Medical by Royal Canin

[guliverandmaya]

Has anyone been feeding their little guys with Medical by Royal Canin? Here in Canada they can only be found at the vet's clinics.

Thanks!

[Lil Ladies]

Vet get paid for selling that "food". There are far better choices! Please read this Dog Food Report and shop at a healthy pet food store. Never feed your dog anything with corn, esp corn gluten!

[angieNchloe]

i use royal canin 29 for yorkshire terrier puppies, it's awesome!!

[107barney]

Originally Posted by Lil Ladies

Vet get paid for selling that "food". There are far better choices! Please read this Dog Food Report and shop at a healthy pet food store. Never feed your dog anything with corn, esp corn gluten!

This advice is without merit and the website pointed to is not vet nutritionist advice. There is nothing wrong with corn as a carbohydrate source for dogs, unless your dog has an intolerance to corn (and that can be true of any ingredient).

To the OP -- yes Royal Canin is an excellent choice for a medical diet if your vet has recommended it. I have two of mine on RC foods - one medical and one regular and both boys have excellent results. I normally home cook but have been impressed with the food. Impressed meaning my dogs not only look phenomenal but the blood work is perfect.

[Lil Ladies]

To explain my rash post, I am not a vet, but I am not without merit. I am also not selling anything and didn’t mean to offend anyone. I referenced that report as a brief over-view of what to look out for, but please do your own research, as I did, to draw your own conclusion.

As far as corn goes, yes it’s a carb. However, I believe it was put there to bump up the levels protein on the analysis on back of the bag as it is largely indigestible; and corn gluten can coat the intestines and prevent nutrient absorption. Because of this, I would consider corn to be a filler. Most people agree dog food should not contain fillers or by-products. However, if your dog has a sensitivity to meat protein etc., and your vet recommends it for a specific purpose, then take your vets advice. Just note that if the vets’ shelves are lined with it, they probably make a lot of money from all the bags they sell.

I use this process to find a good dog food:

1. Read the first 5 ingredients (taking into account water weight) and add them together in categories to see what the food mainly consists of. Note that most ingredients are listed as dried ingredients so if chicken breast is first on the list, it would be further down the list if it was listed as a dry ingredient. As an example, let’s compare Royal Canin and Wellness Core (randomly picked)

• Royal Canin: “chicken meal, rice, oat flour, corn, dried egg powder… “ has only 1 meat source and 3 carbs

• Wellness Core: “Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Potatoes… “although the first 2 meats would be behind the meat meals (as meals are denser), Wellness Core contains 4 meat sources and 1 carb.

Lastly, look at the manufacturer (and sometimes the manufacturer of that manufacturer). This is important because the ingredients maybe listed as the same but the QUALITY of the ingredients can vary greatly. The previous report outlines manufacturers to avoid.

I hope this helps!

[107barney]

I reiterate my post and also dismiss outright the diatribe posted thereafter. I base my opinions on real vet nutritionist advice. RC are high quality foods. Ingredients mean nothing unless you are impressed with marketing. And by the way, vets mostly find carrying these medical foods to be a pain. It's laughable to suggest they are making a killing off a bag of food. Have a great night, I've debated this more times than I can count and it's getting boring so I won't be back. Going to make some corn for the kids - you know, to fill them up.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by Lil Ladies

Vet get paid for selling that "food". There are far better choices! Please read this Dog Food Report and shop at a healthy pet food store. Never feed your dog anything with corn, esp corn gluten!

Vets do not get paid to sell food. Vets are no different than any retailer of pet food: they buy from a distributor, mark it up on average of 30% and sell it.

If food were a moneymaker for the average vet's office, they would push frozen raw food which averages 30-40% higher in price than other foods, and thus has a higher profit margin. Vets would also try to sell food to ALL of their patients and not just patients with health problems that require special diets.

There are many good products to be found at vet offices and healthy pet food stores. It is simply a matter of choosing the right food for your pet.

[Lil Ladies]

I wasn't verbally attacking anyone (a diatribe). I was debating what you wrote while trying to share what I have learned. If you don’t agree, you don’t agree, but it’s more like you are attacking me for it.

I don’t believe that the ingredients that make up a food are marketing; I believe making undesirable ingredients look healthy is marketing. Also, imagine how much money is in dog food that is averagely marked up 30%? As an estimation, if a bag of food is $50, 30% would be $15 a bag! Even if they only had 30 dogs and 30 cats on it (not to mention treats etc.) would gross $900 a month! Whether retail or kickbacks, making money is still making money (most vets here have both dry and raw, but raw is more difficult to carry). Doctors for humans do it too --reps admit that they provide all sorts of gifts and gratuities to doctors, ranging from financial aid to educational programs, in the hopes that they will encourage doctors to remember and perhaps recommend their brand. Thus, to base your opinions solely on “real vet nutritionist advice” (without doing your own independent research) may not be optimal if the vet learned it from these educational programs.

Opinions aside, we ALL agree that what it really comes down to is what works for both you and your pet… and that we are all very passionate about our babies!

[YorkieCrazyFool]

My babies have all been on the Royal Canin Prescription Rabbit & Potato for about 4 years now... But I just found out it got discontinued.

I've been researching foods like crazy & I think I'm leaning towards Blue Buffalo.

[LuvTaycieGirl]

Originally Posted by YorkieCrazyFool

My babies have all been on the Royal Canin Prescription Rabbit & Potato for about 4 years now... But I just found out it got discontinued.

I've been researching foods like crazy & I think I'm leaning towards Blue Buffalo.

My Vet put Taycie on this and it is not discontinued for us?? I really love this food! You can also order it online, and it's still on the RC website. I should add I know they were having troubles with the Rabbit, there has been a shortage, it just might become harder to find.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by Lil Ladies

I wasn't verbally attacking anyone (a diatribe). I was debating what you wrote while trying to share what I have learned. If you don’t agree, you don’t agree, but it’s more like you are attacking me for it.

I don’t believe that the ingredients that make up a food are marketing; I believe making undesirable ingredients look healthy is marketing. Also, imagine how much money is in dog food that is averagely marked up 30%? As an estimation, if a bag of food is $50, 30% would be $15 a bag! Even if they only had 30 dogs and 30 cats on it (not to mention treats etc.) would gross $900 a month! Whether retail or kickbacks, making money is still making money (most vets here have both dry and raw, but raw is more difficult to carry). Doctors for humans do it too --reps admit that they provide all sorts of gifts and gratuities to doctors, ranging from financial aid to educational programs, in the hopes that they will encourage doctors to remember and perhaps recommend their brand. Thus, to base your opinions solely on “real vet nutritionist advice” (without doing your own independent research) may not be optimal if the vet learned it from these educational programs.

Opinions aside, we ALL agree that what it really comes down to is what works for both you and your pet… and that we are all very passionate about our babies!

You are so misinformed that it would take me hours to correct your fatally flawed opinions and philosophy. Insofar as you believe "ingredients" in dog food matter, let me ask you this -- do you think some dog food company is selecting grade A beef or organic free range chicken to make dog food out of? Haven't you heard of 4D meat and rendering facilities? To think that dog food companies are feeding your dog wholesome ingredients of the same caliber that you yourself would eat means that you have fallen prey to marketing tactics. It just isn't the case because some marketing guru says it is. I will agree that ingredients matter -- but only if you are making home cooked food. If you want to home cook for your dog as I do, then you control the ingredients and yes you can say that they matter. But when purchasing dog food, it is far better to look at the nutrient profiles and not ingredients. Things like quality control, testing, vet nutritionist on staff, and feeding trials should dictate your decision to buy a food, not fancy marketing with a photo of a dog on the front that eats something other than what's inside the bag!

As for your contention that making money is making money, that insults every vet who has chosen the noble profession for their love of animals not the almighty dollar. I can certainly think of many professions that are higher paid than veterinary medicine without the huge loans that plague them for 20-30 years after they get out of school.

Attacking vets who prescribe -- YES PRESCRIBE -- foods that are meant for certain medical problems is not doing anyone any favor. If you really want to do your research, spend some time here on YT in the sick and injured boards so you can see the many owners who ignore vet advice and end up with sick dogs. As for your research on the internet, are you seriously trying to argue that vet nutritionists are less informed than you and your online websites written by lay people? If so, thanks for the morning laugh. LOL.

Lastly, I do agree that a food that is best for your dog is the one that works. However, I have to say that subjectively speaking most people think their dog looks wonderful. I have seen people on here and in real life tell me their dog is thriving on this or that food and then I see the dog and realize the person has a different perception than I do. You start asking questions and you learn the dog vomits, has runny eyes, funky stools, bad breath, and just overall body condition looks like crap. So yes if a VETERINARIAN says your dog looks good and the LAB WORK says your dog looks good then you can assume your dog is doing well on the food you are feeding. I know from first hand experience it takes a critical eye to pick up subtle changes in a dog and that is a skill some people have and some do not.

[Lil Ladies]

You clearly didn't read what I wrote because you and I agree on most things. I do agree (and previously stated) that you should listen to your vet, that you shouldn't choose food based on the fancy marketing or what the name seems to convey, and that the quality of the ingredients varies greatly and that is why one should look at the manufacturer as well (usually the larger the span of the manufacturer, the worse the quality). As for the vet who has chosen the noble profession for their love of animals not the almighty dollar --they must not charge you? Well you are lucky! And try asking your vet what company sponsored or taught their nutritionist class. Science Diet teaches it here. I have done the research and decided that the best option for me is to cook my own dog food, as you do, to guarantee what goes in it, and what does not.

For the sake of this post, as their is a lot of valuable information in it, lets keep the negativity down.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by Lil Ladies

You clearly didn't read what I wrote because you and I agree on most things. I do agree (and previously stated) that you should listen to your vet, that you shouldn't choose food based on the fancy marketing or what the name seems to convey, and that the quality of the ingredients varies greatly and that is why one should look at the manufacturer as well (usually the larger the span of the manufacturer, the worse the quality). As for the vet who has chosen the noble profession for their love of animals not the almighty dollar --they must not charge you? Well you are lucky! And try asking your vet what company sponsored or taught their nutritionist class. Science Diet teaches it here. I have done the research and decided that the best option for me is to cook my own dog food, as you do, to guarantee what goes in it, and what does not.

For the sake of this post, as their is a lot of valuable information in it, lets keep the negativity down.

As a preliminary matter, don't tell me what I can and cannot post. Since you're new here, it is obvious that you haven't figured out that we don't a need the polite police -- we have a mod and an admin who will tell us when we've gone too far.

Now moving right along to the substance of your post. I take great offense to your implication that vets are price gougers. Yes, I pay my vet. But, there have been many times she has given advice or guidance or her time for FREE. Not because I don't want to pay her but because I am a valuable customer of their practice and she values me just as much as I value her.

I don't pay her to be my dog's nutritionist just as don't pay her to be my dog's internist, cardiologist, orthopedist, or any other specialist. This is the problem with most people - they want the GENERAL vet to be all things which is a tall order, then on top of that don't want to pay for it.

The last thing I will say is that you are wrong once again to say that the large manufacturers of dog food utilize the worst ingredients - that is complete hogwash. In fact, ask if your small companies have a board certified vet nutritionist on staff and they will tell you they do not for the most part. Ask if they do feeding trials and you'll be given spin. How do I know this? Because a friend and myself did our research and contacted companies and we were AGHAST at what we were told.

I'm glad you do your own home cooking. Unfortunately given the sources you rely on for your canine nutrition knowledge I'm sure your dog's diet is not appropriate balanced.

This thread is about royal canin medical foods - to which you said "never feed your dog anything with corn" and you pointed to an unreliable website. I am not going to debate corn but if you really want to educate yourself, go look at the digestibility and nutrient profile of corn before you condemn it (or any other ingredient for that matter).

I see nothing in anything you've said that I would remotely agree with by the way.

[Ellie May]

Yes, I fed an RC medical food to my Yorkie before. It did not work for her becaus she became very itchy on it. It was not a bad food at all. It just didn't fit her needs. If the vet is suggesting that you feed this, you can be confident that it is a good food made by a good company with some really cool quality control techniques.

I think if an owner doesn't want to feed their dog corn, that is perfectly fine (as long as that belief doesn't get in the way of feeding an rx food when necessary). I'm not sure where all the corn hate comes from though. A lot of grains can potentially contribute protein to dog food. Corn isn't the only one. You would need much more corn than meat to get a certain protein % though, so I'm far from convinced that a company uses it as a protein source. I also don't understand what makes corn worse than other grains. Corn isn't nearly as undigestible as what people think. I'm far more concerned about a company's quality control, their formula creators, and the feeding trials that they do or do not do than whether or not the ingredients appeal to me. And by-products are the most horrible thing ever if SD or RC use them, but if "high end" companies use them under a different name, they are just fine (thinking Champion here).

As for vets and being concerned first and foremost about the almighty dollar, I disagree. Some are of course, but I'm not sure people realize how much vets make (or more accurately, don't make). If I thought my vet was trying to sell me things just to line her wallet, she would not be my vet because I would wonder what she would put my dogs through in terms of testing just to make money. But my vet doesn't play those games. In fact, I'm trying to think of any vet I know playing those money games and I can't think of any. That's about 0/10 who care about money more than animals and people. Actually, I'm trying to think of an occasion where any of them recommended an rx food needlessly and I can't think of one. They prefer that their clients can get the food OTC if possible. They can make money off of any food that they stock. That's just it, they can stock any food that they like and try to sell it. I'm not aware of any special kickback program with SD. If it's based on how many bags are sold, then why wouldn't my vet feed it to her dogs? She does not. Vets don't know a ton about nutrition. They have basic knowledge though and they are students of biology (which is more than most people on the internet). When it's out of their league, they should be referring to a veterinary nutritionist. If they are not, then there is a problem. One of the major reasons a lot of nutrition training in vet school comes from dog food companies at times is because these companies are the ones that put out the money for research. I'm sure a "holistic" company that put out money to do actual research would be welcome to come do a presentation. Wasn't it not long ago that Natura had a program to vet students? I guess they do the kickback thing too?? And PhD nutrition students aren't taught by dog food companies, so that's taken out of the equation. That would be board certified veterinary nutritionists, yet people don't want to listen to them either because they don't think grain is the enemy.

When my dogs' nutritional needs becomes too much for my vet to handle, I talk to a veterinary nutritionist and I have stopped listening to what dog food website authors decide is true. They lack credentials and generally support a diet of meat, meat, and more meat. I see plenty of dogs failing on foods like Orijen and the raw diet to know that just because a diet is rich in "meat" doesn't mean much of anything.

[megansmomma]

Originally Posted by guliverandmaya

Has anyone been feeding their little guys with Medical by Royal Canin? Here in Canada they can only be found at the vet's clinics.

Thanks!

I tried to look through your older post to see what type of medical condition your little girl has and could not find anything that was posted regarding her. If your vet feels that Maya needs to eat a Rx food for a reason I would listen to him. In the past I would have felt the same as one of the members posting to your thread that there are sites to learn about food etc. But over the years I have come to learn that some of the foods that were ranked so highly by these laypeople were not what they were made out to be. If I were told that my pet needed a food that was specifically formulated for a DXed condition I should would follow the advice given by a medical professional and not a Google search. There are too many instances of owners following Google advice and having disastrous outcome.

I feed what I believe to be the best food for my dogs without medical issues. Being that they are relatively healthy this leaves a much wider chose but if my vet suggested a certain food I would follow the advice given. If it didn't work medically and caused an adverse response I would then move on but once again look for guidance with a medical professional who could further guide me.


It always makes that little nerve in my right temple twitch when I see blanket advice given regarding food for medical necessity. This is the reason that research is done by Veterinarians and it should not be so easily downplayed by the public at large because of an ingredient such as Corn making it "bad". I'd never dream of going to my Primary Care doctor and telling him that I Googled a better treatment plan and carry it out myself and I cannot understand why anyone would think this was proper for our canine companions.