35% OFF
Nulo &
Vital Essentials
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20% OFF
Nulo &
Vital Essentials
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Nulo &
Vital Essentials
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
Compare Nulo To
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Ingredient Reviews
35% OFF
Nulo &
Vital Essentials
First Auto-Ship
20% OFF
Nulo &
Vital Essentials
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Nulo &
Vital Essentials
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
Nulo vs. Vital Essentials
In this comparison article for Nulo vs Vital Essentials, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Nulo 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 Nulo comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Nulo Review Page or Vital Essentials Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Vital Essentials vs. Nulo
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.
Nulo Dog Food vs. Vital Essentials Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Nulo | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 35.7% | 52.2% |
| Crude Fat | 19.6% | 28.7% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.1% | 4.1% |
| Wet/Canned Dog Food | Nulo | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 45.6% | 53.7% |
| Crude Fat | 31.4% | 31.0% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.5% | 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 16.41% more protein than Nulo recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the protein content of Nulo and Vital Essentials. Similarly, Vital Essentials wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Nulo 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 9.03% more protein than Nulo. For wet dog foods, Nulo and Vital Essentials provide roughly the same amount of fat.
As you can see, Vital Essentials and Nulo guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Vital Essentials and Nulo also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.
Nulo Cat Food vs. Vital Essentials Cat Food
| Dry Cat Food | Nulo | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 44.3% | 54.0% |
| Crude Fat | 20.0% | 27.5% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.0% | 5.1% |
| Wet/Canned Cat Food | Nulo | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 53.3% | 50.6% |
| Crude Fat | 24.2% | 18.8% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.6% | 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 Nulo. More specifically, Vital Essentials guarantees at least 9.65% more protein. For wet cat foods, Nulo typically provides a little more protein (about 2.72% 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.
The table shows that Nulo provides far less fat than Vital Essentials. The difference in fat content is roughly 7.58%. In addition, Nulo wet cat foods also provide more fat than Vital Essentials wet foods.
Nulo and Vital Essentials both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. For wet cat foods, Nulo typically provides a little more fiber (about 2.15% more).
Nulo Pet Food Ingredients vs. Vital Essentials Pet Food Ingredients
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Nulo.
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 Nulo.
Product Safety: Recall History of Nulo & Vital Essentials?
According to our records, Nulo has never been recalled.
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 | Nulo | Vital Essentials |
| Per Pound | $12.70 | $37.19 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0067 | $0.0186 |
| Dry Cat Food | Nulo | Vital Essentials |
| Per Pound | $16.85 | $39.03 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0082 | $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 Nulo 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 Nulo 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 Nulo and Vital Essentials. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
- 20% Off First Auto-Ship @ PetFlow (Use Code PAWDIET20)
- 35% Off First Auto-Ship @ Chewy (No Code Required)
- 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 Nulo Pet Foods
You can purchase Nulo 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 | Nulo | Vital Essentials |
| Dry Dog Food | 29 Recipes | None |
| Wet Dog Food | 21 Recipes | None |
| Dog Treats | 8 Treats | 30 Treats |
| Dry Cat Food | 15 Recipes | None |
| Wet Cat Food | 27 Recipes | None |
| Cat Treats | 7 Treats | 8 Treats |
Top Rated Nulo Recipes
Top Rated Vital Essentials Recipes
