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Vitalin · dry

Vitalin Gold Menu review

One of the weakest dry foods we have rated. Just 24% declared meat content, and the label keeps too much vague. Feeding it costs about 26p a day for a typical adult dog - the breakdown below shows exactly what that buys.

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DryWeight management
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ODF Score 20/100 Avoid
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Top 91%scores higher than 9% of rated foodsacross all 3075 foods we've scored
Avoidscore bandthe dot marks where it sits among every food we've rated
£0.26 approx.per day for a 10 kg dogcheaper than 96% of dry foods
24%declared meat content
United Kingdombrand origin

Where the points went

The full breakdown, exactly as the algorithm scored it. How our rating works

Ingredient quality
Weighted ingredient quality 43/100 across 10 ingredients (declared percentages used for 2, position estimates for the rest). Named meat is only 24% of the recognised recipe, so the quality score is anchored down towards a plant-led food.
16.9 / 40
Label clarity
Vague category terms on the label (Wheatfeed) - naming points withheld; percentages cover 30% of the recipe (+1.8); meat sources named (+2); recipe reads as a fixed formula (+2).
5.8 / 15
Additives
Added sugars/sweeteners (-4); declared additives below our neutral line, weakest being Colours (-6).
0 / 10
Red flags
Glucose Syrup at position 5 (-16); Colours at position 10 (-8).
-24 / 0
Meat content
Meat content ~57.6% fresh-equivalent (added up from every named meat on the label; dried meats counted at their fresh weight). Held to dry-matter protein: 23.3% DM protein supports this level of meat credit, not the full declared figure.
12.6 / 15
Nutritional balance
Estimated carbohydrate 52% dry matter (high); fat 10.0% DM in the healthy band; fibre 3.3% DM (+2); ash 11.1% DM - unusually high mineral/bone load.
2.4 / 10
Processing
Assumed extruded kibble (standard high-heat process).
6 / 10
ODF Score
Algorithm v1.4.1 · scored August 19, 2026 · full methodology public
20 / 100

Our analysis

Breaking the 20 down: the biggest single loss is ingredient quality, where it takes 16.9 of a possible 40. Its strongest showing is declared meat content at 12.6 of 15. On top of that, 24 points are deducted outright for red-flag ingredients - a penalty applied before anything else is counted, which is why the total lands where it does.

The label declares 24% meat, which is a low figure, and a declared low figure is still more honest than silence, and the ingredient list leans on vague groupings instead of naming what is actually in the bag.

At about 26p a day to feed a 10kg dog, the question is not whether it is cheap but whether the label justifies the price - and on our scoring, it does not.

Ingredients

Straight from the label, grouped by role - every ingredient is coloured by our published classification and links to its full page.

Meat & fish

Beef Meat Meal 24%

Carbs & grains

Whole WheatWheatfeedFlaked Maize

Fruit & veg

Flaked Peas

Oils & fats

Poultry Oil

Supplements & extras

Glucose Syrup 6%Extract of Yucca SchidigeraAntioxidantsColours
Good qualityAcceptable / watch the amountRed flagGeneric / neutralOutlined = first five on the label
Additives (as declared on the label)
Vitamins : Vitamin a 24, 600 IU/kg, Vitamin D3 2, 460 IU/kg, Vitamin E 135 mg/kg (as Alpha Tocopherol ). Trace Elements: Zinc (Zinc Oxide) 123 mg/kg, Iron (Iron (II) Sulphate Monohydrate) 74 mg/kg, Manganese (Manganese (II) Oxide) 31 mg/kg, Copper ( Copper (II) Sulphate Pentahydrate ) 6.15 mg/kg, Iodine (Calcium Iodate Anhydrous) 1.23 mg/kg, Selenium ( Sodium Selenite ) 0.19 mg/kg.

Feeding & cost

What a bag actually costs to feed - worked out per dog, not per pack.

Pack sizeRRPPer kg
15 kg£22.99£1.53

How heavy is your dog?

A typical 10 kg adult dog needs about 170 g a day = £0.26 / day, £7.90 / month.

How we work this out
  1. Energy: an adult dog at rest needs about 95 × weight0.75 kcal a day (the FEDIAF maintenance formula - a 10 kg dog works out near 534 kcal).
  2. Portion: divide that by this food's energy density, 315 kcal/100g, to get the grams above - a denser food needs fewer grams.
  3. Cost: multiply the grams by this food's price, £1.53 / kg, for the daily cost, then by 30.4 days for the month.

Estimates scale to your dog's weight and the food's calorie density - a denser food needs fewer grams. A rough guide; always follow the pack. Try the full feeding calculator

Nutrition

Declared analysis converted to a dry-matter basis, so wet and dry foods compare fairly.

Protein

23.3 % DM
Directory average: 28.2

Fat

10 % DM
Directory average: 14.8

Est. carbs

52.2 % DM
Directory average: 45.2

Fibre

3.3 % DM
Directory average: 3.6

Ash

11.1 % DM
Directory average: 7.9

Carbohydrates are estimated: 100% minus protein, fat, fibre, ash and moisture.

Similar foods that score higher

Same type and life stage, better ODF Score, comparable price per day.

More from Vitalin

Other foods in this range, whatever they score - the full picture, not just the top of the list.

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This is label analysis, not veterinary advice - if your dog has a health condition, talk to your vet before switching foods.

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