Vital Essentials Pet Food Reviews

 

Vital Essentials Raw brings us the “Alpha Diet” which is made from real meat, meaty bones, and whole organ meat that naturally provide the vital balance of nutrients pets need to thrive.  Complete raw and freeze-dried diets for dogs and cats; all diets are grain-free and meats are hormone and antibiotic- free. Vital Essentials is leading the way in raw pet nutrition and is proud to be one of only a few pet food companies in the world who are USDA certified.


 “Topper”

Vickie L – St. Paul, MN –Cats: 12

Name of Product: Vital Essentials

2 Features: healthy ingredients, no fillers

2 Benefits: stimulated them to eat their hard food, increased their appetites

Con: none

Review: This food was so light and appetizing for the cats that they would run to the hard food when this was applied on the top and they acted like they were hungry (which they were not) and would finish up their hard food when I used this on top and in with their hard food..

Recommended for: All cats


“Happy Dog”

Corie B. – Minneapolis, MN – Dogs: 1

Name of Product: Vital Essentials

2 Features: Grain free and raw protein

2 Benefits: dog loves the taste and eats immediately

Con: none

Review: Our German Shepherd loved Vital Essentials topped on her kibble. She appeared to have more energy and enjoyed her food even more than can food added. It’s also very convenient and easy to use. Prior I added a small amount of canned food to her kibble but she enjoys this even more and we’ll switch to this product. I like the re-sealable packaging too, nice for traveling as well.

Recommended for: All dogs


 “Kittens love this food!”

Sept 6, 2013

Teri Ann L. — St. Paul, MN – Cats: 2 kittens 7 months old

Name of Product: Vital Essentials freeze dried raw

2 Features: raw, freeze dried, healthy ingredients

2 Benefits: cats love taste, it has a smell to it

Con: No problems at all. Only comment is that some of the pieces are too big for their little mouths. I break them up.

Review: This is the first raw freeze dried that the cats really loved. It is the smell. All the other freeze dried cat foods have no smell. I can leave this out in a bowl, unlike raw food that has to be picked up right away. Also use it as treats. Will definitely be keeping this in stock for the cats. An easy go-to healthy raw food.

Recommended for: All cats


“ Great for fussy eaters!”

Carolyn P – Roseville, MN – Dogs: 0 Cats: 6

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Raw Turkey Topper

2 Features: raw and grain-free

2 Benefits: Wonderful to sprinkle on top of food for fussy eaters. It’s grain-free and raw with a few simple ingredients.

Con: None – it’s a great product!

Review: This is a wonderful, healthy product. It’s convenient to be able to sprinkle this on top of food that a particular cat is not wanting to eat. I sprinkle some on one of my cat’s food every meal and she is much more enthusiastic about eating. With multiple cats, if a cat isn’t eating their food right away, another cat will come along and eat it for them, so this helps ensure my non food obsessed cats are able to enjoy their food too.

Recommended for: All dogs and cats


 “An Easy Way to Add Raw Food to my Dogs’ Diet”

David Z. – Roseville, MN – Dogs: 2 Cats: 0

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Freeze Dried Turkey Topper

2 Features: High Quality Freeze Dried Raw Food, Very Easy to Feed

2 Benefits: Has raw enzymes for many health benefits including improved digestion, healthy skin and coat; My dogs went crazy for the flavor

Con: None

Review: With two large breed dogs, feeding an exclusively raw diet is cost prohibitive. I know that even a small amount of raw food can provide health benefits. This product makes including a bit of raw in my dogs’ diet easy and affordable. My dogs aren’t fussy, but this would make a great topper to stimulate the appetite of dogs that are finicky.

Recommended for: Pet with allergies, Pet with digestive trouble, Senior Pet, Finicky Eaters


“ Yes please!”

Wendy G. – Minneapolis, MN – Dogs: 2 Cats: 0

Name of Product: Vital Essentials – Toppers

2 Features: Raw, healthy & easy!

2 Benefits: Great ingredients! Dogs love it!

Con: If the scoop that’s provided is recyclable then there’s NO CONS!

Review: LOVE this product! I will definitely be buying this!
I’ve been wanting to switch to raw for a while. I think this is a good way to ”lean in to” the raw diet.
I thought we would go through a pouch pretty fast but there’s more content in the pouch than meets the eye!
I will be going out of town soon and it will be easy for the person that’s caring for my dogs to feed them. No need for detailed instructions – Just scoop-n-sprinkle!

Recommend for: All Dogs


 “Drooled for this food”

April N. – Minneapolis, MN –Dogs: 2 Cats: 2

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Raw Turkey topper

2 Features: grain free and raw

2 Benefits: Healthy and no fillers

Con: Expensive to feed large dogs as a full meal but works GREAT as a topper.

Review: Very convenient to use because it has a scoop in every bag! Makes a great meal topper and supplement or even a treat! My dogs loved it!

Recommended for: All Dogs & Cats , Pet with allergies, Pet with digestive trouble, Overweight Pet, Senior, Finicky Eaters


“Awesome”

Charlene G. – Minneapolis, Minnesota – Dogs: 1 Cats: 0

Name of Product: Beef Vital Essentials

2 Features: Gluten free, Grain free

2 Benefits: My dog loved the taste of the topper

Review: My dog loved when I put it on his dry food it gave the food extra flavor !!

Recommend for: All dogs


 “Taste Changes are Good”

Barbara G. – Minneapolis, MN – Dogs: 2 Cats: 1

Name of Product: Vitals Essential Toppers, beef and fish

2 Features: Healthy Ingredients, Mixes well with dry food

2 Benefits: Dogs licked their bowl clean, cat loved the fish vitals

Con: Would be expensive to feed large dogs alone without being an additive.

Review: Good toppings to encourage appetites, and give a taste change to dry food, plus it’s a healthy treat taste.

Recommend for: Finicky Eaters


“ Easy and tasty”

Becky D. – Cottage Grove MN – Dogs: 4 Cats: 0

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Toppers

2 Features: no grains! variety of proteins to choose from

2 Benefits: easy to feed and easy open packaging

Con: Tried both chicken and beef. Didn’t care for the smell of the chicken, but the beef smelled great!

Review: Since I feed 4 large dogs, this product would not be cost effective as a daily supplement, but certainly is a nice addition occasionally. They did seem to prefer the beef over the chicken but both were scarfed down eagerly.

Recommend for: All Dogs


“Both cats loved this product”

Sandra I. -Brooklyn Center, MN – Dogs: 0 Cats: 2

Name of Product: Vital Essential Toppers

2 Features: Raw food benefits and contains organ meat.

2 Benefits: Easy to mix into canned food and makes everything healthier.

Con: Probably not could not get the cats to eat just this by itself.

Review: Both of my cats liked this product mixed in with their regular canned food. I just mixed in a tsp or so at first and then up to about a tbsp. once a day. I feel it gives them a boost of extra good organ meat and no harmful additives. I will be buying this as it gave us an easy way to incorporate some raw food to their diet.

Recommend for: All Cats, Overweight Pet, Senior Pets


“Dogs think it’s the best!”

Kimberly C. – Minneapolis, Minnesota – Dogs: 2 Cats: 1

Name of Product: Vital Essentials

2 Features: Grain free, dehydrated, so not messy

2 Benefits: Dogs love the taste, isn’t stinky like some similar products

Con: While this can be used as food, I have two large dogs and used it as an additive to their food.

Review: I tried both the chicken and beef flavors. Both were a drool-y, whiny, tail wagging, butt spinning success. The dogs were very excited about it.

The cat seemed curious, but didn’t really eat it.

Recommended for: All Dogs and Cats


“yummy!”

Jodi D. – Plymouth, MN – Dogs: 2 Cats: 0

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Toppers

2 Features: Good value, natural ingredients

2 Benefits: dogs loved it, holistic

Con: I would not wish to feed this as the only source of nutrition, however, my dogs LOVED a scoop over their dry kibble.

Review: My dogs really enjoyed the toppers. We used them as a single scoop over their normal kibble. It definitely increased their interest and they ate it all.

Recommend for: Senior Dogs, Finicky Eaters


“disliked texture”

Alice G. – Minneapolis. MN – Dogs: 3 Cats: 0

Name of Product: vital essentials

2 Features: raw and instinctively healthy

2 Benefits: easy to feed and gluten free

Con: My dogs dislikes the texture even when I reconstituted it

Review: tried it with my two female miniature schnauzers while pregnant and they refused to eat it. Tried it with my male and got the same reaction

Recommended for: Pet with digestive trouble


“Like this addition to food”

Janet H. – Minneapolis, MN – Dogs: 2 Cats: 1

Name of Product: Vital Essential Toppers

2 Features: Organ meats, no added fillers

2 Benefits: Easy to feed, animals like the taste

Con: Kind of expensive to feed. Sprinkle a little on top of food instead.

Review: My pets don’t have food issues but that could be b/c I already feed raw + grain free dry. I like that I can sprinkle on an additional treat that’s healthy for them.

Recommend for: All Dogs


“This is a New FAVORITE for All. A+A+A+A+A+A+A”

Mary F. – Hastings, MN – Dogs: 10 Cats: 0

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Purely Raw Toppers. Turkey and Fish Flavors

2 Features: Meat, Organ and Bone!! No Antibiotics or Hormones.

2 Benefits: Super Convenient, Super Tasty, Super Healthy! DOGS LOVED IT!!

Con: I cannot think of a Single Con. I am in LOVE with this Stuff!

Review: O.K, Let me just say I L.O.V.E this Vita Essentials Raw Toppers! I absolutely cannot wait to try the other flavors! With 10 dogs ranging in age from 5 months to 16 years as well as a litter of puppies, I love EASE and Convenience as well as High Quality meals. My dogs always like a little something special added to their kibble and let me tell you, This is IT!
I like it with a little hot water or for the babies, I love mixing Solid Gold Wee bits with hot water, add the Toppers, heat in microwave and it softens up to an amazing soft meal for the babies. :)

This is an incredible addition to my crews diet!
My 16 year old loves this too, I even fed it as a meal. She really appreciates food that she doesn’t have to chew! (no teeth)

Recommended for: All Dogs


“Sure to get the happy dance!”

Dawn P. – Mpls, MN – Dogs: 1 Cats: 0

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Toppers – Beef

2 Features: all meat ingredients, finely shredded

2 Benefits: shredded makes it easy to feed small amount to diet and to keep it affordable.

Review: Love that there is a scoop in the bag! I have a small dog. I can easily add a bit to dry or canned food for the meaty raw benefits. As a complete meal, 2 scoops + a scoop of dehydrated pumpkin + water…makes a perfect meal!

Recommend for: Pet with allergies, Pet with digestive trouble, Overweight Pet, Senior, Finicky Eaters


“Take it or leave it”

Jennifer M. – Minneapolis, MN – Cats: 2

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Toppers

2 Features: Healthy ingredients, raw food

2 Benefits: Good source of nutrients, nice supplement to dry food

Con: Consistency not appealing initially from watching my cats’ response.

Review: I think this product is very good in its quality and intention as a source of good pet nutrition. However, my two cats did not ultimately like it; one of them sniffed it and walked away and the other ate a tiny bit of it and then left the rest. I tried giving it to them on its own and as a topper for their dry food and results were the same.

Recommend for: All Cats


”Meh”

Robyn C. – Minneapolis, MN – Dogs: 3 Cats: 0

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Toppers

2 Features: Natural, supplemental

2 Benefits: Dogs liked it, easy to mix in kibble s

Con: Not sure if the benefits outweigh the cost with premium kibbles; would need to try for a longer period of time. Fish add. smell was STRONG–real fish for sure!

Recommended for: All Dogs


 “Took a while to get used to, then loved it”

Janine F. – Maplewood, MN – Dogs: 1 Cats: 5

Name of Product: Vital Essential Toppers for Cats and Dogs: Cisco Fish

2 Features: all meat, high quality ingredients

2 Benefits: Made coats fluffy and shiny, worked well with less food delivered

Con: Could be expensive but if added as a supplement would not be. I would buy it in the future.

Review:

Cats: developed shiny, fluffy coats. Would lick bowl clean.

Dog: loved it! Went nuts over it.

Recommend for: All, Finicky Eaters


“Freshens up a tired diet”

Melissa C. – Minneapolis MN – Dogs: 2 Cats: 1

Name of Product: Vital Essentials, Turkey

2 Features: Raw Turkey & Few Ingredients

2 Benefits: Simple Product. Raw.

Con: none

Review: Gotta love a product that has absolutely no extras. It’s raw turkey, herring oil, and two types of vitamin E–that’s it! I sprinkle it on my dogs’ kibble and it made their food much more interesting to them. I don’t see many dog food products made of turkey, so the flavor is a nice change for them.

Recommended for: All, Seniors, Finicky Eaters


The Herd Loved it!

Shawn X.- Ramsey, MN – Dogs: 3 Cats: 0

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Toppers for dogs & cats

2 Features: USDA Certified Pet Food / Local. Nutritious. Healthy

2 Benefits: The Herd very excited to eat it, they love it.

Con: N/A

Review: Vital Essentials Toppers for dogs & cats is a great and easy product to use. We keep it in the same cabinet as their food and just scoop it on top of their dry kibble. We feel we feed The Herd good food now, Solid Gold Wee Bits, but this is a great addition.

I am very glad I learned about this product. This is now a staple for The Herd. We are very grateful.

Thank You!

Recommend for: All dogs


“Ate the supplement off the food!”

Laura J. – Roseville, MN – Dogs: 6 Cats: 11

Name of Product: Vita Essentials Chicken

2 Features: raw, no grain

2 Benefits: appears to help soften their coat, they LOVE the taste

Con: none

Review: I have a couple fussy foster cats who need coaxing to eat the good food instead of the junk they once were fed. By sprinkling this on their wellness canned food they now have accepted the food and enjoy feeding time. They have put on weight and appear more content. What a wonderful product to help them feel and look better!

Recommend for: All Cats


“Fabulous Supplement”

Michelle B. Minneapolis, MN – Dogs: 1 Cats: 0

Name of Product: Vital Essentials – Fish

2 Features: No unnatural preservatives; Healthy Fish

2 Benefits: Great nutrients for dogs. Helps their coat and neurological system.

Review: Smells pretty fishy. At first, my dog was not sure what to think about eating it. After she tasted it, mixed with her other food, she ate it without any protests.

Recommended for: Pet with allergies, Pet with digestive trouble, Overweight Pet, Senior


“No Fans Here”

Paula F. – Minneapolis, MN – Cats: 3

Name of Product: Vital Essentials, Turkey

2 Features: Grain free, re-sealable bag

2 Benefits: None at this household

Con: This is freeze dried raw food. It is powdery and you need to take great care in handling because it is raw. None of my cats will eat and and it is a hassle to mix with water or other food so that it is not just a dry powder that they can inhale or have blow around if there is a draft.

Review: Would not purchase this- maybe if it was chunky?

Recommended for: Pet with allergies


“Love the ingredients!”

Nancy B. – Minneapolis, MN –Dogs: 4 Cats: 1

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Toppers

2 Features: No grains (thus no GMO) & smells good

2 Benefits: Easy to feed & dogs love the taste

Con: none

Review: I love the very short ingredient list on the package — the label says turkey, and guess what there’s only in turkey (and 2 other ingredients) in it! Unlike some pet foods that smell off’ when the bag is first opened, this one smelled good.

The dogs love both the Turkey and the Fish variety. My kitty is rather particular so I’ve been starting her out slowly on the Fish and she’s beginning to show interest. One of these days I’ll be able to get her off the kibble and 100% on real food like this.

Recommended for: All Dogs and Cats


 “Very much enjoyed”

Laura J. – Forest Lake, MN – Dogs: 1 Cats: 9

Name of Product: Vital Essential Toppers

2 Features: nutritionally balanced, no by products

2 Benefits: they seemed to enjoy their meal more, didn’t experience any digestive problems

Con: none

Review: I tried this product on foster cats and one dog, all seemed to enjoy it very much. The dog was trying to eat from the cat dishes so had to monitor feeding.

Recommended for: All Dog and Cats


 “Thumbs down”

Janine F. – Maplewood, MN- Dogs: 1 Cats: 5

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Raw Chicken

2 Features: all meat, prime ingredients

2 Benefits: dog loved taste, makes her happy

Con: cats: hated it. I had to throw away leftover, uneaten food in bowls.

dog: no cons.

Review: Cats: I think the smell and taste turned them off. If they would have eaten more I could give a review of the benefits to them.

Dog: a good supplement to her diet, worth the cost if fed just to her.

Recommend for: All Dog and Cats

Staff comment: Cat are true carnivores and can benefit from a high animal protein diet. Take it slow in introducing raw and freeze-dried foods. Be patient your cats will be happy you gave them time to get accustom to new healthy foods.

Introducing cats to new foods – Add a small amount of new food to current food and increase over time as cat is eating. Each cats is different & if you slowly add new food to each feeding you will have the best results. Be patient, it may take several weeks. :)


“Paws up for Raw!”Vital Essentials Duck and rabbit Dog Food

Kristi H. – Chanhassen, MN  – Dogs: 1

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Frozen Duck Patties for Dogs

2 Features: Quality Ingredients, Unique Protein Source

2 Benefits: Dog LOVES it and looks great! It’s so easy to add raw to her diet.

Con:  none

Review: Adding Vital Essentials raw patties into our rotation of foods has been easy for us and great for Maddi. It’s so easy to thaw a patty for a feeding and Maddi does the happy dance because she feels so good from the food we are feeding her!

Recommend for:  All dogs


”My New Favorite Product!!”Vital Essentials Freeze Dried Cat food

Melissa W.  – Minneapolis, MN   – Cats:  2

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Freeze Dried Chicken Nibblets for Cats

2 Features: Grain Free & Raw

2 Benefits: Easy to Feed and my Cats love it!

Con: Expensive compared to frozen but my cats like some crunch so I feed it with frozen & dry kibble, to make it last longer.

Review: I love this product! Right now I try to feed as much raw as possible to my cats while trying to give variety. They have great coats that are soft and shed much less than other cats I’ve met. Also they love their food and are very excited to eat.

Recommend for:  All,  Pet with allergies, Pet with digestive trouble, Overweight Pet,  Senior,  Finicky Eaters


“Nice addition to dry food”

Amy H- Minneapolis, MN -Dogs: 1

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Frozen Chicken Mini Patties

2 Features: all natural, healthy ingredients

2 Benefits: Dog loves it stirred into dry food, no additives to worry about

Con: have to be sure to wash your hands clean after handling and allow enough time to thaw– requires some advance planning

Review: I let the patties thaw for about a half hour, or use the microwave to help them along, and then mush them into my dog’s dry food. He really loves whenever I add this product to his food– I think it provides a nice texture and protein boost.

Recommended for: All Pets, Overweight Pet, Finicky Eaters


“Cats need more time”

Kathy K- Minneapolis MN – Dogs: 3 Cats: 2

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Kitty Cups

2 Features: health, raw

2 Benefits: easy to use, nicely packaged

Con: My cats were very slow to accept this food. Small amounts added to their regular diet were eventually eaten.

Review: In spite of the obvious plusses of this product it was not my cat’s favorite. They eventually ate some but it took a lot of work to convince them to try it and frequently the raw food was left for the dogs to finish up.

Recommended for: All Pets


“Crazy for this!”

Kathy K – Minneapolis MN- Dogs: 3 Cats: 2

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Raw Frozen Entree

2 Features: Raw with no mess

2 Benefits: Our dogs are excited to eat this and they gobble it down!

Con: I have a hard time remembering to thaw this in time for meals. Seems to work pretty well to thaw in a plastic bag in the fridge from breakfast to dinner and visa-versa.

Review: This is a nice, convenient way to add raw food to your dogs diet. Our three are very excited to get this added to their eating regimen.

Recommended for: All Pets


“Sniffed out every morsel”

Carley R – Saint Paul, MN – Dogs: 3

Name of Product: Vital essentials raw frozen entree

2 Features: No gluten, no fillers

2 Benefits: Healthy digestion and glossy coats

Con: Takes awhile to adjust dogs to raw food

Review: The dogs loved this food once they got used to it. They would pick it out of their dry food and eat it first. It was great for using them as training treats

Recommended for: All Pets


“Gobble, Gobble, Gone”

Ginny N- Plymouth, MN  Dogs: 2

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Raw Frozen Entree

2 Features: Raw with vital organs and bone

2 Benefits: Dogs loved it, easy to feed the kibble size

Con: Would like fruit and vegetable added and then would be the best raw on the market since it is already unique with organs and bone

Review: My dogs loved it and I liked the ease of not having to cut up a patty. I was Very impressed with ingredients. Also the poop size was smaller than other raw so I knew they were not eating any fillers. Great product if a dog has any allergies.

Recommended for: All Pets


“They enjoyed it”

Robin K. – Hutchinson, MN – Dogs: 6

Name of Product: Vital Essential Raw Frozen

2 Features: Healthy ingredients and ease of serving

2 Benefits: I’ve been feeding raw for quite a while so I didn’t notice any noticeable changes.

Con: none

Review: I was given one bag of the Vital Essentials and purchased 2 more because I have 6 dogs to feed. They ate it up with relish. The only bad thing was I have a collie who is a picky eater. He loved the duck and chicken flavors but didn’t like the turkey at all. But that’s just him and one of the other dogs was more than willing to eat what he didn’t want. Otherwise it’s a great product.

Recommended for: All Pets


“Cats had a hard time adjusting to this food”

Sandra I – Brooklyn Center, MN – Cats: 3

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Kitty Cups

2 Features: Quality local ingredients (good meat); lots of vitamins and minerals.

2 Benefits: Decreased stool; cats seem to be shedding less.

Con: Very hard to introduce to my 3 cats. I followed the instructions and added only a little to the regular food. 1 refused to eat it at all. The other 2 would eat it right up and throw up about 10-15 minutes later. It’s a little more work with the thawing out than the frozen patties or dehydrated raw food.

Review: After one cat totally rejected the idea of eating this food mixed in with the canned food he is used to I gave up. I had spent 3 days of trying to introduce this. No dice. The other two cats had a little trouble with upset stomachs getting used to this although I felt I had introduced this very gradually. After a couple of days they quit throwing up after eating this stuff which is very, very good for them. Now I split l/2 of a Kitty Cup between them. You really do have to warm this to room temp and then it does smell exactly like raw meat and should be treated as such. If they don’t finish it all pretty much right away (which these two do) I would remove and toss it.

Recommended for: All Pets


“Great!”

Shawn X – Ramsey, MN- Dogs: 3

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Raw Frozen Pet Food

2 Features: Very easy to feed. Very high quality.

2 Benefits: No filler or bi-product. Very easy to feed.

Con: None.

Review: The Herd LOVES Vital Essentials Raw Frozen Pet Food. They get it on Sunday nights. They know it’s a special meal. It’s very easy to feed. We put in the fridge the morning of. We then mash it up and add some dry kibble.

I was a little worried at the second feeding. Bom Bom did not eat it. I think she was having an off day. She has eaten each feeding since.

All in all, this is another product we would not know about if it were not for the great people at Solid Gold Northland. This is a product that we will continue to feed the Herd.

Recommended for: All Pets


“Some Liked it”

Katie P- Eagan, MN – Cats: 13

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Kitty Cups

2 Features: I know exactly what is in it, No grains

2 Benefits: easy to store, lasts a long time

Con:  The cups are a little bit small, I feed multiple cats and it would cost a fortune to feed them all a cup for every meal but I think that they would be hungry if I tried to split the cups up. So a larger cup for multiple cats would be great. Also they are a little expensive for just one meal for one cat, so I just give them a little each time I feed the cups for a treat.

Review: I only got three total to try this. I have one cat that loved each flavor of the cups. He would actually go bowl to bowl and eat it when the other cats wouldn’t. One cat tried the ”Cold Water Catch” flavor but wouldn’t try the others. And another cat loved the ’Delightful Duck” but not any other flavors. I would love to give this to my cats but getting them all of eat one flavor at a time, I think, would be very difficult and if they all wanted different flavors it would be very expensive.

Recommended for: All Pets


“Loved it”

Katie P – Eagan, MN – Dogs: 1 Cats: 13

Name of Product: Vital essentials Chicken Patties (Dog)

2 Features: healthy ingredients, Gluten free

2 Benefits: easy to store, dog loved it

Con: Patties are small, I have a large dog, so if the patties could be little larger so they could be an entire meal.

Review: My dog loved this. The only thing I have a slight problem with is the fact that they are frozen so it takes quite a bit of time to get them unthawed. My dog won’t eat them if they are cold so I have to make sure that they are completed unthawed and at room temperature which takes quite a while. On the other hand, I really love that I can include some raw in her diet, without going all the way and totally changing the diet that she really likes. She’s an older dog (10) and I want her to have the longest possible life and to be active for as long as possible and I know that raw is going to help her feel as good as she can for as long as she can.

Recommended for: All Pets


 

Awesome!! Dogs Love It

Lindsey L- Rosemount, MN – Dogs: 4

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Raw Frozen Entree

2 Features: All natural and healthy

2 Benefits: Dogs loved it and it’s easy to serve

Con: For feeding four dogs it is costly but it’s a nice added treat with their regular food.

Review: This is a wonderful healthy and natural that your dogs will love. Raw foods are great for a dogs diet and they love it.

Recommended for : All dogs


“Crunchy and nutritious”

Adriana G- Minneapolis, Minnesota – Dogs: 1

Name of Product: Vital essentials Raw Frozen entree

2 Features: it was duck and yummy and sweet, healthy and low fat

2 Benefits: Easy to digest and nutritional

Con: My dog is 135 pound Bernese mix so we would mix about 4 pieces in with her food a few times a week

Review: My adult son came to visit with his Samoyed’s and they just loved them. One of them has a very sensitive stomach but did not have any problems with digesting these. Crunchy and nutritious….we let them get to more of a room temperature before feeding it to them. Best to mix with some dry food


“Dogs loved it”

Alice G- Minneapolis.MN- Dogs: 3

Name of Product: Vital Essentials frozen dog food

2 Features: ease of feeding

2 Benefits: loved the taste and great ingredients to aid digestion

Recommended for : Finicky Eaters


“Mixed bag”

Jennifer Moore- Minneapolis, MN -Cats: 2

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Raw Food

2 Features: Conveniently packaged, healthy ingredients

2 Benefits: Lots of good nutrients, health benefits

Con: Not sure of price. But certainly it takes more care to offer raw food to make certain it is safe for animals.

Review: One of my cats loved the raw food and the other would not eat it unless I mixed it in with his regular wet food. Unfortunately he was not able to digest even a small amount of it (he has a sensitive digestive system).

Recommended for: Senior Cats


“Definitely Different”

Barb G -Minneapolis, MN- Dogs: 2 Cats: 1

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Purely Raw

2 Features: Healthy, nothing artificial

2 Benefits: dogs have more energy, cleaned their bowls and looked for more

Con: Got sticky in the refrigerator

Review: At first the dogs were not too sure about it, then they started eating it and liked it. They ate it right down. I added it to their dry food on top. I did not get anything for the cat this time.

Recommended for : All Pets


“Easy to feed raw”

Julia H- Maplewood, MN -Dogs: 1

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Raw Frozen Pet Food

2 Features: Organic farming and natural ingredients

2 Benefits: Healthy and non-allergenic

Con: Can take awhile to thaw at room temp.

Review: My dog was unsure about trying this food at first. But, I found the trick: she loved this raw turkey when it was defrosted in the microwave just to the point when it was a little bit warm. Then she devoured it! Small pieces make this just as easy as feeding kibble. It’s a little expensive to feed a big dog as the sole food, but I’ll definitely add this in as part of the rotation to add variety.

Recommended for : All Pets


“Disappointing”

Wendy G.- Minneapolis, MN

Dogs: 2

Name of Product: Vital Essentials – Purely Raw

2 Features:Raw, healthy & easy!

2 Benefits: Good ingredients. No junky fillers!

Review: I was excited to have a chance to try this product. However, I was a little disappointed.
Product was a bit freezer burned and didn’t smell like meat. It smelled a bit ”chemically”.
One of my dogs refused to eat it. He went to great lengths to pick it out of his dish. I had NEVER seen him do that.
My other dog gobbled it right up. I may continue to use it on my 2nd dog.
I am a fan of raw diets just not this one.

Recommended for: All, Pet with allergies, Pet with digestive trouble, Overweight Pet, Senior


“Dogs love this food, it did not cause any stomach issues”

Dacia M-St Paul, MN-Dogs: 2 Cats: 1

Name of Product: Vital Essential

2 Features: Free of any plant-based protein boosters, raw product

2 Benefits: Dogs love it

Con: Expensive to feed daily, so I sprinkle it on their dry food several times a week.

Review: I have given the dogs raw bones before and this food is a nice compliment to it. I didn’t have any of the cat food to try at this time.

Recommended for: All, Pet with allergies, Pet with digestive trouble, Overweight Pet, Senior, Finicky Eaters


“Dogs loved it, cats didn’t”

Dawn M- St Paul, MN -Dogs: 4 Cats: 4

Name of Product: Vital Essentials

2 Features: It has a 5 star ranking for a raw product, It’s meat based

2 Benefits: Herring oil and the dogs love it.

Con: It’s expensive, so I will only sprinkle it on the dry dog food a couple of times a week. Also, the ”L” in Vital is hard to make out on the packaging, I kept thinking it was Vita Essentials.

Review: The dogs didn’t hesitate to eat this food. I have tried other raw foods and the dogs would not eat it. They finished every last bite of the Vital Essential.

Recommended for: All, Pet with allergies, Pet with digestive trouble, Overweight Pet, Senior, Finicky Eaters


“Getting’ Raw”

Tommy G.- Minneapolis- Dogs: 3 Cats: 2

Name of Product: Vital Essentials

2 Features: Great ingredients and Easy to use

2 Benefits: Nice change from dry kibble and my cats loved it

Con: You have to remember to set it out 20 minutes before use or put up in the refrigerator the night before

Review: Great to use for a special Treat or a regular diet. The first time I tried it on my dogs they picked it out of the dry food and did not eat until the dry was gone. But after that they dug through the dry and eat the raw first. I have been nervous about doing raw because of the extra work involved but this product makes it very easy to add raw to your pets diets. My Cats love the raw first try.

Recommended for: All dogs and cats


“Vital Essentials”

Theresa D.-Minneapolis, MN-Dogs: 8 Cats: 3

Name of Product: Vital Essentials

2 Features: raw frozen

2 Benefits: small delivery sizes, cats and dogs adore smell

Con: The dog bag requires the human to stick her hands into the bag. Even though frozen, this human has to prick her fingers for frequent blood tests daily. I cannot feel I scrub my fingers enough already; knowing I have raw meat on my fingers makes me scrub my fingers 3 times as long.
Coordination in the cat dispensers took time. Nearly a week before I figured out that each time I used a container, I should take one out of the freezer and put it in the fridge.
I worried about meat sources; I will never again purchase a product from China. Also, I was hyper-vigilant in giving raw meat to elderly, ill, and very young pets;

Review: Small amounts worked best for starters. One or two pieces for each dog (depending upon size of the dog), one or two quarter teaspoons per meal for the cats. That worked best.
After 2 or more weeks, the dogs would wait for their meals, drooling, and that was only for 2 – 3 pieces with each meal.
The cats became tigers, reaching for their meals before serving.
Neither actions ever happened before.


“MORE. I want MORE.”

Trish P- Savage, MN- Dogs: 1 Cats: 1

Name of Product: Vital Essentials

2 Features: Raw. Bite-size.

2 Benefits: Both my dog and my cat loved the flavor. Easy to hide medications inside the dog bite-size balls.

Con: High protein content messed with their GI processing of the food. Stools (both cat and dog) were rock hard. Mixed small amount as ”flavor enhancer” to regular food and they did much better.

Review: Both pets really liked this food option. Neither are particularly finicky eaters, but they were decidedly more excited at meal time when I opened the freezer/fridge. I used the food more as a treat than as a meal, as both my cat and my dog seemed to have problems with the higher protein/lower fiber content in processing and motility through their GI tract. I would definitely consider adding it as a supplemental food or flavor enhancer for them.

Recommended for: Pet with allergies, Finicky Eaters


“Todd loved this raw food! It was easy to Transition him”

Roselin B- Minneapolis, MN- Cats: 1

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Kitty Cups

2 Features: Raw food. Easy to feed and Convenient size.

2 Benefits: Shiny fur and less shedding. I noticed no fur balls on this food.

Review: I highly recommend this raw diet. I did feed the dry food also.

Recommend for: All cats


“Quality and Convenience that my Dogs LOVE”

Mary- Hastings, MN- Dogs: 10

Name of Product: Vital Essentials Raw Frozen Entrée

2 Features: Locally Sourced Ingredients! No Antibiotics or Hormones either

2 Benefits: My Finicky dogs love this food and my Small dogs love the size

Con: None. A Perfect food for my Crew

Review: My dogs usually like the dehydrated diets but I have to be careful to fully hydrate them or my smaller dogs don’t always like it in the harder form. This RAW was a hit! Everyone loves it. Some didn’t mind it frozen others preferred it completely thawed; which it does rather quickly. I fed it both as a complete meal and also as a add in to their kibble. It is well balanced, high in organ meat and completely antibiotic and hormone free which is very important to me. I am feeding 10 dogs of different ages and sizes and there was not one who didn’t gobble it right up and start looking for more. This is a very convenient and healthy food to add to my dogs rotation. LOVE!

Recommend for: All dogs