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Merrick &
Vital Essentials
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Merrick &
Vital Essentials
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Merrick &
Vital Essentials
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
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35% OFF
Merrick &
Vital Essentials
First Auto-Ship
20% OFF
Merrick &
Vital Essentials
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Merrick &
Vital Essentials
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
Merrick vs. Vital Essentials
In this comparison article for Merrick vs Vital Essentials, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Merrick and Vital Essentials, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.
There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.
Throughout this Vital Essentials vs Merrick comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Merrick Review Page or Vital Essentials Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Vital Essentials vs. Merrick
According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.
All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.
Merrick Dog Food vs. Vital Essentials Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Merrick | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 35.9% | 52.2% |
| Crude Fat | 17.2% | 28.7% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.2% | 4.1% |
| Wet/Canned Dog Food | Merrick | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 43.9% | 53.7% |
| Crude Fat | 21.1% | 31.0% |
| Crude Fiber | 8.3% | 5.6% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food
Dogs require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Twelve of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining ten are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these ten essential amino acids.
On average, Vital Essentials dry dog food recipes contain 16.28% more protein than Merrick recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the protein content of Merrick and Vital Essentials. Similarly, Vital Essentials wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Merrick wet foods.
Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food
Like protein, fats are an essential part of a dog's body. Fats are needed for the proper development and function of the canine body.
When you look at the average percentages of crude fat for dry dog food, it's clear that Vital Essentials provides significantly more fat. On average, Vital Essentials guarantees about 11.48% more protein than Merrick. Similarly, Vital Essentials wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Merrick wet foods.
As you can see, Vital Essentials and Merrick guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. For wet dog foods, Merrick typically provides a little more fiber (about 2.70% more).
Merrick Cat Food vs. Vital Essentials Cat Food
| Dry Cat Food | Merrick | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 40.5% | 54.0% |
| Crude Fat | 15.7% | 27.5% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.1% | 5.1% |
| Wet/Canned Cat Food | Merrick | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 46.9% | 50.6% |
| Crude Fat | 21.3% | 18.8% |
| Crude Fiber | 6.0% | 2.5% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food
Cats require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Eleven of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining eleven are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these eleven essential amino acids.
The comparison table above shows that Vital Essentials dry cat foods provide significantly more protein than Merrick. More specifically, Vital Essentials guarantees at least 13.51% more protein. For wet cat foods, Vital Essentials typically provides a little more protein (about 3.63% more).
Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food
There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):
- Help transport nutrients across cell membranes
- Fats produce metabolites, which help control inflammation
- Maintain healthy blood pressure
- Slow the growth of yeast infections
- Fats improve the taste/texture of food.
Vital Essentials dry cat foods clearly provides more fat than Merrick. In fact, the difference between the fat content is roughly 11.80%, which is a significant amount. For wet cat foods, Merrick typically provides a little more fat (about 2.45% more).
Vital Essentials and Merrick both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. For wet cat foods, Merrick typically provides a little more fiber (about 3.59% more).
Merrick Pet Food Ingredients vs. Vital Essentials Pet Food Ingredients
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Merrick.
We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.
Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Merrick.
Product Safety: Recall History of Merrick & Vital Essentials?
Merrick has been recalled 6 times.
- Jan. 28, 2011: Salmonella
- Aug. 8, 2011: Salmonella
- July 2, 2010: Salmonella
- Aug. 3, 2010: Salmonella
- Aug. 13, 2010: Salmonella
- May 23, 2018: elevated levels of beef thyroid hormone
Vital Essentials has been recalled 4 times.
- July 8, 2015: Listeria monocytogenes
- Jan. 15, 2016: Salmonella
- Feb. 24, 2018: Salmonella
- April 16, 2018: Salmonella
Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?
| Dry Dog Food | Merrick | Vital Essentials |
| Per Pound | $6.15 | $37.19 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0036 | $0.0186 |
| Dry Cat Food | Merrick | Vital Essentials |
| Per Pound | $4.09 | $39.03 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0025 | $0.0200 |
The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.
If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Merrick or Vital Essentials, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.
Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Merrick or Vital Essentials will depend on your shopping habits.
Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Merrick and Vital Essentials. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
- 20% Off First Auto-Ship @ PetFlow (Use Code PAWDIET20)
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- 15% Off The Entire Site @ OnlyNaturalPet (Use Code AFPAWDIET)
Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!
Where To Buy Merrick Pet Foods
You can purchase Merrick pet foods from the following stores:
Where To Buy Vital Essentials Pet Foods
You can purchase Vital Essentials pet food products from these retailers:
Type Of Pet Foods Available
| Product | Merrick | Vital Essentials |
| Dry Dog Food | 53 Recipes | None |
| Wet Dog Food | 58 Recipes | None |
| Dog Treats | 35 Treats | 30 Treats |
| Dry Cat Food | 18 Recipes | None |
| Wet Cat Food | 50 Recipes | None |
| Cat Treats | None | 8 Treats |
Top Rated Merrick Recipes
Top Rated Vital Essentials Recipes
