Hello from me and my 7 month old black lab Harley. I feed Harley Royal Canin Maxi Puppy but started reading dogfoodadvisor and allaboutdogfood and they both give Royal Canin Maxi really low scores for quality of ingredients. The chicken by-products sound nasty and not very nutricous. This is surprising because I buy it from his vet?! But I do not like what those sites say about it. So now I am confused, do people here believe those review sites are fair? Is Royal Canin good for my beautiful dog?Thank you from us both!
Hi and welcome to the forum.I have to admit I have never read the reviews on these sites so couldn't comment as to whether they are 'fair'. In it's preparation and content Royal Canin is probably no worse than many other kibbles and considerably better than some, although not as good as something like Origin, and Royal Canin Maxi puppy is very much a 'high street' food available from many outlets not just vets. The important thing is that your avoid cheap kibbles as much as possible and that your puppy is happy, thriving with no tummy upsets.
I second MaccieD I think a lot of us here probably worry more about what we feed our dog than what we eat ourselves I like to read the allaboutdogfood website and I tend to think its a fairly reliable source of information on the whole, but also read the "comments" section. Can sometimes reveal more about the products. I wholeheartedly support the use of a mid-price kibble over feeding "a bit of this/a bit of that". We usually say, use as good a food as you can afford.......
I'm afraid I disagree with most of the dog food review sites - I think they are rubbish, and I have to restrain myself from saying so every time anyone recommends them! For example, most will give 'real meat' a higher rating than 'meat meal' yet completely ignore the fact that by the time the moisture is extracted from 'real meat' in the process to make kibble the meat content ends up way down the list... I also have little respect for a dismissal of ingredients as 'fillers'. It's possible to say things about the nutritional content of X or Y but to group a vast array of ingredients under the heading of 'fillers' is just ridiculous.... And don't get me started on claims that grain, wheat etc. are all 'bad'....proteins are much more likely to cause problems in dogs... Anyway. Rant over. Do not believe everything you read on the internet, be wary of review sites that often earn commission. And if you want some decent reading material try "Dog Food Logic" by Linda Case. Although I would never feed a dog a food just because a vet sells it - vets are businesses like any other business, I feed my own dog on Royal Canin - because I have respect for their research programmes, and not because of the opinion of a random review site. I feed another kibble too, a freeze dried kibble - ZiWipeak (but it is horrifically expensive).
Guide Dogs feed Royal Canin exclusively. http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/news/20...de-dogs-announce-new-partnership#.VshVovmLTIU This is what's in the adult variety, from a very balanced review site -- http://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/dog-food-reviews/0062/royal-canin-maxi-adult I prefer Skinners - half the price and just as good .
Why do you think that is a balanced review site though? They have links to purchasing, and absolutely no information about whether they are receiving commission, what investigations they have done in the quality of ingredients (which vary hugely within descriptions given) and so on. So, while it might possibly be a good site, there is no real way to tell as far as I can see.
I've just had a very quick look at the site for Prescription Diets. When they start saying they are only available from Vets so they have an interest in promoting them you have to wonder about the rest if their content. While Hills Prescription isn't available on the High Street it is freely available from most online retailers including PAH and Amazon
The issue I have with the analysis is (for example The site (correctly) states this: When comparing the meat contents of dry foods it is important to remember that since fresh meat contains roughly 70% water (compared to just 8% in meat meal) it is far less nutritionally concentrated than meal and so more is required. And (correctly) this: Because meat meal is only around 5-7% water, it is far more nutritionally concentrated than fresh meat which contains roughly 70% water. For this reason far less meat meal is needed - for example, 20% fresh meat would only equate to around 6.5% meat meal. But when you click on what they think about dehydrated poultry meal in Royal Canin they say this: As with all meats, the quality of the poultry used in pet foods can vary considerably so for more details on the poultry found in your dog's food, please contact the manufacturer directly. They haven't gone the extra mile and actually contacted the manufacturer....so the analysis appears very shallow. I could go on, but suspect I'm getting boring now...
Hey there Harley, my opinion might be biased but i'll try to be as neutral as possible. I used to feed Sirius royal canine, but i noticed that whenever i used to brush his fur i always found dandruff, also i noticed that his pop used to be either ok at times and too soft at times. I just started recently to change it for another kibble, what i can tell you is this, if your dog has a nice fur and his poop is fine and he/she doesn't have any problem with it, stick with it otherwise you might consider to change it. Do whatever you think it's the best for your dog =)
Not at all - I am fascinated. My niece's gundog (Springer) Bryn gets all sorts of food including Bakers and seems fit as a flea. They buy whatever is cheap and on the shelf! It's a good point about the poultry - but I can't see anywhere on RCs site where they explain where it is from. I do trust Guide Dogs not to feed their dogs rubbish - they invest £50,000 in every dog from birth to retirement, so they will have researched very well. My only question is the cost (for us lot, not GDs - I am sure they get a huge discount) - Skinner's salmon and rice has excellent ingredients at a much, much cheaper price. Tatze is very healthy and glossy on it or I would think again, of course. (oh - and I find RC greasy to touch so I use the Skinners for their ordinary reward treats!) .
I feed Fred my 23 months old Lab on Royal Canin and he is health and fit. My female Annie 14 weeks is on Millie Wolfheart food and she is find too. Both dogs have lovely shiny fur coats. I don't buy any food from my vet, I buy on line and it is delivery to my house. No carrying Is your dog health and fit on Royal Canin?
Just for the avoidance of doubt I'm not arguing one way or the other about Royal Canin and it's certainly expensive - it's just when you try unpick the details on the website, it all seems to get a bit random. I don't feed chicken, I feed one with duck meat, including partly rendered duck meat, all from sources which are suitable for human consumption. I have sent the following message to Royal Canin, I'll post the reply: I am a pet owner but looking very carefully at what options to feed a puppy. Please could you give me the details of what is contained in dehydrated poultry meal in your product "Royal Canin Large Breed Puppy"? I understand this will contain meat, skin and bone - but does it also include feathers, heads, feet and entrails? If it does, why is it ok to feed this? I do understand that there is some nutritional value, but want to know about the pros and cons. Is it only from one source (eg chicken) or several? Also, can you say what standards of quality apply? In terms of the checks you do on the quality of poultry used?
Drat, I should have really asked about the different quantities of the poultry parts - I mean a whole chicken would include feet etc. and not so much wrong with that, we just want to know if it's only feet....I can send a follow up message.
It is interesting isn't it! Looking forward to hearing what Royal Canin have to say. From this quite lengthy about page it would appear that they charge a monthly fee for the buy online buttons irrespective of the rating that they give the product. It's quite an interesting read
When I get my Royal Canin on line (not from Royal Canin web site) instead of it being £58.79 it is only £34 and it is delivered to my door.
