[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by maci_mace

Royal Canin isn't the worst food you could buy but it's not the best, and it's true it's HORRIBLY overpriced. Look at the first three ingredients on the back... shoot even the first 10. total crap. First ingredients should always be types of meat... chicken, beef, pork, fish.

I'd go for Orijen, Acana, Taste of the Wild or a raw diet. Try to go for low grain or grain free foods.

Your information is incorrect although it's very commonly reported. RC does have a meat as the first ingredient. Chicken meal is meat with the water removed. So it's pure meat. Some companies who use chicken without the water removed could use much less chicken and still get away with it being the first ingredient. Read this for more information on what chicken meal is:

Contrary to what many people believe, meat sources in "meal" form (as long as they are from a specified type of animal, such as chicken meal, lamb meal, salmon meal etc.) are not inferior to whole, fresh meats. Meals consist of meat and skin, with or without the bones, but exclusive of feathers/hair, heads, feet, horns, entrails etc. and have the proper calcium/phosphorus ratio required for a balanced diet. They have had most of the moisture removed, but meats in their original, "wet" form still contain up to 75% water. Once the food reaches its final moisture content of about 9-12%, the meat will have shrunk to sometimes as little as 1/4 of the original amount, while the already dehydrated meal form remains the same and you get more concentrated protein per pound of finished product. This means that in the worst case you are left with only 4 ounces of actual meat content per pound of fresh meat included in a dry kibble, many of which contain less than one pound of meat per 2-3 pounds of grain to begin with. Preferably a food contains quality meat meal as well as some fresh meat. The Dog Food Project - Identifying better products