** For a list of pet foods NOT recently recalled go to The Pet Food List **
I just got off the phone with Costco and American Nutrition. Both have confirmed that Kirkland Brand Signature canned food has been recalled. At this point I do not know exactly which canned foods are involved. Melamine has been confirmed in in at least some of their wet food. I’m waiting for more information and will post it here as soon as I get it.
UPDATE: Pet Connection has confirmed with Costco that Kirkland Signature Super Premium Canned Food, item # 38436, best buy dates of Aug. 21 08 to April 15 of 09, has been voluntarilly recalled.
Kirkland Brand Signature canned food is made by American Nutrition.
UPDATE #2: Itchmo found out that the recall covers two formulations sold in a single case:
- Kirkland Signature Super Premium Chicken and Rice Canned food for Dogs
- Kirkland Signature Super Premium Lamb and Rice Canned food for Dogs
Technorati Tags: pet food recall, 2007, dog food, health
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve been feeding Kirkland Signature Premium can chicken & rice and lamb & rice. The label does not have Kirkland Signature “SUPER” Premium. It’s dated “best by “Nov 10, 08” I’m also feeding Kirkland Signature Super Premium Mature Dog, chicken, rice & egg formula which has whole grain brown rice, no flour. Are any these the ones that are on recall? Thank you for your help. Loretta
I have been feeding my dog a large table spoon full of Kirkland with Item #38436…I found this # on the bottome of the exterior wrapper of the case…I could not find it at any other location with the food…
Will Costco take this food back?
I was told by the folks at Costco that they are giving refunds for food. However, if the can you’ve fed him from is on the recall list, you’re better off right now keeping that can, and the receipt if you have it in case your dog gets sick. And, if your dog is sick get him to the vet immediately!
I had been told by an employee of a local costco in AZ that the kirkland recall was precautionary only at this time. Has anyone heard of any documented cases involving kirkland food? my 4 dogs have been on it for nearly a year and have not had any problems. we switched to pedigree packets for now – and the dogs did not appear to have any adverse reaction to the change ((just in case anyone is looking for an alternative)).
Does anyone know about Kirklands Dog biscuits? Are they safe? Should I just go get a refund? Throw them out? Help! I am not finding any info on them at this point.
Thank you.
Hello Loretta Nickeson,
Just FYI we had the remnants of the 2-Flavor Variety Pack #38436 we purchased on 12/14/2006 our female Dalmatian was eating tested by the local USFDA on April 4th, 2007. They tested six cans of the Kirkland Lamb & Rice (Lot #KLRD 21:48 Best by NOV 10 08) and four cans of the Kirkland Chicken & Rice (Lot #KCRD 08:07 Best By NOV 10 08), and both samples came back negative for foreign substances.
I am upset with Costco regarding this recall by American Nutrition on April 26th, 2007 for #38436 2-Flavor Kirkland Signature Variety Pack. On March 17, my wife contacted Costco regarding the Lamb & Rice/Chicken & Rice dog food our female Dalmatian had been eating up and through her battle with renal kidney failure. My wife had voiced concern that even though the Kirkland brand was not on the initial recall list, that it should be checked into. She was told very boldly that Kirkland dog food did not cause our dogs kidney failure since it was not recalled, and now to get a letter almost seven weeks later telling us to stop feeding our dog the Lamb & Rice infuriates me!
A little background on Lily and Kirkland Signature dog food. She was one of the two Dalmatians in our household, a 10-year-old male named Wendell and she was a 6-year-old female. Our male was on a special diet of Hills U/D dry and she was eating the Kirkland Signature wet. My wife had begun to feed Lily the Kirkland Signature from about May 2006. On August 30th, 2006, my wife made a purchase #38436 2-Flavor 24 Pack of Kirkland Signature with Lamb & Rice and Chicken & Rice for Lily. On September 22, 2006, she was diagnosed with renal kidney failure and was eventually euthanized on January 7th, 2007 after a valiant effort by our Veterinarian to save her. I have no doubt that the Kirkland Signature brand was the cause of her kidney failure. She had been a perfectly healthy dog until the middle of September. Our male has been tested and is fine, and continues to eat the Hills U/D only.
Sorry for the long drawn out ramble here, but needless to say, I am extremely agitated that it took so long for Costco and their supplier to come forward about this! My wife’s call back in March maybe could have eliminated any pet illnesses due to this food. Instead, she was brushed aside.
Now to get a letter stating that their records show we had purchased this recalled item, and offering an apology and refund for any inconvenience is a slap in the face. Irregardless of the over 3 thousand dollars in Vet and medication expenses we incurred, we have lost a great dog! I wish I could get a hold of that rude Customer Service rep my wife spoke to a Costco, and have a word or two with her now!
Regards,
Mike
Unfortunately we received the Costco notice on the Kirkland contaminated food Saturday May 5, 2007, a couple weeks to late as our dog passed away Saturday morning. Interesting to get the notice on the same day the dog passes away.
Noticing some of the comments about weather the other Kirkland brands are affected, I would recommend stay clear at this time as the dog goes down real fast after eating the contaminated food. We feed our dog an Alpo brand dry dog food and at times Premium canned mixed in. Out of concerns with seeing all the Alpo food listed on the last recalls and needing more food decided to try the Kirkland Lamb and Rice as we have used the Kirkland Milk Bones for years, along with some of the dry food in the past.
We purchased the food around April 14, 2007 (lot KRLD 21:42, Best used by February 21, 2009). Began feeding the dog the food about a week later as the existing Premimum canned dog food ran out. Noticed later that week the dog had bad diahrea and realized the food might not be agreeing with her. We searched to see if the food was listed as a problem and did not find any hits. Decided to use what she had been eating before so picked up some Premium food and stopped using the Kirkland. We became concerned that she showed very little appetite, was downing the water, and for a hyper dog had no energy. Also realized that under her heavy coat she had lost a lot of weight. Took her to the vet early last week and found her system (kidneys etc.) were having problems. Keep with the premium and good meat, diaharea stopped, had a little more energy, little perky but still ate very little.
Bottom line, seems like when a dog gets the bad food it damages internal organs before one realizes the problem. I would vote with your dollars and cut off using any food provided by suppliers with listed foods. Not sure all have been forthcoming and quick with the information.
What do we do beside stop feeding our animals the Kirkland food? I have a cat and two dogs that now need to be tested, at nearly $100 each. I’m on a fixed income and that’s a lot of money for me, not that I won’t go without eating myself so that my babies can get tested.
My cat has been eating the dry food since the first of the year, and I purchased one of the packages of mixed dog foods and have already feed 20 of the 24 cans. I don’t see any corn of any type listed on any of the foods and no protines. There is whole brown rice and ground white rice. I don’t see anything listed that I’ve heard may have the poison. I’m so scard.
We had a 8 yr – 8 mo. old Pit/Rott mix male dog. He was part of our family and protected us and our property. He became ill all of a sudden. There had been no symptom of him being ill or feeling ill prior to April 11, 2007. We found out about the recall on April 30th, 3 weeks after our dog fell ill and several trips to the vets. The blood results indicated liver and kidney disease and a virus. He was given antibiotics, vitamins and and iv. He felt better for about a week then just got worse. He went from 105 lbs to 80 lbs on Tuesday, May 8th when he passed away. We went to a different doctor for a second opinion and our dog passed away before he could thoroughly checking him out.
When I contacted American Nutrition they indicated that there were no documented cases and that they would keep me informed. I sent them two cans of dog food from the supply that I had. I am keeping two cans for the vet to have checked and the rest I am sending back to Costco.
The claims department sent me claims for to fill out and return with any vet bills. Our dog had been eating Kirkland canned, dry and biscuits for about 4 – 5 years. Should I claim all these years since it is probably the reason our dog became ill and passed away?
Patti
My 1 1/2-2 year old cat became very ill about 2 weeks ago. She became very lethargic, no appetite, and decreased urination most likely due to dehydration. We took her to the vet and spent about $300 in tests. Nothing was conclusive! She worsened so we decided to give her antibiotics. She did improve over the next few days and we thought we were in the clear. She did well for about 5 days and the symptoms return. It would start with her being barely able to hold her neck up and walk. She would just lay at the bottom of the stairs. Of note, we have been feeding her Kirkland Signature Dry Cat food for a couple months. We had switched from IAMS Dry food. We decided now to go off the Kirkland Signature Dry Cat food and switch back to IAMS. If this doesn’t work, we will have her fully worked up. We noted that the Kirkland Signature Dry food is not recalled. If anyone has had similar problems with their cat, please email me at bethanyt24@yahoo.com
We had been feeding our 2 adult rotties the Kirkland Signature wet food for over a year in small amounts to give them their allergy and joint medications. The male became ill and we had to rush him to the vet after him not getting better. After approximately $600 later they could not find what was causing his stomach inflamation. He was on an IV for dehydration, GasX and a bland diet for over a week. We decided to keep both Rotties on the bland diet for a while as we noticed our female was getting sick as well. We decided to get rid of the rest of the cans just as a precautionary measure and then 2 or 3 weeks later we received the letter sayign they wre volutarily pulling the food. Sure am glad they are only given enough of the wet food to take their meds.
I found a list from kkal9.com that said that Kirkland Signature Dog Buscuits were on the recall list. I went back to print another list and it wasn’t there anymore? I would not let any pet eat these.
I normally give my dogs Milkbone brand dog buscuits but saw Kirkland brand last time I was at Costco. I bought those instead for a change and my 1 1/2 yo lab seemed to have a seizure after about 4 days of eating them. I immediatley stopped giving them to her and stopped costco foods (Kirkland brands) all together. I switched to Black Gold dogfood because I’ve heard great things about it. She is eating well and I’m back to Milkbone brand for the treats. Anyone heard anything about this?
Hi Kris,
I haven’t heard about this specific reaction to Kirkland foods, but I don’t blame you for stopping it! As for Black Gold, I haven’t heard of that one but their website (http://blackgolddogfood.com/) says they haven’t had any recalls and they don’t use wheat gluten.
We have a 10-yr old spunky cat that went from healthy to not eating and now has liver probs. She stopped eating as much a few weeks ago when I had opened a bag of Kirkland Super Primium catfood for Adult Cats (Chik & Rice) that I had bought in the summer. We’ve been using this brand of cat food for a year now. It has a best use date of 27/Jan/09. I only saw one posting for a cat w/liver problems that was given the same food. Can anyone suggest what I ask the vet to do if it’s related to this? I have blood test I can fax anyone that had similar problems, if that would help. Thanks.
Kim, let your vet know you’re concerned about effects from tainted pet food. Your vet should be able to run some tests to find out exactly what’s wrong with her and better determine whether or not pet food is the cause.
I do Rescue Kitties and have about 20 cats. They were all tested for Leukmia/FIV & spayed/neutered, de-wormed, etc. before going into my kitty enclosure. They are contained in about a one-acre cyclone fence enclosure so don’t have exposure to other cats or animals. I have been feeding the Kirkland Maintenance Dry cat food to these cats for at least the last 5 years. During that time, some of the cats would lose weight, develop poor coats and stop eating. The Vets diagnose would be: Pancreatisis, hepatitis lipidosis, anema, inflammatory bowel disease, but what these cats all had in common was JAUNDICE. The White Blood Count would be normal, so there problems were not coming from infectious diseases. One of my feral cats that had turned to skin & bones has made a recovery after administering sub-Q fluids and have switched to Iams light or senior. The Kirkland Dry Cat food was 20% fat. Whether they were unable to digest the fat, or if it was the other crap in the food, I don’t know. Since, I’ve switched them to Iams 11-13% fat the sick cat has seemed to recover and is eating again, and all the other cats look better and seem to feel better. Evidentally, some of my cats were more susceptible to the impurities in the Kirkland cat food. Whatever, was in that Kirkland Dry Cat food, really did a number on the liver and pancreas to turn these cats so jaundiced. Get the word out that Kirkland Cat Food can end up killing your cat. 11/16/09
With great sadness I write this note…I read all your comments and it brought back the fresh memories of what I too have experienced in the last few weeks. After eating Kirkland canned Lamb and Rice dog food, my two precious dogs died within a week of each other. Neither was sick prior to eating this food…as stated in your comments. Both would have led happy and healthy lives. It has left me with a big whole in my heart. I am just numb to the pain right now. Their sweet faces still in my memory. It has only been a week since they left me. How could this have happened? It was just so unnecessary. Tesla (dobie/rott) and Dino (vizsla)…rest in peace, you are sorely missed.
That is so awful to hear Renee. Were autopsies performed to identify exactly what caused their passing? If there is a problem with the food, we all need to know, but so many factors can contribute to a dog’s sickness and passing. If anything is documented, please let me know
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