ROYAL CANIN is part of Mars Petcare. Veterinarian Jean Cathary launched Royal Canin in 1968. The company changed hands in 1972 and 1990. It’s a sister company to Eukanuba under the Mars umbrella.
The goal of Mars is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This applies across its chain of companies. Royal Canin plans to be carbon neutral by 2025. This is admirable. However, they lack information on ingredient sourcing. Royal Canin states it creates precise nutritional formulas. They don’t share details or research.
Royal Canin has 9 manufacturing plants throughout the world. They manufacture dog and cat food on every continent.
For our Royal Canin dog food review, we’ll look at the food ingredient quality and safety of each line of food. Our dog food reviews are based on these criteria.
IS ROYAL CANIN A GOOD DOG FOOD?
Royal Canin produces 4 lines of dog food. There are 2 lines of dry dog food with 86 recipes. There are 2 lines of canned dog food with 22 recipes. The dry foods are among the lowest scoring brands reviewed here. They are all very high risk dog foods by our criteria. The Canned foods are high risk by our criteria.
Most of the dry recipes score 0/10 for ingredient safety. They don’t fare much better for ingredient quality. They have high carbs from grains and starches. Each dry recipe has 3 to 6 in the top 10 ingredients. These include corn, rice, pea fiber, wheat, barley and oat groats. They’re followed by a lengthy list of additives.
There are no discernible whole food ingredients. Fruits and vegetables are absent from all recipes. And so are their nutrients and fiber. Each recipe has a list of 15-30 added vitamins, minerals and amino acids. They provide nutritional balance to the foods. Then they meet the AAFCO minimum requirements. Vitamins and minerals should come from whole food sources. They include a full spectrum of cofactors. This makes them safe and bioavailable. Five or more implies the food is of poor nutritional value. There are very limited proteins used. Amino acids are added to make up for this.
These recipes have sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s usually added in very small amounts. Research suggests that sodium selenite has potential toxicity. Selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral.
Royal Canin offers dozens of breed, size, age and health specific recipes. However, the labels reveal very similar ingredients. They appear to be the same but re-ordered in the recipes. The ingredients include lists of starches and grains. They also have waste products from the human food industry. These include brewers rice, dried beet pulp, powdered cellulose, and psyllium seed husk. They might identify them as sources of fiber. However, fruits and vegetables are a better source of fiber and phytonutrients.
Royal Canin Dry has 40 recipes. They have excessive carbohydrates. They average 40% as calculated. Protein averages 25%.
These recipes target specific health issues, like dental health and weight care. Most lack a clear protein source. Small Sensitive Skin Care lists many inflammatory foods. They include brewers rice, corn gluten meal, wheat gluten, oat groats, dried tomato pomace, dried beet pulp (all waste products), wheat and chicken fat. It includes 30 synthetic nutrients. The Small Coat Care recipe is similar but adds chicken by-product meal. There are no novel ingredients in any of the 40 recipes.
Chicken by-product meal is a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. It’s what’s left of a chicken after the choice cuts are removed. The quality can vary as the raw materials are not consistent. This is allowed as pet food is treated as a feed product. That’s what’s fed to farm animals. It has a different set of requirements from human food.
Royal Canin Breed Specific Dry has 46 recipes. These also have high carbs and low protein.
The recipes cater to breeds like Cocker Spaniels, Bulldogs, Mini Schnauzer, Pugs, Chihuahuas and Golden Retrievers. They are similar to the Dry line. There’s slight variation in ingredient order. However, the package photography is specific to each breed.
All 108 Royal Canin recipes share quality concerns. They contain low-quality ingredients and additives. Many dry and canned foods have cellulose, another waste product. They include ultra-processed and inflammatory seed oils. They have unnamed animal products like fish oil. And they have plant protein like wheat or corn gluten. They are cheaper and lower quality than meat protein. They include ultra-processed and inflammatory vegetable seed oil. There is unnamed fish oil. Unnamed animal or fish products are often low quality. They’re often made from rendered waste.
Safety concerns include high heat processing levels. This destroys nutrients. There are synthetic preservatives. There are high herbicide foods, some in the top 5. There are also GMOs, often in the top 5 ingredients. There is natural flavor. It’s a low quality ingredient. It’s usually made from animal digest or MSG. Most recipes contain rice. It has potential for arsenic contamination.
The 2 lines of canned foods score a bit higher than the dry dog foods. Both are high risk according to our criteria. Royal Canin Canned has 12 recipes. They have average protein of 37%. This is acceptable for canned dog food. Average carbohydrates are 27%. This is high for canned dog food. Royal Canin Breed Specific Canned has 10 recipes. They have average protein of 36%. Average carbohydrates are 24%.
The ingredients in the canned recipes are similar. Most are repeated in a varying order. Each recipe has a list of 23 or more added vitamins and minerals. Canned foods list water first as opposed to food. Unlike the dry foods, these recipes have meat products as the next 4 or 5 ingredients.
There are other ingredient quality concerns. Recipes have cellulose. It’s an insoluble fiber made from wood pulp. Canned foods have similar safety concerns to dry foods. In addition, they have carrageenan. It’s used as a thickener. But it’s linked to intestinal inflammation and other health issues.
There is ingredient splitting in some of these recipes. This is the practice of splitting ingredients into subcategories. It makes them appear lower on the list. It can move desirable protein ingredients higher.
Royal Canin doesn’t state whether fish or fish oil is from farmed or wild sources. Wild-caught fish is more nutritious. It has a better fatty acid balance than farmed fish. Royal Canin doesn’t provide the omega-6:3 ratio. This isn’t unusual among companies. The ratio is always a concern because AAFCO allows a highly inflammatory ratio of 30:1.
Let’s look at each line in a little more detail.
Royal Canin Breed Specific Dry
Score: 1.2/10
Ingredient List For Jack Russell Terrier Adult Dry Recipe: Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, wheat gluten, wheat, corn, chicken fat, natural flavors, dried plain beet pulp, corn gluten meal, fish oil, grain distillers dried yeast, vegetable oil, sodium silico aluminate, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), niacin supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), D-calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A acetate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], salt, fructooligosaccharides, sodium tripolyphosphate, hydrolyzed yeast, choline chloride, L-lysine, DL-methionine, taurine, magnesium oxide, trace minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, copper proteinate], marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.), glucosamine hydrochloride, L-carnitine, green tea extract, chondroitin sulfate, rosemary extract, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid.
Royal Canin Breed Specific Dry is a very high risk dog food by our criteria. There are 46 recipes with 26% protein and 38% carbohydrate as calculated. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for the high carbohydrates. They have excessive added vitamins and minerals, and added amino acids. The recipes also include inflammatory seed oil, plant proteins, cellulose and unnamed animal protein. On the ingredient safety side, these foods are ultra-processed. They use high heat that destroys nutrients. They have high pesticide foods and GMO crops listed in their top 5 ingredients. They also include natural flavor. They use synthetic preservatives. They use rice that can contain arsenic. Royal Canin doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio. This is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation.
Breed Specific Dry Benefits
Breed Specific Dry Concerns
- High in carbohydrates
- Excessive added vitamins & minerals
- Added amino acids
- Seed oil
- Plant protein
- Unnamed protein
- Cellulose
- Ultra processed
- High pesticide/herbicide foods in top 5 ingredients
- GMOs in top 5 ingredients
- Contains rice
- Natural flavor
- Synthetic preservatives
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Doesn’t specify farmed or wild-caught fish
- Ingredient splitting
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Royal Canin Dry
Score: 1.3/10
Ingredient List For Medium Adult 7+ Dry Recipe: Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, wheat, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, natural flavors, dried plain beet pulp, oat groats, wheat gluten, fish oil, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, psyllium seed husk, vegetable oil, fructooligosaccharides, sodium tripolyphosphate, monocalcium phosphate, hydrolyzed yeast, choline chloride, vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), biotin, D-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A acetate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), niacin supplement, folic acid, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], L-lysine, salt, trace minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, manganese proteinate, ferrous sulfate, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, copper proteinate], taurine, GLA safflower oil, L-tyrosine, marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.), magnesium oxide, green tea extract, L-carnitine, rosemary extract, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid.
Royal Canin Breed Specific Dry is a very high risk dog food by our criteria. There are 46 recipes with 26% protein and 38% carbohydrate as calculated. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for the high carbohydrates. They have excessive added vitamins and minerals, and added amino acids. The recipes also include inflammatory seed oil, plant proteins, cellulose and unnamed animal protein. On the ingredient safety side, these foods are ultra-processed. They use high heat that destroys nutrients. They have high pesticide foods and GMO crops listed in their top 5 ingredients. They also include natural flavor. They use synthetic preservatives. They use rice that can contain arsenic. Royal Canin doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio. This is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation.
Breed Specific Dry Benefits
Breed Specific Dry Concerns
- High in carbohydrates
- Excessive added vitamins & minerals
- Added amino acids
- Seed oil
- Plant protein
- Unnamed protein
- Cellulose
- Ultra processed
- High pesticide/herbicide foods in top 5 ingredients
- GMOs in top 5 ingredients
- Contains rice
- Natural flavor
- Synthetic preservatives
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Doesn’t specify farmed or wild-caught fish
- Ingredient splitting
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Royal Canin Canned
Score: 3.4/10
Ingredient List For Adult Beauty In Gel Recipe: Water sufficient for processing, pork by-products, chicken, corn meal, rice flour, powdered cellulose, dried plain beet pulp, vegetable oil, fish oil, carob bean gum, natural flavors, carrageenan, salt, taurine, potassium chloride, sodium silico aluminate, vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), niacin supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), biotin, D-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement], trace minerals (zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, zinc proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, calcium iodate), magnesium oxide, marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.).
Royal Canin Canned is a high risk dog food by our criteria. There are 13 recipes with 37% protein and 27% carbohydrate as calculated. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for the high carbohydrates. They have excessive added vitamins and minerals. There are added amino acids. The recipes also include inflammatory seed oil, cellulose and unnamed animal protein. On the ingredient safety side, these foods are highly-processed. They use several stages of high heat that destroy nutrients. They have high pesticide foods and GMO crops. They also include natural flavor. They use synthetic preservatives. They have carrageenan that can be inflammatory. They use rice that can contain arsenic. Royal Canin doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio. This is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation.
Canned Benefits
Canned Concerns
- High in carbohydrates
- Excessive added vitamins & minerals
- Added amino acids
- Seed oil
- Plant protein
- Unnamed protein
- Cellulose
- Highly processed
- High pesticide/herbicide foods
- GMOs
- Contains rice
- Natural flavor
- Carrageenan
- Synthetic preservatives
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Doesn’t specify farmed or wild-caught fish
- Ingredient splitting
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Royal Canin Breed Specific Dry
Score: 3.3/10
Ingredient List For Poodle Adult Loaf in Sauce Recipe: Water sufficient for processing, pork by-products, chicken, chicken by-products, pork liver, salmon, corn flour, powdered cellulose, vegetable oil, carrageenan, carob bean gum, fish oil, sodium tripolyphosphate, pork plasma, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, vitamins [L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), niacin supplement, DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), biotin, D-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], guar gum, taurine, natural flavors, DL-methionine, cysteine, glycine, trace minerals [zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, zinc proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, calcium iodate], sodium carbonate, magnesium oxide, L-carnitine, marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.).
Royal Canin Breed Specific Dry is a very high risk dog food by our criteria. There are 46 recipes with 26% protein and 38% carbohydrate as calculated. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for the high carbohydrates. They have excessive added vitamins and minerals, and added amino acids. The recipes also include inflammatory seed oil, plant proteins, cellulose and unnamed animal protein. On the ingredient safety side, these foods are ultra-processed. They use high heat that destroys nutrients. They have high pesticide foods and GMO crops listed in their top 5 ingredients. They also include natural flavor. They use synthetic preservatives. They use rice that can contain arsenic. Royal Canin doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio. This is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation.
Breed Specific Dry Benefits
Breed Specific Dry Concerns
- High in carbohydrates
- Excessive added vitamins & minerals
- Added amino acids
- Seed oil
- Plant protein
- Unnamed protein
- Cellulose
- Ultra processed
- High pesticide/herbicide foods in top 5 ingredients
- GMOs in top 5 ingredients
- Contains rice
- Natural flavor
- Synthetic preservatives
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Doesn’t specify farmed or wild-caught fish
- Ingredient splitting
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
ROYAL CANIN DOG FOOD RECALLS
To date, Royal Canin has not had any recalls or voluntary withdrawals.
Evaluation Criteria
These dog foods were evaluated and scored based on two criteria:
Are the Ingredients High Quality?
Here are some common low quality ingredients or markers we look for:
- Is there excessive carbohydrate content, which can cause gut imbalances?
- Does the food contain unnamed proteins, which are low quality?
- Does the food use cellulose (wood pulp) as a source of fiber instead of real food?
- Are there excessive vitamins and minerals added in place of real food nutrition?
- Are there excessive added amino acids or plant proteins instead of expensive meat protein?
- Does the food contain inflammatory processed seed oils?
How Safe Are the Ingredients?
Many ingredients come from unhealthy, inflammatory sources or are full of pesticides so we look for:
- How processed is the food?
- Does the food contain known genetically modified foods?
- Does the food contain ingredients known to be high in pesticides?
- Does the food contain natural flavor, which are often MSG or animal digest?
- Does the food contain rice, which is high in arsenic?
We evaluate each food by these criteria. We assign a score using the average of ingredient quality and safety. This is NOT a paid list and there are no affiliate links. Dogs Naturally partnered with DogFoodReviews.com to develop unbiased, objective criteria for dog owners. This will help them choose the best dog food on the market. You can view the full Evaluation Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com.
