Thoughts on Kirkland brand dry dog food sold at Costco?

[Catzig]

Originally Posted by Prin on the thread-jack post. I'm really interested in the info so I hope it's okay to copy it here. (If not, I am very sorry.)

Nutro ...

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (minimum) 21.00%
Crude Fat (minimum) 12.00%
Crude Fiber (maximum) 5.00%
Moisture (maximum) 10.00%
Linoleic Acid (minimum) 3.50%
Zinc (minimum) 250 mg/kg
Vitamin E (minimum) 150 IU/kg
Ascorbic Acid (minimum)* 35 mg/kg
Glucosamine (minimum)* 450 mg/kg
Chondroitin Sulfate (minimum)* 350 mg/kg

Kirkland-...

Protein 23%
Fat 14%
Fiber 4%
plus it's got glucosamine and chondroitin in it.

Like I said, neither is great, but IMO, kirkland is better. If you want me to get into the details of why, just let me know.

Prin, do you still have the details? I started feeding Tia Nutro Large Breed Lamb & Rice a couple of months ago. She seems to tolerate it better than other stuff we've tried. (We let our membership to Costco slide, perhaps it would be worth renewing?)

[Prin]

Poor Benny, I couldn't figure out why he was puking yellow bile every single day and his poops were never normal.

Oh yeah, that's Boo... And then gradually, he ends up with bacterial overgrowth and starts with the diarrhea and all night puking. He's on EvoRM now and is doing pretty well.


For the Nutro vs Kirkland:

Nutro (from what you sent me)
Lamb Meal, Ground Rice, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Soybean Oil, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Natural Flavors, Rice Gluten, Dried Egg Product, Dried Beet Pulp, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, Dried Kelp (source of Iodine), Salt, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Ferrous Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Biotin, Copper Proteinate, Niacin, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Vitamin A Supplement, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid.

Kirkland- first few ingredients (because I'm typing them in )

Lamb, lamb meal, whole grain brown rice, rice flour, white rice, egg product, cracked pearl barkley, chicken fat (mixed with bla bla- no citric acid), beet pulp, potatoes, fishmeal, flaxseed, natural flavor, millet, brewers dried yeast, carrots, peas, kelp, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder...

Both are pretty grainy but there is wayyyyyy more rice in the Nutro than there is lamb and than there is in the Kirkland. When they break apart the rice in so many parts, it's because it's overwhelmingly the #1 ingredient in the food. The nutro also has soybean oil, which can cause allergies and gas. Nutro also has poultry fat, which is really gross. Poultry is a non descript meat and it could be chicken or it could be crow... Pretty gross. Kirkland uses chicken fat- specific fats are good.

Both have beet pulp (stool hardener).

Both have egg product, which is a kind of gross batch of not-for-human-consumption eggs...

Kirkland has fishmeal, which is non descript fish, but it's pretty low on the list, so it's not so bad.

Both have menadione, a synthetic vitamin K, which can cause free radicals, which can lead to tumors, cancer, etc... Feeding an antioxidant can help reduce the effects (like vitamin E).

Does that help? All things considered, Kirkland is better.

[technodoll]

Both are pretty grainy but there is wayyyyyy more rice in the Nutro than there is lamb and than there is in the Kirkland

well.... i don't agree. once the "lamb" in the kirkland loses its moisture, it falls way down the list of ingrediends. so both foods' #1 ingredient by dry weight is lamb meal, then both have 3 redundant sources of rice... then oils. so IMO... not much difference there: LOTS of rice in both formulas... about the same i would say.

[Prin]

Yeah, but the Nutro has Rice Gluten further down too.

Either way, it's moot because poultry fat is a deal-breaker, IMO.

[technodoll]

no i agree that kirkland is a better food. less crappy ingredients overall. BUT still... dat's alot of rice wonder if the dogs in china like this stuff, ha ha!

[Prin]

Well, techno, for ~$29.99 a bag for the Kirkland, you can't expect miracles.

[technodoll]

is that what it costs? i didn't know (of course...)

out of morbid curiosity... what does a big bag of Ol'Roy cost? to compare with same-sized kirkland... cuz the ingredients are night and day and wondering if the price diff is, too?

[Prin]

I have no idea. hehe :sad:

[technodoll]

a-ha! after some investigative research... so a 20 lbs bag of Ol'Roy Lamb & Rice cost USD $12.99 in 2004...

Ingredients

Lamb meal, brewer's rice, soybean meal, ground yellow corn, ground wheat, wheat middlings, beef tallow preserved with BHA and mixed-tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), wheat flour, corn gluten meal, animal digest, salt, L-lysine monohydrochloride, coline chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfates, vitamin supplements (A, E, B-12, D-3), manganese sulfate, niacin, calcium pantothenate, brewer's dried yeast, riboflavin supplement, bioten, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, menadione sodium bisulfate complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite.

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein (Min): 23%
Crude Fat (Min): 12%
Crude Fiber (Max): 4%
Moisture (Max): 12%

"you get what you pay for"!!!

[Catzig]

Thanks Prin, it does help.

So much to study, so little time