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Merrick vs Kirkland Signature

Merrick vs. Kirkland Signature

In this comparison article for Merrick vs Kirkland Signature, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Merrick and Kirkland Signature, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this Kirkland Signature vs Merrick comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Merrick Review Page or Kirkland Signature Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Kirkland Signature vs. Merrick

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Merrick Dog Food vs. Kirkland Signature Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodMerrickKirkland Signature
Crude Protein35.9%27.5%
Crude Fat17.2%15.3%
Crude Fiber4.2%5.4%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodMerrickKirkland Signature
Crude Protein43.9%44.4%
Crude Fat21.1%27.8%
Crude Fiber8.3%5.6%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Protein is an extremely important part of your dog's diet. Without sufficient protein, dogs can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.

Merrick dry dog foods clearly provides more protein than Kirkland Signature. In fact, the difference between the protein content is roughly 8.37%, which is a significant amount. For wet dog foods, Kirkland Signature and Merrick provide roughly the same amount of protein.


Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Dietary fats serves a multitude of roles in the proper development and function of our canine companions. Here are some of the benefits (not exhaustive):

  • Help produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among other critical functions.
  • Aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
  • Improve skin and coat health
  • Improve the palatially of your dog's food

Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. For wet dog foods, Kirkland Signature provides more fat (about 6.70% more).


As you can see, Merrick and Kirkland Signature guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. For wet dog foods, Merrick typically provides a little more fiber (about 2.77% more).

Merrick Cat Food vs. Kirkland Signature Cat Food

Dry Cat FoodMerrickKirkland Signature
Crude Protein40.5%34.8%
Crude Fat15.7%15.9%
Crude Fiber5.1%5.9%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Protein is an extremely important part of your cat's diet. Without sufficient protein, cats can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.

Kirkland Signature dry recipes contain 5.66% less protein than Merrick dry recipes. This difference in protein content is a notable difference between Merrick and Kirkland Signature.


Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food

There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):

  • Aid in the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
  • Improve the health of skin/coat
  • Slow the growth of yeast infections
  • Slow the development and spread of certain type of cancers.
  • Maintain healthy blood pressure

Merrick and Kirkland Signature both provide roughly the same amount of crude fat.


There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands.

Merrick Pet Food Ingredients vs. Kirkland Signature Pet Food Ingredients

Merrick and Kirkland Signature both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Canola Oil
Pea Protein
Powdered Cellulose
Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Merrick.

Garlic
Caramel Color
Meaty Femur Bone

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Kirkland Signature.

Tomato Pomace
Organic Canola Meal
Organic Pea Protein
Organic Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Merrick.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Merrick & Kirkland Signature?

Merrick has been recalled 6 times.

  • Jan. 28, 2011: Salmonella
  • Aug. 8, 2011: Salmonella
  • July 2, 2010: Salmonella
  • Aug. 3, 2010: Salmonella
  • Aug. 13, 2010: Salmonella
  • May 23, 2018: elevated levels of beef thyroid hormone

According to our records, Kirkland Signature has never been recalled.


Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Merrick Pet Foods

You can purchase Merrick pet foods from the following stores:


136 Recipes In-Stock Today

107 Recipes In-Stock Today

103 Recipes In-Stock Today

17 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Kirkland Signature Pet Foods

You can purchase Kirkland Signature pet food products from these retailers:


Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductMerrickKirkland Signature
Dry Dog Food53 Recipes12 Recipes
Wet Dog Food58 Recipes1 Recipes
Dog Treats35 TreatsNone
Dry Cat Food18 Recipes3 Recipes
Wet Cat Food50 RecipesNone
Cat TreatsNoneNone

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(Costco) Nature's Domain Salmon Meal & Sweet Potato Recipe Cat Food
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