Buy This Washington Dog Food Brand? Read These Scary Reviews First
My dog instantly started getting sick after switching to this popular Kirkland brand, but it was the reviews I read after that really freaked me out.
A Popular Dog Food Brand Sold in Washington Named High-Risk
My dog suddenly got very sick after switching to a Kirkland dog food sold in Washington State, but it is the information I found out after that freaked me out as a pet owner. A few weeks ago, we ran out of dog food and the brand we usually buy happened to be sold out. My wife picked up the Kirkland brand dog food while she was a Costco, the kind with the white and blue bag. We had never tried before and immediately after the first meal, my malamute started throwing up. After eating the food for only 2 days, he would not even come out of his kennel and seemed very sick. That morning I drove around town and found the brand of dog food he was eating before and fed him again. Like magic, he was suddenly fine less than an hour later and we haven't had a problem since. I knew dogs could have strong reactions to changing their food, but had never had problems the 5 or 6 times we had temporarily switched brands before. My curiosity led me to the internet where I was shocked by the information I found out about the Kirkland dog food. Not only were there multiple studies done on the contents of the food that labeled it "high risk", but even scarier were the reviews I read.
Costco Brands Found High Risk by Study
There were 3 different ingredient studies I could find about the Kirkland dog food made by Diamond Pet Foods and none had good news. The Kirkland dog food sold by Costco is made by Diamond Pet Foods Inc., which is owned by Schell and Kampeter Inc. All 3 studies that I researched (dogsnaturallymagazine.com & dogfoodreviews.com) found that the Kirkland dog food brands Signature Dry and Kirkland Nature’s Domain Signature as high risk and also found wet Nature’s Domain Signature Canned dog food as a moderate risk. Carbohydrates in this line were found to be on average 40% which is excessively high for dog food. Excessively high carbohydrates are an indicator of low-quality foods. The reasons they labeled the dog food high risk include: it is very high in carbohydrates, contains excessively added vitamins & minerals, added amino acids, seed oil, 3 or more plant proteins, and unnamed animal protein. It was also found to be ultra-processed, contain high pesticide/herbicide foods in the top 5 ingredients, contains GMOs in the top 5 ingredients, does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio, uses ingredient splitting, and glam ingredients.
Kirkland & Diamond Pet Food Recall History
I also found many recalls involving both Kirkland and Diamond Pet Food brands, some of which are shocking. The list of reasons found from 2005 to 2020 includes Salmonella contamination, melamine contamination, aflatoxin contamination, also positive tests for arsenic, lead, pesticides, and other toxic materials, which led to multiple lawsuits and an eventual $8 million settlement. You can see the entire list and all the details for each by clicking here. My family has been shopping at Costco most of my life and have almost always been very satisfied by the quality of any product we buy there. What is so surprising about the Kirkland dog food to me is that Costco is STILL SELLING IT. If the reasons I just listed are not enough to make you think twice before buying these dog foods, read some of the scary and shocking reviews on this brand below.
Kirkland & Diamond Pet Food Reviews Are Even More Shocking
The website consumeraffairs.com publishes reviews of different products and out of 589 reviews Kirkland gets a 1 out of 10 with many of the reviews full of scary stories of pets getting very sick or even dying. One writes, "Our very healthy dog got severely ill from this food. It caused diarrhea and gastrointestinal issues. After doing labs, X-rays & an ultrasound, we could not find a health reason for her symptoms. The only thing we had changed in the few days before she got sick was the food. I would not take a chance on this food." This reviewer said their young pet died after, "Since our last review our wonderful family member Blue had to be put to sleep and she went to the big doggie rainbow. Blue was only 7 1/2 years old and very vibrant and happy. She became sick almost immediately after eating this dog food from Costco." This reviewer also says their dog died soon after switching saying, "We switched to Kirkland dog food on Tuesday and now our dog is dead. The dog was in perfect health before the switch. After he started to eat the new Kirkland dog food he started throwing up and was very lethargic. Blood in (its) stool and this morning was unable to move. Took him to the vet and he was put down. I started to read some other comments online and see that this is happening to other dogs." These are just a few of the shocking stories I read from pet owners who used the Kirkland brand for their pets.
My Conclusion: I Won't Buy Kirkland Dog Food Until They Switch Producers
After doing all the research, I think my dog most likely got very sick because of the unhealthy ingredients found in the food. Other coworkers of mine also feed their dogs Kirkland dog food although they use the red bag variation and have not had any problems. Honestly, I am surprised with all the past issues, recalls, and lawsuits the brand has had that Costco does not switch to something else. I know until they do, I won;t be buying any Kirkland brand dog foods. If you want to research for yourself, the study for Taste of the Wild Dog Food can be found here, the study for basic Kirkland dog food can be found here, and the separate study for 3 other Kirkland dog food brands can be found here at DogFoodReviews.com. Read all 589 reviews by clicking here on ConsumerAffairs.com.