I dont care for freeze dried foods. A dog needs to tear and shred and eat bones to keep teeth in tip top shape. Freeze dried food don't allow the dog to tear food and plaque will build up in no time. But it does seem decent by reading the ingredients.
Lulu has been on ZP, which is air-dried raw, and some brand of freeze-dried raw or frozen raw be it Primal or Stella & Chewy or even Nature's Variety once for the past 2 1/2 years. She has never had a RMB as every time I have tried to give her one she turns her nose up at it, and she has very little if no plaque on her teeth. A diet of freeze dried raw will not cause plaque. Also, I am terrible at brushing her teeth because she doesn't like it, and the vet looks at her teeth every 6 months to a year, and they are always the same.
As far as Vital Essentials, although ZP is air-dried and it is freeze dried, they are similar ingredient-wise. ZP's protein level is 34% and fat is 28% and VE protein level is 52% and fat is 26%. I wish that other raw food feeders would weigh in, but for me personally I am not fond on that level of protein for my own chi as she is not particularly active. That level of protein can cause stomach issues. I'm definitely pro-raw, but I'm not necessarily for the food with the higher protein level for every dog. To be honest though, I'm not thrilled with ZP's fat level, but thankfully Lulu hasn't had any problem with it. For probably the past 6 months, Lulu has eaten ZP in the morning and Primal in the evening. Before that she ate ZP in the morning and Sojos in the evening because even though it is raw the protein and fat levels are low for raw food, and I wanted a balance for her. Hope this helps.
we're on primal freeze dried beef is the fav here. it used to be cheap online but now everything went up in price and it is a bit expensive but the pups love it and it is so good for them! they literally inhale it and we've tried every flavor but chicken since we feed boiled chicken already. we mix it with warm water so the moisture content is added! we are also on orijen regionals. some people say it's bad with mix raw with kibbles but to each their own. it has definitely been working for us. as for dental we use proden plaqueoff on the primal and then some virbac dental chews for KC and bullysticks/antlers
I like vital essentials. I haven't used them as a main feeding source, but my pack adores the freeze dried treats. I prefer real food for my dogs, personally. But VE has good products in my opinion, and I plan to use them while camping this year, for convenience (last year I packed up their meat in a nice chest and it was quite a hassle).
It seems like an OK food to feed your furbaby. I considered buying that for Dallas but i ended up getting him Merrick which the guy at the pet store told me was a very good brand.
It sounds fine to feed as part of a rotation, but i wouldn't feed just one protein source as the entire diet. Dried raw products are definitely a step up from kibble, but you can't beat real fresh raw food.
I alternate between fresh raw, ZP & S&C. I have fed Vital Essentials Raw in the past and Midgie didn't seem to do so well on it. I want Midgie to have fruit and veggies in her diet. I don't feel she gets enough.
I really like the ingredient list. No alfalfa like in Primal ( which I do feed sometimes) and no long list of various fruit and veg like Stella and Chewy's ( which I also feed). I'm doing one meal of RMB and one meal of freeze dried for my chi. My other dogs only eat prey model raw.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Chihuahua People Forum
1.2M posts
81.3K members
Since 2004
A forum community dedicated to Chihuahua owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!