# Thoughts on Royal Canin Chihuahua Food



## kellie_marieee

Back in May I got to bring home my new Chihuahua baby who is now five months old. The breeder I bought him from had him on Purina Puppy Chow (Which I know isn't that great) so I immediately started weening him onto Blue Buffalo (Chicken and Oatmeal Puppy Food). We started noticing that because the Blue was in his dish he wouldn't eat any food at all. We waited it out but it got to the point that he wasn't eating.

Later on about 2 weeks after I bought him we were at a friends house and her lab/cocker mix was on a medium size Royal Canin Food and Ben went crazy when he saw the dish on the floor (it was almost like it had a magnet and it was pulling him to it). Later that night we went to PetSmart and picked up a bag of the Royal Canin Chi Puppy food and he's been on it ever since and we have had no problems eating. 

I'm a little worried that a problem will arise or that it really isn't a great food etc because everywhere I go someone tells me something different..

Does anyone out there have any experiences they can tell me about the food from a long term standing?.. I've noticed that literally it's the only thing he will eat.


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## lulu'smom

There is a great dog food website that gives unbias information on all dog food available. It's dogfoodadvisor. It rates food on a scale of 1 to 5 star with 1star food being not so good and 5 star being the best food. You will find that many people on this forum feed Ziwi Peak which is a dehyrated raw, Acana which is a kibble, Fromm-a kibble, or actually feed a homemade raw. Many feed other foods, but that gives you an idea of some of the most popular on this forum (anyone please feel free to correct me). Hope this helps.


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## AussieLass

Hi there and welcome. IMO it's an absolute crap food. My money goes to raw and ZiwiPeak only (which is basically raw anyway). It's not the least bit expensive considering the very few pieces you have to feed because it's dehydrated and their state of health, well it speaks for itself. If you search ZiwiPeak on here you'll find everyone gives it the best wrap of all foods


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## pupluv168

Here is the link to the site Tina mentioned: Dry Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Advisor

I agree that Royal Canin is not a great quality food. It is better than Purina, but it is not something that I would recommend. The reason your dog is so attracted to it is because there are a lot of fillers and additives that attract dogs. It makes them want to eat it. 

I would recommend a higher quality food. 

As far as kibble, there are two types that I would recommend above all else: 
-Acana has the Regionals line, which is grain free. It is highly recommended. There are four flavors: Ranchlands, Grasslands, Wild Prairie, and Pacifica. 
-Fromm also has some grain free varieties as part of its Four Star line. They are excellent too. 

If you want to look into other options, you can look into raw. 
-Prey Model Raw is fresh meat, bones, and organs. It takes commitment to a balanced canine diet and a lot of research. Do not undertake this lightly, because if you do not balance it right, it can be harmful. Tracy (Brodysmom) is our resident raw expert. 
-Ziwipeak is an air dried raw and a great option for people that want to feed raw but are worried about a balanced diet and the commitment involved. I personally feed it and will never return to kibble. It is a raw diet that is air dried, so it looks like little pieces of jerky. The sticker price will scare you, but they eat teeny, tiny amounts so it really doesn't cost any more than a high quality kibble. There are three varieties: lamb, venison, and venison and fish. 
-Other pre-mades such as Stella & Chewys are good too. They are pre-made raw meals. They are also completely balanced and contain the correct portion of meat, bones, and organ. There are a bunch of varieties. 

Hope this helps.


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## svdreamer

Royal Canine is given 3 stars out of 5, which makes it a ok food for your puppy. And the best part, your puppy loves it. I would keep on giving it.


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## AussieLass

OK, not so much thoughts on RC, rather, facts ..... and there's some pretty scary ones imo in here:

The first ingredient in the food is a named meat product, in meal form. It is the sole significant meat product in the food, and our confidence that this product contains a decent amount of meat is low. There is a further meat product 8th on the ingredient list, but this is not only a minor ingredient but is inclusive of water content (about 80%). Once that is removed, as it must be to create a dehydrated product, the ingredient will weigh around 20% of its wet weight. Ingredients are listed in order of weight, and the dehydrated ingredient would probably be more accurately placed much further down the ingredient list. It is highly unlikely that this ingredient makes any significant contribution to the overall meat content of the food. Soy isolate is used to boost the protein content of the food, but this is low quality protein and soy is a product closely linked to food allergies in dogs.


The main grains in the food are rice, brewers rice and oatmeal. Rice and oatmeal are decent quality grains, but brewers rice is a low quality grain and byproduct. We would prefer to see the use of whole eggs rather than egg powder in the food. Pea fiber is further filler.


Beet pulp is controversial filler which appears to be used in large quantities in this food. It is a by-product, being dried residue from sugar beets which has been cleaned and extracted in the process of manufacturing sugar. It is a controversial ingredient in dog food, claimed by some manufacturers to be a good source of fibre, and derided by others as an ingredient added to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats and causing stress to kidney and liver in the process. *We note that beet pulp is an ingredient that commonly causes problems for dogs, including allergies and ear infections, and prefer not to see it used in dog food. There are less controversial products around if additional fibre is required. *

The whole report & 2 star rating can be found here: Dog Food Reviews - Royal Canin Mini Chihuahua 28 - Powered by ReviewPost

With our little dogs, every single mouthful MUST COUNT, so if you simply have to feed kibble, then please at least consider a grain free one and at the very least some raw meaty bones, otherwise you're poor darlin' is just giong to be eating the equivalent of a loaf of bred (grain which is totally unnatural for dogs) or sushi roll without the good bits (rice which is ditto).


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## alfie's mum

My dog loved Royal Canin for Chihuahuas but it has such a hight fat content. Probably why he loved it sooo much but he has been off it for over a year and I am still trying to get the weight off him.

If I ever get another I would make sure to get the correct diet at puppy stage as it seems that if they are a bit plump as a baby it is quite hard with them to correct it.


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## susan davis

I used RC food for awhile. I am now feeding 5 star kibbles, switching every other bag for variety. Mostly grain free. Have Fromm grain free in the pantry now.


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## kellie_marieee

Thanks for the advice everyone. The problem Im having now is not a not wanting to switch but a I can't find any of the foods mentioned locally. I live in Toronto, Ontario Btw


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## doginthedesert

Yeah- royal canin's breed specific diets are almost entirely just a marketing scheme- besides all the fillers it is nuts to promote that idea that different breeds need different nutrition. It makes zero sense (except maybe certain lines of dals).

A while back I had fosters on a higher end kibble called Horizon Legacy- it is a canadian company and they also make a small breed food if you are looking for smaller kibble. My canadian relatives had all heard of it so I imagine it is available up there.


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## kellie_marieee

I just googled the horizon food and the website has a really nifty "retailer" link where I can see all the stores it is sold at - quite the few in toronto actually.. thanks


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## doginthedesert

kellie_marieee said:


> I just googled the horizon food and the website has a really nifty "retailer" link where I can see all the stores it is sold at - quite the few in toronto actually.. thanks


No problem- I just looked it up (it has been so long since I fed it) and it gets 5 stars on dog food adviser so it is a good food if you want to feed kibble. Ziwipeak as everyone suggested is a really great food that I use sometimes (I feed 99% home made raw myself) you might want to look into that too. From what I understand it is sometimes hard to get locally in some areas though.


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## kellie_marieee

doginthedesert said:


> No problem- I just looked it up (it has been so long since I fed it) and it gets 5 stars on dog food adviser so it is a good food if you want to feed kibble. Ziwipeak as everyone suggested is a really great food that I use sometimes (I feed 99% home made raw myself) you might want to look into that too. From what I understand it is sometimes hard to get locally in some areas though.


There is a place here (Im not sure if they have stores in the states and other places but chances are they do) called Global Pet Foods and to be honest I've never even stepped into one. I went on their website to see what brands of dog food they had and they offer quite the few brands mentioned on here. That is where I can find Horizon as well as Acana and Fromm - I'm so ignorant to what's around me sometimes.. I thought petsmart was the beezkneez


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## bella2013

I know this thread is old, but I thought I would read it seeing as how Royal Canin was what I was considering feeding my little girl, Bella. But, after researching for hours on the dogfoodadvisor site, I've found a better quality food for her. I'm going with Nutro Ultra for Small Breed and for a topper I've ordered some Evanger Classic Dinner canned food. I've been trying to get her to eat the ZiwiPeak treats and the sample of their lamb formula they sent and she won't touch either one. She's a picky eater with a somewhat sensitive tummy, so I just decided to go with the best possible kibble and canned food that I could afford. Luckily the canned food that I ordered is rated a 4.5 star food to give her and is grain free. 

As far as beet pulp goes....I come from the horse world and whenever a horse comes across my path that would be a little malnourished we would always add a little soaked beet pulp to its feed and within a month's time you can easily tell the difference in the horse. So, when I read of its controversial status in the dog food realm I was shocked to say the least. Best of luck with your little guy.


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## Jerry'sMom

Tabitha and Jerry were on Royal Canin for the first 3 years. Then RC changed up it's
formulas and they now all include corn. I see no reason to feed corn to my dogs.
Now they eat Innova Prime--It's a 5 Star kibble  Innova Prime Grain Free Dog Food | Review and Rating


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## Chiboymom

Draco also ate the Royal Canin, until they switched the formula. He now eats Earthborn for small breeds. He enjoyed the RC but like Therese, I did not want to fill him with corn. We tried a few different kibble and he settled on the Earthborn.


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## loupey

My girl is on Royal Canin. Het breeder had her on it too. I'm however starting to have doubts as she has had dry skin and dull fur. And recently she has stopped eating as well as she used to since the introduction of wet foods. So I'm on the lookout for new food. I also noticed the first ingredient is rice...


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## Cryss

Hello! I just joined the forum today. I have 2 rescued chi's, both female 3 years, 3 months old. They were mill rescues.

They have been on Royal Canin since I have had them. They both have been developing some allergy issues. Because we couldn't pin point what they allergy was, I just stopped bringing them outside. I know right? No outside?? 

Long story short I just finished the switch to Grain Free Fromm. The kibble is the same size which is perfect. Today will be the first day they are eating 100% Fromm. I tried 2 times before to switch but they wouldn't have it...this time they started eating the new kibble right away. BM's have been great and actually very consistent & regular. They are eating the Beef and Veg Frittata. Hopefully this will help with their allergies and get them off this darn Vanectyl-P (pred) and I can get their weight down....


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## RoxyChihuahuas

kellie_marieee said:


> Thanks for the advice everyone. The problem Im having now is not a not wanting to switch but a I can't find any of the foods mentioned locally. I live in Toronto, Ontario Btw


I know this is an old thread but for anyone else, Acana is Canadian, as is Orijen. Excellent dry foods which both get 5 stars on the Dog food advisor and even though I'm in England, I buy it on eBay and get free delivery even on just one small bag to as many as I can afford.
I recently ran out and had to pop and grab a local supermarket brand and they ad diarrhoea while on it until the Acana arrived. Never running our of Acana and Orijen again

Gena


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## zellko

At one time there were 3 or 4 different sources of corn on the ingredient list. If all were added together, it's likely that corn would have been the first ingredient. There are so many foods for the same price that are much better. I've found several that have nice small kibble like RC.


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## pigeonsheep

RoxyChihuahuas said:


> I know this is an old thread but for anyone else, Acana is Canadian, as is Orijen. Excellent dry foods which both get 5 stars on the Dog food advisor and even though I'm in England, I buy it on eBay and get free delivery even on just one small bag to as many as I can afford.
> I recently ran out and had to pop and grab a local supermarket brand and they ad diarrhoea while on it until the Acana arrived. Never running our of Acana and Orijen again
> 
> Gena


My bf feeds his cats orijen and acana and they do wonderful. I've tried addin in orijen to the mix but the kids only ate it for one night lol...they highly prefer their primal over anything. So glad u feed ur babies good food!


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## willadavis

May be You can this one : 
*Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Hydrolyzed Protein Small Dog Dry Dog Food
or *
*OPtimeal Small Breed Dog Food – Natural Dry Dog Food*
or You can checkout more on this Page


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