All the RC talk...

[BobbiB]

I know some people are making the switch from RC recently so I've been reading some of the posts. Now, I don't feed the breed specific formula, but have noticed that one complaint is about by-product meal vs. chicken meal. I feed RC X-small puppy formula because that's what Sheldon came from the breeder on and has done great on it...eats it well, healthy stools, healthy weight, good coat, etc. I may switch him to Wellness when we transition to adult food, but I'm still unsure. All that said, I was curious, so I went to look at our bag of food...the x-small puppy is still using chicken meal and not by-product meal. This is a new bag. Just a little something I thought I'd share.

Also, just as a side, If your dog was doing well on this puppy formula, would you switch to a new brand at adulthood or just start the adult version of the same food?

[Yorkiemom1]

I would just continue with the adult version of the same food. I do not feed mine the breed specific RC, but the adult mini.....chicken meal is the first ingredient listed on the bag. These are the breeder bags, 33# size.....check out the bag of Adult Mini that you get, and see if it is still listed as the first ingredient, if you are concerned about that.

[chachi]

RCs new formula is okay but it is equivalent to a grocery store brand with the new ingredients and the order they are listed on the ingredients and your paying a premium price so I would look for a more quality food than feeding it

[Nancy1999]

Normally, I would use the adult version of the same product, but when the adult version is vastly different, I would look for another product. There is a reason why RC used chicken meal as it's first ingredient, it's a quality protein and dogs need a lot of protein. While the chicken by product still has lots of protein, you have to remember that all protein is not alike and some is much easier to digest and easier on the kidneys and liver. There are quite a few products that are very similar to RC's old ingredient list. I agree with Chachi, this product is now comparable to Purina and other grocery store brands. I don't believe it will kill your dog, but it should no longer be considered a premium food.

[chachi]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

Normally, I would use the adult version of the same product, but when the adult version is vastly different, I would look for another product. There is a reason why RC used chicken meal as it's first ingredient, it's a quality protein and dogs need a lot of protein. While the chicken by product still has lots of protein, you have to remember that all protein is not alike and some is much easier to digest and easier on the kidneys and liver. There are quite a few products that are very similar to RC's old ingredient list. I agree with Chachi, this product is now comparable to Purina and other grocery store brands. I don't believe it will kill your dog, but it should no longer be considered a premium food.

It is sad because there are alot of people who are loyal to the brand that probably dont know about the change and they are still paying that premium price for an inferior food. I used to feed Royal Canin and only switched because Chachi had some itchiness that I didnt know if maybe the corn was causing but I still thought of it as a good brand

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by chachi

It is sad because there are alot of people who are loyal to the brand that probably dont know about the change and they are still paying that premium price for an inferior food. I used to feed Royal Canin and only switched because Chachi had some itchiness that I didnt know if maybe the corn was causing but I still thought of it as a good brand

Yes, I would think they would have to put some type of information on the bag when it's that big of a change. I chose RC initially because of all the recommendations here, you for one, but it really did have some very good ingredients compared to other brands and Joey loved it. I really did trust the company, and now I have lost that trust. I was actually hoping if enough people protested, they would go back to their old formula, but now I think I've found a better food anyway, and both the boys love it.

[107barney]

I don't agree with the recent negativity about RC. I find that it's most important to look for a company first. I home cook though because I hate dog food in general.

[MarkFromSea]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

I would just continue with the adult version of the same food. I do not feed mine the breed specific RC, but the adult mini.....chicken meal is the first ingredient listed on the bag. These are the breeder bags, 33# size.....check out the bag of Adult Mini that you get, and see if it is still listed as the first ingredient, if you are concerned about that.

This is good to know! The specific version or RC formula that you use. That's something that was missing, I think, from the other threads. I had stumbled on the breed specific RC yorkie formula and only looked at that. I'll dig up some links:
Royal Canin Mini Adult Formula Dog Dry Food, 14-lb bag

The ingredients are different from the RC yorkie formulas(28 and new):
Chicken, brewers rice, chicken meal, rice, corn gluten meal, oatmeal, chicken fat, natural chicken flavor, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), dried brewers yeast, anchovy oil (source of DHA), soya oil, potassium chloride, salt, flaxseed, DL-methionine, choline chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, Vitamins [dl-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), biotin, d-calcium pantothenate, niacin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), folic acid], salmon meal, dried egg product, magnesium oxide, Trace Minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, calcium iodate], marigold extract (Calendula officinalis L.), L-Carnitine, preserved with natural mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E) and citric acid, rosemary extract.

That clarification makes a HUGE difference!

[MarkFromSea]

Here's a link to the TWELVE available RC Mini formulas:
Dog - Royal Canin Mini - Free Shipping at Chewy.com

It just couldn't be any easier to select a product appropriate for your specific dog's needs!
(sarcasm, but, I am impressed with what is available)

The RC rep could have done a much better job pointing this out instead of the direction he/she headed.

[MarkFromSea]

Originally Posted by BobbiB

I know some people are making the switch from RC recently so I've been reading some of the posts. Now, I don't feed the breed specific formula, but have noticed that one complaint is about by-product meal vs. chicken meal. I feed RC X-small puppy formula because that's what Sheldon came from the breeder on and has done great on it...eats it well, healthy stools, healthy weight, good coat, etc. I may switch him to Wellness when we transition to adult food, but I'm still unsure. All that said, I was curious, so I went to look at our bag of food...the x-small puppy is still using chicken meal and not by-product meal. This is a new bag. Just a little something I thought I'd share.

Also, just as a side, If your dog was doing well on this puppy formula, would you switch to a new brand at adulthood or just start the adult version of the same food?

I'm glad you found this and pointed it out! Here's a link, I can't weed out some of the formulas from the search but there are 4 of the X-Small RC formulas here: Dog - Royal canin extra small dry food dog - Free Shipping at Chewy.com

[MarkFromSea]

For me, I tried to include the specific feed formula for all of my postings. I was searching for a specific feed, a tiny kibble for a 5 pound senior with bad teeth and picky eating habits.

Given this new found info about RC, I wouldn't even consider RC's Yorkie offering but I may consider one of their other products..... Damn! This is sooooo confusing!

The pricing on those 14 pound bags didn't look half bad either for dogs that size kibble works well for. Royal Canin Mini Adult Formula Dog Dry Food, 14-lb bag

[Harrysmum]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

Yes, I would think they would have to put some type of information on the bag when it's that big of a change. I chose RC initially because of all the recommendations here, you for one, but it really did have some very good ingredients compared to other brands and Joey loved it. I really did trust the company, and now I have lost that trust. I was actually hoping if enough people protested, they would go back to their old formula, but now I think I've found a better food anyway, and both the boys love it.

What will you feed instead, Nancy? RC is Harry's go-to kibble, and now I'm not sure.... Sally + Harry x

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by MarkFromSea

This is good to know! The specific version or RC formula that you use. That's something that was missing, I think, from the other threads. I had stumbled on the breed specific RC yorkie formula and only looked at that. I'll dig up some links:
Royal Canin Mini Adult Formula Dog Dry Food, 14-lb bag

The ingredients are different from the RC yorkie formulas(28 and new):
Chicken, brewers rice, chicken meal, rice, corn gluten meal, oatmeal, chicken fat, natural chicken flavor, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), dried brewers yeast, anchovy oil (source of DHA), soya oil, potassium chloride, salt, flaxseed, DL-methionine, choline chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, Vitamins [dl-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), biotin, d-calcium pantothenate, niacin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), folic acid], salmon meal, dried egg product, magnesium oxide, Trace Minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, calcium iodate], marigold extract (Calendula officinalis L.), L-Carnitine, preserved with natural mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E) and citric acid, rosemary extract.

That clarification makes a HUGE difference!

A couple of points on these ingredients. First they used chicken instead of chicken meal, this allows them to put chicken first because chicken is wet and weights much more then dehydrated chicken or chicken meal. When you see chicken first, look for chicken meal second. The other problem I have is their grain is Brewers' rice. Here's the definition of brewers rice.

Brewers rice is the small milled fragments of rice kernels that have been separated from the larger kernels of milled rice. (AAFCO definition).[1] Brewers' rice is a processed rice product that is missing many of the nutrients contained in whole ground rice and brown rice thus reducing the quality

Brewers' rice and second heads are one of the many byproducts that rice milling creates. Second heads are milled rice kernels that are one half to three quarters of the original kernel. Brewers' rice is a milled rice kernel that is one quarter to half the size of a full kernel. Second heads, depending on their quality are used to make rice flour. "If the quality of the second heads are poor, they will be sold for pet food or dairy feed. Brewers rice is sold for pet food and dairy feed exclusively."[3] and, despite having little nutritional value is found in approximately one third of pet food sold in the US. Brewers rice - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lastly, the have done something called ingredient splitting, so that the protein can be higher up the list than it should be. You can break down all food into three ingredients, protein fat and carbohydrates. Look at all the sources of carbohydrates in this food, brewers rice, rice, and oatmeal. Crude protein of this is only 25 percent, and old RC was 28.

[Opium88]

Check out the ingredients on this one... nice!

Royal Canin Mini Special Dry Dog Food, 17-lb bag

[MarkFromSea]

Originally Posted by Opium88

Check out the ingredients on this one... nice!

Royal Canin Mini Special Dry Dog Food, 17-lb bag

There ya go! They split the rice but it's looking better!
Chicken meal, chicken, brown rice, brewers rice, chicken fat, corn gluten meal, dried egg powder, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), natural chicken flavor, dried brewers yeast, brewers rice flour, anchovy oil, soya oil, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), potassium chloride, flax seed, sodium tripolyphosphate, choline chloride, salt, Vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), biotin, D-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), niacin supplement, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2)], salmon meal, marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.), Trace Minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, calcium iodate], L-carnitine, preserved with natural mixed tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), rosemary extract, and citric acid.