Kirkland Signature Dog Food Review 2024

Affordable and good-quality, Kirkland dog food is popular for a reason. The US brand is good value and part of a range owned by a large American company called Diamond. Kirkland Signature is a ‘house brand’ of American retail giant Costco — meaning a subsidiary — and is synonymous with the shop. As well as dog food, Kirkland Signature makes a wide range of other products like water, kitchen roll, and baby wipes.

Some experts praise Kirkland for the quality of its dog food, while others are critical of various components. So, is Kirkland dog food the perfect food for your furry friend? In this in-depth Kirkland dog food review, we’ll take you through the varieties of Kirkland food on offer and give you a full picture of what you’d be buying.

In comparison to some other dog food brands, Kirkland doesn’t have the widest variety of ranges and flavors — but there’s still plenty of choice to talk you through. 

Kirkland Signature dry dog food

Kirkland specializes in dry dog food, so the options within this category are greater than in the wet food category. And, unlike with the wet food, you can tailor your choice to your dog’s size and age, which is great news. Kirkland Signature is the brand’s classic range, within which there are a range of options (and flavors) that cater to dogs of specific ages and sizes. 

Kirkland Signature Adult Formula

If you’re simply buying Kirkland dry food for your adult doggo, you would plump for this one — it’s not geared toward any age or size in particular. This product comes in two flavor mixtures — Chicken, Rice and Vegetable, and Lamb, Rice and Vegetable. 

While this standard mix has chicken as its primary ingredient and includes plenty of fantastic features like antioxidants, it’s worth pointing out that rice doesn’t have tons of nutritional value for dogs. This formula also contains potato, which, again, doesn’t do a great deal for a dog’s body (though it does fill it up with calories, which is of some value in and of itself).

Kirkland Signature Healthy Weight Formula

This is the Kirkland range intended to help pups who may be vulnerable to putting on weight. At the time of writing, it only comes in one flavor — Chicken and Vegetable — and contains less fat and fewer calories than the standard adult formula.

Kirkland Signature Mature Formula

If you’ve got a senior dog, this is the best option for you. Only available in a Chicken, Rice and Egg flavor, the mature formula is geared towards those pups who have a few more years on the clock. This Kirkland product lists Glucosamine and Chondroitin among its ingredients, which are used to help manage joint issues — a condition that frequently affects senior dogs (as well as dogs of all ages).

Kirkland Signature Puppy Formula

If you have a small puppy, consider buying this range, targeted at young dogs. Packed with added salmon oil (to help with the development of young eyes), this mix also comes in smaller pellets, making it easier for tinier dogs to eat up.

Kirkland Signature Small Formula

Kirkland recommends this mix for pet parents of particularly small pups; the kibble is smaller, as it is for the puppy mix). It comes in one flavor — Chicken and Vegetable — and contains plenty of good stuff like chicken fat and omega 3.

Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain

The Nature’s Domain range from Kirkland is predominantly catered for dogs who can’t eat grain — five out of the six Nature’s Domain options are grain-free. Should you feed a dog a grain-free diet? Read our guide here.

Nature’s Domain comes in a range of flavors, as well as specific recipes formulated for puppies and small breeds. Those grain-free flavors are Salmon and Sweet Potato; Turkey Meal and Sweet Potato, and Beef and Sweet Potato. Turkey and Ancient Grains is a grain-inclusive recipe.

Nature’s Domain Puppy Formula recipe contains smaller pellets, so easier to swallow for younger dogs. Kirkland says that this range is also great for pregnant or nursing dogs; it comes in one flavor — Chicken and Pea.

Nature’s Domain Small Breed formula — also grain-free of course — caters to the needs of petite pups. It has more fiber and less protein in this mix than in the standard Nature’s Domain recipes. Again, it comes in one flavor — Salmon and Lentil.

Kirkland wet dog food

As we’ve mentioned above, Kirkland doesn’t manufacture as much wet food as some of its competitors, preferring to specialize in dry. This means that when it comes to Kirkland Signature canned dog food there are only two options — one from the Signature range, and one from the Nature’s Domain product line.

Kirkland Signature Adult Formula

Kirkland’s regular Signature range, this canned food comes in only one flavor — Chicken and Rice — and is aimed at generic adult dogs. Like Kirkland’s dry food, meat is the primary ingredient.

Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain

This too comes in only one flavor: Turkey and Pea Stew. Like the majority of Nature’s Domain products, this is grain-free — good to know if your dog needs to avoid grains for whatever reason. 

We’ve been through the product range, but is Kirkland Signature dog food good? Here’s what we like about the brand.

Affordability

Sold at Costco for a budget price, Kirkland makes no claims to being a premium product. This is fantastic for people who don’t have masses of money to spend, but also want food that will keep their dog healthy and full.

Meat listed as first ingredient

It’s a positive that Kirkland dog food has animal meat listed as its primary ingredient. They don’t have to eat meat but dogs aren’t vegetarians; they benefit greatly from the components of real meat, including amino acids and protein.

High in protein

Because meat is the primary ingredient, the level of protein in Kirkland’s dog food is high. While there are numerous ingredients that a healthy dog ought to be putting into its body, protein is arguably the most important. If you’re not clear on how much protein your dog needs, this guide might help. 

Here are a few potential drawbacks with Kirkland which you should be aware of if you’re considering purchasing it.

Limited specialization

Though there is some tailoring — the brand caters to puppies, older dogs and smaller dogs, as we’ve seen — Kirkland is not the brand to choose if you have a dog who needs food tailored to a particularly specific health need. 

Fewer flavors

Kirkland is relatively basic in that there aren’t a wealth of flavors on offer. Within most subcategories — the formula for mature dogs, for example — there is only one flavor. If your dog is mature and doesn’t eat eggs, you’ll need to look elsewhere for a mature-specific dog food. There are also fewer fish options than some customers might like.

Less transparency

Unlike some brands of dog food, Kirkland doesn’t make itself totally transparent as regards the origin of its dog food. With phrases like ‘fish meal’ listed in its ingredients, consumers are left guessing as to exactly which fish — and therefore what nutrients — were used in the making of the product. Kirkland doesn't specify exactly which parts of the world its ingredients are sourced from.

“We switched our German Shepherds to Kirkland primarily because of the cost. They are now eating Kirkland Mature dog [food]. We were worried that they might not like it, but it has extra glucosamine which helps their joints, and they seem to like it better than their previous kibble. Bonus! They're happy, we're happy!” 

“Our lab/pit mix was very picky. I tried everything from raw to cooked meals to other kibbles. He was fed this brand at the rescue so I decided to try it. He now eats at every feeding time and his coat looks beautiful and feels great. Our other two dogs love it too and they look and feel better too. I love this food for our dogs.”

“I've had large dogs continuously for about 20 years and I have tried most of the options for dog food that have been listed. In that time I've taken dogs throughout their complete life cycle. The brand that I come back to continually is the Kirkland brand from Costco. It serves the dogs[’] needs well and I get great value from it; it's readily available, and the price is exceptionally good.”

Read more reviews on Consumer Affairs.

Kirkland Signature pet food is made by Diamond Pet Foods, a company that has been around for more than 50 years, having been established in 1970 by brothers-in-law Richard Kampeter and Gary Schell. 

The pair began their venture by purchasing an ex-milling company in Missouri. At the outset, Kampeter and Schell only focused on dog food as a small minority of their business. But this avenue gradually became more important. Into the 90s and 2000s Diamond expanded into states like California and Arkansas, and now the company is one of the biggest in the game, producing not only Kirkland but other highly-esteemed brands like Taste of the Wild, Diamond Naturals, Nutra-Gold and various others.

Compared to some companies that have seen numerous recalls of dog food products, Kirkland has, at the time of writing, been the subject to two recalls.

2007 recall

Kirkland recalled its Kirkland Signature Lamb and Rice canned dog food in May 2007, after it was determined that it might contain melamine, which can potentially be harmful to animals. 

2012 recall

In May 2012 Diamond recalled seven varieties of Costco’s Kirkland Signature Dog Food because of salmonella contamination. Two years later, Diamond (who makes Kirkland dog food) was hit with a lawsuit, forcing them to pay $2 million in damages to pet parents whose pups had contracted the virus.

Product images sourced from the Costco website. Copyright Costco Wholesale Corporation.