Vitalin Puppy review

Vitalin Puppy comes out in our Good band. The middle of the puppy dry field settles in the same band, so this bag keeps pace with its class without pulling clear of it.

The pillar picture explains the shape of that. Transparency reads Excellent while protein and processing, nutritional balance and value all read Good, which fits a recipe that is well chosen and openly declared. The analysis is what holds the placing level: a starch share above what most growth kibbles carry, and a protein figure that is decent but never commanding.

Ingredients, as declared: Chicken (37%, including Dried Chicken 25%, Freshly Prepared Chicken 10%, Chicken Gravy 2%), Potato, Sweet Potato, Potato Protein, Chicken Oil, Whole Peas (2.0%), Dried Carrot (2.0%), Dried Parsnip (2.0%), Salmon Oil, Sugar Beet, Monosodium Phosphate, Chicory Root Extract (as a source of Prebiotic FOS) (0.3%), Citrus Extracts (0.2%), Mannan-oligosaccharides (Prebiotic MOS) (0.1%), High Nucleotide Yeast, 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 (0.01%).

Nothing else on this label beats the chicken declaration. It splits the 37% chicken into dried chicken at 25%, freshly prepared chicken at 10% and chicken gravy at 2%. Dried meat has lost its water already, so that 25% does more of the finished kibble's work than the fresh portion. Having the split in front of you means you can weigh that up yourself.

Chicken oil comes from the same bird, and with no other meat in the recipe the animal side stays on one species. Salmon oil appears further down and puts fish into the bowl. That is a good thing for a growing coat and a limit worth naming for anyone holding a pup to a single protein.

Starch duty falls to potato and sweet potato, with whole peas at 2.0% in support and no cereal in sight. Carbohydrate converts to 45.6% of dry matter, comfortably above the 39.0% the middle of the puppy dry field carries, so this bag leans further on its base than a meat led kibble does. Sugar beet brings a well tolerated fibre alongside.

The gut and immunity side is properly itemised. Prebiotic FOS comes from chicory root extract at 0.3%, with mannan-oligosaccharides at 0.1% and high nucleotide yeast beside it. A tyndallised Lactobacillus helveticus culture at 0.01% closes the list. Citrus extracts at 0.2% add natural antioxidants on the way past.

Dried carrot and dried parsnip at 2.0% each are real inclusions. Apple cider vinegar powder, spearmint, honey powder, nettle and thyme all sit at 200mg per kilogram apiece. That is seasoning territory. Chicken and a root vegetable base are what the recipe stands on, and it makes no claim beyond that.

One line is missing and it is a notable one for a food sold across every size of puppy. Calcium is not declared. A large or giant breed pup leans on that figure more heavily than on anything else in the analysis. If that is the dog you are feeding, put the question to the maker before you commit.

Sold in 2kg and 12kg bags at £6.00 a kilo.

A growing dog's portion keeps moving, so work from the growth chart the bag prints. Step the amount up or down as your pup fills out. On the label's own guide the range runs from 30g a day for the smallest pups to 800g for the biggest.