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
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](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 :-)
317Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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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
8Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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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.
5Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Iam sorry but iam so confused how royal canin contains wheat rice and grain and especially chicken by products and you doctors advice people to feed royal??
A lot recommend royal canin but the first ingredients are chicken by product, wheat and corn. It's rated 2.5 on dog food advisor. How is this good?
Can someone please explain why foods like Science Diet and Royal Canin are considered better as aposed to foods like Acana and Fromm? I always thought wheat, corn, soy, etc. wasn't quality sources of nutrition for dogs. Isn't sweet potato, potato, br
Royal Canin uses corn and wheat as their source of carb and protein. Are these ingredients Non-Gmo and safe to use on pets. You hear a lot about corn being a filler and a cheaper ingredient than other ingredients like sweet potatoes etc.... Can you l
Kevin Sanada, is wheat, corn, byproducts and soy bad in dog food? Why is there such a stigma around these ingredients?
I'm taking a pet nutrition course. And I'm so very confused. It says that corn, meat meal & grains are good, but I thought corn was bad? Don't some food have fillers? I work at a vet clinic and the vet there said Merrick is bad and purina is good? Bu
Is science diet a high quality brand? Why do so many vets reccomend this food? Is wheat corn and soy bad for dogs? Why or why not?
Hello Melanie, what are your most recommended dog food/cat food brands and why? Chloe is currently on royal canin breed specific. Thank you!
Are vets taking more nutrition classes now? Because from the answers I've seen you're all still recommending Hills
Royal canin contains wheat corn and rice how it is the best?
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