If you have a dog, you probably know the struggle of finding the best dog food. There are so many options on the market that picking just one tends to be complicated.
Nonetheless, you’ve probably heard of Vibrant Life, or you’ve seen it at your local Walmart. It’s an accessible brand you can easily find in your town.
Is it right for your dog? The brand offers several choices in terms of flavors, calories, and proteins. Also, you can choose between plenty of different packs, which is excellent if you have more than just one pup.
Continue reading as we share with you information about the brand, nutrition details, and everything else you should know about Vibrant Life dog food. This way, you can decide whether or not this type of food is the right choice for your pet.
About The Brand
Vibrant Life is a brand exclusively sold by Walmart. It’s a relatively new brand since the first time it landed on shelves was back in early 2018. For this reason, the product range is still somewhat limited.e
The store sells different pet products, accessories, treats, and food. It offers only four recipes, two of which are for adults, one for small breeds, and one for puppies.
Though it’s a new brand, it’s already growing in popularity. It might be one of the best choices when it comes to accessible and affordable food choices that are still quality-made and good for your pet.
Nutrition
When it comes to nutrition, Vibrant Life is quite transparent, allowing you clear information about what’s in the food.
The average calorie breakdown is 26% of protein, 36% of fat, and 38% of carbohydrates. This means the formulas are somewhat above average when it comes to nutrition.
Though this is technically true for fat and carbohydrates in different formulas, carbs are below average, and fat is significantly above average.
Protein level looks acceptable, but a large portion of it comes from the low-quality plant-based material. This is always important to check because not every protein is good for your dog.
Some plant-based proteins aren’t as easily digestible as the protein coming from meat and fish ingredients.
Still, all formulas are considered a step-up from the low-cost grocery store brands given the overall cost-effectiveness of Vibrant Life. Walmart sells different food, so it’s good to point out that Vibrant Life might be the best choice out of those the store typically offers.
Ingredients
The brand is proud to state it doesn’t include the following ingredients:
- Meat byproduct meals
- Corn
- Artificial colors
- Artificial preservatives
These ingredients are harmful to your pet, and it’s good that Vibrant Life doesn’t use them. However, there are plenty of other ingredients that are equally as harmful and could still be found in the food. Ingredients like wheat mill run, soybean meal, and brewers rice are the low-quality foods included in the formulas.
The three ingredients are considered fillers that have no positive nutritional value and are high in carbohydrates. While soybean meal and brewers rice are bad, wheat mill run is otherwise called “floor sweepings”.
On a good side, the brand uses beef, chicken, and chicken meal as high-quality protein and fat sources. Don’t be scared of the chicken meal since it’s usually dried and considered a denser source of fat and protein on a gram-to-gram basis.
Safety
It’s safe to use as long as you check the ingredients list and are certain your pet isn’t allergic to any of the food used. Also, if you’re not as certain about it, you should consider talking to your vet to make sure your dog can enjoy this type of food.
Though other Walmart-owned brands test on animals, there is currently no information on whether Vibrant Life does it too. Since it’s a cruel and distressing process for the animals in question, we hope the brand doesn’t participate in it.
Breed
As long as the ingredients list is good enough for your dog, it doesn’t matter which breed it is. Some breeds might benefit more from its ingredients than others, but they’re generally safe for all allergy-free pups.
The two adult formulas are best fed to larger breeds, while the specialized Small Breed formula is a better choice if your pet is of a smaller breed.
You shouldn’t mix the two and feed the formula for small breeds to large ones or vice versa. While nothing serious could probably come out of mixing the formulas, it’s better to stick to the feeding instructions.
You can always consult with your vet if you’re in doubt about if the food is good for the breed you have.
Food Form
It’s crucial to know that Vibrant Life offers dry food only. There’s no information on any wet food coming any time soon.
The brand does offer treats and several formulas of dry food, but so far, no canned option is available.
You’ll find packs ranging in quantity, which is great if you have a few dogs, or just like to stack on your favorite pet food.
Either way, it’s important to mention that the kibble size is average when it comes to adult food, and somewhat smaller in the small breed and puppy formulas.
Life Stage
Vibrant Life offers four different formulas allowing you to choose based on breed type and age. Two recipes are made for adult dogs and should be used on large and medium breeds.
One of the formulas is meant for small breeds, but still only adult dogs. If you have a puppy, you should opt for the brand’s puppy recipe that has special ingredients and a kibble that’s smaller in size.
Generally, you shouldn’t use adult formulas in your puppy’s diet and vice versa. Both are made especially for the particular life stage and could be harmful to the others.
Recall History
Luckily, no information proves Vibrant Life products ever being recalled. However, keep in mind that other Walmart products have been recalled in the past, so take the information with a grain of salt.
Keep in mind that Walmart is very conscious when it comes to the safety of its products. Plus, even some of the best dog food brands had some products recalled. Unlike many others, Walmart pulls its products from the shelves, and you can no longer buy any that’s been recalled.
Allergies
Allergies are always an issue, even with some of the most expensive dog foods. It has to do with all the ingredients since even the smallest amount of allergens can cause a reaction with your dog.
These foods contain grain and for this reason, might not be the best for allergy-prone and grain-sensitive pups. If your dog is allergic to anything, you should carefully inspect the ingredients list before you feed any of the formulas to the animal.
As always, keep an eye on how your dog behaves after tasting Vibrant Life for the first time. This way, you’ll notice even the slightest change in behavior that could indicate an allergic reaction.
Feeding Directions
Feeding directions depend on many things from the age of your dog as well as the breed. Plus, some pets are lazier than others, so they shouldn’t eat as much food.
The general rule of thumb is to check with the feeding chart that’s labeled on the back of each pack. This gives you a precise guideline you should use at first. If you see the canine didn’t eat it all, make the portions smaller. If you have a highly active pet, you’ll maybe even have to feed it larger portions.
Make sure to watch how your dog behaves to figure out if he/she is eating too little or too much.
Final Thoughts
Vibrant Life might not be the most popular option, and that’s usually because it’s on a cheaper side. However, you should keep in mind that expensive food isn’t always the best just because it costs more money.
This is a cost-effective option that’s made of quality ingredients and was never recalled from the market. Though it doesn’t offer plenty of options in terms of recipes, it’s suitable for different age groups and breeds.
You might want to start slowly, getting a smaller pack and add it to your pup’s old kibble. Watch how the animal behaves and act upon it accordingly. Also, make sure to use the feeding directions as guidelines recommended by animal experts and professionals.