# Kirkland Signiture Food



## jessme7 (May 29, 2006)

I just came back from shopping with my neighbor at Costco. She also has a golden retriever. She picked up a bag of their Adult Lamb and Rice formula 40 pounds for $17. She has been feeding this food to her GR for years now and loves the food. Her dog is about 7, looks good, and great teeth. I looked at the ingredients and was amazed. I currently feed Innova Large breed puppy, 33 pounds for $45. I dont understand this, I am quite sceptical. With two pups and a huge morgage, $17 a bag sounds great when my pups turn into adults. I want the best for my pups but it would be great if it would be affordable too. I know they are made by Diamond, so this may be the reason? Is Diamond food still bad? Here is the ingredients.

Kirkland Signature - Adult Lamb & Brown Rice Formula

Caution:
This product is not a "lamb only" formula!

Ingredients:
Lamb, lamb meal, whole grain brown rice, rice flour, white rice, egg product, cracked pearled barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and Vitamin E), beet pulp, potatoes, fishmeal, flaxseed, natural flavor, millet, brewers dried yeast, carrots, peas, kelp, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, rosemary extract, parsley flake, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, taurine, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, chondroitin sulfate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid

Guaranteed Analysis
Protein: 23% 
Fat: 14%
Fiber: 4% 
Moisture: 10%

Other Nutrient Guarantees
Glucosamine Hydrochloride min 300 mg/kg
Chondroitin Sulfate min 100 mg/kg* 

Omega Fatty Acids
Omega 6: min 2.2%
Omega 3: min 0.4%
Ratio: 5.5:1


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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

Hi jessme,

This is the food my breeder recommended for our puppy (in the puppy version) and which she sold to us. I tried to do some research on it and all I could find out online is that it is cheap garbage food. I asked my vet about it and she too thought it was garbage and advised me not to feed it to our dog. It was picked by Consumer Reports as a "best buy," but my vet pointed out that cost shouldn't be the main determinant when selecting a puppy food. She also said that Consumer Reports is looking at value rather than optimal dog health and development. So who wants a slightly used 40-pound bag of dog food? :yuck:


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## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

I'm not familiar with that kibble, but you are right....price doesn't always mean better and that goes for some of the high priced premiums as well. I myself have never used this kibble, I feed PMI Exclusive to Kode.

If I remember correctly, Chicken Soup is put out by Diamond as well. 

Really, I believe one should feed what works for there individual dog as long as it's middle range or above. I've tryed some of the highest priced ones out there, one I did try with Kode was Solid Gold....he couldn't handle it, too rich for him. For other dogs it does fine, but not for mine.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

LaurJen said:


> Hi jessme,
> This is the food my breeder recommended for our puppy (in the puppy version) and which she sold to us. I tried to do some research on it and all I could find out online is that it is cheap garbage food. I asked my vet about it and she too thought it was garbage and advised me not to feed it to our dog. The breeder was all impressed that it was picked by Consumer Reports as a "best buy," but my vet pointed out that cost shouldn't be the main determinant when selecting a puppy food. She also said that Consumer Reports is looking at value rather than optimal dog health and development. So who wants a slightly used 40-pound bag of dog food? :yuck:



What makes this food "garbage food"?


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## sashac (Mar 13, 2006)

Yeah, I dunno - unless your dog has allergies, it looks like the ingredients are pretty good. Aren't they? It looks like the ingredient list of my Canidae and Prairie bags of dog food!


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## jeffreyzone (Feb 8, 2006)

Lucky's mom said:


> What makes this food "garbage food"?


Good question! The ingredient list looks pretty good. Usually, you'll find corn as the main ingredient of garbage food. Protein sources are usually all meal-based, which can mean they grind the leftovers from animal processing. You don't usually see stuff like flaxseed, carrots, kelp, etc. on the list.

I haven't done any comparisons between this food and the premium brands that I've used, but I plan to do just that. For Dottie's case, this will be an academic exercise, because she has many sensitivities. She currently eats the Natural Balance Salmon-and-Sweet Potato mix. That stuff is expensive, and Dottie is still showing signs of problems, but they may not be all food-based. According to her allergy test results, the Natural Balance seems to have a clear list of ingredients for her. So, she may be reacting to any of the numerous other things to which is she allergic (leaf mold, trees, air...) We will soon begin preparing her own special mix, I believe, just in case.

But the Costco food has a decent ingredients list...it doesn't appear to be junk. I wonder what the criteria was for the reviewers who labeled it that way?


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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

Lucky's mom said:


> What makes this food "garbage food"?


Offhand I couldn't give you any specifics, as I looked it up weeks ago. It took a far amount of digging to find the information--it was mostly discussed on message boards on (I think) Yahoo. But it gave me enough cause for concern that I asked my vet and she said no, no, no. I'm sure it's not _harmful_, but there may be better products to use.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

The only thing that I can see that I saw from other forums (I was curious) was that the rice content most likely out proportions the meat. They have three kinds of rice...add it together and you have a lot of grain...BUT 

This explains to me why Nutro Lamb and Rice listed meat as the first igredient but calls for a larger serving then "Dog Chow" which has Corn and Wheat as the first ingredients and then meat. I never understood that. Now I get it. 

I wonder if people are disdaining this food because the price is so low......


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## Samwise (May 15, 2006)

Jess, what is the feeding recommendation on the Signature for Marley and Maya? Is it much higher than the Innova that you're feeding? 

FWIW, I thought the Signature didn't look too bad, I certainly wouldn't classify it as garbage. Please keep in mind that on some message boards and forums, EVERYTHING that doesn't cost $35 for a 10lb bag is labeled as garbage. Remember that what is best for someone else's dog is not necessarily best for your dog and vice versa.

PS - it's a Lamb and _RICE _formula so the grain content is not shocking.


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## Samwise (May 15, 2006)

LaurJen, after what your vet said about the Signature food, I'm very curious as to what she recommends feeding. Did she give you a recommendation?


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## sashac (Mar 13, 2006)

I'm getting really curious too - If you do hear/find out anything LaurJen, please let us know! We shop at Costco a lot for our own stuff; it would be great to get Charlie stuff from there too - right now, his food is around $40 a bag. And he's a pig.


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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

Samwise said:


> Please keep in mind that on some message boards and forums, EVERYTHING that doesn't cost $35 for a 10lb bag is labeled as garbage. Remember that what is best for someone else's dog is not necessarily best for your dog and vice versa.
> .


I have to agree with you on that one. It seemed like some people were very passionate about what their dog was eating to the point of putting down everyone else's choice with a high-and-mighty attitude. Perhaps I shouldn't have labelled the food "garbage" as some people were calling it. It would have been better to say I didn't see any positive reviews about it and on the suggestion of my vet I chose not to use it. A little less colorful but more diplomatic


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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

Samwise said:


> LaurJen, after what your vet said about the Signature food, I'm very curious as to what she recommends feeding. Did she give you a recommendation?


No, she didn't. When she suggested not using it, I asked her if something like Eukanuba or Iams would be ok and she said they were fine. 

Personally, I'm not comfortable feeding a dog food I've never heard of.


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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

sashac said:


> I'm getting really curious too - If you do hear/find out anything LaurJen, please let us know! We shop at Costco a lot for our own stuff; it would be great to get Charlie stuff from there too - right now, his food is around $40 a bag. And he's a pig.



There wasn't a whole lot of discussion about it online. I really had to dig and I didn't save any of the info. Most of what I found was people's _opinions_, not scientific data.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

LaurJen said:


> No, she didn't. When she suggested not using it, I asked her if something like Eukanuba or Iams would be ok and she said they were fine.
> What got me investigating this food is that the breeder made some fanciful claims that a change in diet to this food cured leukemia in some dogs and another who was given two months to live lived another seven years once on this brand. Okaaaaaaaaaay....
> Personally, I'm not comfortable feeding a dog food I've never heard of.


I'm not comfortable feeding something unfamilier either. Even if it is the "best value". A good Reputation means alot to me when it comes to dogfood. We don't have Cosco here....so I couldn't get it if I wanted to anyway.


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## Samwise (May 15, 2006)

IN MY OPINION, and I mean that it is just that, Signature's ingredients look much better than Eukanuba or Iams.

I feed Eagle Pack and it is a wonderful food but it is rather expensive. I've been looking at Exclusive, checking out the ingredients, and it looks really good. Cost-wise, it is much more reasonable than EP, also. I may start rotating that in to see how the dogs like it. But I don't know. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? LOL


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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

Samwise said:


> I may start rotating that in to see how the dogs like it. But I don't know. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? LOL


LOL Our first dog got Eukanuba as a puppy, then "whatever" as she got older. We didn't know enough to be concerned about the minutest details of different dog foods. She managed to live 14 years without allergies, being sickly, etc, so I guess we did alright by her. And I still don't know enough about the various ingredients to be able to make my own comparisons. I had never heard of Signature, I couldn't find positive reviews, my vet didn't like it--so I switched to a brand I knew. I'm not sure it matters that much unless your dog doesn't tolerate the brand you picked.


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## embreeo (Aug 19, 2006)

Hi. I'm new here. This particular thread caught my eye because this is what I've been feeding my dogs for the past 5 years. I currently have a 9 yr. old male and an almost 6 yr. old female. Before I switched to this food, I was feeding a premium brand to the tune of about $80 a month. Not that cost was really an issue ... my breeder is ALWAYS researching different foods, and on her recommendation, I switched to this food. Neither of my dogs have any allergies, nor have they ever had a soft poop! Their teeth look great and their health is great as well. I've only ever taken them to the vet for shots, spay and neuter. Needless to say, I'm very pleased with this food.


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## jessme7 (May 29, 2006)

I went over to my neighbors house with my little Maya, she found some dog food left in the bowl and started eating it. Before I could stop her she ate all the food in the bowl that was left. Obviously she likes the food because 1/2 cup was gone is 3 seconds, just dont know if its a good food though.


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## goldencrazy (Dec 15, 2005)

Hi - Talking dog food is like arguing religion or politics, everyone has an opinion! The one thing that jumped out at me on the ingredient list was menadione sodium bisulfite - a chemical compound vitamin K used as a cheap preservative. here is a paste and copy from "The Dog Food Project" I just offer this for anyone who worries (like me) about this kind of stuff. It's why I don't feed Purina, almost all of their feeds contain this chemical:

Why is it bad?

As a non-native speaker, it has been difficult for me to compose this article in English, since I had to translate most of my information from literature originally written in German. My search for relevant, unbiased sources in English was not very successful, with exception of some obscure references and texts that provided some information but do not include all the facts. There were also many articles written by authors who didn't even have the basic knowledge to differentiate between vitamin K1, K2 and K3.

Here is a list of effects of menadione on the body. It is incomplete, since I was simply not able to translate the more complicated scientific phrases into proper English:
causes cytotoxicity in liver cells
causes formation of radicals from enzymes of leucocytes, with the consequence of cytotoxic reactions
considerably weakens the immune system
possible mutagenic effects
damages the natural vitamin K cycle
has no effect on coumarin derivatives, which are often present in commercial food due to mold contamination (toxic when ingested)
causes hemolytic anemia and hyperbilirubinemia, not just linked to large doses
disturbs the level of calcium ions (Ca2+) in the body, which is an important factor fibrinolysis
is directly toxic in high doses (vomiting, albuminuria), unlike natural vitamin K
builds up in tissue and has been detected in eggs, meat and milk of animals supplemented with menadione derivatives
causes irritation of skin and mucous membranes
causes allergic reactions and eczema

References:
Bässler, K.-H. et al. (1997): Vitamin-Lexikon für Ärzte, Apotheker und Ernährungswissenschaftler. ISBN: 3437211404
DGE (2000): Referenzwerte für die Nährstoffzufuhr. ISBN: 3829571143
Elstner, E. F. (1990): Der Sauerstoff. ISBN: 3411140011
Friedrich, W. (1987): Handbuch der Vitamine. ISBN: 3541120118
Hoehne, Dr. med. vet. Eberhard (1985): Vitamine. ISBN: 3873470284
Things to consider

Menadione (e.g. menadione sodium bisulfate, menadione sodium bisulfite or menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite)
has never been researched or specifically approved for long term use, such as in pet food
has been banned from use in food and supplements for human use in many European countries due to serious side effects, including permanent damage and deaths
FDA has banned synthetic vitamin K from over-the-counter supplements because of its high toxicity
vitamins K1 and K2 are metabolized through the lymphatic system, utilizing pancreatic enzymes and bile acids and regulated by the liver. Vitamin K3 is absorbed directly and bypasses the natural pathways and regulators.


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## jessme7 (May 29, 2006)

wow thanks goldencrazy. I guess that is one proven downfall of the Kirkland food. I know bringing up a food topic is like politics, so many opinions. I just really wanted to find out why the food is so cheap with seemingly great ingreadients compaired to the food that I am feeding that is almost 3x the price. Thanks for the research.


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## ID_Hannah (Jun 8, 2006)

Marley & Maya's mom, I think that your puppies would probably do fine on the Kirkland dog food. A lot of pet owners spend a lot of money on all sorts of special dog foods and diets. It really comes down to what your dog thrives on. There's all sorts of anecdotes out there about dogs who eat the highest of high quality foods doing fantastic, but I think many people also know of dogs who've eaten Purina DogChow their whole (healthy) lives and done great! 

My dogs all right now are eating Eukanuba, certainly a food that some people would say is garbage. They're all doing great on it. Zulu had to be switched to Natural Balance fish/potato because of some allergies and thrived on that. A couple of years ago I started feed Chicken Soup brand dog food. Which at the time (and I think it still is) was considered a high quality kibble. My dogs seemed to really like it, but after a few months one of my dogs developed problems with urinary crystals. We dealt with trying just about every cure the vet could think of, including prescription food trial lasting ~3 weeks. We just could not get those crystals to go away. During this time I switched back to Eukanuba for a couple of weeks because I didn't have time to make the drive out to the only place that carried the Chicken Soup. After eating Euk for a couple of weeks I took in my weekly sample of urine and the crystals were gone! The dog, Charlie, went off all the pills we'd tried and has never had crystals since... it was something with the Chicken soup dog food! So, even though the Chicken Soup is considered better... my dogs do better on the Eukanuba and since then I've been cautious about playing around with foods when I know I'm using something that works. 

A note about vet's recommendations of food... I know my vet gets free & extremely discounted Science Diet and Eukanuba dog foods. I know that this influences her recommendations of brands. She's even told me that all the nutrition training she had in vet school was sponsored by Science Diet. 

Here's a test I've seen passed around a lot to "grade" the quality of dog food. Likely made by dog owners, not nutritionists, but it's a start. And I think interesting.


How to grade your dog's food:
Start with a grade of 100:

1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points

2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat,
meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points

3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points

4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source,subtract 5 points

5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first
five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewerâ?Ts rice", "rice
flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points

6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2
meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3points

9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 morepoints

10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil,subtract 2 points

11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is
allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points

12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt
allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points

14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt
allergic to beef), subtract 1 point

15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points

2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or
nutritionist, add 5 points

3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points

7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points

8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points

9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points

10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than
the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein
source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point

13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are
pesticide-free, add 1 point

94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D

69 = F


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## goldencrazy (Dec 15, 2005)

Because of so many different brands (and opinions) it is difficult to decide just what is right or wrong to feed. It comes down to what you are comfortable feeding - what ingredients you are comfortable with and how well your dog is doing on that food. The internet is full of information and tools. The Dog Food Project is just one of many. Check it out, lots of info:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main


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## Lynds0517 (Sep 15, 2006)

Last night we went to Costco and compared the food analysis of Kirklands Super Premium Dog food to that of Iaams and they were basically the same. I don't see why it would be a problem trying it. So we bought a bag and the dogs love it.


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## Carsonsdaddy (Nov 1, 2006)

When we brought Carson home we had been feeding our last dog Kirkland brand. After we put Charlie down we stayed on it. Then Carson had horrible diarrea. We thought maybe it was the food, so we switched to Nutro and now...no problems. So all that to say...I think it depends on the dog.


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## Lynds0517 (Sep 15, 2006)

Carsonsdaddy said:


> So all that to say...I think it depends on the dog.



Very true. You couldnt have said it better. We will see how my dogs end up reacting to it. We just got it last night.


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## LauraEyes2 (Sep 16, 2005)

I'm in the same boat as you all, and read every ingredient on my dog's bag of food. Vinny eats Natures Recipe Venison and Rice--loves it and does great on it.

Nevertheless I think the best indicator on how your dog's food is, can be determined on how your dog responds to it. If they maintain a good weight, have a healthy coat, and plenty of energy, and have normal stools, the food they're eating is probably not terrible for them.

My childhood dog ate Wal-Mart Ol' Roy food and lived to a ripe age of 16 1/2 and only made trips to the vet for her annual shots, she never got sick.

I fed my last dog Charlie nothing but premium food and he passed away from Cancer at the age of 5 1/2. So who knows?

I think as long as your dog gets the appropriate amounts of protein and carbohydrates, along with the proper proportions of vitamins and minerals, with minimal preservatives, you're feeding your dog a pretty good food.


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

Tuckers on Nutro Large Breed Puppy right now at $62 a bag. It'd be nice if I could feed him for $17 lol. 

I always figured before I got a dog that I could just go to Costco and get the big bags of food for cheap. 

But at the same time, I want Tucker to have good food aswell. 

My friends dog lived to be 21 before they just finally put her down (she was a mutt) she wasn't on any special diet. Just cheap dog food and plenty of excercise.


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## Princess Bella (Oct 17, 2006)

You know 100 years ago dogs used to eat what people ate... and they survived just fine, its only the last 50 years or so that "dog food" came around...


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

All the dogs I know that have lived to be close to 20, or higher, have been on cheap dog food, table scraps, and were all farm dogs.

Maybe that's the kinda life they need to live longer? lol I dunno.


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## Carsonsdaddy (Nov 1, 2006)

Has anyone had any experience with or know anything about Royal Canin brand food? My neighbor works for Banfield Pet Hospitals and she gets that brand for half price and wanted to know if we wanted to get some through her. Just curious, I've never heard of it so...


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## GoldieMom (Jan 15, 2007)

My dogs eat Diamond (which makes the Kirkland food) and they are doing very very well on it. I researched lots of different foods, including some ridiculously expensive brands that cost over $50 for a 30lb bag but I ended up picking Diamond becuase in my opinion, the ingredients are pretty good and the price can't be beat. My dogs are VERY healthy and in great shape. But to each his own, I am sure there are higher quality foods out there and I am sure there are lots of crappier foods out there too.


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## njb (Oct 5, 2006)

After reading this thread--and lots of stuff online about the same topic--I started googling--I tried to learn what to look for in a good food. No price is not everything-

So here I am--(I think), on my way to petco today to buy the food--HA--I had read so much I could not remember the exact brand...go figure. 

What the heck I figure--I will just read all the labels--oh man I wish I had not. 

Get this-the number 1 listing for *science diet* is CORN, number 2 is corn meal...this is what vets sell right? Well--put that one up--fast.

Long story short--after reading every label in the place I ended up choosing natural balance--and it was only 23 dollars for the big bag--and no corn in it at all that I could see. 

I guess the dogs like it because I gave them one bite of kibble each and they about knocked me over to get more--and I had already fed them today.


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