Is corn and wheat in Royal Canin dog food safe or just filler?

This is a great question! Dog food advisor is written by a human dentist who has absolutely no training in veterinary medicine or animal nutrition at all. In fact, you will see a disclaimer on the page that this person is not a veterinarian. I would never listen to the food recommendations of a person who has absolutely no training in animal nutrition or veterinary medicine. What you are seeing on that page is that person's opinion, with no science or fact to back it up. Vets recommend Royal Canin so highly because there is a veterinary nutritionist on staff who makes sure that the ingredients in the food are of high quality and the diet is nutritionally balanced to get the needs of the dog. Vets would much rather [recommend a food](https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-pet-s-food) that has a veterinary nutritionist on staff who has extensive training in animal nutrition than listen to a human dentist who has no idea what they are talking about because they have no training at all in the subject. It's also important to remember that byproducts aren't necessarily bad. They primarily include organ meat (e.g, liver, spleen, kidneys), bone meal, and other tissues, all of which are packed with nutrients. Corn also gets a bad rap and is filled with fiber and other nutrients, also important in a balanced diet. If you have further questions about your pup's diet, you can always consult with a [board certified veterinary nutritionist](https://acvn.org), who has gone through extensive residency training specifically in nutrition. I hope this helps :-)

These brands you mentioned are considered at least in my mind to be mid range foods, it's no McDonald's but it's not super healthy either. same foes for all the ingredients you mentioned, these are indeed fillers, some more problematic than others (such as meat byproducts for example). Dogs are considered omnivores but are truly carnivores, meaning they need mainly meat/fish in their diet, but economically and realistically it's not doable, there are too many dogs/cats and not enough meat on earth to keep with the demand.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would avoid the foods with a lot of dyes, like in Beneful. Royal Canin is an excellent food and wheat, corn, and rice grain are not bad ingredients. I would stick with Royal Canin. Good luck and kisses to Soska!

In my opinion (and most veterinary nutritionists who have years of additional training), there is nothing to be concerned about with these ingredients unless your cats have been diagnosed with a food allergy or intolerance. Corn, wheat and soy can provide important nutrients for cats. Royal Canin makes quality adult cat food as well, so you could transition to this. I also think Purina ProPlan dry is a good quality food as well. If you would prefer a food without wheat, corn or soy I would recommend talking to your veterinarian to see what food they would recommend.

Royal Canin all the way! Grain free is a fad and a dangerous one. Grain allergies are actually very rare in dogs, and vets are seeing an increase in dogs developing dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs fed grain free diets.

Hello! All great questions and comments - and you're right, there's a lot of conflicting information out there regarding food. Some of the information you're going to find is based on personal preference or a value bias. Corn is a good source of digestible carbs, fatty acids, and protein - but these things are better digested in dogs than in cats (who are obligate carnivores), and some people prefer to minimize grains, so those people might state corn is "bad".... in my opinion, the focus on grains is based more on trends in human nutrition than evidence-based pet nutrition. Statements regarding what pet foods are "good" vs "bad" will also come from personal preference...your vet can probably explain what made them state that Purina is better than Merrick, and another vet might have their own input on the matter. I do personally like both Purina and Hills because I find their products consistent, reliable, and I like that those companies put a lot of their profits back into nutrition research to work on creating good foods - but that doesn't mean they're the only good foods out there. Raw food is another hot topic. I have worked extensively with dog mushers, and raw meat is a very common component to their food - and I'm fine with that. However, I also have a degree in Public Health, and know that raw foods increase the likelihood of foodborne illness such as salmonella both in the pets themselves, and in the humans who are in contact with them. So, again, there are going to be different sides to the conversation. It's confusing when there's conflicting information! Try to sort through what's based on research and evidence, and what is based on the personal opinions and biases of the speaker. Good luck! Hope this helps.

Hello. First, Hill's Science Diet & Royal Canin are two of the most respected dog nutritional companies in the world. They have the veterinary scientists & research dollars to innovate, create & stand behind their products that are used to help fight disease & metabolic problems in our pets. If all you are interested in is basic nutrition, then all the other pet food manufacturers are more than adequate, as long as they have the AAFCO statement on their label. But if you have a pet with liver disease, kidney failure, diabetes, gastrointestinal problems or any other number of health defining issues, be very glad we have these companies looking & innovating ways to keep our pets as healthy as possible. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.