Costco Kirkland Signature: what is in it, and what we would feed instead
Chicken/Rice/Veg, Nature's Domain · Costco (made in the USA by Diamond Pet Foods)
Our take
For the money, Kirkland is a better kibble than most of what sits beside it in a grocery aisle. It is still a high-starch extruded kibble, bought in a bag so big that nobody rotates proteins. Our fresh raw works out close to the same cost per day for a mid-size dog once you use the loyalty card.
What the label says
Costco Kirkland Signature kibble is genuinely better than grocery-store options at the price point — Costco has real quality control standards. But it remains a high-carbohydrate, extruded kibble with the same format ceiling on bioavailability and live enzyme content as any other dry food.
- Made by Diamond Pet Foods (recalls in 2005 and 2012)
- High carbohydrate load
- Nature's Domain grain-free was one of the 16 brands named in the FDA's 2019 DCM report
- A 40 lb bag discourages protein rotation
- Rendered meat meals
- Whole, named protein
- Moisture in the food (raw is about 70% water; kibble about 10%)
- Protein rotation
- No starch binder
- Fresh fats and omega-3s
Carb math reality check: Apply the formula (100 − protein − fat − moisture − fibre − 7%). Most Kirkland Signature recipes calculate to 35–45% carbohydrates. There is no established dietary carbohydrate requirement for dogs or cats; the starch is there because kibble needs it to hold its shape.
The switch at Barks N Purrs
Perfectly Raw Lean Chicken Dinner (Buy 10 Get 1 Free) or Big Country Raw (Buy 12 Get 1 Free) at a comparable cost per day. SMACK (Winnipeg, Buy 8 Get 1 Free) if you have no freezer room.
Website prices on 2026-09-26. Cost per day is a starting estimate at 2.5% of body weight for an adult dog; your plan uses your pet's real weight and age.
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