INTRODUCTION
I actually stumbled across Vitalin through one of the online freebie sites, I can't remember which one but it was through Google.
I've had my one year old Jack Russell, Dexter, for a month or so now, from Dogs Trust. They advised he had a slightly sensitive tummy and he had ... Read review
Advantages: Almost all natural biscuit, Great for meals or treats Disadvantages: No online ordering, a bit pricey for some varieties
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I actually stumbled across Vitalin through one of the online freebie sites, I can't remember which one but it was through Google.
I've had my one year old Jack Russell, Dexter, for a month or so now, from Dogs Trust. They advised he had a slightly sensitive tummy and he had an alternative dry brand dog food mixed with meat. I was given a bag by Dogs Trust but this ran out swiftly (within a week) and the brand was expensive. I decided ... ...which offered a link to Vitalin Pet Foods for a free sample, free being a favourite word of mine, I opted to try the Dog sensitive and complete Cat varieties, you can choose 2 samples to be sent to you and you get within days, a 100g pack of the dry product/s. The website itself is a fairly easy to navigate website, a clear menu is displayed down the left side and an animal key along the top indicated area for pet owners to go to, depending on what ... more
INTRODUCTION
I actually stumbled across Vitalin through one of the online freebie sites, I can't remember which one but it was through Google.
I've had my one year old Jack Russell, Dexter, for a month or so now, from Dogs Trust. They advised he had a slightly sensitive tummy and he had an alternative dry brand dog food mixed with meat. I was given a bag by Dogs Trust but this ran out swiftly (within a week) and the brand was expensive. I decided to look through Google to find a sensitive dry dog food.
ABOUT VITALIN
As I have mentioned, I came across a freebie site which offered a link to Vitalin Pet Foods for a free sample, free being a favourite word of mine, I opted to try the Dog sensitive and complete Cat varieties, you can choose 2 samples to be sent to you and you get within days, a 100g pack of the dry product/s. The website itself is a fairly easy to navigate website, a clear menu is displayed down the left side and an animal key along the top indicated area for pet owners to go to, depending on what pets they have. Vitalin make food for Dogs, Cats, Ferrets & Horses, so right from the small up to the large!
Our free sample arrived within 3 days of ordering online and it was well packaged. Individual bags were wrapped in bubble wrap and sent in a jiffy bag.
Vitalin was born in the 1950's, by Arthur Mills; forty years later they are still investing in research into the best quality foods for our pets.
Based in Ripon, they are open to the public (opening details are the bottom) and the also offer a telephone based mail order option for customers living in the rest of the UK, sadly though, it is only telephone ordering that is available, you can't yet place an order and pay online, you can e-mail them with your requirements, but you still have to speak to someone to pay.
You can make payment with Visa, Delta, Switch, Maestro, and Solo & MasterCard. P&P is free for standard delivery or £5 for nest day delivery but this is only available if you purchase before 12 noon I am told. The deliver t most of the UK, they do ask if you live on any of the Scottish Isle or in the highlands as they either cannot deliver to you there yet or delivery costs are increased.
THE PRODUCT ITSELF
Vitalin Lamb & Rice is a hypo-allergenic food free from ingredients commonly known to cause allergic reactions in dogs. It does not contain any beef, wheat, egg, dairy, soya or cheap fillers. This makes it particularly beneficial to dogs with loose digestion, dry skin problems, colitis and other allergic reactions.
Vitalin Lamb & Rice has the correct balance of Omega 6 & 3 fatty acids to promote healthy skin and coat condition and contains prebiotic FOS (fructo-oligosaccarides) to promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria and thereby improve digestion and intestinal condition. Vitalin Lamb & Rice also contains all the essential vitamins and minerals for a happy, healthy, active life.
Contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
Vitalin Lamb & Rice Sensitive Diet is a complete dry dog food, not a supplementary dog food. This means it can be fed daily for all meals for your dog and it meets the nutritional requirements your dog needs to stay healthy. Aside from having a sickly tummy, Dexter also suffered from Demodex, a skin condition caused by a mite & aggravated by stress/poor diet/illness, which meant we also had to take this into account when choosing a food for him, it was ideal to receive a sample before placing an order.
The biscuits are a brown, round textured type; they are about 2mm in thickness and 3mm wide. They do smell fairly good as far as dog food goes and they are easy to handle and because they are dry they is no mess or fuss. My only concern about this product is there was no measuring cup included with this purchase, luckily most vets will give you one but it would be handy to have one included. However there were instructions on the website but the feeding guide on the bag we received had been blacked out.
We fed Dexter 80gms of this food, 3 times daily and used additional biscuits as rewards and treats as well, Dexter liked them immediately and was more than happy to have this as his only food and for treats. The biscuits were a hit with him and also our cats who loved both the Dog and Cat biscuits we had from Vitalin. Dexter didn't appear to need any more water than normal with this dry food.
Within days, Dexter was no longer having loose bowel motions and sickness. Within 2 weeks his coat was shiny and healthy looking with bright eyes which were better than we had taken him home with. His energy levels were about the same, I didn't see an increase in those at all but then they don't promise to do that.
For me, as a first time dog owner, the main benefit of this product was the natural ingredients and they have numerous years experience with pet food, I felt like I was doing the right thing by my dog by feeding him this.
ANALYSIS Protein 26%, Oil 12%, Ash 9%, Fibre 3%, Moisture 8%, Copper (Cupric Sulphate) 17 mg/kg. Vitamin A - 12,000 iu/kg, Vitamin D3 - 1,500 iu/kg, Vitamin E - 60 iu/kg. Vitamin Potency - 12 months from date of manufacture.
DAILY FEEDING GUIDE - Fresh drinking water should always be available
We ordered a bag which was 15kg and we paid £25.99 for it. The packaging is cream and green with the brand and product name on and a picture of a dog to ensure you feed this to the right animal. The bag is made from a reinforced brown bag material, despite this, it is fairly sturdy and it is opened with a pull string cord at the top, which opened the bag without any trouble.
It is vital though, the roll down the top of the bag after you have used the product, we found with the sample bag, if we did not seal it, the biscuits were slightly stale and Dexter wouldn't touch them.
We did try soaking the biccies in water, as advised by Dogs Trust, however these don't hold well in water and Dexter wouldn't touch the lumpy mess they made.
ORDERING & DELIVERY
After deciding the sample was a hit I phoned Vitalin Direct to order my product. Getting through was easy, it is a 0870 number (national rate) and I didn't have to wait in a queue or hold at all. The advisor was great, I asked her some question about it's suitability for Dexter given his tummy and skin problems, she was incredibly knowledgeable about the companies products taking me through what Vitalin suggest for different breeds, why particular products wouldn't be suitable for Dexter and which products they would recommend. It transpired he wouldn't be suitable for their Working Muesli diets or their weight loss products, I was impressed with their knowledge not only of their products but of their animal knowledge too, which was better and more in depth than the chain pet stores.
After agreeing the Lamb & Rice diet to be the most suitable, she proceeded to order me a bag weighing 15kg and costing £25.99, I was offered next day delivery for a surcharge of £5, I was glad this was mentioned by the advisor, it was mentioned also, in the information leaflet which came with the free samples, so I was aware of it. I opted for the standard delivery, which is 3-5 days, I ordered on a Friday at 11am and my order was with me on Monday morning by Courier. This was excellent as I had really expected to wait until at least Wednesday before delivery. I was also asked whether I'd like to sample any other products too.
WHAT ELSE IS AVAILABLE? In brief as all information is online, A working dog muesli meal A Bitch diet A weightloss meal Complete Cat Food. Prices starting from £9.99 for 5x500g pack of Complete Cat
MY OPINION OVERALL I am pleased with this product and with the company, both are excellent and they obviously train their staff prior to letting them loose on the phones. I like the idea of free samples, after all, this is a £25.99 bag of dog food and it is a large bag, if it isn't right for your dog and you've bought a huge bag, then you'd kick yourself, this way you can choose which is right for your dog. Although you can only order 2 sample bags at a time online, Vitalin are more than happy to send out further samples, free of charge. The bag is less than halfway down now and we're still on top form with Dexter, he's a very happy dog and healthy too, we don't feed this for every meal now, he has a can of dog food daily too and this food seems to compliment canned food as well. Although expensive, this food really is good value for money, although it is at the upper end of Vitalin's pricing range, you have to remember that dry food goes a long way and you are getting free delivery too, if you opt for standard delivery. For a healthy dog, I am happy to pay £25 per 2/3 months and I know that prescription dog foods from vets can be more expensive and animals won't touch them. My online gripe is the company do not, as yet offer online ordering, which means you do have to make an effort to call in office hours. Dexter's opinion? I want more now please!
COMPANY INFO:
http://www.vitalin-nutrition.co.uk/index.html
Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday: 8am - 5pm Fridays: 8am - 4pm Saturdays: 9am - 12pm Closed bank holiday weekends
Advantages: FOR FUSSY DOGS Disadvantages: HARD TO FIND
...2.5Kg bag.
We had tried Vitalin in the past and its just like porridge, but this stuff looks like normal, dried dog food, and great quality, with meat and a Complete Balanced Diet.
That can be feed wet or dry.
Made with bite-sized meaty chunks.
Extremely palatable eaters,"like my 3 dogs".
The bag says it contains 25% meat.
I cannot belive my dogs will eat this, but they do.
so that says the food is great and speaks from its self.
The only ... ...certain shops.
M&B and i think ive seen it in a few supermarkets.
This food should be sold in more places, because if people feed there dogs it they will buy it and give it to there dogs.
This food doesnt cost a lot, but that isnt why we buy it.
We only buy it because our dogs will only eat this, and keep eating this out of all the others.
This brand itscheaper than all the other brands"Bakers,Ped. Chum. etc.. and also looks better, not just ...
Craige0511 19.04.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Vitalin Lamb & Rice Sensitive Diet
