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Why do vets prefer Science Diet & Royal Canin over grain-free brands?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | Female | spayed | 5 years and 6 months old | 17 lbs

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, brown rice, lentils, peas, etc. better sources of nutrition? my dog is currently on Natural Balance L.I.D. but I'm curious why foods like Science Diet or Royal Canin are preferred by vets. I've heard that they get paid to reccomend Hills. Is this true?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Susan England-Foster

Veterinarian

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

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8Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 19th, 2017

    Most dogs are able to digest soya and cereals if prepared correctly. These brands are carefully researched and formulated to provide complete nutritional solutions for a range of ages, sizes, breeds and medical conditions with predictably good results

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