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My picky chihuahua prefers Royal Canin. Is grain-free food bad?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Male | neutered | 4 years and 1 month old | 11 lbs

I have a VERY picky chihuahua that I try to feed grain free but he gets bored so I also give him some partial cooked wild game and chicken (no bones) & he gets bored with it all! He also gets some bites of meat fr our meal & currently on Blue-Grain Free but tried a sample of Royal Canin Mini Special and so far he is picking it over the Blue when next to it. Ingred. on Royal C is Chicken Meal and grains, etc which I thought was not good..what is your opinion? (He also gets gassy easily)

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on January 15th, 2018

Great question! In my opinion, grain free diets are a current fad. There is actually no scientific evidence that grain free diets are beneficial to dogs at all. Grains are fine for dogs, they provide a source of fiber which helps fill them up and keeps them satisfied. It sounds like Koda is letting you know he likes grains if he's picking the Royal Canin over Blue. Also in my opinion, Blue is a terrible food and you will find many, many veterinarians agree with that opinion. It is not a well regarded food in the veterinary community. Many vets have seen terrible cases of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis in dogs in Blue, as well as a lot of gas. In addition, they have been caught a number of times lying about what goes into their product, false advertising, and no quality control over how their food is made (they don't own their own factories, they send the recipe out to be made). Royal Canin is an excellent brand of food, and the best part of it is that they have veterinary nutritionists on staff. Blue, as far as I'm aware, does not. I would think a veterinary nutritionist would be best to know what a dog does and doesn't need in a diet. If Koda likes the Royal Canin, I recommend feeding that to him. Just be sure to switch his food over slowly so that he doesn't get GI upset from a quick change. I hope this helps!

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