Royal Canin: what is in it, and what we would feed instead
Breed-specific, prescription diets · PetSmart, vets, Pet Valu (owned by Mars, Incorporated)
Our take
Royal Canin is well-made and the prescription lines do a real job for a diagnosed condition, so never drop one without your vet. For a healthy dog or cat, though, you are paying a premium for corn, wheat, brewers rice and by-product meal in a breed-shaped kibble.
What the label says
Royal Canin's appeal is the breed-specific and condition-specific range. Read the ingredient lists and most formulas rest on chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, corn and wheat. The breed-specific formulas often differ mainly in kibble shape and a few mineral adjustments. The veterinary prescription diets are a separate conversation: they are formulated for a diagnosis, and any change should go through your vet.
- Corn and wheat lead most formulas
- Brewers rice ahead of the protein in some
- Caramel colouring in many varieties
- Owned by Mars, Incorporated (also Pedigree, Whiskas, Iams, Eukanuba)
- Breed-specific recipes differ less than the packaging suggests
- Whole, named protein
- Moisture in the food (raw is about 70% water; kibble about 10%)
- Protein rotation
- No starch binder
- Fresh fats and omega-3s
By-product meal flag: "Chicken by-product meal" as ingredient #1 or #2 is rendered from the parts left after the cuts people eat (necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, intestines), not muscle meat. The protein percentage can look the same as a whole-meat recipe; the digestibility is less consistent.
The switch at Barks N Purrs
Perfectly Raw or Big Country Raw with Adored Beast Love Bugs. For a prescription diet, bring the plan to your vet first.
Website prices on 2026-09-26. Cost per day is a starting estimate at 2.5% of body weight for an adult dog; your plan uses your pet's real weight and age.
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Three minutes: who they are, what is going on, what they eat now. You get the food, the first two supplements, the amount to feed and the cost per day, emailed to you as a shopping list to bring in.
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