Can anyone recommend an alternative that's roughly the same now its been discontinued.

In reply to Post #1
Was wondering about this too. Seems it was too 'old fashioned' in the dog world and didn't have the nutritional benefits people want/demand for their yappy/hyper CockerLabradoodlebug thingymajig. Saw a thread on a dog forum where an owner was getting grief after she asked for an alternative! But she said her dogs had always been healthy

It was classed as a 'muesli'. I think you're best off going to pet/farm store and looking for the cheapest muesli dog food. But like I said, they're very out of fashion. You can find the ingredients of original Vitalin online. Then it's a case of cross-checking with any others you find

You could try calling Blake's Baits. They are also a pet food retailer so may know the closest alternative still available in that world.

Skinners Field & Trial Muesli Mix seems similar

"Cooked wheat, Meat & bone meal, Cooked maize, Glucose syrup, Fish meal, Oils & fats Minerals & vitamins, Cooked peas"

I just use flaked maize from my local pet feed supplier

Like as what has already been mentioned ot was mainly made up of flaked Maize 🌽

In reply to Post #1
Flaked maize and mix it with hollings meat and bone meal. Thats pretty much what vitalin is anyway isnt it?

In reply to Post #7
Vitalin
Flaked Wheat, Flaked Maize, Meat & Bone Meal (13.0%), Flaked Soya, Flaked Barley, Soya Oil.

In reply to Post #1
bailey's no1 horse feed, it's cooked cereal meal, google is your friend

In reply to Post #9
bailey's no1 horse feed, it's cooked cereal meal
Funnily enough I was going to say that..shocked that Vitalin is gone :-(

Baileys Click Here

Pigeon Conditioner and condensed milk to cloud it up a bit?

In reply to Post #9
Baileys no. 1 is just micronized wheat.

Wild bird food for Robins and the like have a good mix of bits, mo so than some pigeon conditioners.

In reply to Post #12
Perhaps I should have left my quote as B1.

B1 is a good base for a mix, just like crumb., and will bind well and take on pellets easily.

Personally I see very few similarities between Pigeon Conditioner and Vitalin. V is/was more a slop with great binding properties for use a ground bait balls/method.

Iirc, you could use flaked wheat or oats as the base/binder and add to that, but uts been over 20 years since I played about with it.

YouTube, Graham (Totally Awesome Fishing) uses Baileys in a lot of his vids for all sorts, bits on commercials to Barbel on the wye.

In reply to Post #13
Yes there was nothing revolutionary or secret in Vitalin but it was just handy to have it all ready mixed up for you

In reply to Post #14
A few years ago I did a lot of shooting and I fed my two Springers on nothing more than Vitalin but when I started having a problem getting hold of it I started using "Wilsons" flake food which is identical apart from a couple more ingredients added, don`t know if this is still available but if it is jump on it, its very good

In reply to Post #15
Is it the Wilsons Original

In reply to Post #16
Guessing it is looking at the ingredients, the other stuff aint cheap.

In reply to Post #1
Did anyone find a decent replacement? Did the Wilson's Original fit the bill???

In reply to Post #18
I'm no expert but I read this thread and Wilson's looks really good gear. Buy with confidence.

Sorry to bring up an old thread.. But I thought it would be handy to inform everyone who is mourning the loss of Vitalin. That Copdock mill have bought out there own version called " Vitacarp " probably didn't take them long to think that one up. And before you ask I doubt it's as cheap as the origional. As we all know anything with the word Carp in it comes at a price..

In reply to Post #20
Bit out of my price range...

LINKY POO™ https://baitsuperstore.com/product/vitacarp/

There are other places offering it obviously
St Ives Tackle is Out of Stock, but it appears to be £2.99 for a 1kg bag there

In reply to Post #21
Not the cheapest!...but I suppose around right for a kg of groundbait shop wise.

One of the ingredient lists for the original Vitalin, Flaked Wheat, Flaked Maize, Flaked Soya, Flaked Barley, Meat & Bone Meal (13.0%), Soya Oil, Antioxidants

A quick look round and the meat & bonemeal can be had for £3.50/kg but I don't see any good reason why you couldn't substitue any meal, and add anything else you want really, then just have a play with the flaked ingredients.

In reply to Post #21
£118.80 for 2.5kg.. that's taking the added Carp tax piss...

Supply and demand I suppose..

In reply to Post #23
I've found something that looks like it'll fit the bill but I haven't got any yet. MMF Micronized Mixed Flakes. 25% Flaked Peas, 25% Flaked Maize, 50% Flaked Barley. 25kg is around the £16 mark...

I don't think your too far off the mark there. I saw reference to flaked peas as a method ingredient in a book I recently read iirc.

I feel a more interesting question is, why was vitalin discontinued? Not looking for conspiracy theories, but was it just a commercial decision. I mean if the ingredients cost went up then why not just put the price up to compensate. Did the cost of production just mean it was not cost effective against it's main opposition, which was I'm supposing other dog foods?

In reply to Post #26
A quick search says Vitalin went into administration and the rights were bought but it wasn't continued but other ranges were launched on it's name.

Same search showed Goat Muesli being talked about on fishing forums and Skinners as alternative, the former being a lot cheaper

In reply to Post #1
Has anyone looked at V Dog.

In reply to Post #28
Veggie, vegan food for dogs... seen it all now...

Is this to appease the diet of the owner. Rather than any benefit for the dog...

No, won't be trying that..