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Ingredient Reviews
35% OFF
Vital Essentials
First Auto-Ship
20% OFF
Vital Essentials
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Vital Essentials
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
Vital Essentials vs. Kirkland Signature
In this comparison article for Vital Essentials vs Kirkland Signature, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Vital Essentials and Kirkland Signature, 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 Kirkland Signature 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 Kirkland Signature Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Kirkland Signature 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. Kirkland Signature Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Vital Essentials | Kirkland Signature |
| Crude Protein | 52.2% | 27.5% |
| Crude Fat | 28.7% | 15.3% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.1% | 5.4% |
| Wet/Canned Dog Food | Vital Essentials | Kirkland Signature |
| Crude Protein | 53.7% | 44.4% |
| Crude Fat | 31.0% | 27.8% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.6% | 5.6% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food
Protein is an extremely important part of your dog's diet. Without sufficient protein, dogs can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.
Vital Essentials dry dog foods clearly provides more protein than Kirkland Signature. In fact, the difference between the protein content is roughly 24.65%, which is a significant amount. Similarly, Vital Essentials wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Kirkland Signature wet foods.
Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food
Dietary fats serves a multitude of roles in the proper development and function of our canine companions. Here are some of the benefits (not exhaustive):
- Help produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among other critical functions.
- Aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
- Improve skin and coat health
- Improve the palatially of your dog's food
On average, Vital Essentials dry dog food recipes contain 13.38% more fat than Kirkland Signature recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the fat content of Kirkland Signature and Vital Essentials. For wet dog foods, Vital Essentials typically provides a little more fat (about 3.20% more).
Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Vital Essentials and Kirkland Signature also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.
Vital Essentials Cat Food vs. Kirkland Signature Cat Food
| Dry Cat Food | Vital Essentials | Kirkland Signature |
| Crude Protein | 54.0% | 34.8% |
| Crude Fat | 27.5% | 15.9% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.1% | 5.9% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food
Protein is an extremely important part of your cat's diet. Without sufficient protein, cats can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.
When you look at the average percentages of crude protein for dry cat food, it's clear that Vital Essentials provides significantly more protein. On average, Vital Essentials guarantees about 19.17% more protein than Kirkland Signature.
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):
- Aid in the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
- Improve the health of skin/coat
- Slow the growth of yeast infections
- Slow the development and spread of certain type of cancers.
- Maintain healthy blood pressure
The comparison table above shows that Vital Essentials dry cat foods provide significantly more fat than Kirkland Signature. More specifically, Vital Essentials guarantees at least 11.61% more fat.
As you can see, Vital Essentials and Kirkland Signature guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber.
Vital Essentials Pet Food Ingredients vs. Kirkland Signature Pet Food Ingredients
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Kirkland Signature.
Product Safety: Recall History of Vital Essentials & Kirkland Signature?
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, Kirkland Signature has never been recalled.
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:
Where To Buy Kirkland Signature Pet Foods
You can purchase Kirkland Signature pet food products from these retailers:
Type Of Pet Foods Available
| Product | Vital Essentials | Kirkland Signature |
| Dry Dog Food | None | 12 Recipes |
| Wet Dog Food | None | 1 Recipes |
| Dog Treats | 30 Treats | None |
| Dry Cat Food | None | 3 Recipes |
| Wet Cat Food | None | None |
| Cat Treats | 8 Treats | None |
Top Rated Vital Essentials Recipes
Top Rated Kirkland Signature Recipes
