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
Compare Wag To
Compare Vital Essentials To
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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
Wag vs. Vital Essentials
In this comparison article for Wag vs Vital Essentials, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Wag 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 Wag comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Wag Review Page or Vital Essentials Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Vital Essentials vs. Wag
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.
Wag Dog Food vs. Vital Essentials Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Wag | Vital Essentials |
| Crude Protein | 39.1% | 52.2% |
| Crude Fat | 16.9% | 28.7% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.7% | 4.1% |
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.
When you look at the average percentages of crude protein for dry dog food, it's clear that Vital Essentials provides significantly more protein. On average, Vital Essentials guarantees about 13.04% more protein than Wag.
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.
The comparison table above shows that Vital Essentials dry dog foods provide significantly more fat than Wag. More specifically, Vital Essentials guarantees at least 11.77% more fat.
Vital Essentials and Wag both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.
Wag Pet Food Ingredients vs. Vital Essentials Pet Food Ingredients
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Wag.
Product Safety: Recall History of Wag & Vital Essentials?
According to our records, Wag 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 | Wag | Vital Essentials |
| Per Pound | $2.62 | $37.19 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0016 | $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 Wag 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 Wag 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 Wag 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 Wag Pet Foods
You can purchase Wag 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 | Wag | Vital Essentials |
| Dry Dog Food | 5 Recipes | None |
| Wet Dog Food | None | None |
| Dog Treats | None | 30 Treats |
| Dry Cat Food | None | None |
| Wet Cat Food | None | None |
| Cat Treats | None | 8 Treats |
Top Rated Wag Recipes
Top Rated Vital Essentials Recipes
