VITAL DOG is a small, family business that exists to make more tails wag with premium, Aussie-made supplements. We only use high-quality, pure, and natural ingredients that are biologically appropriate for dogs —no cheap fillers, grains, flavours, or sweeteners (that, ironically, can exacerbate some of the health issues that they’re trying to help alleviate!).
We hold ourselves to the highest standards when it comes to formulating, ingredient sourcing, blending, packaging, safety, storage and delivery. Our founders continue to work closely with an integrative veterinarian, animal naturopath and other canine nutrition experts to make sure that what we give your dog contributes to a vital, happy and healthy life.
Our dogs all have individual nutritional needs that are influenced by factors such as their breed, age, weight, activity levels, stress, living environment, health status and diet. These factors aren’t always accounted for by a standard diet designed for an average dog, despite it being ‘complete and balanced’.
Like humans, many dogs can benefit from nutritional supplementation, whether taken preventatively, or to help support with a known health issue. While high-quality food will always be the foundation of a great diet, nutritional supplements can help to optimise our dogs’ nutrient status and provide additional functional food compounds that aren’t found in processed commercial pet foods.
For the avoidance of doubt or confusion – and to make sure we don’t get in trouble – please note that our nutritional supplements are exactly that: supplementary foods. They are not a substitute for a high-quality, complete and balanced diet, and are certainly not veterinary medications.
Yes! The premium tin cylinders that we use are made from tin-plated steel and can be recycled over and over. We also use branded shipping boxes which are recyclable to further minimise our environmental footprint.
In addition to making the choice to use fully-recyclable tin cylinders for our supplements, we decided not to supply plastic scoops like some other products do. They didn’t meet our sustainability standards and we don’t want even the slightest risk of microplastics entering your dog’s meal toppers.
We know that nearly everybody has teaspoons in the kitchen drawer, so that’s why we’ve provided serving instructions in terms of teaspoon-equivalents. Easy and eco-friendly. But, if you reeealllyyy want a scoop from us, you can simply buy one of out great-looking VITAL DOG stainless steel scoops (keep an eye out for this option when you view your Cart).
It’s not recommended.
Due to the variability of fridge temperatures and moisture levels, we prefer that you keep your VITAL DOG meal topper in a cool, dry place such as a pantry or cupboard. Please make sure that the lid is closed tightly after each usage to prevent moisture accumulation and/or clumping. This is especially true for our customers who live in more humid areas.
Our products are proudly manufactured in Australia, using the highest-quality food-grade ingredients from verified suppliers who are industry leaders in their respective fields.
Our ingredients are sourced from countries that include Australia, New Zealand, Germany, China, Norway and India. Regardless of their place of origin, we invest in additional, independent lab testing of our final product formulations here in Australia for quality assurance.
All ingredients are held to these standards:
1) reliability and continuity of supply
2) purity and Certificates of Analysis
3) passing our Australian 3rd-party analytical parameters, including for the presence of heavy metals
4) absence of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides
5) non-GMO
6) affordability for our customers
Based on our experience, we’d say there’s probably a 99% chance that your dog will love it. In our pre-launch testing, VITAL DOG meal toppers were rated 9.5 out of 10 for enjoyment. There’s a good reason for this: our supplements only use real food ingredients that are not only beneficial for your dog’s health, but highly enjoyable, too.
Give it a try and see how you go! With our 60-day money back guarantee, there’s not much to lose.
It’s very easy. Offering subscriptions is all about providing dog parents with greater value and more convenience.
Instead of paying the full recommended retail price (RRP) and having to remember to re-order before your dog’s supply runs out each time, subscribers save 20% on product costs and will be placed on an auto-delivery schedule.
Delivery frequency is as follows:
– Small dogs (Under 10 kg) – delivered every 2 months based on each package providing 60 daily serves
– Medium dogs (10-25 kg) – delivered every month based on each package providing 30 daily serves
– Large dogs (Over 25 kg) – delivered every 3 weeks based on each package providing 20 daily serves
Absolutely. We understand that there are times where pausing your subscription or delaying an order makes a lot of sense, such as when you may still have some meal topper powder remaining and aren’t quite ready to replenish it. In other instances, you may decide to cancel your subscription altogether. We’ll be sad to see you go, but won’t stand in your way (we will wag our tails really quickly if you come back, though).
To pause, delay a delivery, or cancel, all you need to do is log into your Account go into the billing section and make your changes. If you have any issues, email us and we’ll help you out (contact@vitaldog.com.au)
VITAL DOG meal toppers use real food ingredients that are complementary to your dog’s food. Our supplements are generally safe to consume alongside routine flea, tick and worming treatments, along with antibiotics.
Having said that, please chat with your veterinarian before introducing any new supplements (including ours) to your dog’s diet if they’re currently taking medications and/or have a serious health condition (including kidney disease, liver issues, hyperthyroidism or terminal conditions).
VITAL DOG meal toppers aren’t recommended for any dog who:
– is pregnant or lactating
– is aged under 3 months
– has issues relating to the liver or kidneys
– has thyroid issues (hyperthyroidism) (only relates to VITAL DOG Multi-Benefit Wellness Blend)
– has a terminal illness
– has been diagnosed with intolerances or allergies to proteins such as beef
– has a sensitivity to any ingredient stated on the ingredient list
If you have a Dalmatian or Dalmatian cross-breed, you’ll probably know that you need to avoid certain foods in their diets due to metabolic issues, especially organ meats. Since we include beef liver in our meal toppers, we’ll have to tell the spotty ones to avoid our supplements, too.
If you have any doubts whatsoever, share our nutritional information and ingredients list (found on our Product pages) with your vet before purchasing.
Please follow the recommended serving information that is supplied on this website and on each product’s packaging:
– Small dogs (under 10 kg): 1 rounded teaspoon (2 g) per day
– Medium dogs (10-25 kg): 2 rounded teaspoons (4 g) per day
– Large dogs (over 25 kg): 3 rounded teaspoons (6 g) per day
To reduce the likelihood that your dog consumes more than they’re supposed to, please keep the packaging closed and in a safe location that is inaccessible by your dog. If your dog does consume a little more of our supplements than recommended, they’ll be fine but please make sure they have access to plenty of fresh drinking water.
If your dog consumes a substantial amount far in excess of the daily recommendation that has you concerned, please contact your vet for advice.
Proudly not! No added flavours, sweeteners, fillers or synthetic vitamins.
We find it ironic that some supplements that are supposed to help dogs actually contain some ingredients that can exacerbate health issues. We recommend staying away from ingredients like dextrose and other sugary sweetener (used for taste and binding), most flours or excessive grains (often used as a cheap filler), and synthetic vitamins that don’t come from whole food sources (if you see a list of vitamins in the ingredients list, you can almost guarantee that some are derived from petrochemicals in a lab).
When it comes to safety and quality, we take things very seriously. This spans the entire supply chain, from sourcing of raw materials, all the way through to the finished consumable good.
Here are some of our quality control measures:
1) Obtaining quality assurance documentation from all raw material suppliers, inclusive of Certificates of Analysis that confirm composition, purity and safety.
2) Certification guaranteeing non-GMO status, along with pesticide-residues and heavy metal analysis.
3) Manufacturing in a human-grade, specialist nutraceutical facility that maintains an in-house laboratory, and is compliant with the ordinance of current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s), is Codex Alimentarius Approved and maintains supply documentation in agreement with The Standards in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, HACCP and SCI QUAL regulations.
4) Additional 3rd-party laboratory testing for nutritional analysis, heavy metals and residues such as pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides.
5) Retention of batch samples for shelf-life testing, microbial analysis and traceability.
Our products have a 24 month use-by date from time of manufacture. We’re able to achieve this by providing a low-moisture nutritional powder that is stored in an air-tight tin cylinder with excellent protection against oxygen, light and moisture. It’s important that once you’ve purchased the product, you keep it in a cool, dry area away from direct sunlight.
Once opened, we recommend using within 90 days. Make sure you firmly close the lid after each use to avoid moisture and clumping, especially if you live in a more humid climate. If you observe any changes to your product that have you concerned, please take a photo and get in touch right away by emailing contact@vitaldog.com.au
It depends!
When taken consistently, you may notice health and wellness benefits for your dog in as little as 2-4 weeks. We always recommend allowing at least 8 weeks of ongoing supplementation to allow the products to demonstrate their full benefits.
Unlike medications, our natural, functional-food ingredients may be more gradual in their effects as they work with the body’s innate abilities to heal, repair and resolve. Think of it in a similar way to other healthy lifestyle interventions: one gym session, or an isolated good night of sleep, may not have dramatic results, but do it consistently over a prolonged period and the benefits might be transformational.
To ensure that we don’t get in trouble, it’s important to state that our nutritional supplements are not veterinary medications and we do not make any claims regarding their ability to treat, cure, or prevent any canine health conditions. Always consult with a veterinarian for any concerns regarding your pet’s health.
Certainly! For example, some pet owners may want to give their dog VITAL DOG’s ‘Multi-Benefit Wellness Blend’ for general health and vitality year-round as a baseline supplement, adding in our ‘Advanced Gut Health’ after a course of antibiotics to speed up the process of rebalancing the microbiome with friendly bacteria.
The nutritional composition and serving sizes of VITAL DOG supplements allow for multiple variants to be consumed together, without having to worry about over-dosing on particular vitamins or compounds. All of our micronutrients are well below the AAFCO maximum allowable daily intake.
With ‘standard’ delivery, orders typically take between 2 and 5 business days to arrive from time of payment. It may be slightly longer than this if you live in a very remote area. For ‘express’ delivery, it should be 1-3 business days.
You’ll be supplied with tracking details by email once the carrier has possession of your order. You can use you tracking number on the carrier’s website to stay informed of the status of your delivery. If your order has taken longer than 7 business days for a standard order, or more than 4 days for an express order, please get in touch with us by emailing contact@vitaldog.com.au and we’ll chase the postie and bark at them.
If you need to return your product, we’ll make it right with a full refund to your original payment method once we receive the goods back.
We only have 3 conditions:
1) Requests must be made within 60 days of delivery.
2) Refunds are for damaged, defective products, or if your dog simply says, “no thanks.” Not if you find the product cheaper elsewhere or simply change your mind.
3) You’ll need to send us back the package and remainder of contents, covering the return shipping/delivery costs.
To get started, email us at contact@vitaldog.com.au
We currently deliver Australia-wide. We’ll be working on making VITAL DOG available in more places soon.
Absolutely.
Providing you’re ordering quantities of more than 16 units (2 cartons) at a time and have an active ABN, you can buy straight from us on a wholesale basis!
Visit the Wholesale contact page to get in touch.
We’ll be adding a list of retailers here as we continue to be distributed around the country.
Please get in touch straight away and we’ll get our IT partners to take a look.
Email contact@vitaldog.com.au