Vitalin

Vitalin Adult Grain Free: Chicken With Thyme review

Name: Vitalin Adult Grain Free: Chicken With Thyme
Brand: Vitalin

69.4/100Good

DryAdult

Flavour

Vitalin's label discipline with the cereal taken out: two grain-free kibbles in our Good band, chicken just ahead of lamb. The meat shares are printed in full, dried and fresh separately, which is the part most ranges skate over. The joint and prebiotic doses are printed too.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Grain-free homes, with potato and sweet potato doing the cereal's job
A one-animal recipe. Every meat ingredient in each bag is from a single species
Older dogs starting to stiffen, with glucosamine and MSM at 340 mg/kg on both labels
A poultry-sensitive dog: the Lamb with Mint uses rapeseed oil in place of chicken oil

Worth watching

No cereal does not mean low starch. Estimated carbohydrate reaches 49.4% of dry matter on the lamb
Chicken oil on the Chicken with Thyme, so it will not lower a dog's poultry exposure

Written by our editorial team. Independent guidance, not veterinary advice.

How this scores

How we score

69.4/100Good

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceAverage

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for adults of every size. Pick by the meat your dog does well on, then let the waistline settle the portion within the label's range.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Chicken 69.4
Lamb 63.6

All two Good. Typical dry food: Good.

A whisker separates the two, and protein is what puts the chicken ahead.

What's in it

Chicken: dried 28%, freshly prepared 10%, gravy 1%39%The dried part is what actually reaches the bowl; fresh meat is mostly water.
Potato, sugar beetPotato does the starch work; beet brings fibre.
Whole peas5.0%
Sweet potato
Chicken oilKeeps the whole bag on one bird.
Dried carrot, dried parsnip, whole linseed4.0% eachAbove garnish level. Linseed for plant omega 3.
Chicory root extract, MOS0.3%, 0.1%The prebiotic pair.
Glucosamine, MSM, chondroitin340, 340, 240 mg/kgA working adult dose, printed.
Apple cider vinegar, spearmint, honey, nettle, thyme200mg/kg eachSeasoning.
Yucca schidigera extract, tyndallised Lactobacillus helveticus0.005% cultureYucca is there for stool odour.

Named ingredients

Chicken (39%, including Dried Chicken 28%, Freshly Prepared Chicken 10%, Chicken Gravy 1%), Potato, Sugar Beet, Whole Peas (5.0%), Sweet Potato, Chicken Oil, Dried Carrot (4.0%), Dried Parsnip (4.0%), Whole Linseed, Chicory Root Extract (as a source of Prebiotic FOS) (0.3%), Citrus Extracts (0.2%), Mannan-oligosaccharides (Prebiotic MOS) (0.1%), Glucosamine (340mg/kg), MSM (340mg/kg), Chondroitin (240mg/kg), Apple Cider Vinegar Powder (200mg/kg), Dried Spearmint (200mg/kg), Honey Powder (200mg/kg), Dried Nettle (200mg/kg), Dried Thyme (200mg/kg), Extract of Yucca Schidigera, Tyndallised Lactobacillus Helveticus HA-122 (0.005%).

Against the range

Meat: Chicken, 39%; Lamb at 36.5% in the other.
Protein, dry matter: 28.6%; 24.2% on the lamb.
Fat source: Chicken oil; Rapeseed oil on the lamb.

The stronger of the pair, and the one to feed unless poultry is the problem.

Two grain-free kibbles, each with its meat split into dried, fresh and gravy shares: chicken at 39%, lamb at 36.5%. Potato and sweet potato do the cereal's job, with whole peas, sugar beet, dried carrot, parsnip and whole linseed behind. The prebiotic pair, the dosed joint trio and a run of herbs at 200mg/kg close both lists.

What changes is the meat and the oil: chicken oil on the chicken, rapeseed on the lamb. Estimated carbohydrate is 46.1% of dry matter on the chicken and 49.4% on the lamb, so grain free here does not mean low starch.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

340 kcal/100g

Estimated using Modified Atwater factors*

Protein

26%

Fat

12%

Fibre

Ash

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

28.6%

Fat

13.2%

Fibre

3.3%

Ash

8.8%

Carbs

46.1%

As-fed composition

Estimated breakdown of the finished product by ingredient category, from the declared ingredient list and ingoing weights. These are estimates, not measurements.

Meat

38%

Added water

Carbs

44.8%

Veg

8.8%

Oils

2.6%

Other

4.8%

Pricing & size