ROYAL CANIN DOG FOOD
Royal Canin brand dog food is produced and marketed by Royal Canin, Inc. Royal Canin was first founded in 1967, by a veterinary surgeon named Jean Cathary. Though founded in the village of Gard, France, the headquarters of Royal Canin are now located in Aimargues, France. In 2002, Royal Canin was taken over by Mars, Inc. After that, Royal Canin acquired several brands from grocery giant Del Monte Foods in 2004, which were purchased for a price of $82.5 million. In the year 2006, it was reported that Royal canin had over 3,200 employees, which are mostly located outside of France. Royal Canin was involved in the pet food recalls of 2007, after some of their dry food formulas were discovered to have melamine in their rice protein concentrate. Royal Canin has since issued an apology for the breach in their food's quality, and hasn't had any major problems since then.
ROYAL CANIN DOG FOOD REVIEW
Royal Canin has many different formulas, which are targeted for dogs with specific ages, calorie needs, breed-based nutrition needs, activity levels and growth requirements. Due to the variety of formulas that they currently offer, it may be necessary to special-order some of these formulas online. All of Royal Canin's formulas contain a protein source in the first five ingredients.
ROYAL CANIN DOG FOOD FORMULAS
- Royal Canin Mini Puppy 33 Dog Food
- Royal Canin Mini Indoor Puppy 27
- Royal Canin Mini Adult 27
- Royal Canin Mini Indoor Adult 21
- Royal Canin Mini Toy Indoor Adult 25
- Royal Canin Mini Babydog 30
- Royal Canin Mini Special 30
- Royal Canin Mini Weight Care 28
- Royal Canin Mini Weight Care 30
- Royal Canin Mini Dental Hygiene 24
- Royal Canin Mini Beauty Care 26
- Royal Canin Mini Aging Care 27
- Royal Canin Medium Puppy 32
- Royal Canin Medium Adult 25
- Royal Canin Medium Aging Care 25
- Royal Canin Medium Adult Special 25
- Royal Canin Cynotechnique Energy 4800
- Royal Canin Maxi Babydog 30
- Royal Canin Maxi Large Breed Puppy 32
- Royal Canin Maxi Joint and Coat Care 28
- Royal Canin Maxi Weight Care 27
- Royal Canin Maxi Large Breed Adult
- Royal Canin Maxi Aging Care 26
- Royal Canin Giant Adult 28
- Royal Canin Breed Specific Formulas - These formulas are designed for specific breeds, such as Yorkshire Terriers, Gernam Shepherds, Dachshunds and Cocker Spaniels.
ROYAL CANIN CONSUMER RATINGS
Customer reviews of Royal Canin brand dog food are mixed. Some dog owners report feeding their dogs either the general formulas or the breed-specific formulas with no problems. However, some dog owners noticed that there were some differences between the Royal Canin dog food formulas produced for the United States, and the formulas produced for the UK. Some dog owners even posted the ingredients lists, to cite that there were chemical preservatives included in the UK Royal Canin dog food formulas. Some dogs also seemed to shed more when fed Royal Canin dog food formulas.
47 Responses to “ROYAL CANIN DOG FOOD”
I was just advised to buy this Royal Canin after having to return my Costco brand Kirkland dog food because of a Diamond Pet Food recall for Salmonella here in Canada! I am extremely upset about this recall and am desperately trying to figure out the right substitute for my older dogs! One is a 12 year old Rotweiller/Border Collie Mix and the other is a 7 year old pure-bred Springer Spaniel. I had just switched them both to senior Kirkland dog food from their adult formula to help them lose a bit of weight and to lessen the acid reflux the oldest dog seems to have. Two weeks later, they are all recalled! It was suggested that I try Natural Balance but they ALSO are on the recall – as are some other pet foods! Can someone please assure me that the suppliers for Royal Canin are stringently tested and tell me HOW they are guaranteeing me that my dogs will be safe? thanks!
When I first got my Golden Retriever, the breeder advised me that I stick with Purina Pro Plan and because my vet recommended that I use Royal Canin, I shifted to Royal Canin Maxi Large Breed Adult. Luckily I only bought a small bag to first try out and I converted the food slowly to RC. After three weeks, Sasha would resist eating RC and itched a lot. He spends half of his day itching or while try to communicate with him the itching still continued.
I then decided to another Vet for a second opinion and he put lucky on Ziwipeak Canned Food and asked me alternate it with Artemis Maximal Dog to isolate the issue. After 2 weeks of monitoring, there has been no signs of itching, tearing and excessive thirst. I have also tried the lamb rolls from Artemis and I keep surprising lucky once a week with a variety.
Hope this helps and my best bet would be Artemis Maximal Dog, Ziwi Can, Artemis Osopure Cans and Lamb Rolls.
our vet has started our pup on the allergy type royal canin but 1 i cant find it here ? and how many cup fulls should a 5 month old pup have when fully transitioned on to it
Just got my 6 week old GS puppy. The breeders just started the pups on puppy chow. I however after researching decided to put him on Royal Canin for large breed puppies. We’ve notice his stools are very watery. Now I don’t know if it’s from changing his food, Royal Canin brand or the de-worming med the breeders had him on??
Taking him to vet Sat. but wanted to see if anyone has experienced this as well. Now I have 2 cats been on IAMs and never had a problem. I’m just wanting what’s best for our German Shepherd puppy.
I have fed my 3 dogs (2 Maltese and a Maltipoo)Royal Canin Mini Toy Indoor Adult 25 for over 5 years now with no issues. They are all very picky and this is the only brand/type of dog food they would eat. I have tried feeding them other premium brands as well but they would not even bother. Today, I just found out that Royal Canin has discontinued this line and has replaced it with their X-Small line. When I tried to compare the ingredients, I noticed the new XS line has corn in it and comes with lesser protein content. This is a problem for me and I now have to find a appropriate replacement food for my doggies now that RC discontinued the line.
Hey Casey,
I am a breeder and HUGE advocate for royal canin, I literally have all my pups on it and maintain relations with all puppy buyers to make sure they’re still on the good stuff
That being said, we’re all on this food and I had many people contact me regarding this issue as we’ve all been told the same thing. I contacted RC and they aren’t discontinuing this line, stores just won’t be carrying it anymore- but they may be able to order it for you? You may only be able to get the smaller size bags but that tends to cost more so I wasn’t willing to go that way. I would get into contact with someone from RC, I did today and recieved an email in response immediatelty 
They can probably figure something out for you, as they understand we have raised our dogs on a certain food. Please don’t go buy into the cheap foods like iams, purina, eukanuba, etc….this company does more research than anybody else and I am studying to be a veterinarian and it’s the food we all reccomend. Good luck!
I have fed my gsd on RC since he was 12 weeks. He is now 8 months and as strong as a small pony. Great food.has been very beneficial to him in every way.
Have a 2 1/2 year old Shin Tzu, after running out of the food we received with him, have had him on Royal cain Shin Tzu food for ABOUT 2 YRS now, no problems at all, other then adding some extra vegs or meat from time to time plus omega oil added, he does great.
I have used Royal Canin in the past before I found that I had a cocker sensitive to chicken by allergy testing. Despite the wheat and corn gluten meal in the Cocker Spaniel Royal Canin Food. They all LOVED IT. It is loaded with vitamins and healthy omega fatty acids. The kibble makes them chew their food and not inhale it. They ate much less. I just wish it came in something other than chicken for the price they charge. Take out the wheat and corn gluten meal and you would have a customer for life. Otherwise we would have to go to the Prescription Venison formula which is excellent. I am a grain free advocate but I also know that not every dog needs a grain free diet or can tolerate it. Some dogs need more protein and fat. EVERY DOG IS DIFFERENT. But the problem is I cannot find the large bags in Petsmart or Petco unless i order it online. I think it is a decent food albeit rather expensive for the ingredients used.
I was using Purina pro plan robust the coat was shiny on my rotti but with royal canin giant puppy is chabi
The reason they drink more on royal canin is they have added slightly more salt to the diets to increase the water intake therefore to decrease commonly seen problems such as urinary problems and crystals etc. This is very beneficial and exactly what the food is designed to do. This food is an extremely GOOD food, those of you having problems I imagine you are adding other things into the diet such as omega oils, vitamins etc which is the worse thing you can do and probably creating all the problems you are seeing. The food is designed to be balanced (ie nothing else is needed) any thing else just upsets this balance.
My 8.6lb male rat terrier dog recently had a urine analysis. It came back with lots of crystals in his urine. The vet wanted me to start feeding him the prescription Royal Canin Urinary SO 14, but I have been feeding him the Innova EVO grain free chicken. Is there another food with better quality ingredients without the corn and by products in Royal Canin that will help his urinary issues? Or, a supplement/homeopathic remedy that will keep his bladder/crystals/prevention of kidney stones under control?
I have a 12 yr old Westie who has always had severe allergies, seemingly progressively worse each year. Didn’t think he make it another year, hated using prednisone. He was put on Royal Canin venison/potato…absolutely nothing else, no table food and no treats. Also an Omega-3 oil supplement, but I am not good at giving it to him every day. Regardless, you would not believe the difference in his coat and skin. Really great. He has quit licking his feet, and scratching his back under the coffee table, and tearing hunks of hair out of his hind qtrs. I am a believer…highly recommend anyone with a dog with allergies, try this for a couple months. Worth every penny if you don’t have to go to the vet all spring/summer/fall.
I have been feeding my 3 year od Westie Roayl Canain W H Terrier food for a couple of years after a colleague said it improved his Westie’s coat. My Westie doesn;t have excema and never has but I thought it might help prevent it. She doesn’;t really like it much so I have to chop up chicken treats on top for her.
I have heard that France imports genetically modified soya bean etc which they use in this food – is this true?
Thanks for an answer – Caroline
I have been feeding my Frenchies Royal Canin Bulldogs for 3 years. However recently, they are having watery poops. Is anyone having the same problem? Has Royal Canin change formulas in their ingredients? I would appreciate any response.
We had an american bulldog with multiple food allergies…and we ran the gamut with pet food brands. Nothing short of home cooking her meals seemed to work. I did try royal canin bulldog formula and while her skin wasn’t spectacular on it, she wasn’t as gassy and the special kibble shapes were actually easier for her to eat. (Evry other type of kibble ended up flying all over the place while she ate) The food did do what it said (less gas, easy to eat, the kibbles are “s” shaped)
I tried out the Royal Canin because my pugs noticed some kind of change in the Natural Balance and no longer wanted to eat it. I had been a big fan of the Natural Balance because it was the best for the skin allergies that a bulldog that I had developed.
Unfortunately my boys love the Royal Canin Pug 25. There is no doubt that this is far and away their favorite food on the market but they may not get to eat it all that regularly as the price is patently absurd. I’ve noticed no change in their water consumption and their skin is as healthy as ever, so I can’t say that I’ve anything negative to say about the product EXCEPT for the fact that it’s just too cost prohibitive to use (or at least it is when you’ve got three pugs).
My 3 Pugs are on Royal Canin Pug 25. I used to give them Royal Canin Mini Adult but I changed to Pug 25 after it came on the market. When it went out of stock, I changed to Hills on the advice of the Vet, but that seems to have been a mistake because my dogs ended up with skin problems. I also found dry skin with the Royal Canin so now I reduce the amount of Royal Canin, add shredded chicken and concentrated chicken soup plus a Food Booster and a teaspoon of fish oil containing Omega 3 and Omega 6 and the problems seems to have subsided. I would love to use Orijen but it is unfortunately, not available in India.
Royal Canin is made with animal fat which inhances the taste for your animal. This fat is the reason your dog will want to drink more water. Also there is a high content of corn, and other grains which will cause many allergies. Itchy skin and hot spots. There is better food on the market with a better price point, and you will notice your pet happier.
Try Wellness, Natural Balance (great food for allergies) or even Now! or Go!
Vets will recommend Royal Canin, or Hills science diet, but these foods are not high grade and do contain byproducts.
Cheryl,
Those are some seriously honourable mentions (especially NOW!) but ANYTHING can cause allergies, not just grains. The reason so many pets are allergic to grains and chicken these days it because, until recently, that was what most pet foods were made with. Most of the time, intolerances develop from overexposure!
There are NO by products in royal canin! Get the facts before you post!
You are totally wrong. Royal Canin does “not” contain by-products.
I have a 7 week old shih tzu, jack russell terrier mix puppy. The previous owners were feeding her Beneful, and after buying a bag and realinzing after i got it home and the store was closed that there were worms and webs in it, i decided to switch to a higher quality puppy food. I went to the store and they told me to get royal canin babydog 30 food. She has not had an issue switching to it. I didn’t incorperate the old food because of every bag of the previous food in the store has the the same worms in it. We haven’t had andy stool or vomiting issues at all. Overall I am very happy with the food.
omg! changing from Beneful to R.C. is a big change, price-wise and quality-wise. Good for our puppy
My 2 Jack Russells are very tirsty and have bad gas at night from eatting Royal Canin. I was mixing it with Eukanuba; best combination for picking up in the back yard, but now I think I will change to something else. This is not working for us.
The gas is related to you mixing the formulas. You are not guarantee that with every scoop you are getting equal portions. So you are basically disrupting the microflora and causing many of them to die off and therefore many of the ingredients are making it to the colon and fermenting instead of being digested. THis is a very common mistake that many pet owners do, they want the best of both formulas, however, you actually get the worst! Both cats and dogs have roughly 1/4 the microflora we do (less per squred cm and less species) hence were the gas and upset tummy comes from when you switch the diet drastically (if you own horses you will understand the importance of a proper transition), if constantly feeding a mixed diet you are never really letting the bacteria “catch” up per say.
I have a 7 yr. old Chihuahua that has been fed Royal Canin for 7 years. I had to change to another brand because of the price increases. I cannot and will not pay $14.99 for 2.5 of dog food. It went to $16.99 and they finally dropped it to $14.99 after a few months, but I’m still not buying it.
It upsets me that a company would increase their prices that much! My poor baby don’t know what to think…
Joyce,
Your reservations are notable, however, you get what you pay for. As with almost everything, you pay for quality. I’m not advocating for RC but think that if you want to feed your dog a balanced, healthy diet then you should be prepared to fork out the cash. It will save you the vet bills in the future.
I just switched my dog who is an 8 year old boxer to Royal Canin Maxi Large Breed Adult. She seems to love the food and gobbles it up but has excessive thirst and does not stop drinking or peeing all the time now. Little worried. Anyone have anything similar?
my two cockers were on burns and one changed to royal canin for weight loss when he reached his ideal weight put them both on royal canin what a big mistake stich my oldest drinks constantly on it and is peeing for scotland also his itchy coat has come back and seemed starving on it i have put them back on burns as royal canin is a nightmare
Andrea: I have the same problem. my dog is drinking and peeing a lot since I have switched to Purina. he had three accidents recently. he has had no accident in 6 months!
Yes. I bought a german shepherd puppy from Petland who sent me home with this brand of dog food. One thing I noticed is that she has an excessive (I think) thirst for water and pees ALOT. But I wasn’t quite sure what to contribute it to.
I have a Westie 11 years old and started her on Royal Canin today due to severe and chronic skin disorders. Anyone having the same problem with their dogs, I would appreciate any help.
I also have a Westie 3.5 years old which has always been fed with Royal Canin, and have never had any allergies or skin disorders.
I wish you good luck!
Switch your dog to a no grain food.
Orijen
Inova
Those two are the best around. Royal Canin is not a very high quality food and will cause itching with all the grains.
Nick
Just so you know allergies are NOT caused by grains. Allergies are caused by a protien (only a protien an elicite an immune response). Therefore anything with a protien in it can cause an allergic reaction. Everyone thinks that no grain is the way to go to avioid allergies. This theory is False! There have actually been many research articles coming out now showing allergies to portatos, fish, rabbit, lamb. The only reason that chicken and grains got a bad wrap was that they were common to ingredient decks. Now that even more ingredietns are being used we are seeing allergies to them now as well (even though only 2% of actual documented allergy cases are food specific).
Grains contain proteins too!!!!! All cells contain proteins! and it is just as possible to have a reaction to plant based proteins! My vet says that chicken and rice are the most common food allergens for puppies, although I see that opinion is divided on this. I have tried many foods to stop my 7 month old springer’s eyes from watering, her ears from becomming overly waxy and her skin from itching. Burns “Pork and Potato” variety has been by far the most effective.
Nick,
Make sure you have your facts straight my man… Royal Canin does more research than all the other companies combined. Innova, Orijen, Nat Balance, etc don’t even do feeding trials on most of their foods. More over, they promote that meat is the first ingredient (de-boned chicken, which is essentially chicken breast)… that’s 80% water so when it’s cooked, as it is in dog food, it’s not longer the 1st ingredient, and it become chicken meal (meal is just dehydrated meat, no bones, organs, feet, etc). So 5lbs of deboned chicken is equal to 1lb of chicken meal. Consider yourself successfully marketed to by the Blue Buffalo’s of the world. To Mel’s point, she is 100% accurate. Allergies are due to protein, and when people switch their foods due to corn or grains, most of the foods out there use venison or salmon as a protein source and that’s really what helps the pet.
(April 2010)
Make sure you have your facts straight MY MAN!
Chicken meal, according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), is the dry rendered product from a combination of clean chicken flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from whole carcasses of chicken, exclusive of feathers, heads, feet and entrails.
***“4D” animals (dead, dying, diseased or disabled) are allowable chicken meal ingredients. While not always present, the possible inclusion of these ingredients makes chicken meal always considered unfit for human consumption!!!
The people at PetSmart tell me Royal Canin is one of their least healthy dog foods. They say they have many others that are superior to Royal Canin.
However, my dogs love Royal Canin. I have tried others and they turn their noses up at them.
So Royal Canin is what I buy. It is getting harder to find, and the price has gone way up.
Anyone know of any coupons for Royal Canin???
Hi, you should change dog food, buy Orijen brand they have no cereal no preservatives no grain, my dog Ben loves it.
Debbie,
There is no simple answer when dealing with food sensitivities or allergies. You first have to think of what your dog has been exposed to. What was the main protein source of his previous diet? If it was chicken based and had grains, then switching to Royal Canin is not going to help you as their formulas are all chicken based and have grains. Switch to a limited ingredient diet with an alternative protein source (ex lamb, salmon, venison, etc) and make sure it is grain free (unless, of course, you’ve always fed a grain free diet).
It should take about 3 weeks for the previous food to completely leave their system, so be patient and diligent in not giving your pup any other treats.
We have feed our dachshund Royal Canin since he was a puppy. However, over the last 20 months he has been having skin problems. We at first thought it was insect bites, but he is reluctant to eat his new bag of R.C. food and the itch is worse than ever. Has anyone else experienced this problem?
Hi Wendy, This year has actually been a very bad year for allergies in humans and all sorts of animals (ranging from cats to horses). Many vet clinics this year cannot get over the amount of allergy cases they are recieving. From this I would guess in your case it is environmental allergies (they are a HUGE % of allergy cases and the hardest to deal with). I would advise talking with your vet, and maybe trying a skin specific formula. Dont just fall for formulas that have fish in them though, it takes much more than Omegas to help the skin! (a whole array of nutrients from vitamins, minerals, proteins and fats) All these combined will help your little Dachshund
Wow…I’m so glad I came here and read these. My little toy poodle is itching so bad she keeps me up all night. She scrathes so much she draws blood. Since she has no abrasions or flees I was leaning towards food allergies now I’m almost certain.
I fed Royal Canin German Shepherd puppy 30 food as my dog’s breeder recommended it. I noticed my puppy began to scratch and coat seemed a bit dry and he eyes would water on and off. Took her to the vet and he changed her diet. Allegies!!! She is fine now, feeding Wellness duck and potato canned and the whirefish potato kibble. I believe there are way too many grains and wheat in Royal Canin food I think. Dogs get itchey from grains, wheat etc.
I have 2 cats that are 10 years old and have been on royal canin cat food since kittens, they do great. Its more expensive but never any issues with them. We got a puppy 6 months ago, and put him on royal canin puppy and its great. JUST WISH YOU ALL WOULD HAVE COUPONS NOW AND AGAIN TO HELP WITH THE PRICE…
thanks
Diane