little guy is getting out there and burning off energy, and you don’t want those calories to come from built muscle. Having chicken fat in your dog’s food is actually a very good thing. However, a word of the wise, if it says “poultry fat,” that’s not a good thing.
Fish Meal - This dry powder gets added to the blend for some omega-3 and omega-6 oils to aid in brain development and muscle growth. Omega-3’s are often considered a saving grace of dog food, aiding in the prevention of serious issues in the later stages of life. Fish meal is often a low percentage of the end product, but a necessary component nonetheless. Find out more about fish oils for dogs here.
Egg Product - Eggs have protein, which is good, but the practices in how they get the necessary egg components is something you should know. Often times, they use the run-off or excess egg product (usually all whites, very rarely do they use yolks), and that’s where the risks of salmonella most often come from. Based on Kirkland’s history and quality, they keep a very tight seal on their quality control, but it’s important for you to know how your dog’s food is being processed.
Flaxseed/Flaxseed Oil - Flaxseed is an essential oil that we commonly see in products for us, but it has major benefits when consumed by your canine companion. This is where a lot of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids can come from when your dog has an acute allergy to fish or fish-based products. Practically flavorless, and an excellent addition to a healthy diet.
Dried Beet Pulp - While many of the other ingredients focus primarily on vitamins and minerals, beet pulp helps provide hydration to the colon. Your pup will have healthier movements, a better coloration in their stool, and consistency that offers them literal comfort. Rich in fiber, dried beet pulp is an essential.
Cracked Pearled Barley - This is a grain, used as a filler product, and while it’s in the same category as brown rice, it doesn’t bring the same benefits to the table. This can alter movements, stool coloration, and in general it’s just not a very keen product to incorporate into dog food. To keep costs down, Kirkland has been known to add it.
Kelp - Kelp is perhaps one of the most important additives to your dog’s food. Aiding in proper thyroid function and bringing loads of iodine, this little ingredient is a big player on their health card. On top of that, the protein helps boost tissue repair and muscle growth in your pooch.
