Royal Canin Medium (Dry)

by Mike Sagman
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Rating: ★★★☆☆

Royal Canin Medium dog food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of three stars.

The Royal Canin Medium product line lists four dry dog foods… three meeting AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance and one for growth (Puppy 32).

According to the company, each recipe has been designed for dogs weighing 21 to 55 pounds at adulthood.

  • Royal Canin Medium Puppy 32
  • Royal Canin Medium Adult 25
  • Royal Canin Medium Aging Care 25
  • Royal Canin Medium Active Special 25 (digestive and skin sensitivities)

Royal Canin Medium Adult 25 dog food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.

Royal Canin Medium Adult 25

Dry Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 28% | Fat = 14% | Carbs = 50%

Ingredients: Chicken meal, brown rice, rice, oat, chicken fat, corn gluten meal, natural chicken flavor, dried beet pulp, anchovy oil (source of EPA/DHA), dried brewers yeast, soya oil, potassium chloride, salt, calcium carbonate, dried brewers yeast extract (source of mannan-oligosaccharides), dried egg product, 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), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], trace minerals [zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], L-carnitine, preserved with natural mixed tocopherols (source of Vitamin E) and citric acid, rosemary extract

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.7%

Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains almost 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

The second item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.

The third ingredient mentions rice. Is this whole grain rice, brown rice or white rice? Since the word “rice” doesn’t tell us much, it’s difficult to judge the quality of this item.

The fourth item mentions the word oat. We’re not sure what “oat” actually means. Is it oatmeal? Oat bran? Oat fiber? Without more information, it’s also difficult to gauge the quality of this item, too.

The fifth ingredient lists 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.

Corn gluten meal is the sixth ingredient in this dry kibble. Gluten is the rubbery residue left after corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate (the good stuff) dissolved out of it.

Compared to meat, glutens are inferior grain-based proteins low in many of the essential amino acids dogs need to sustain life.

This inexpensive plant-based ingredient can significantly boost the total protein content reported in this dog food.

After the natural chicken flavor, we find dried 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.

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 have much of an effect on the overall rating of this product.

With four notable exceptions…

First, we find soya oil. Soybean oil is red flagged here only due to its suspected (yet unlikely) link to canine food allergies.

Next, the yeast extract listed here is probably used as a flavor and immune system enhancer. Although you may have heard otherwise, the glutamic acid found in yeast extract is a food additive generally recognized as safe by the USFDA.1

Thirdly, we find no mention of probiotics… friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.

And lastly, this food does contain 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.

Royal Canin Medium Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Judging by its ingredients alone, Royal Canin Medium appears to be a fairly average dog food.

But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 28%, a fat level of 14% and estimated carbohydrates of about 50%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 30% and a mean fat level of 17%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 45% for the overall product line.

Near average protein. Average fat. And below-average carbs… when compared to a typical dry dog food.

When you consider the protein-boosting effect of the corn gluten meal, this looks like the profile of a dry dog food containing only a moderate amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Royal Canin Medium is primarily a plant-based dry dog food using only a moderate amount of chicken meal as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand three stars.

Recommended.

Those looking for a kibble designed mainly for smaller adult pets may wish to visit our review of Royal Canin Mini Adult dog food.

A Final Word

This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in a specific health benefit for your pet.

For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”

Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.

Have an opinion about this dog food… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.

Notes and Updates

01/20/2010 Original review
08/22/2010 Review updated

  1. L-Glutamic Acid, FDA Select Committee on GRAS Substances ↩
Dog Food Advisor IconThe Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.


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  • schmeeds

    Any word on the rc urinary so?  Couldn’t find it on the site.  I have one of my babies on the hills c/d, and would love to switch to a higher rated urinary food.

  • courtney

    my vetenarian actually recommended this brand for my dogs allergies to food.

  • sandy

    PF,

    Avoid corn, wheat, glutens (wheat, oatmeal, barley, rye) altogether. And if possible avoid rice. They are not completely digestible nor are they species appropriate and at a microscopic level they can harm intestinal villi leading to malabsorption of proper nutrients. Look for someting grain free and above average in protein. Alot of foods have probiotics. You just have to read the ingredient list. If possible incorporate a complete and balanced raw diet as well. You can also purchase probiotics and enzymes to add to the food to help with your dog’s overall health, especially if feeding kibble. Kibble is an unnatural, dead food lacking in living enzymes. Watch the video “Best and Worst Foods for your Pet” to start with. http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/videos.aspx

    Good luck.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi PF… Although corn and wheat aren’t exactly my favorite dog food ingredients, they can frequently be blamed for more than most other items. Unfortunately, due to the biological uniqueness of each pet, it would bne misleading for me to provide specific health advice for your puppies. Please be sure to check back for a possible response from one of our other readers. Wish I could be more help.

  • PF

    My 3 month old Lab-collie mix puppy used to poop 5-6 times a day , had hot spots and developed some skin rash, threw up etc. He was on Kirkland’s puppy food. The vet has put him on royal canin prescription diet for 2 – 3 days and asked us to switch to Royal Canin puppy (medium) It says on the front – prebiotics, digestive heath etc. The ingredients label says chickenmeal, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, CORN, wheat gluten, DRIED beet puplp and so on … Wouldn’t CORN affect my puppies already sensitive stomach ?

    What’s your review on this ?

    Thanks

  • Robert

    I think Royal Canin’s prescription approach to dog food is a scam! It seems to be another way for a vet to obtain another source of revenue as do physicians. After using the venison and potato formula for well over a year ($64/17 lb bag), our dog’s skin allergy never cleared up. We switched to Blue Buffalo on the recommendation of our dog groomer and within 2 weeks his skin improved 100%. Potatoes and venison are two of most inexpensive food sources around, but with this stuff you have to pay a premium…

  • Stacey

    I think the royal canin bulldog formula might be wrong. I was told never give my bulldog anything with soy in it. Yet in the royal canin bulldog formula ity states soy. Whenever you read anything regarding bulldogs it clearly states no soy. So was just wondering about that is all.

  • Jonathan

    Oh my, good info Jenny. That would definitely make RC a no-go in Europe. This is why, not just reading the reviews, but learning how to read the label is so important.

  • http://blackvanillas.se Jenny

    In sweden, the RC kibbles are preserved by Propylgallate & BHA… Probably in a big part of Europe aswell then, since the swedist bags are made in different countries in Europe… Good to know for european RC-feeders..

  • Bob K

    Aaron – RC is s decent food that is WAY overpriced. You can get many other 4 star and 5 star foods for less money that provide better nutrition for your dog. That means a better food for your dog and more money in your pocket, a win for both you and your dog.

  • Aaron

    A good overall look at this specific diet. RC foods as you said have many blends to cover the many nutritional needs of Dogs and Cats. Each one will have a different ingredient ratio according to the desired blend. I say to all that read, know your ingredients. Dont believe the hype on whats good and bad.

  • Jonathan

    Derek, on what basis do you criticize Dr Sagman’s work? I think his “positive” assessment on this food is more than fair, particularly in light of the fact that it is one of the more expensive foods, per pound, despite containing junky, cheap ingredients like corn gluten and wheat gluten meal. In what way does this food deserve to be more recommended? It’s really a completely average dog food. average meat. average fat. average carbs. A few above average ingredients, a few below average ingredients. If you need a more specific reason why this food only receives 3-stars, look at it side-by-side with Blue Buffalo Wilderness (a 5-star food) Wellness Supermix5 (a 4-star food) and then you may get a better idea of what makes a dog food exceptional.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Derek… Sorry you feel my “conclusions seem off”. However, your criticism seems a bit vague, don’t you think? It would certainly have been more helpful to know exactly what scientific criteria you’re using to justify such a statement. In any case, it just goes to show you… anyone can criticize anything they want on the Internet.

  • derek

    Mike, although i respect your opinions, most of your conclusions seem off. not just on this royal canin diet but other foods as well. It just goes to show you that anyone can publish anything on the internet.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Cindy… Funny you should ask. We’ve just started reviewing the Royal Canin Veterinary Diets in the past few days. We’re not planning to cover all of them at this time but we are hoping to tackle the the L.I.D. foods (as a group) some time this coming week. So, check be sure to check back then. By the way, once you read the review you should be able to call the better of the two (Royal Cain versus Natural Balance) yourself. Hope this helps.

  • Cindy

    My dog has been put on Royal Canin Limited Ingredient Diet – venison or duck and potato. Do you have any information on this diet? Natural Balance makes the same thing and wondered which would be better.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Janet… I’m not aware of a dog food called Royal Canin Sensible Choice. I looked all over the RC website and can’t find any reference to it. If you do find this food on the web, please send me a link. Thanks for the suggestion.

  • Janet

    I love your website and all of this great information so Thanks a bunch!! Also I have 24 rescued dogs and am searching for a quality dog food that I can afford for this many. Could you review Royal Canine Sensible Choice dog food? THANKS!!

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Michelle… OK, no problem. I’ve added Royal Canin LF-20 to my To Do list. But unfortunately it could be a good while until I get to that product. Thanks for the suggestion.

  • Michelle Miller

    Any chance of reviewing Royan Canin LF 20? I want to compare to Kirkland Signature Adult Weight Control Low Fat formula. Tnx. M.