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Which Royal Canin Recipes Get Our Best Ratings?
Royal Canin Canine Health Nutrition wet dog food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3.5 stars.
The Royal Canin Canine Health Nutrition product line includes the 5 wet dog foods listed below.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
Recipe and Label Analysis
Royal Canin Canine Health Nutrition Puppy Loaf in Sauce Appetite Stimulation Canned recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.
Royal Canin Canine Health Nutrition Puppy Loaf in Sauce Appetite Stimulation Canned
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Water sufficient for processing, chicken, pork by-products, pork liver, brewers rice flour, pork plasma, wheat gluten, dried plain beet pulp, powdered cellulose, calcium carbonate, carrageenan, fish oil, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium silico aluminate, natural flavors, taurine, potassium chloride, vitamins [L-Ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), dl-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), niacin supplement, biotin, D-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement], citric acid, choline chloride, magnesium oxide, marigold extract (Tagetes Erecta L.), trace minerals [zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, zinc proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, calcium iodate].
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 1.5%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 8% | 5% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 38% | 22% | 32% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 31% | 43% | 26% |
Ingredient Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is water, which adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.
The second ingredient is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.1
Chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The third ingredient includes pork by-products, slaughterhouse waste. This is what’s left of a slaughtered pig after all the prime cuts have been removed.
With the exception of hair, horns, teeth and hooves, this item can include almost any other part of the animal.2
The quality of this ingredient can vary, depending on the caliber of the raw materials obtained by the manufacturer.
The fourth ingredient is pork liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The next ingredient is rice flour. Rice flour is made from either white or brown rice and is considered a gluten-free substitute for wheat flour.
The sixth ingredient is pork plasma. Plasma is what remains of blood after the blood cells themselves have been removed. Plasma can be considered a nutritious addition.
The seventh ingredient lists wheat gluten. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once wheat has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.
Although wheat gluten contains 80% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.
This inexpensive plant-based ingredient can significantly boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
The eighth ingredient is beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient, a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.
Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.
We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.
The ninth ingredient is powdered cellulose, a non-digestible plant fiber usually made from the by-products of vegetable processing. Except for the usual benefits of fiber, powdered cellulose provides no nutritional value to a dog.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Royal Canin product.
With 3 notable exceptions…
First, carrageenan is a gelatin-like thickening agent extracted from seaweed. Although carrageenan has been used as a food additive for hundreds of years, there appears to be some recent controversy regarding its long term biological safety.
The article, The Carrageenan Controversy, published in Scientific American, does a good job of addressing this topic.
Next, we note the use of taurine, an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.
In addition, this recipe contains sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Royal Canin Canine Health Nutrition wet dog food looks like an above-average moisture-rich product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 38%, a fat level of 22% and estimated carbohydrates of about 32%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 35% and a mean fat level of 16%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 41% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 44%.
Which means this Royal Canin product line contains…
Below-average protein. Near-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to other wet dog foods.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the wheat gluten, this still looks like the profile of a wet product containing a moderate amount of meat.
Our Rating of Royal Canin Dog Food
Royal Canin Canine Health Nutrition is a grain-inclusive wet dog food using a moderate amount of named meats and by-products as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 3.5 stars.
Recommended.
Royal Canin Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 related to Royal Canin.
No recalls noted.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
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More Royal Canin Brand Reviews
The following Royal Canin dog food reviews are also posted on this website:
- Royal Canin Adult Breed Health Nutrition Dog Food Review (Wet)
- Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition Puppy Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Royal Canin Dog Food Review
- Royal Canin Lifestyle Health Nutrition Urban Life Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Royal Canin Size Health Nutrition Giant Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Royal Canin Size Health Nutrition Large Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Royal Canin Size Health Nutrition Medium Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Royal Canin Size Health Nutrition Small Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Royal Canin Size Health Nutrition X-Small Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Hydrolyzed Protein Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Royal Canin Veterinary Diets Gastrointestinal Dog Food Review (Dry)
- Royal Canin Veterinary Diets Selected Protein Dog Food Review (Dry)
Compare This Dog Food
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A Final Word
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