| Website | Costco |
| Available from | CostCo |
Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain is a Costco brand but it’s actually made by Diamond pet foods who make Taste of the Wild. They’re a big company and produce decent foods, so it’s nice to see this available in Australia for a very reasonable price. It’s also available from FairDinks.com.au for those who don’t live near a Costco store (i.e. the whole of WA).
The main ingredient is salmon meal which will be the main source of protein in the food, although peas and ocean fish meal will contribute to this as well. It’s nice to see a decent fish meal as the main ingredient, which is the makings of a decent food.
Sweet potatoes are the second ingredient, with more potato as the 4th ingredient. Potato isn’t a bad inclusion although it does make this food potato-heavy with a protein percentage of 24%. It’s only a minor gripe. which is counteracted by the amount of fruits, veggies, vitamins, and minerals in the food. We also find flaxseed which is a nice inclusion for healthy skin and coat.
All in all this is a nice, well-balanced food for a good price. Recommended.
Further Ingredients Analysis
In regard to some of the comments on this page I’ve decided to give a breakdown of the vitamins and minerals included in Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain to clarify the reason they’re included:
- Iron Proteinate – An excellent (and expensive) source of iron for red blood cell reproduction.
- Zinc Proteinate – An excellent souce of zinc, which protects against free radicals. It’s essential to insulin formation and the immune system.
- Zinc Sulphate – A standard source of zinc (see above).
- Copper Proteinate – An excellent source of copper, which aids bone development and enchances iron absorbtion.
- Copper Sulphate – A standard source of copper (see above).
- Ferrous Sulphate – Promotes oxygen-rich blood and helps the immune system.
- Potassium Iodide – Potassium balances acid and alkaline levels.
- Thiamine Mononitrate – Aids nervous system and mental temperament (vitamin B-1).
- Manganese Proteinate – The best souce of manganese for strong bones, enzyme activators, and immune system.
- Manganese Oxide & Sulfate – Additional sources of manganese (see above).
- Ascorbic Acid – Provides vitamin C, anti-oxidant, and immune system. This isn’t the best source as it can be harsh on the stomach.
- Vitamin A – Essential for the immune system, bones, eyes, and reduces the risk of cancer.
- Biotin – Good for a healthy skin and coat.
- Niacin – Good for digestion, nerves, and skin.
- Calcium Pantothenate – Supports adrenal activity.
- Sodium Selenite – An anti-oxident that protects from free radicals and heavy metals, as well as aiding the immune system.
- Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (vitamin B6) – Stimulates the immune system and protein metabolism as well as aiding red blood cell production.
- Vitamin B12 – Aids immune response.
- Riboflavin – Improves energy as well as fat and carbohydrate metabolism.
- Folic Acid – Aids blood building and DNA synthesis.
Ingredients
Salmon meal, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, canola oil, ocean fish meal, potato fiber, pea protein, natural flavor, flaxseed, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.
I’ve been feeding my 2 Cavaliers and a Mini Dachshund with the Kirkland grain-free (mixed with a BARF meat pattie) for at least 5 years now.
They’ve all done really well on it and – just to make sure we don’t run out with supply chain shortages – I bought up big late in 2021.
I don’t want the Little Woofs to have to eat a different kibble!
So is it a good dog food or not?
Worst decision ever in 20 years of dog ownership to purchase this food!
Decided to switch for cost savings as we adopted a second dog – Staffi X who was much fonder of dry food than our 5 yo Doberman.
Within two weeks the Staffie was bloated and shedding her coat in handfuls. After 4 weeks we were at the vet with both dogs as the Doberman dropped 9 kilos, was clearly seriously unwell and became anorexic.
Threw the remainder of the bag in the bin and have spent the last 5 months trying to restore both dogs back to health. Doberman still underweight and refusing most dry food options despite being fed fresh meat/salmon three times a day for months.
Regret the day I opted to follow the recommendations on this site for what I thought would be a more affordable yet still healthy dog food. Sadly have discovered many other local dog families with same issues from same Costco.
This food is good when it comes to weight gain sitting at 716 kcals a cup. If he still hasn’t gained his weight back that is, after all this was 7 months ago. https://pureprofeeds.com/best-high-protein-dog-food-australia-for-working-dogs/
Sharon go and google Taste of The Wild where this Kirkland dog food is made . The TOTW dry food has been subjected to lawsuits and they still continue to trade . I love Costco products but l think they got this one wrong .
We had the opportunity to buy some of this, the Turkey and sweet potato, we have only had it a week, noticed both our Kelpie throwing up a while after, one of our Kelpie is 8 the other is 1, they are both very active and a
Our 8 year old died, over the course of yesterday he wouldn’t eat or drink and got very lethargic, I took him out for a pee around midnight and he peed blood, we rushed him to the vet and in the waiting room he peed again and it looked horrendous blood all over the floor, he died at 3.20am this morning. Meanwhile today our younger Kelpie (missing his friend) is refusing to eat the food and chewing on grass to help him vomit, we are staying away from Kirkland and going back to the backhawk where we had no issues, as well as missing our companion we are out of pocket of nearly a grand.
I have fed my 2 Golden Retriever’s with Kirkland Natures Domain (Salmon) for 4 years. My boy Max is intolerant to chicken based products, I find that he has no problem whatsoever with this product. Both my Golden’s get 50 grammes at brekkie and 50 grammes for their evening meal together with their other food.
Hi Goldenoldie,
its best to rotate kibbles find another brand different to the brand you’re feeding at the moment, if something is wrong with the brand & formula you’re feeding when you rotate with a few different brands your dogs are not eating the same kibble 24/7 that could be causing health problems, Click on link below read then click on “Dry Dog Foods” on your left then click on page 10 onwards & you’ll see all the 1 star brands formula’s that were tested for Toxins & Contaminates & Kirkland Salmon & TOTW Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon with is the same as what your feed scored very high in Toxins & Contaminates… When my boy ate the TOTW Pacific Stream Salmon he kept vomiting now I know why, if you want to feed a fish kibble stick with Australian or New Zealand made, “Nutro” has brought out a few new limited ingredient Salmon or Lamb formula’s or their Nutro Grain Free Salmon or Lamb formula’s or there’s “Meals For Mutts” has their Salmon or Kangaroo & Lamb kibbles there’s a few good Australian made brands with Australian ingredients… http://www.cleanlabelproject.org/pet-food-study-2-0/
We lived in the USA for several years and like many breeders, I feed mainly a natural raw diet. But I do feed a little kibble/dry dog food and I use the Kirkland Grain Free varieties. My dogs and my clients dogs have done well on it. I would not hesitate to recommend it. I feed it here in Australia as it is excellent quality and very cost effective. I was feeding over 10 dogs a day before and never had any problems. I was fortunate to never be involved in any of the recalls. But then, ALL companies have had their issues. Most are self regulating now, and immediately “turn them selves in” when they have a problem. Foodstuffs from China were the initial issues, and then the odd case of salmonella or E. coli.
Is this made in Australia? It’s common knowledge in America that Diamond have had large recalls and the plants shut down for violations. The South Carolina plant itself is responsible for the many deaths of dogs. Just have to Google to get the info, I have a number of American friends who would never feed Diamond to their dogs. http://poisonedpets.com/diamonds-troubled-plant-is-up-and-running-again-despite-not-having-found-the-cause-of-the-contamination/
Hi Jpulih, Diamond foods are imported from America so not made in Australia. Many manufacturers suffered in the 2007 pet food recalls which mostly traced back to ingredients sourced from China. Those affected included Kirkland and Diamond, Purina, Hills, Royal Canin, and Natural Balance among others. Diamond additionally suffered a few years ago at the South Carolina plant with salmonella, I believe the plant was shut down and completely cleared out before they started it again from scratch. You’ll find with any big company you’ll find reams of negative information on the internet, especially with Purina who still have the #1 sales of any pet food in America with their brand Beneful – an abysmal food.
I was thinking of buying this product and moving away from the Vet recommended products due to cost. We have bought over the years Black Hawk, Hills and Royal Canine and recently Advance. Your reviews of these products do not rate as high as the Kirkland. I am now concerned about the Kirkland product from this blog and the associated links. Being blogs unsure how accurate the good and bad comments are. Who can be contacted in Australia to clarify if there are any known issues with this brand. Do you know if this complies with the Australian Standard: Manufacturing and Marketing Pet Food AS 5812:2011 as per Choice.
Hi Peter, I’m not aware of any issues within Australia, but as the food is imported it comes from the same factory. It adheres to AAFCO manufacturing and labelling guidelines which are much more stringent than AS5812.
Hi I’ve read the online reviews from America about the issues with the current kirkland dry food.
I was really hoping to give this a try as im currently feeding my two (a staffy and a maltese x) who have allergies to chicken wellness turkey and sweet potato. While i really like this product its fairly expensive to feed.
Maybe its worth waiting a few months and hope the issues have been resolved or how they affect australia is cleared up.
I’d advise reading these complaints before feeding this to your dog….. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/kirkland_pet_food.html
That site doesn’t get the best of reviews either: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/kirkland_pet_food.html
Amazon has very varied reviews too though, however Costco are pretty good at handling bad products and recalls so I don’t know what to think…
All of the reviews on the link are from the u.s. so I hope the Australian product is ok. Scary
Hi Bec, Kirkland is imported into Australia so from the same factory, but I haven’t heard any complaints within Australia.
Thank you for this comment! I was ready to go and buy a costco membership to buy this food ASAP for my dog. I will be holding that thought for a while and see how this all gets sorted out! It seemed too good to be true 🙁
After seeing this review I decided to give this brand a try. The price is fairly decent too, I think it is about $50 for around 18kg which is a lot cheaper then brands like black hawk. After changing to this my dog has had much healthier poo, she use to get diarrhea and since changing she barely ever does. Thanks
This isn’t necessarily a sign of good health (firm stools). It is very simple to achieve this with the use of for example beet pulp which is cheap and has absolutely no nutritional value but it successfully soaks up lots of moisture thereby giving very firm stools. In fact in some cases the dogs struggle to actually relieve themselves which can cause problems later. Too many people use firm stools as a measure of the quality of the food they’re feeding their pets. Naturally, companies know this and so the lower echelon have looked for cheap ways of making their food look healthy. Please don’t take this as any form of insult. I’m sure you’ve looked at the health of your dog in other ways as well. It’s just meant as a warning to people who use this as their main guide to judging the quality of their food
Yes this is correct Hills vet diet Formulas & Hills Science diet formulas all have beet Pulp… People think gee his poos are nice & firm this food is good when it’s not…. Kirkland Signature doesn’t use Beet Pulp it’s grain free kibble made by “Taste Of The Wild”, my boy has IBD & does real well on “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted lamb, his acid reflux has gone poos are smaller & not farts or wind pain..
I prefer to buy a kibble that’s made oversea as they have strict regulations when bringing in a kibble to Australia when a kibble is Australian made they don’t have to follow any importation rules.
We are emigrating to Australia from the UK this September with dogs following – one of whom is currently on a Salmon and Potato Feed to prevent colitis (Wafcol – not available in Australia apparantly). Do you know if this is a feed that would be a suitable alternative, and could it be delivered to the Quarantene Centre? Alternative I suppose might be Hills cience Plan?
Hi Richard I’m 1 month late but go to Pet Barn & ask the lady for the Wellness Simple grain free Salmon & Potato….Wellness is only sold at Petbarn here’s their link scroll down until you see Simple limited Ingredient kibble they also do the wet tin food I like Wellness also look at the Wellness Core Ocean gain free 34% protein http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/recipes?pet=dog&ft=1#
Sorry link isn’t working this should work.. if not working just go to top left click on “Dog Wellness” & all their foods come up.. we just got the Wellness Simple last August 2014 excellent for dogs with skin & stomach problems IBD IBS etc http://wellnesspetfood.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog&ft=1#Complete
Hi Richard, we don’t have Wafcol but have a number of foods that would help depending on your dog. You can get the usual ailment-specific foods in Australia such as Hills and Royal Canin, plus a range of limited ingredient, hypoallergenic, and low fat foods.
There are a few really good dog forums in Australia as well, with many people willing to help you find a suitable diet.
I am searching for a grain free food to feed an adult irish wolfhound with severe allergies. I just read a Facebook post that mentioned two varieties of the Kirkland product, one was fish but the other was turkey and sweet potato. Do you know if the turkey variety has fish in it because the dog is allergic to fish?
Hi Karen, yes I believe the Turkey recipe also contains fish (ocean fish meal). Canidae foods tend to be good for dogs with allergies as they’re limited ingredient – https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/canidae-grain-free/
Hi Would Kirkland signature natures domain be okay for my 9 week old german sheperd pup.
Thanks
Hi John, I’d recommend sticking with a puppy food for now, such as Canidae Pure Foundations.
Some of these chemicals sound horrible.
Ingredients are listed in order of highest to lowest content percentage so hopefully the bottom end of the list (where these chemicals are) means they have negligible effect on dogs. I’m only guessing though.
The way a chemical name of a substance sounds has exactly zero bearing on the effect it has. If I told you that bottled water had high levels of dihydrogen monoxide, would you not drink it? (for the record, that is the chemical name of water… Yes water is a chemical.)
Hi Chris, I’ve updated the review with further ingredients analysis to put your mind at rest.
Hi, I’m uncertain how much research everyone has done on the additives that are in the Kirkland dog food, i’m no chemist so some of the terms go way over my head so i have done some deeper research on some of the ones that i had no idea about, for example the mangenous sulfate is an ingrediant in heavy fertilizers and some paints/varnishes. i just found it odd to see so many chemicals in a dog food. There is too much information for me to list here but basically some of these chemicals are quite nasty, and i know personally i’ll be taking my girls off it.
Hi Matt, we often find ingredients in pet foods that are associated with other substances we find concerning, such as fertilizers, paints/varnishes, plaster of paris, and so forth. Many of these ingredients are toxic in high doses but in trace provided nutritional merit.
In the case of manganese this aids development of strong bones and enhances the immune system, and manganese sulphate is a good source for this.
Most of the vitamins and minerals included in this food are good quality sources. I’ll extend the review with a breakdown.
hi,
Great website. Thanks for the info. I went out and bought Natures Domain today at Costco and the bag is sitting in my boot still because since coming home I’ve read horrible reviews regarding this product.
I was wondering if you or any readers have heard any info?
My pup is a 6 month old staffy x beagle who we rescued last week. We have other food for her and will talk to a vet this week as well.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
We purchased a 15 or 20kg bag from Costco in Melbourne, late last year, I think it cost us around $50
Thanks so much for this review, we liked the look of it and decided to trial it, not really knowing how “good” it was, so this review is great confirmation. Our girl loves it and we wouldn’t hesitate to get it again.
Would you know the price of the Kirkland nature’s domaine salmon and sweet potatoes 15.9kg bag
It’s about $60! Really reasonable.
Hi Doug – Sorry, I don’t have the current price and unfortunately I live thousands of k’s from Costco over here in WA. If anyone can provide the price that would be great. Thanks.