[h=4]Royal Canin Medium Adult[/h]Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
[TABLE="align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]Protein0100
26
[/TD]
[TD]Fat0100
13
[/TD]
[TD]Carbs0100
53
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Ingredients: Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, wheat, corn gluten meal, oat groats, chicken fat, natural flavors, dried plain beet pulp, fish oil, calcium carbonate, grain distillers dried yeast, vegetable oil, potassium chloride, monocalcium phosphate, salt, hydrolyzed yeast, l-lysine, choline chloride, vitamins [dl-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), biotin, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A acetate, niacin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement], trace minerals (zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, copper proteinate), rosemary extract, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.4%
Red items indicate controversial ingredients
[TABLE="class: dfpd-estimated-nutrient-content"]
[TR="class: dfpd-enc-header"]
[TH="colspan: 4"]Estimated Nutrient Content[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR="class: dfpd-enc-header-2"]
[TH]Method[/TH]
[TH="width: 60"]Protein[/TH]
[TH="width: 60"]Fat[/TH]
[TH="width: 60"]Carbs[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR="class: dfpd-enc-data"]
[TD="class: dfpd-method"]Guaranteed Analysis[/TD]
[TD]23%[/TD]
[TD]12%[/TD]
[TD]NA[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: dfpd-enc-data"]
[TD="class: dfpd-method"]Dry Matter Basis[/TD]
[TD]26%[/TD]
[TD]13%[/TD]
[TD]53%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: dfpd-enc-data"]
[TD="class: dfpd-method"]Calorie Weighted Basis[/TD]
[TD]23%[/TD]
[TD]29%[/TD]
[TD]48%[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Calorie Weighted BasisProteinFatCarbs
23%
48%
29%
| Nutrient Type | % Composition |
|---|
| Protein | 23 |
| Fat | 29 |
| Carbs | 48 |
The first ingredient in this dog food is
brewers rice. Brewers rice is a
cereal grain by-product consisting of the small fragments left over after milling whole rice. Aside from the caloric energy it contains, this item is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The second ingredient is
chicken by-product meal, a dry rendered product of
slaughterhouse waste. It’s made from what’s left of a slaughtered chicken after all the prime cuts have been removed.
In addition to organs (the nourishing part), this stuff can contain almost anything — feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs — anything except feathers.
On the brighter side, by-product meals are
meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
In any case, although this item contains all the amino acids a dog needs, we consider chicken by-products an inexpensive, lower quality ingredient.
The third ingredient is
wheat.
Like corn, wheat is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
For this reason, we do not consider wheat a preferred component in any dog food.
The fourth ingredient is
corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.
Although
corn gluten meal contains 60% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower
biological value than meat.
And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the
total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
The fifth ingredient includes
oat groats, a whole grain, minimally processed form of oats. With the exception of their caloric content and the fact they’re also gluten free, oat groats can be considered average in nutritional value.
The sixth ingredient is
chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.
After the
natural flavor, we find
beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient, a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.
Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding
intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.
We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is
entirely acceptable.
The ninth ingredient is
fish oil. Fish oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids. These two high quality fats boast the highest bio-availability to dogs and humans.
Depending on its level of freshness and purity, fish oil should be considered a commendable addition.
From here, the list goes on to include a
number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are
not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.
With four notable
exceptions…
First,
grain distillers dried yeast is a by-product resulting from the fermentation of grains separated from distilling mash as a by-product of the production of ethanol (biofuel).
Even though it contains over 40% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower
biological value than meat.
And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the
total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.
Next,
vegetable oil is a generic oil of unknown origin. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in any oil is nutritionally critical and can vary significantly (depending on the source).
Without knowing more, it’s impossible to judge the quality of an item so vaguely described. However, compared to a named animal fat, a generic vegetable oil cannot be considered a quality ingredient.
In addition, we find no mention of
probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.
And lastly, this food contains
chelated minerals,
minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.