germanshepherdlove Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 My dog is nearly finished her first bag of Royal Canin. I have always been led to believe this is a good brand. We are close to finishing a 15kg bag and after going onto the RC website and actually reading the ingredients (my husband threw the packaging out when we stored the food in a tub), I am having second thoughts about purchasing another bag. She loves the food and a lot of people recommended it to me which is why I tried it but I am confused about how this is a super premium food? The ingredients are listed below: Maize, dehydrated poultry meat, maize flour, animal fats, dehydrated pork protein, maize gluten, hydrolysed animal roteins, beet pulp, minerals, fish oil, soya oil, yeast, egg powder, ydrolysed crustaceans (source of Glucosamine), taurine, hydrolysed artilage (source of chondroitin). Maize as the first and third ingredient instead of meat as the first ingredient, poultry meat....doesnt specify which animal and not in "meal" form like a lot of other premium foods, beet pulp, egg powder instead of whole eggs......I am paying over $100 a bag for this stuff! Can anyone please fill me in? It doesnt read well so why do so many people on this forum recommend it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 (edited) Royal Canin weighs their meat once it's been dehydrated - not all dry foods do that...think about how much water weight there is in fresh meat :D ETA - and everything before the fats and oils is what mostly makes up the food. Also i'd consider the GSD range...it's what i use for my GSD's and i couldn't be happier with the results Edited March 30, 2011 by KitKat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirst_goldens Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 GS i know where ur coming from... Kitkat with or without the water surely there should still be more meat the MAIZE?? there is soo much filler in it and yet dogs look amazing on it and breeders rave about it?? im also confused this is the one brand that messes with me, all the others is black adn white u read the label and it looks like crap a quick search and everyone agrees- dont use it.. RC label looks like crap.. quick search people love it... bugger!!! bhahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 (edited) GS i know where ur coming from...Kitkat with or without the water surely there should still be more meat the MAIZE?? there is soo much filler in it and yet dogs look amazing on it and breeders rave about it?? im also confused this is the one brand that messes with me, all the others is black adn white u read the label and it looks like crap a quick search and everyone agrees- dont use it.. RC label looks like crap.. quick search people love it... bugger!!! bhahaha RC tends to be highly palatable and my Whippet boy loves it. If the proof of the value of the food is how well dogs do on it, RC makes the grade. Don't know what kind of RC you're looking at but this is what's in the one I feed. Meat is first product listed. Dehydrated poultry meat, animal fats, wheat flour, maize lour, maize, dehydrated pork protein, beet pulp, wheat, hydrolysed nimal proteins, maize gluten, minerals, fish oil, yeasts, soya oil, fructooligo-saccharides, DL-methionine, yeast extract (source of manno-oligosaccharides), gg powder, taurine, marigold extract (source of lutein). And here's the poodle one Chicken meal, corn gluten meal, ground corn, chicken fat (naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract and citric acid), ground barley, ground oatmeal, chicken, natural chicken flavor, powdered cellulose, dried beet pulp, salmon oil, soy protein isolate, dried brewers yeast, soya oil, calcium sulfate, potassium chloride, chicory extract, DL-methionine, sodium tripolyphosphate, L-lysine, choline chloride, borage oil, taurine*, Vitamins [dl-alpha tocopherol (source of vitamin E), inositol, niacin, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), d-calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A acetate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], Trace Minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, calcium iodate], L-cystine, L-tyrosine, glucosamine hydrochloride Edited March 31, 2011 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodoggies2001 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 GS i know where ur coming from...Kitkat with or without the water surely there should still be more meat the MAIZE?? there is soo much filler in it and yet dogs look amazing on it and breeders rave about it?? im also confused this is the one brand that messes with me, all the others is black adn white u read the label and it looks like crap a quick search and everyone agrees- dont use it.. RC label looks like crap.. quick search people love it... bugger!!! bhahaha RC tends to be highly palatable and my Whippet boy loves it. If the proof of the value of the food is how well dogs do on it, RC makes the grade. Don't know what kind of RC you're looking at but this is what's in the one I feed. Meat is first product listed. Dehydrated poultry meat, animal fats, wheat flour, maize lour, maize, dehydrated pork protein, beet pulp, wheat, hydrolysed nimal proteins, maize gluten, minerals, fish oil, yeasts, soya oil, fructooligo-saccharides, DL-methionine, yeast extract (source of manno-oligosaccharides), gg powder, taurine, marigold extract (source of lutein). And here's the poodle one Chicken meal, corn gluten meal, ground corn, chicken fat (naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract and citric acid), ground barley, ground oatmeal, chicken, natural chicken flavor, powdered cellulose, dried beet pulp, salmon oil, soy protein isolate, dried brewers yeast, soya oil, calcium sulfate, potassium chloride, chicory extract, DL-methionine, sodium tripolyphosphate, L-lysine, choline chloride, borage oil, taurine*, Vitamins [dl-alpha tocopherol (source of vitamin E), inositol, niacin, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), d-calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A acetate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], Trace Minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, calcium iodate], L-cystine, L-tyrosine, glucosamine hydrochloride Kirst Golden, I agree. The ingredients list posted by Poodlefan does list 'meat' first but the rest of the ingredients following are in my opinion just fillers. The poodle one has chicken meal first. Heaven only knows what that is meant to be!!! Dogs are carnivores there need meat and the valuable proteins that go with it. Fish is also an excellent source of protein as is cottage cheese and egg. Taurine is a natural occurence in raw meat. In my opinion buying a bag of this or any other such food is throwing money away. I can actually purchase Royal Canin at wholesale prices because I have connections in the pet industry and wouldn't waste my money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diva Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 The ingredients list posted by Poodlefan does list 'meat' first but the rest of the ingredients following are in my opinion just fillers. The poodle one has chicken meal first. Heaven only knows what that is meant to be!!! Chicken meal 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'. It's dried meat and skin, may include bone, doesn't include feathers or guts. I have no problem with a product listing 'meal' from a named animal source. If it lists 'by-products' , or just meat or meat meal without a named animal, I run a mile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodoggies2001 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 The ingredients list posted by Poodlefan does list 'meat' first but the rest of the ingredients following are in my opinion just fillers. The poodle one has chicken meal first. Heaven only knows what that is meant to be!!! Chicken meal 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'. It's dried meat and skin, may include bone, doesn't include feathers or guts. I have no problem with a product listing 'meal' from a named animal source. If it lists 'by-products' , or just meat or meat meal without a named animal, I run a mile. My dogs mini schnauzers, love the feet nails and all, entrails and whatever is attached except for the fatty skin and on one rare occasion, there was a head in amongst the goodies. Jasper didn't quite know what to do with it but finally worked out that it was good enough to eat lol. I love the way they crunch through the edible bones and the sight of seeing them with a chicken foot hanging out of their mouths is hilarious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
germanshepherdlove Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Thanks for the replies but I am no less confused I now understand that dehyrated meat is good, however like others have said, I have always been told to stay away from foods that dont name the type of meat. eg; chicken instead of poultry. It lists "animal fats" instead of specifying which animal the fat is from. Maize (corn) in there twice (split ingredients) and also wheat. Other brands are steering clear of wheat, and some of corn. I picked up a brochure today from the local pet store and had a read, unlike other brands, there is no mention of whether this food is irradiated, it says that food manufactured in Europe contains no GMO, however this concerns me about RC manufactured in other countries. Does anyone know if the RC in Australia is imported from Europe or another company with one of their factories? I am not saying this is a bad food, just trying to understand it a bit better. People on this forum are forever giving Science Diet a bad review, however it doesnt seem to read much differently to RC! My dog loves this food and I would like to keep her on it, I just want to make an informed decision. I know I can contact RC directly with questions, however I am sure they will have a great answer for all of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I picked up a brochure today from the local pet store and had a read, unlike other brands, there is no mention of whether this food is irradiated, it says that food manufactured in Europe contains no GMO, however this concerns me about RC manufactured in other countries. Royal Canin sold here is made in France and isn't irradiated. You're never going to find the "perfect" kibble. If your dog is doing well on it, in my opinion, that's the best recommendation a food can get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
germanshepherdlove Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Thanks Poodlefan for the answers. Yes I know there is no perfect kibble and im not looking for one. I am just questioning the grain content in the food. As I said, it reads similar to Science Diet and most people on this forum wouldnt touch the stuff because of the grain content...but RC seems respected? I'm not the crazy dog food lady, just wanted to discuss ingredients As I said, my dog is eating RC, just trying to work out whether a food with such a grain content and sketchy ingredients is worth over $100 a bag or whether I should be looking for a better alternative I picked up a brochure today from the local pet store and had a read, unlike other brands, there is no mention of whether this food is irradiated, it says that food manufactured in Europe contains no GMO, however this concerns me about RC manufactured in other countries. Royal Canin sold here is made in France and isn't irradiated. You're never going to find the "perfect" kibble. If your dog is doing well on it, in my opinion, that's the best recommendation a food can get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Thanks Poodlefan for the answers.Yes I know there is no perfect kibble and im not looking for one. I am just questioning the grain content in the food. As I said, it reads similar to Science Diet and most people on this forum wouldnt touch the stuff because of the grain content...but RC seems respected? I'm not the crazy dog food lady, just wanted to discuss ingredients As I said, my dog is eating RC, just trying to work out whether a food with such a grain content and sketchy ingredients is worth over $100 a bag or whether I should be looking for a better alternative Hey, Crazy Dog Lady is a compliment around here! Unless your dog shows an intolerance to grain, I don't have an issue with feeding it. My guess is RC gets the vote over HSD because dogs do better on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 It's not an exclusive protein formula and frankly a single source protein is not necessary unless the dog has a specific issue with other meats - pure chicken for most breeds anyway is not the best idea. Poultry is just that - domestic food grade poultry species slaughtered for consumption. What is the protein content of the food? If your GSD formula is lower protein then the maize can slightly outweight it ... and remember the ingredients are in order of weight, there can be a teeny difference between the maize and poultry but it has to be listed that way. Then there can be a massive difference between the poultry and maize flour (which is just ground corn) but ditto to the above idea. Egg powder is a dehydrated form of egg that is used in a lot of food (both human and animal) because it's guarenteed analysis as well as its ease of use ... it's basically real eggs dried and powdered. Another point to remember is that pure muscle meat is only abou 30% protein - so those that weigh 'real meat' wet weight, only a third will be usable food source the rest being water ... With RC I believe you get what you pay for. I love the food and almost every dog i've seen on it looks fabulous. Everything we get in Australia is EU ONLY, we do not get Asian/USA made foods and none of it is irradiated. RC are great with customer feedback why dont you email them with your questions I've always found them helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamSnag Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 RC feeder here too.. 10% RC 90% raw.. dogs are doing well on it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I just go by how a dog does on it. My puppy was on pal for a few months (she was recommended by her vet to go on this due to tummy problems), but then started to eat poo. A change of diet to advance (not a super premium) stopped this. she is actually now just on a food allergy diet trial of just pumpkin and roo (which she loves!). Most people we speak to don't seem to notice a difference between hills, eukanuba or RC. I would prefer to feed raw but some dogs don't do well on that either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Have you considered trying Black Hawk dog food?? Maybe look at those ingredients. I have never fed Royal Canin and it is not available down here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzy82 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) RC is far from the best brand out there. On the dog food analysis site ( http://dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ ) RC only gets two stars out of six. I get Canidae, which is grain free, and is a 5 star brand. Artemis is another 5 star brand, but does have some grains in it. Canidae actually works out cheaper per bag than RC as well, which is an added bonus. You can buy Canidae and Artemis online here: http://www.petdeli.com.au/ or here (cheaper shipping on this one): http://www.animalhealthstore.com.au/ Edited April 1, 2011 by fuzzy82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 How many stars a food rates at on some website means jackshit if your dogs don't do well on the food or wont eat it. Everyone has their own favourite to push but it comes down quite simply to what food your dog does best on. No use paying heaps of dollars for something your dog hates, the cat attempts to bury or your animals look lacklustre when fed. If your dog has no specific intolerances or allergy, read your labels, if you are comfortable with the ingredients and the price suits your budget give it a go. If the dog likes it and thrives, then you are on a winner. You will drive yourself crazy analysing and reading every opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
germanshepherdlove Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 Thanks everyone for the replies. I decided to stick with it. I was using Maxi Adult which mentions corn and wheat twice. I purchased a bag of German Shepherd specific today which I was pleasantly suprised to see it contains no wheat at all and reads MUCH better than the Maxi Adult! Fuzzy, I have seen that website and dont think much of it. They only highly rate holistic foods. Im not looking for a holistic food as I am not interested in feeding an American food and this is where they all come from. A long time ago I fed Nutro (American version) which was pulled from the country, had to find something else so went to Orijen which was also pulled from the country as well so I am looking for something more reliable. I also wouldnt touch Eukanuba or Iams, another American food because they are constantly being recalled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilaryo Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I'm very happy with RC and dogs love it. I particularly like the smell. Some dry foods I've bought smell like cardboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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