Is royal canin one of the best pet foods? What should I look for in dog and cat foods?

Question

Can you give me a breif and simple idea of what I should look for in my dog/cat dry food? Is royal canin one of the best? what makes one premium food better than another? Thanks!

Answer 1

No, Royal Canin isn't one of the best. It's on the lower end in fact.

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There is no single food that is "best". For example, some dogs thrive on grain-free foods, while grain-free is too rich for other dogs. What you want to find is the high-quality food that *your dog* does best on.

I recommend feeding dry food. It's healthier for the gums and teeth.

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On choosing a good dog food:
Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food. A grain should not be in the first couple ingredients ingredient (corn and such are mainly fillers, dogs don't digest it well). Avoid foods that have a lot of "by products" listed.

Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd

And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

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Some GOOD foods are :
* Merrick - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
* Solid Gold - http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/
* Canidae - http://www.canidae.com/
* Timberwolf - http://timberwolforganics.com/
* Orijen - http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/orijen/
* Wellness - http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/
* Chicken Soup brand - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/
* Blue Buffalo - http://www.bluebuff.com/
* Innova - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp
* Innova EVO - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp

Or check this website for good foods: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
(I recommend only feeding foods rated 4, 5, or 6 stars. Anything 3 stars or less, I would stay away from.)

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Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery store foods are those like Beneful, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, Purina, etc.)

Beware "premium" foods. "Premium" does not mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. It has the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc..)

Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that's why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don't focus a lot on nutrition. It's not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told "this is good food", so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it's good as well.

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Higher quality food may seem more expensive at first, but it evens out. The higher quality the food, the less fillers eaten (and therefore the less poop comes out the other end). Your dog eats more to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, it will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.

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"Big box" petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. (I do believe that PetCo sells "Solid Gold" brand, which is a quality food, but most of the foods aren't.)

Also, grocery stores and Walmart aren't good places to buy food either.

Your best bets for getting quality dog food are:
- small, locally owned petstores
- dog boutiques
- farm supply stores

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When switching foods, do it gradually. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A
.

Answer 2

Royal Canine is good, but there are may other brands out there that are just as good or better. The best thing to look for is does the dog food contain human-grade ingredients?Most do not, there are only a few that do and if they do, it will state so on the bag. Read the ingredients. Innova is one of the best, it contains human grade ingredients. You will not find it at places like Petco or Pet smart, it is carried at higher end pet stores and veterinarian offices. It is expensive though, around $1.00 per lb. There isn't one best food brand, but may good brands. However some are better than others. It just depends on your dog's needs and your finances. If you can afford to feed your dog expensive food, go for it, but read the labels to familiarize yourself with what is in the bag. Review this web site for more information:
http://www.iei.net/~ebreeden/kibble.html

Answer 3

It's a quality food. We recommend it and stock it at the vet hospital where I work. Hills Prescription Diet has become less palatable to cats for some reason, so we are recommending Royal Canin. By the way, vets don't get a "kickback" from any pet food company. They do get pay less for it than they sell if for (about 10%) but so do stores.

Answer 4

Hello there!!

I have found a fantastic dried food called Burns - It was recommended to us by a canine behaviourist. You can buy it directly from their website (http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/ ). Its a dry food (cat and dog variations) that is natural, packed full of vitamins, with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and is Organic. It is cheaper than alot of the so-called "premium" dried food such as Hills and Royal Canin, but it does have a use-by date once opened (which I personally find quite reassuring).

I use it with our kitten and dog. My mum uses it with her persians. Her cats have notoriously funny tummies and they do fantastic with Burns dried food. I have also noticed that our dog's mess isn't as smelly.

They also do a range of organic treats. Our cat, dog and parrots all go Crazy for their dried carrot treats.

If you wanna use a wet food for either cats or dogs try a product called Forthglade - you can pick it up at some vets!

hope that Helps

Ria
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Answer 5

Ask your vet for the food best suited to your cat or dog!