Vitalin Small Breed dog food
Vitalin makes a small breed line within its adult dry dog food range, built around a smaller kibble and a higher calorie density than its standard recipes. It suits toy and small breeds such as chihuahuas, Yorkshire terriers, pugs and miniature dachshunds, who need more energy packed into a smaller meal than a labrador does.
Why small breeds get their own recipe
A small dog has a faster metabolism relative to its size than a large one, and a smaller stomach to match. Standard adult kibble sized for a bigger mouth is harder for a toy breed to pick up and chew properly, and a bowl of food built for a labrador's energy needs is often more calorie-dense than a five-kilogram dog actually wants in one sitting.
Vitalin's small breed recipes use a smaller kibble shape and a higher calorie density per gram than its standard adult formula, so a small dog can get what it needs from a smaller, easier-to-manage portion rather than a large bowl of a lower-density food.
What we stock
We carry Vitalin's small breed adult dry food in a couple of recipes, including chicken with thyme and root vegetables and lamb with mint, alongside the brand's wider adult and puppy dry food range for dogs of any size. All of it is grain-free, which suits owners avoiding cereal fillers, though grain-free is a preference rather than a health requirement for most dogs.
If your dog is still a puppy rather than an adult, Vitalin's puppy formula is the one to look at instead, and moves onto the adult small breed recipe once your vet or the pack guidance says your dog has reached adult size.
Switching a small dog onto it
Change any dog's food gradually rather than all at once, mixing a little more of the new food in with the old over a week to ten days. Small dogs can be more prone to a wobbly stomach during a fast diet change than bigger breeds, simply because there is less digestive system to absorb the shock.
Watch your dog's weight and coat over the following few weeks rather than judging the switch on the first couple of days, and speak to your vet if your dog loses interest in the new food or their stools do not settle within that transition period.
For this need
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Forthglade Cold Pressed Natural Turkey
Cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs from 2 months, soft enough to mix with water for young pups
£45.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Salmon
Cold-pressed grain-free dry food for dogs, built on fresh and dried salmon
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Duck
Cold-pressed grain-free duck food with fruit and botanicals, in two bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Chicken
Cold-pressed grain-free chicken food with fruit and botanicals, in three bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Turkey
A lightly baked complete dry food, 50% turkey, for adult dogs of any breed
From£12.49
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Chicken
A grain-free complete dry food for adult dogs, lightly baked and built on 50% chicken
From£12.49
Forthglade Cold Pressed Small Dog Turkey
Cold-pressed grain-free dry food for small dogs and puppies, built on turkey
£16.99
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Lamb
A lightly baked complete dry food, 50% lamb, for adult dogs of any breed
From£12.49
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Turkey
Grain-free cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs, gentle on sensitive stomachs
£69.69
Harringtons Puppy Turkey & Rice
Complete turkey puppy food with 30% protein and feeding bands by adult weight
£6.49
Harringtons Adult Dog Turkey Veg
Complete dry food for adult dogs with turkey, chicken and salmon oil, 21% protein
From£3.39
Harringtons Adult Dog Salmon & Potato
Complete salmon and potato dry dog food with 21% protein in a 1.7KG bag
£6.25
Common questions
- Is Vitalin Small Breed grain-free?
- Yes, the small breed adult recipes we stock are grain-free, using vegetables and other carbohydrate sources instead of wheat or cereal. That suits dogs on a grain-free diet by choice, but it is not something every small dog needs medically.
- What size dog is the small breed range for?
- It is aimed at toy and small breeds roughly under ten kilograms as adults, such as chihuahuas, Yorkshire terriers, pugs, miniature dachshunds and similarly sized crossbreeds. A medium or large breed does better on Vitalin's standard adult recipe instead.
- Does Vitalin do a puppy version for small breeds?
- Vitalin's puppy dry food is formulated for growing dogs generally rather than as a separate small breed puppy line. Check the kibble size and your vet's guidance on portioning while your dog is still growing, then move onto the small breed adult recipe once they reach adult size.
- How do I switch my dog from another brand onto Vitalin?
- Introduce it gradually over seven to ten days, replacing a little more of the old food with the new each day rather than swapping bowls outright. That gives your dog's digestion time to adjust and makes it easier to spot whether the new food agrees with them.
Related
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.