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Why do vets recommend Royal Canin despite corn and byproduct claims?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Cockapoo | Male | neutered | 2 months and 20 days old | 8 lbs

Why is Royal Canin so highly recommended by vets when dog food advisor etc show how low quality the ingredients are? Ie corn fillers, byproducts, meals, etcI’m so confused by the polar opposite recommendations and ingredient quality.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on October 9th, 2017

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 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, who has gone through extensive residency training specifically in nutrition. I hope this helps :-)
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Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Susan England-Foster

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 18th, 2018

    Those are very good questions. Vets do not get paid to recommend certain brands of food. The reason that most vets like foods like Royal Canin and Science Diet is because the food companies do very detailed research about the diets. They also monitor the quality of resources closely and are very honest about what is in the diet and on the label. I do not think vets are against diets like Acana and Fromm but they typically do not have as much research to show how the food is made/put together. There are a lot of food companies out there these days and not all of them monitor the quality of the products. Dog food companies will take what humans think about humans (no wheat etc) and start marketing the dog food this way to get more people to buy the brands. I hope that helps explain it

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    8Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Stephanie Echols, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 24th, 2017

    If you are comparing diets that claim your dog is like a wolf it is important to think about how wolves eat. The first thing they eat is the stomach of their prey. A rabbit, for example, eats grains and wheats as their main diet. Therefore, a wolf or dog would be eating grains and wheats from inside that stomach. Chicken by products are usually chicken livers which are an important source of vitamins, minerals and healthy fats. Diets like Royal Canin have been on the market for decades, are tested and studied by veterinarians and proven to be healthy and balanced for domesticated dogs. Royal Canin, Hills Pet, Nestle Purina, and Iam’s PetCare are the best pet foods on the market. These companies have veterinary nutritionists on staff to ensure quality and nutritional value. This is why we recommend these diets.

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    5Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Food & Nutrition
Is corn and wheat in Royal Canin dog food safe or just filler?
Thank you for submitting your question regarding diets. Royal Canin is great pet food company as they have veterinarians on staff to formulate and research their diets. This is not something small niche brand companies can afford to do. Very few dogs actually have allergies to wheat. It is typically a breed problem with Irish Setters. As far as corn, it is actually a high quality ingredient despite the bad press. It provides a complete protein source and many essential fatty acids. There is so much misinformation from other pet food companies trying to make their diets unique. Additionally, very fre dogs have allergies to corn. Thank you for the exc question. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Why are corn, wheat, soy, byproducts in dog food considered bad?
Again, there is no known problem with these ingredients. The stigma about byproducts is especially annoying, because byproducts like liver, kidney and other organs have great nutritional value compared with meat. The reason behind the stigma is not easy to understand. It really has to do with a series of non- professionals speculating on unsupported theories and then spreading the information as if it's truth. The same happens with people...just look at all the fad diets that come and go. While there may be some shred of evidence that these ingredients may have potential to cause harm, there is not nearly enough for a professional to say that they are bad and other ingredients are good. You can see that the pet food industry has responded to the unsupported claims of grains, natural ingredients, byproducts and even raw food, but please don't take that as confirmation that these ingredients are bad or good. It's nothing more than sales strategy and responding to consumer demands. This is a huge topic that I cannot begin to cover here, so I'll give you a couple links to some helpful articles: https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-pet-s-food https://www2.vet.cornell.edu/news/20130205/what-pet-food-should-i-feed
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Why is pet food so confusing? Are corn, raw, and brands really good?
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.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Why do vets recommend Science Diet and are grains bad for dogs?
Science Diet is an excellent brand of food! It's recommended by so many vets because they have veterinary nutritionists on staff who help formulate the food to make the dog's nutritional needs are met. A veterinary nutritionist is the person with the most in-depth knowledge about a dog's needs nutritionally, and many other brands of food do not have veterinary nutritionists on staff. In addition, Science Diet owns their own factories, so there is strict quality control as to what goes into their food. This is in sharp contrast to other brands, such as Blue Buffalo, who do not own their own factories and simply hand a recipe over to make their food. That's why Blue Buffalo has gotten into trouble a number of times for their lack of quality control. Finally, wheat corn and soy isn't bad for dogs. They provide a source of energy for dogs, and should be part of their diet unless there is a proven grain allergy. Grain allergies in dogs are actually extremely rare. Only 10% of all dog allergies are food related, and the majority of those food allergies are due to protein not grains. Grain free food is a current fad that has no scientific basis as to its efficacy. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Is Royal Canin or Taste of the Wild dog food better for my dog?
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Skye. Personally, I agree with your veterinarian. Royal Canin is a superior product to Taste of the Wild. They have many veterinarians on staff to formulate their diets and out extensive research into their foods. Taste of the Wild seems to spend a ton of money on advertising. There is a lot of misinformation regarding pet foods. By-products are not lower quality ingredients. For example, if a wolf in the wild kills a moose to eat, it does not eat the skeletal muscle of the limbs first. It eats the internal organs as.these have a higher concentration of nutrients. I recently had a chance to speak with an ecologist at a university on this very topic. By-products are typically organ meat. Bottom line though, you need a food that works for your individual dog. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Vet says no to Royal Canin daily. Farmina or RC for my dog?
I'm for Royal Canin. You are right it has the research, science, and longevity behind it. Plus it has veterinary nutritionists on staff, which Farmina does not. I would feed the Royal Canin. Another great brand of dog food is Iams. That's what I feed my dogs, and they love it. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Health & Wellness
Are Science Diet and Royal Canin good pet foods, or are they junk?
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.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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