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Under The Sun &
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Under The Sun &
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35% OFF
Under The Sun &
Vital Essentials
First Auto-Ship
20% OFF
Under The Sun &
Vital Essentials
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Vital Essentials
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
Under The Sun vs. Vital Essentials
In this comparison article for Under The Sun vs Vital Essentials, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Under The Sun 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 Under The Sun comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Under The Sun Review Page or Vital Essentials Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Vital Essentials vs. Under The Sun
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.
Under The Sun Dog Food vs. Vital Essentials Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Under The Sun | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 27.5% | 52.2% |
| Crude Fat | 12.1% | 28.7% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.6% | 4.1% |
| Wet/Canned Dog Food | Under The Sun | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 41.1% | 53.7% |
| Crude Fat | 24.5% | 31.0% |
| Crude Fiber | 6.1% | 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.
The comparison table above shows that Vital Essentials dry dog foods provide significantly more protein than Under The Sun. More specifically, Vital Essentials guarantees at least 24.69% more protein. Similarly, Vital Essentials wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Under The Sun wet foods.
Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food
Fats are an absolutely vital component of a balanced canine diet. Not only do fats provide energy, but they also serve important roles in the normal development and function of your dog's body. For example, fats help dogs produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among many other significant functions.
Vital Essentials dry dog foods clearly provides more fat than Under The Sun. In fact, the difference between the fat content is roughly 16.60%, which is a significant amount. For wet dog foods, Vital Essentials provides more fat (about 6.51% more).
There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. With regards to wet dog food, Under The Sun and Vital Essentials also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.
Under The Sun Cat Food vs. Vital Essentials Cat Food
| Wet/Canned Cat Food | Under The Sun | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 46.5% | 50.6% |
| Crude Fat | 22.3% | 18.8% |
| Crude Fiber | 6.7% | 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.
Our analysis shows that Vital Essentials guarantees 4.08% more protein than Under The Sun wet cat food recipes.
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):
- Fats help with the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
- Reduce inflammation associated with arthritis
- Slow the growth of yeast infections
- Prevent or reduce the likelihood of certain heart problems.
- Aid in the development of the retina and visual cortex.
According to our data, Under The Sun guarantees 3.53% more fat than Vital Essentials. Although this difference is relatively small, it's still a notable difference.
Under The Sun Pet Food Ingredients vs. Vital Essentials Pet Food Ingredients
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Under The Sun.
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 Under The Sun.
Product Safety: Recall History of Under The Sun & Vital Essentials?
According to our records, Under The Sun 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 | Under The Sun | Vital Essentials |
| Per Pound | $1.67 | $37.19 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0011 | $0.0186 |
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 Under The Sun 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 Under The Sun 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 Under The Sun 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 Under The Sun Pet Foods
You can purchase Under The Sun 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 | Under The Sun | Vital Essentials |
| Dry Dog Food | 7 Recipes | None |
| Wet Dog Food | 8 Recipes | None |
| Dog Treats | None | 30 Treats |
| Dry Cat Food | None | None |
| Wet Cat Food | 9 Recipes | None |
| Cat Treats | None | 8 Treats |
Top Rated Under The Sun Recipes
Top Rated Vital Essentials Recipes
