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Vital Essentials Dog Food Review

Company HQ

LocationGreen Bay, Wisconsin us-flag

Parent company

Carnivore Meat Company

Sourcing and Manufacturing

LocationUnited States us-flag

Type of food

Freeze-Dried Dog Food, Wet Frozen Dog Food

Ratings

63%
? This rating is determined by comparing the food’s nutritional content to AAFCO standards and other foods in our database. Nutrient Value 76%
? Each recipe is evaluated based on a 5-point ingredient rating system that measures ingredients’ nutritional value, safety, and more. Quality of Ingredients 90%
? We scan the FDA’s database and rate each brand by the number of recalls in its history. Brands with fewer recalls receive higher ratings. Recall History 27%
? By comparing the prices of foods in our database, we determine if a food is above or below market average price. Lower-priced foods receive higher ratings. Price 45%
? This metric is based on customer ratings from various retailers. Customer Experience 69%
? Our rating system evaluates each food’s manufacturing method, assigning higher ratings to manufacturing processes that promote higher nutritional value. Manufacturing Method 70%

Where to Buy

Amazon 66 recipes available View Chewy 72 recipes available View PetFlow 23 recipes available View Only Natural Pet 9 recipes available View Walmart 11 recipes available View
Pros
  • High protein content
  • Foods are nutritionally complete and balanced according to AAFCO standards
  • All protein comes from animal sourced ingredients
  • All recipes are free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives
Cons
  • The brand has been previously recalled
  • Price is above market average

Brand Overview

Vital Essentials is a family-owned company based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The product line features raw food and treats for dogs and cats. In addition, Vital Essentials offers hemp chews for dogs and a range of supplements for dogs and cats.

How Much Does Vital Essentials Dog Food Cost

We’ve compared Vital Essentials dog food price to the other 197 dog food brands in our database.

Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Dog Food Price Comparison

Brand AvgMarket Avg% From the Avg
Price per oz$2.67$2.65+1%
Price per 100 kcal$1.83$1.19+54%
Price per day$1.10$0.71+55%

Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Dog Food is priced above the average market price for dog food.

Vital Essentials Wet Frozen Dog Food Price Comparison

Brand AvgMarket Avg% From the Avg
Price per oz$2.43$1.68+45%
Price per 100 kcal$1.97$1.32+48%
Price per day$1.18$0.79+49%

Vital Essentials Wet Frozen Dog Food is priced above the average market price for dog food.

Vital Essentials Nutrient Profile Comparison

We’ve compared Vital Essentials dog food recipes nutrient profile to the other 197 dog food brands in our database.

Freeze-Dried Dog Food

Brand AvgMarket Avg% From the Avg
DM Protein 51.39% 44.23% +16%
DM Fat 26.28% 26.20% +0%
DM Fiber 4.05% 4.67% -13%
DM Carb 18.28% 24.63% -26%

Wet Frozen Dog Food

Brand AvgMarket Avg% From the Avg
DM Protein 51.63% 41.85% +23%
DM Fat 28.27% 23.99% +18%
DM Fiber 5.98% 5.73% +4%
DM Carb 14.13% 27.52% -49%

Recall History

The following list (if present) shows all dog food recalls related to Vital Essentials Dog Food Review since 2011. If no recalls are listed, no recall events have been reported.

Vital Essentials - Pet Foods (07/08/2015) -+
Date:07/08/2015
Company Name:Carnivore Meat Company, LLC
Product Description:Pet Foods
Recall Reason:Listeria monocytogenes
Read the Full FDA Report
Vital Essentials - Frozen Chicken Patties Entree for Dogs (01/15/2016) -+
Date:01/15/2016
Company Name:Carnivore Meat Company, LLC
Product Description:Frozen Chicken Patties Entree for Dogs
Recall Reason:Potential for salmonella
Read the Full FDA Report
Vital Essentials - Freeze-dried beef nibblets for dogs (02/23/2018) -+
Date:02/23/2018
Company Name:Carnivore Meat Company, LLC
Product Description:Freeze-dried beef nibblets for dogs
Recall Reason:Potential to be contaminated with Salmonella
Read the Full FDA Report
Vital Essentials - Dog/pet food Freeze-Dried Beef Toppers and Frozen Beef Chub (04/15/2018) -+
Date:04/15/2018
Company Name:Carnivore Meat Company, LLC
Product Description:Dog/pet food Freeze-Dried Beef Toppers and Frozen Beef Chub
Recall Reason:Salmonella
Read the Full FDA Report

Explore All Reviews of Vital Essentials Dog Food Recipes

Overall Score
74%
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Cost per day $1.23
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Cost per day $0.83
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72%
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Vital Essentials Beef Entree Mini Pet Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food Vital Essentials Beef Entree Mini Pet Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Cost per day $0.83
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Vital Essentials Salmon Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food Vital Essentials Salmon Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Cost per day $1.00
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Vital Essentials Duck Dinner Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food Vital Essentials Duck Dinner Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Cost per day $1.13
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Vital Essentials Beef Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Vital Essentials Beef Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
Cost per day $0.81
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Overall Score
71%
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Vital Essentials Beef Entree Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Vital Essentials Beef Entree Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
Cost per day $0.86
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Overall Score
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Vital Essentials Beef Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food Vital Essentials Beef Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Cost per day $0.92
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Overall Score
71%
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Vital Essentials Chicken Entree Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food Vital Essentials Chicken Entree Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Cost per day $0.99
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Overall Score
71%
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Vital Essentials Rabbit Entree Mini Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food Vital Essentials Rabbit Entree Mini Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Cost per day $1.49
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Overall Score
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Cost per day $1.49
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Overall Score
70%
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Vital Essentials Duck Entree Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food Vital Essentials Duck Entree Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Cost per day $0.99
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Overall Score
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Vital Essentials Beef Nibblets Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food Vital Essentials Beef Nibblets Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Cost per day $1.09
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Overall Score
70%
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Vital Essentials Chicken Mini Patties Entree Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Vital Essentials Chicken Mini Patties Entree Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
Cost per day $1.26
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Overall Score
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Vital Essentials Turkey Mini Nibs Entree Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Vital Essentials Turkey Mini Nibs Entree Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
Cost per day $1.34
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Overall Score
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Cost per day $1.08
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Overall Score
69%
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Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Rabbit Entree Mini Nibs Dog Food Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Rabbit Entree Mini Nibs Dog Food
Cost per day $1.68
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Overall Score
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Vital Essentials Rabbit Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food Vital Essentials Rabbit Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Cost per day $1.57
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Overall Score
69%
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Vital Essentials Rabbit Mini Nibs Entree Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Vital Essentials Rabbit Mini Nibs Entree Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
Cost per day $1.68
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Overall Score
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Vital Essentials Duck Entree Mini Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Vital Essentials Duck Entree Mini Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
Cost per day $0.96
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Overall Score
68%
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Vital Essentials Duck Mini Nibs Grain-Free Dog Food Vital Essentials Duck Mini Nibs Grain-Free Dog Food
Cost per day $0.96
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Vital Essentials Chicken Mini Nibs Entree Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Vital Essentials Chicken Mini Nibs Entree Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
Cost per day $1.31
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Overall Score
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Vital Essentials Rabbit Dinner Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food Vital Essentials Rabbit Dinner Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Cost per day $1.58
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Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Protein Mix-In Turkey Recipe Ground Dog Food Topper Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Protein Mix-In Turkey Recipe Ground Dog Food Topper
Cost per day $1.57
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Overall Score
67%
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Cost per day $1.30
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Cost per day $1.54
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Overall Score
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Cost per day $1.08
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Overall Score
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Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Protein Mix-In Chicken Recipe Ground Dog Food Topper Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Protein Mix-In Chicken Recipe Ground Dog Food Topper
Cost per day $1.44
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Overall Score
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Cost per day $0.60
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Vital Essentials Turkey Entree Mini Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Vital Essentials Turkey Entree Mini Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
Cost per day $1.08
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Vital Essentials Chicken Dinner Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food Vital Essentials Chicken Dinner Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Cost per day $1.15
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Cost per day $1.22
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Cost per day $1.25
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Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey Entree Mini Nibs Dog Food Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey Entree Mini Nibs Dog Food
Cost per day $1.47
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Cost per day $0.91
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Overall Score
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Cost per day $1.32
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Cost per day $0.91
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Overall Score
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Cost per day $1.20
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Vital Essentials Duck Mini Patties Entree Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Vital Essentials Duck Mini Patties Entree Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
Cost per day $1.19
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Cost per day $1.21
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Cost per day $1.37
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Vital Essentials Beef Mini Nibs Entree Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Vital Essentials Beef Mini Nibs Entree Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
Cost per day $1.13
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Overall Score
61%
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Cost per day $1.13
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Overall Score
61%
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Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Beef Entree Mini Nibs Dog Food Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Beef Entree Mini Nibs Dog Food
Cost per day $1.15
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Overall Score
61%
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Vital Essentials Protein Mix-In Beef Recipe Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper Vital Essentials Protein Mix-In Beef Recipe Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper
Cost per day $1.17
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Overall Score
61%
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Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Duck Entree Mini Nibs Dog Food Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Duck Entree Mini Nibs Dog Food
Cost per day $1.54
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Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Protein Mix-In Beef Recipe Ground Dog Food Topper Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Protein Mix-In Beef Recipe Ground Dog Food Topper
Cost per day $1.33
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Overall Score
59%
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Vital Essentials Chicken Entree Mini Pet Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food Vital Essentials Chicken Entree Mini Pet Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Cost per day $0.99
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Overall Score
59%
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Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Beef Patties Entree Dog Food Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Beef Patties Entree Dog Food
Cost per day $1.13
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Vital Essentials Protein Mix-In Turkey Recipe Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper Vital Essentials Protein Mix-In Turkey Recipe Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper
Cost per day $1.34
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Overall Score
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Vital Essentials Protein Mix-In Duck Recipe Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper Vital Essentials Protein Mix-In Duck Recipe Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper
Cost per day $1.41
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Overall Score
58%
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Vital Essentials Protein Mix-In Chicken Recipe Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper Vital Essentials Protein Mix-In Chicken Recipe Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper
Cost per day $1.26
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Overall Score
58%
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Vital Essentials Protein Mix-In Rabbit Recipe Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper Vital Essentials Protein Mix-In Rabbit Recipe Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper
Cost per day $1.89
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Overall Score
55%
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Vital Essentials Protein Mix-In Salmon Recipe Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper Vital Essentials Protein Mix-In Salmon Recipe Mini Nibs Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper
Cost per day $1.19
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FAQ

faq-item-image Who owns Vital Essentials dog food?

Vital Essentials is owned by Carnivore Meat Company.

faq-item-image Where is Vital Essentials dog food made?

Vital Essentials is manufactured in the United States us-flag.

faq-item-image Is Vital Essentials AAFCO approved?

Yes, all of Vital Essentials recipes are AAFCO approved.

faq-item-image Has Vital Essentials dog food been recalled?

Vital Essentials has been recalled 4 times in the years 2015, 2016, and 2018.

Disclaimer and Disclosure

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We do, however, participate in affiliate marketing programs and we partner with select brands to fund our site. We choose the products we review carefully and review them thoroughly before publishing a review or accepting any form of payment.

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