Frozen Raw Patties Grain-Free Rabbit Entree Dog Food, 4.7-lb box
Graded by The Sniff System
Vital Essentials Frozen Raw Patties Grain-Free Rabbit Entree Dog Food is a wet, raw-style food featuring rabbit as its primary protein.
This food offers a strong protein profile with rabbit as the main ingredient, providing high biological value. It includes quality fat sources like herring oil, which is a good source of EPA and DHA. The inclusion of rabbit organ meats like liver, heart, kidney, and lung adds diverse, highly bioavailable protein.
The main thing to watch out for is the lack of an AAFCO statement, which means its nutritional completeness is unverified. This absence capped the product's overall score.
Good fit for dogs whose owners prioritize a raw diet with a strong, single-source protein. Less ideal if AAFCO verification is a requirement.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for adult Golden Retrievers navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Rabbit anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus rabbit liver at position 2 (a natural taurine precursor) and herring oil at position 6. In its 2022 update on diet-associated DCM, the FDA identified Golden Retrievers as the most reported breed, with 121 cases out of 1,382 total canine reports (8.8%) received between January 1, 2014, and November 1, 2022 (FDA, 2022) .
Looking at this for adult Golden Retrievers or Golden Retrievers with diet-associated DCM concerns ? We are building dedicated pages for these combinations.
Auto-matched from this product's measurements (ingredients, life stage, calorie density) to a breed archetype. Not a substitute for vet input on your specific dog.
Research informing this analysis
MethodologyThe Sniff System grades this product against 3 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- FDA, 2022cardiac · epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 5 claims
- FDA, 2019diet composition· cited in 2 claims
- NRC, 2006nutrient bioavailability
Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Sniff scored this formula 59/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was protein quality (+21.5 points): Strong protein profile with rabbit as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. A hard cap of 59 also applied because the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement isn't disclosed on the retailer page (so our methodology can't verify the formula meets adult, growth, or all-life-stages standards). If the brand publishing the AAFCO statement were on the label, the cap would lift and this formula could clear the B-band threshold (60).
Strong protein profile with rabbit as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
- Top 1% for DMB protein in grain-free wet foods (66.7%)
- Bottom 10% for crude fiber in grain-free wet foods (3.7% DMB)
- Top 10% for protein quality in grain-free wet foods (21.4/27)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
Similar dog foods worth considering
Three lenses on products with formulation profiles similar to this one.
Nature's Logic 100% Natural Canine Rabbit Feast All Life Stages Grain-Free Wet Dog Food, 13.2-oz, case of 12
Scores 9 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Freshpet Vital Chicken, Beef, Salmon & Egg Recipe Grain-Free Fresh Dog Food, 11-lb bundle
$6.54/lb vs your seed's $26.81/lb (76% less) at a comparable score.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Wet and fresh foods contain more water than kibble (typically 65-78%). On a dry-matter basis, this food's protein content is roughly 67%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1rabbit
Real meat, very lean. A common novel protein for elimination diets.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2rabbit liver
Position 2. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 3rabbit heart
Position 3. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 4rabbit kidney
Position 4. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 5rabbit lung
Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 6herring oil
Concentrated omega-3 from herring. Same role as salmon oil, skin and coat support.
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 7vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 8mineralzinc amino acid complex
Zinc bound to amino acids for better absorption. Same idea as zinc proteinate, the premium form of the mineral.
- 9mineraliron amino acid complex
Iron bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 10mineralcopper amino acid complex
Copper bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus copper sulfate.
- 11mineralmanganese amino acid complex
Manganese bound to amino acids for better absorption. The chelated form most premium brands use.
7 of 11 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.