Vital Essentials Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)

Vital Essentials Freeze Dried Dog Food receives the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.

The Vital Essentials Freeze Dried product line includes the 13 raw dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Vital Essentials Beef Mini Nibs was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is beef. Beef is defined as “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cattle” and includes skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.¹

Beef is naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is beef heart. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing to us humans, heart tissue is pure muscle — all meat. It’s naturally rich in quality protein, minerals and complex B vitamins, too.

The third ingredient is beef liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The next ingredient is beef lung, which is a protein-rich organ meat that’s also low in fat.

The fifth ingredient is beef fat. Beef fat (or tallow) is most likely obtained from rendering, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Although it may not sound very appetizing, beef fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The sixth ingredient is beef stomach, also known as tripe. Tripe usually consists of the first three chambers of a cud-chewing animal’s stomach. As unappetizing as it may seem to us humans, tripe is favored by dogs. The meat itself can sometimes include the stomach’s contents, too.

The seventh ingredient is beef kidney, an organ meat low in fat and rich in protein and essential minerals.

From here, the list goes on to include a few other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Vital Essentials product.

With 2 notable exceptions…

First, we find herring oil. Herring oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids. These two high quality fats boast the highest bio-availability to dogs and humans.

Depending on its level of freshness and purity, herring oil should be considered a commendable addition.

And lastly, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Dog Food looks like an above-average raw product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 54.3%, a fat level of 22.8% and estimated carbohydrates of about 14.8%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 51.5% and a mean fat level of 25.3%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 15.2% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 52%.

Which means this Vital Essentials product line contains…

Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical raw dog food.

Vital Essentials Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Vital Essentials through April 2024.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

Our Rating of Vital Essentials Dog Food

Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried is a grain-free raw dog food using a generous amount of named meats and organs as its source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.

Highly Recommended

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