Royal Canin Dog Food
October 12, 2008
Filed under Dog Food Reviews, Royal Canin
Royal Canin Dog Food
Royal Canin Dog Food is made and manufactured by, Royal Canin USA. Royal Canin dog food is marketed towards people looking for breed specific dog food. We believe that Royal Canin is an average quality dog food and would be comfortable recommending the right formula that fits your dog’s needs.
Royal Canin is attributed as being the first dog food manufacturer which produced a diet exclusive for large breed dogs and being the first to become ISO-certified. Today, Royal Canin lives up to their standards of excellence by formulating specific formulas for different breeds and ages of dogs as well as prescription diets. Each Royal Canin product comes with a number at the end of each product name that denotes the amount of protein present.
Among the different recipes designed for different breeds, age and medical conditions, the basic ingredients include chicken meal, rice, chicken fat and whole grains. Since chicken meal is a concentrated form of meat compared to fresh chicken, it provides the main source of protein that dogs need.
Brown rice provides a complex carbohydrate component to the formula, although there are Royal Canin formulas that list down another “rice” ingredient aside from brown rice.
Chicken fat is rich in omega-6 fatty acids and linoleic acid which is a quality fat component of the diet.
Oatmeal and wheat gluten meal are both whole-grain products. The wheat gluten meal is a source of inferior protein from grains which however can boost the protein levels of the dog food. This however is a point in question because this would suggest that they are using lower levels of animal protein which is what the dog really needs.
Aside from wheat gluten meal, there are some controversial ingredients which have also been incorporated in most Royal Canin formulas such as dried beet pulp, soya meal, and dried brewer’s yeast extract.
Beet pulp is a by-product of sugar beet processing. Being high in fiber, the dog’s digestive system may have a hard time digesting it. Beet pulp is often used as an inexpensive filler for many dog food recipes.
The inclusion of soybean oil can prove to be a trigger for food allergies while the yeast extract has been used as a food additive because of its glutamic acid content.
There has been no mention of the spraying of probiotics on the surfaces of newly manufactured kibble, which is the usual trend in most dog foods today in an attempt to infuse beneficial bacteria into the food.
Customer Reviews
Favorable feedbacks from satisfied dog owners include reduction of flatulence particularly with the glutein-free formulas. Some also reported no more incidence of bladder stones and infections after they had started their dogs on Royal Canin. Dogs also love the treat-size kibbles.
Although there are some owners who consider the “specific breed formula” as part of a marketing scheme, there are dog owners who saw a big difference when they tried it on the breed of dog for which it has been recommended. This goes to show that each breed of dog has specific requirements for certain nutrients in varied amounts and forms.
Dog owners whose pets have been given any of the Royal Canin recipes and suffered hypersensitive reactions and allergies point out that the dog food contains 4 common allergens—corn, yeast, gluten, and beet pulp. It’s relatively high price is also another issue raised by some customers.
Please visit the links listed below for Royal Canin dog food reviews by formula.
Have a comment or question about our Royal Canin dog food review? Want to share your experiences with others? We welcome your comments!
Royal Canin Dog Food Review
Royal Canin dog food comes in numerous different recipes geared towards your dogs specific needs. We are going to take a look at each formula and review the ingredients.
Royal Canin Dog Food Products:
- Royal Canin MINI Babydog 30 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Puppy 33 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Adult 27 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Indoor Puppy 27 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Indoor Adult 21 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Toy Indoor Adult 25 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Chihuahua 28 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Dachshund 28 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Miniature Schnauzer 25 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Poodle 30 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Shih Tzu 24 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Yorkshire 28 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Special 30 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Weight Care 30 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Dental Hygiene 24 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Beauty Care 26 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MINI Aging Care 27 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MEDIUM Puppy 32 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MEDIUM Adult 25 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MEDIUM Active Special 25 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MEDIUM Bulldog 24 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MEDIUM Cocker Spaniel 25 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MEDIUM Aging Care 25 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MAXI Babydog 30 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MAXI Large Breed Puppy 32 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MAXI Large Breed Adult Dog Food
- Royal Canin MAXI Aging Care 26 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MAXI Boxer 26 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MAXI German Shepherd 24 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MAXI Golden Retriever 25 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MAXI Labrador Retriever 30 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MAXI Joint and Coat Care 28 Dog Food
- Royal Canin MAXI Weight Care 27 Dog Food
- Royal Canin CYNOTECHNIQUE ENERGY 4800 Dog Food
- Royal Canin GIANT Adult 28 Dog Food
Royal Canin Dog Food Consumer Ratings
| Title | Votes | Rating | Review |
| Royal Canin Dog Food | 131 | 6.3 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MAXI Aging Care 26 Dog Food | 9 | 4.1 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MEDIUM Bulldog 24 Dog Food | 21 | 4.9 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Adult 27 Dog Food | 27 | 3.2 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Babydog 30 Dog Food | 1 | 2.0 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Chihuahua 28 Dog Food | 26 | 3.9 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Dachshund 28 Dog Food | 26 | 5.6 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Dental Hygiene 24 Dog Food | 15 | 5.5 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Indoor Adult 21 Dog Food | 17 | 4.3 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Indoor Puppy 27 Dog Food | 18 | 3.4 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Miniature Schnauzer 25 Dog Food | 28 | 5.1 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Poodle 30 Dog Food | 13 | 5.5 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Puppy 33 Dog Food | 99 | 5.1 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Shih Tzu 24 Dog Food | 29 | 4.0 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Special 30 Dog Food | 29 | 5.2 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Toy Indoor Adult 25 Dog Food | 6 | 7.0 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Weight Care 30 Dog Food | 15 | 2.5 | -1.0 |
| Royal Canin MINI Yorkshire 28 Dog Food | 34 | 4.3 | -1.0 |
What a marketing scam to get people to fork out more money on a low-quality product. Dogs do not need breed-specific foods unless you’re talking about large breed and small breed formulas. All a dog really needs is high quality ingredients, which this food does not really contain, especially not for the price. Some people who have purebreds are so hoping to have a reason to justify their purchases that these breed-specific foods appeal to, they’re willing to spend the extra money without looking into the quality and other options out there. If they really wanted to do their purebred a favor, they’d look into another brand of food!
For a few years I’ve fed my boxer pedigree, science diet, etc. and the results were poor skin and occasional puking.
A year ago I googled boxer allergies and read about the problem boxer have with corn and decided to plunk down the extra money for RC Boxer 26.
It cost 50% more than the major brands but I would pay double!
Better skin, reduced paw licking, no more puking, reduced gas.
There is no corn in Boxer 26.
Some other vendors Boxer breed products contain corn- I would stay away from those if your dog shows andy allergy symptoms. vendors Boxer
their website says it all – “we focus on nutrition ratios rather than ingredients.” In other words, junk. Any of the good foods are listed on The Whole Dog Journal because they don’t accept paid advertising
This may be so, but google does! So, if you decide to look online at The Whole Dog Journal, be wary of all the paid google ads that display discretely as links.
I would just like to comment on the recent change in the formula for the medi-cal hypoalergenic dog food that our eight year old bull dog has been eating for over six years ,for some reason Royal Canin and Medi-cal have changed the formula in their canin dry dog food and our dog will not eat it and hasen’t eaten for three days ,why change somwthing that works if its not broke don’t fix it.if anyone can help us out by helping us find the origional food maybe packaged for another company or still being produced under a new name we would realy appreciate it our poor baby hasn’t eaten in three days she takes the new food into her mouth and spits it on the floor ,but two phone calls to royal canin and they assure me they are making the same formula only the bag has changed maybe they shoul try eating a little of it themselves.
As with Jim Bona’s Oct. 6 comment, we have had a similar experience in our Yorkie’s negative response to his latest bag of Royal Canin Hypo-Allergenic Potato & Rabbit dog food, which he had happily and healthfully eaten for the last 4 years, up until now. We are trying to figure out whether there has been some change in the formula or his taste buds, or if we just got a tainted batch which then, in turn, tainted our home storage container. Or could the change in the bag itself have altered the food’s flavor, aroma, or essence in some way?
we have our labs on Royal Canin for labradors; however, their skin is very dry and they shed more then they did before. Is there another type that would be better for their coats?
Pat,
Try Blue Buffalo or NutroMax, both brands are good for skin and coat, Blue Buffalo is what I give my dog now and she loves it, don’t forget to gradually introduce by mixing otherwise, some serious consequences…good luck
I have a white boxer. These dogs are prone to allergies, especially skin allergies. I’ve had her on Natural Balance, Nutro, Avoderm, Pro Plan, Eukanuba Boxer Formula, and many more in my frustrated quest to find the right food for my dog. She developed a skin allergy to all except the Natural Balance but then lost weight on that food. I switched to Royal Canin Boxer and she has a shiny coat, drastic reduction in eye allergies, no skin allergies and is a fantastic, healthy weight. Why is this food getting such poor reviews???
I don’t know why this food is getting bad reviews. I have a feeling it’s because people can be very narrow minded. I work in the retail pet industry. It is required that we research food to understand the nutritional quality. I have a cocker spaniel who is prone to allergies (big surprise?). I have fed him Eukanuba, Natural Balance, and Avoderm. All are great foods. After doing some research I recently switched him to Royal Canin Cocker Spaniel formula. He LOVES it. And he is doing great on it. No skin bumps and a healthy coat. They have really done their studies to formulate great quality dog foods. I also really like that they have even thought of the shape of the kibble. Royal Canin doesn’t just do labratory studies like most dog foods. They get out there and do actual studies with breeders. They have been around for years and they are constantly thinking of new things. I would recommend this food to anyone.
You don’t know why??? I’ll tell ya, look whats in it. 4 grains to begin with and rice and rice flour are low grade grains, brown rice is ok. Soy is just down right bad, dried beet pulp is as bad as it gets. This food is very grain heavy with nothing in it to help your dog to stay healthy.
Chicken meal, rice, brown rice, oatmeal, soy protein isolate, rice flour, chicken fat, natural chicken flavor, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), anchovy oil (source of EPA/DHA), soya oil, salt, calcium carbonate, dried egg product, fructo-oligosaccharides, potassium chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, taurine, potassium citrate, L-tyrosine, vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), inositol, niacin, L-ascorbyl
NOW LOOK WHATS IN MY BRAND OF CHOICE. See the difference? Notice all the meats how about whole eggs. Notice NO useless grains.
Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, lake whitefish, chicken fat, sweet potato, whole eggs, turkey, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, salmon, natural chicken flavour, sunflower oil, sun-cured alfalfa, dried brown kelp, carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes, apples, psyllium, dulse, glucosamine Hcl, cranberries, black currants, rosemary extract, chondroitin sulfate, sea salt.
pat small here is a list of some very good dog foods and not in any order
Artemis*
Blue Wilderness
Go
Horizon*
Evo****
Innova**
Instinct***
Orijen************************
Taste of the Wild***
Wellness
Acana**
Fromm*
Merrick
Canidae
Evanders
Earthborn
Natures Variety
Natures logic
Solidgold
Pinnacle
Timberwolf
Blue Buffalo
Halo
California Natural**
WOW this crap is even worse than I thought. Go ahead kill your dog, but remember you read this !!!!
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/newpetfoodrecalls/brand_list.cfm?Trade_Name=Royal%20Canin&pet=Dog
Jess, you obviously have no idea what you are talking about. Chicken meal, is a higly digestable protein. it has water and fat removed. rice is a starch, a carbohydrate which provides energy for your dog. it also provides fiber. isn’t fiber important? Soy protein isolate is a highly digestable protein. Dried beet pulp (white) is a fermentable/non fermentable fiber, this helps grow good bacteria in the gut and gets rid of the bad. anchovy oil is highly concentrated omega 3 omega 6 which provides nurishment for skin and coat. you ever see EPA and DHA on baby formula? thats because it also helps with congnivtive learning. dried egg is the most digestible protein sources, its almost perfect.
Now agreed your ingredients may look better on paper (fruits and veggies) and the average consumer will say “oh boy my dog is eating so healthy” , but at the end of the day being anthropomorphic is the not the key to a dog or cats nutrition. what are cranberries and blueberies doing in the diet? they are antioxidents, RC just has them in a more synthetic, digestable form. the ingredients have to be to be broken down into form for them to be used for energy. so really nutrients are more important than ingredients. potato by the way is a starch, needed for energy but most vet’s agree that the insulin spike that potato gives is not as good as corn used as a carbohydrate. Corn also contains a little fat which is used for energy and linelaic acid which is good for skin and coat. so all you grain haters need to keep reading the research.. i dont’ know of anyone that is alergic to corn, let alone dogs. it’s usually a protein source and the only way to find out if they allergic to something is to switch them to a different diet for 6 months and then switch them back to see if the symptoms happen again. Most skin problems are from poor diets to begin with. Once they are switched to a premium food grain or no grain, those symptoms typically go away anyway.
I never had anyone tell me I didn’t know what I was talking about and then try and say soy,corn and beet pulp is good for dogs. I have never said nor well I ever say chicken meal is bad for dogs, so please don’t put words in my mouth. My god you have no clue, CORN IS AS BAD AS IT GETS FOR DOGS, IT CAUSES SKIN,COAT, EAR AND EYE PROBLEMS IN DOGS. DOG DO NOT NOR CAN THEY DIGEST CORN AND THAT IS A FACT. It really does amaze me when people who only use a letter as there name come here and try to act like they know soething about dog food.
Here is a link to a great site and you need to spend some long hours reading. Oh and be sure to check out the ONE STAR DOG FOODS because that is where you’ll find this dog posion.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/