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Vital Essentials vs Purina Puppy Chow

Vital Essentials vs. Purina Puppy Chow

In this comparison article for Vital Essentials vs Purina Puppy Chow, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Vital Essentials and Purina Puppy Chow, 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 Purina Puppy Chow vs Vital Essentials comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Vital Essentials Review Page or Purina Puppy Chow Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Purina Puppy Chow vs. Vital Essentials

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.

Vital Essentials Dog Food vs. Purina Puppy Chow Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodVital EssentialsPurina Puppy Chow
Crude Protein52.2%31.5%
Crude Fat28.7%13.0%
Crude Fiber4.1%5.3%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodVital EssentialsPurina Puppy Chow
Crude Protein53.7%50%
Crude Fat31.0%22.7%
Crude Fiber5.6%6.8%

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 20.66% more protein than Purina Puppy Chow recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the protein content of Purina Puppy Chow and Vital Essentials. For wet dog foods, Vital Essentials typically provides a little more protein (about 3.74% more).


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 15.67% more protein than Purina Puppy Chow. Similarly, Vital Essentials wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Purina Puppy Chow wet foods.


As you can see, Vital Essentials and Purina Puppy Chow guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Purina Puppy Chow and Vital Essentials also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Vital Essentials Pet Food Ingredients vs. Purina Puppy Chow Pet Food Ingredients

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Purina Puppy Chow.

Liver
Soybean Flour
Soybean Hulls
Corn Gluten Meal
Meat By-Products
Whole Grain Corn
Whole Grain Wheat
Meat And Bone Meal
Chicken By-Product Meal
Poultry By-Product Meal

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 Purina Puppy Chow.

Bha
Bht
Red 3
Blue 2
Red 40
Yellow 5
Yellow 6
Added Color
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Vital Essentials & Purina Puppy Chow?

Vital Essentials has been recalled 4 times.

  • July 8, 2015: Listeria monocytogenes
  • Jan. 15, 2016: Salmonella
  • Feb. 24, 2018: Salmonella
  • April 16, 2018: Salmonella

According to our records, Purina Puppy Chow has never been recalled.

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodVital EssentialsPurina Puppy Chow
Per Pound$37.19$1.13
Per Calorie$0.0186$0.0007

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 Vital Essentials or Purina Puppy Chow, 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 Vital Essentials or Purina Puppy Chow will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Vital Essentials and Purina Puppy Chow. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.


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 Vital Essentials Pet Foods

You can purchase Vital Essentials pet foods from the following stores:


47 Recipes In-Stock Today

43 Recipes In-Stock Today

21 Recipes In-Stock Today

23 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Purina Puppy Chow Pet Foods

You can purchase Purina Puppy Chow pet food products from these retailers:


6 Recipes In-Stock Today

2 Recipes In-Stock Today

2 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductVital EssentialsPurina Puppy Chow
Dry Dog FoodNone3 Recipes
Wet Dog FoodNone3 Recipes
Dog Treats30 Treats1 Treats
Dry Cat FoodNoneNone
Wet Cat FoodNoneNone
Cat Treats8 TreatsNone

Top Rated Vital Essentials Recipes

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Freeze-Dried Entrees Beef Mini Nibs
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Frozen Entrees Beef Mini Patties
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VitalCat Freeze-Dried Duck Mini Nibs For Cats
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VitalCat Frozen Rabbit Entree Mini Patties For Cats
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Top Rated Purina Puppy Chow Recipes

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Complete With Real Farm-Raised Chicken & Rice
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Tender & Crunchy With Real Beef & Rice
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Classic Ground With Real Beef
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Classic Ground With Real Lamb
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