Kirkland Nature’s Domain Signature Canned Dog Food Review

With a score of 7/10, Kirkland’s Nature’s Domain Signature Canned dog food is considered moderate risk and is the highest scoring food in the Kirkland brand. This is a single recipe with 44% protein, and 14% carbohydrates as calculated on a dry matter basis, which is what’s expected in a wet dog food.

There are no whole ingredients or vegetable matter beyond the first few ingredients, 2 of which are broth, so that limits the number of food-sourced nutrients in these recipes. That’s why there’s an excessive amount of vitamins and minerals added to balance these dog foods. Added vitamins and minerals are also a reflection of low quality ingredients that lack sufficient nutrients.

It’s also worth noting that this recipe contains sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s usually added in very small amounts. However some research suggests that sodium selenite may be associated with potential toxicity, so selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral.

On the safety side, this canned recipe is highly processed. While canned dog foods aren’t as processed as kibble, they go through several stages of heating that can cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. 

This recipe uses peas and spinach, which are ingredients known for high pesticide or herbicide residues. Crops that are spray-dried with Roundup have more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.  

This recipe contains natural flavor, which is added to make processed food more palatable. Natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.

Like all Kirkland recipes, this one also includes glam ingredients like fruit that are listed after salt, which means they’re included in minute amounts that don’t provide any nutritional benefit. 

Kirkland doesn’t provide the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. They’re not the only brand not providing this, but it’s a concern because diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation and disease, and AAFCO allows a highly inflammatory level of 30:1.