35% OFF
Solid Gold &
Vital Essentials
First Auto-Ship
20% OFF
Solid Gold &
Vital Essentials
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Vital Essentials
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
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35% OFF
Solid Gold &
Vital Essentials
First Auto-Ship
20% OFF
Solid Gold &
Vital Essentials
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Vital Essentials
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
Solid Gold vs. Vital Essentials
In this comparison article for Solid Gold vs Vital Essentials, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Solid Gold 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 Solid Gold comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Solid Gold Review Page or Vital Essentials Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Vital Essentials vs. Solid Gold
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.
Solid Gold Dog Food vs. Vital Essentials Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Solid Gold | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 30.2% | 52.2% |
| Crude Fat | 14.7% | 28.7% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.5% | 4.1% |
| Wet/Canned Dog Food | Solid Gold | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 41.8% | 53.7% |
| Crude Fat | 24.8% | 31.0% |
| Crude Fiber | 6.2% | 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 21.96% more protein than Solid Gold recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the protein content of Solid Gold and Vital Essentials. Similarly, Vital Essentials wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Solid Gold 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 13.92% more protein than Solid Gold. For wet dog foods, Vital Essentials provides more fat (about 6.17% more).
As you can see, Vital Essentials and Solid Gold guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Solid Gold and Vital Essentials also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.
Solid Gold Cat Food vs. Vital Essentials Cat Food
| Dry Cat Food | Solid Gold | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 39.9% | 54.0% |
| Crude Fat | 17.2% | 27.5% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.6% | 5.1% |
| Wet/Canned Cat Food | Solid Gold | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 53.6% | 50.6% |
| Crude Fat | 15.7% | 18.8% |
| Crude Fiber | 6.1% | 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 Solid Gold. More specifically, Vital Essentials guarantees at least 14.12% more protein. For wet cat foods, Solid Gold typically provides a little more protein (about 3.02% 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 Solid Gold. In fact, the difference between the fat content is roughly 10.31%, which is a significant amount. For wet cat foods, Vital Essentials typically provides a little more fat (about 3.10% more).
Vital Essentials and Solid Gold both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. For wet cat foods, Solid Gold typically provides a little more fiber (about 3.64% more).
Solid Gold Pet Food Ingredients vs. Vital Essentials Pet Food Ingredients
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Solid Gold.
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 Solid Gold.
Product Safety: Recall History of Solid Gold & Vital Essentials?
Solid Gold has been recalled once.
- May 8, 2012: Salmonella
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 | Solid Gold | Vital Essentials |
| Per Pound | $2.90 | $37.19 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0018 | $0.0186 |
| Dry Cat Food | Solid Gold | Vital Essentials |
| Per Pound | $3.62 | $39.03 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0022 | $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 Solid Gold 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 Solid Gold 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 Solid Gold 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 Solid Gold Pet Foods
You can purchase Solid Gold 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 | Solid Gold | Vital Essentials |
| Dry Dog Food | 23 Recipes | None |
| Wet Dog Food | 13 Recipes | None |
| Dog Treats | None | 30 Treats |
| Dry Cat Food | 8 Recipes | None |
| Wet Cat Food | 28 Recipes | None |
| Cat Treats | None | 8 Treats |
Top Rated Solid Gold Recipes
Top Rated Vital Essentials Recipes
