The diet we’re going to be talking about today is the Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Calm Formula Dry Dog Food. It is also known as “Canine calm”. From its name, you can see that this diet is made to calm dogs.
The brand responsible for this diet is “Royal Canin”. Royal Canin is a sub-brand under the company Mars Petcare Incorporated. Although Mars Petcare is not the original founder of the brand Royal Canin, it bought the company over in 2001.
Before then, for about 20 years, the brand changed ownership several times, dating back to its first owner and founder, a French veterinarian. The brand was created after the French vet cured different dogs of different health problems by feeding them a diet he made himself.
After a while, he started selling this diet to other companies, and soon enough, the brand “Royal Canin”, was formed. The good thing about Royal Canin is that, despite changing ownership so many times, the main purpose for which the original founder created the company, has not been lost.
Royal Canin’s diet is still, today, curing a lot of dogs of different diseases and sicknesses. To prove that, its recipes are AAFCO approved. The body charged with regulating pet food and drugs testifies that Royal Canin’s recipes meet the nutritional levels of dog food nutrient, needed for growth and development of adult dogs.
Table of Contents
Who Is The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Calm Formula Dry Dog Food For?
This diet is meant for dogs who have stress-related problems. So, if your dog is facing skin problems, urinary problems, digestive problems, that are as a result of stress, then this is the perfect diet for him.
If you cannot ascertain, for sure, whether stress is the reason for those problems in your dog, then you need to see your vet before getting this dog food for your pooch. In fact, whether you know or not, it’s advisable that you see your vet before getting this product, after all, it’s a veterinary diet.
Alright! Now that we know that this is for your pooch, we’re going to look at all the ingredients that make up this diet. If this is not for your pooch, then head on to our “alternative section”. There, you would find other dog food by the same brand. Hopefully, you find one that suits your dog.
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Ingredients Of The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Calm Formula Dry Dog Food – Review
Before we move on, we would like you to note that every ingredient here is listed in order of pre-cooked weight. So, you should be a lot more concerned about the first five ingredients, as those are most likely to have a severe impact on the overall quality of the product.
Brewers Rice
The first ingredient in this diet is Brewer’s rice. Nothing much to say about brewer’s rice, to be honest. It’s basically the small pieces of rice kernel that have been separated from the bigger kernels after the rice has been milled.
They do not contain as many nutrients as whole grains and so, brewer’s rice is often seen as nothing but a lower-quality grain. To a large extent, this is true. Typically, brewer’s rice has as many nutrients as white rice. In dog food, it is mainly used as an affordable filler.
Chicken By-Product Meal
Now we’re getting to the meaty part of the ingredients, literally. Chicken by-product meal is a chicken by-product that has been cooked through a process called “rendering”. A by-product is basically the clean parts of an animal, other than its meat, gotten after slaughtering the animal.
These are basically parts of the animal that humans would not normally consume. Things like- heart, stomach, kidney, lungs, spleen, blood, and so on.
While manufacturers and experts believe that by-products are very healthy for your pooch, some others believe that it’s just slaughterhouse waste. We don’t know about you, but we prefer to listen to the experts on that one.
Many experts believe that by-products are often unjustly criticized by the public because of the perception that they are gotten from slaughterhouse waste. That’s not true. However, they also warn that when picking a by-product, it’s best you pick one that comes from a named animal.
For instance, the by-product used in the featured product is from “chicken”. It’s better than simply “meat by-product” or “poultry by-product”. Why? Because with a named animal, you know what kind of nutrients you’re going to get out of the by-product.
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Corn
The third ingredient in this diet is “corn”. Now, corn is a good ingredient, in fact, it’s a great ingredient. It’s a good source of minerals, vitamins, as well as proteins (plant-based, of course). Sounds good, right? Well, corn is also one of the most controversial dog-food ingredients.
Why? Well, because some people believe that the benefits of corn are overemphasized, while some others think that they are underemphasized. We are somewhere in the middle. Let’s look at the exclaim the individual claims one after the other.
So the first claim is that corn is easily digestible. Well, that’s true, but only under the circumstance that it has been made in a meal or flour, and then cooked.
The next claim is its incredible protein contribution. Now, this one is a fact. Corn is an excellent source of plant-based protein. However, you must note that corn produces plant-based protein. Plant-based protein does not contain all the needed amino acids needed by dogs for proper growth and development.
The final claim is that it’s an excellent source of minerals and vitamins. If you read what we wrote in the first paragraph, we mentioned that corn is a “good source”, which is more accurate, compared to “excellent source”.
Yes, it does produce a number of minerals and vitamins. However, there are other ingredients that are excellent sources of minerals and vitamins, much better than corn.
Chicken Fat
Chicken fat does not only taste great, but it’s also a great source of omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids help to give your dog a great, healthy-looking skin, as well as as a shiny coat.
Wheat Gluten
Wheat gluten is the main protein in wheat. In fact, it’s about 60% protein. Because it’s such a great source of protein, one would think that it would be a widely accepted product. Well, it’s not. In fact, its protein contribution is why it’s so controversial.
Just like with corn, wheat gluten produces plant-based protein. Plant-based protein is not as nutritious to dogs as animal-based protein. So, a lot of people are skeptical considering how much protein wheat gluten is going to add to the overall diet.
Just like we mentioned earlier, the ingredients listed are listed in order of pre-cooked weight. All of the ingredients listed after this one are so small that, individually, they would not have any impact on the overall quality of the product.
Wheat
While wheat gluten produces a lot of protein, wheat itself is mainly used as an affordable filler. It makes the food a lot more affordable for you, the consumer.
Natural Flavor
Just like the name implies, this is flavoring gotten from animals and plants. It makes the food more palatable and enjoyable for your pooch.
Chicory
This plant has a high amount of insulin. Insulin is a compound that’s rich in prebiotics and dietary fiber. Prebiotics are basically foods that improve and maintain the health of your pooch’s digestive system.
Salt
Salt, as we all know, is a very important mineral, both for us humans and for dogs. Seeing as we cannot determine the exact quantity of salt in this diet, we cannot ascertain whether it’s a nutritious addition, or just for taste.
Vegetable Oil
Vegetable oils are usually good ingredients because they produce both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Going to back to what we said about “chicken fat”, you can find the importance of these acids.
However, one thing we don’t like about this ingredient is that the particular vegetable oil used is not stated. Because of that, we cannot determine the acid ratio, which makes this a controversial ingredient for us.
Fish Oil
According to the AAFCO, fish oil is defined as “oil gotten from rendering cannery waste or whole fish”. It’s a great source of fat as it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Just like the vegetable oil, the fish this oil is gotten from is not stated, so, we cannot be specific with our claims.
Calcium Sulfate
This is used as an additive to help control the acid levels and functions, acting as a firming agent. This is not an ingredient most people like to see. However, according to the FDA, it’s safe when used in small quantities.
Potassium Chloride
It’s a potassium supplement.
All the ingredients listed above are the ones that are going to affect the quality of the product, either individually, or as a whole. The remaining ingredients are made in such small amounts that they are unlikely to affect the quality of the product.
Pros Of The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Calm Formula Dry Dog Food
i. For the quality that this diet provides, the Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Calm Formula Dry Dog Food is really affordable.
ii. It’s a great product because it does what it’s meant to do, it calms your dog.
iii. It has chicken by-product as its main meat ingredient. Chicken is a great source of animal-based protein, and it also tastes great.
iv. There are a few ingredients in this diet like “chicken fat” and “fish and vegetable oil”, that produce a great amount of both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
v. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids help give your dog healthy skin and a shiny coat.
vi. This entire diet contains two important amino acids that help your pooch maintain an emotional balance.
vii. It also contains a good nutrient blend that helps to regulate the intestinal transit and helps to support digestive flora.
viii. Finally, it contains nutrients that give your dog healthy teeth.
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Cons Of The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Calm Formula Dry Dog Food
i. One thing people really complained about this diet was the taste. It’s a chore to get your dog to eat it because this is not very sweet.
ii. The source of some of the ingredients was not stated (fish oil, vegetable oil). Because of this, we were not able to accurately determine the nutritional benefits of those ingredients.
iii. This is kibble. While kibble is good for some dogs, it’s not good for others. So, if your dog does not like kibble, then he definitely will not like this diet. You might want to check out our alternatives for other options.
Alternative To The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Calm Formula Dry Dog Food
Does Your Pooch Have Digestive Issues? Get The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Fiber Response Dry Dog Food
This diet is made for dogs who have issues with digestion. Most of the time, these are issues that have to do with digesting fat. Other times, it can be issued with diarrhea, vomiting, and other things like that. But whatever issues that have to do with digestion, this diet is best for your dog.
The main ingredients in this diet are listed in the table below. From the ingredients, you can tell that this has a lot of sources of dietary fiber. This is very important as it’s a fiber response diet. Dietary fiber is a very essential nutrient that helps ease digestion.
One thing we don’t really like about this diet is that it also has an unnamed source of fish oil, just like our featured product. In the same manner, because you don’t know what specific fish was used, you cannot fully tell the nutritional content of the oil.
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Do You Want Something For Your Little Pooch? Check Out The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Puppy Dry Dog Food
This is also a gastrointestinal diet, which means that it’ll help your pooch who has digestive issues. However, unlike the fiber response diet, we mentioned earlier, this one is strictly for puppies.
So, if you have a little pooch who’s having any issues with digestion, we highly recommend this diet. Just keep it in mind that this is a veterinary diet. That means you need the permission of your vet to get this for your pooch.
One thing we have a slight problem with is that this is kibble. Many small dogs prefer canned food, and so, we would have preferred if this was canned. However, because they are made exclusively for puppies, the kibbles are a lot smaller in size.
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Does Your Dog Have Food Sensitivities? Get The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Ultamino Dry Dog Food
If your dog has an extreme case of food sensitivities, then this is the perfect diet for him. It’s extremely palatable, so your dog has no problems eating it and digesting it.
Also, the protein source in this diet has been broken down to their amino acid level. That way, they are easily absorbed into the digestive tract. This helps to decrease the risk of initiating an immune response.
Lastly, diet is a great source of vitamins B and amino acid. This helps to reinforce your pooch’s skin barrier. It also increases the level of EPA and omega-3 fatty acids to stimulate healthy skin and coat.
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Quick Comparison Table
| Featured | Fiber Response Option | Puppy Option | Another Option | |
| Product |
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Calm Formula Dry Dog Food
|
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Fiber Response Dry Dog Food
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|
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Puppy Dry Dog Food |
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Ultamino Dry Dog Food
|
| Ingredients | Brewers Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn, Chicken Fat, Wheat, Wheat Gluten, Dried Chicory Root, Natural Flavors, Salt, Vegetable Oil, Fish Oil, Calcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride | Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Chicken Fat, Powdered Cellulose, Rice Hulls, Corn, Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Natural Flavors, Wheat Gluten, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Fish Oil | Brewers Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken Fat, Corn Gluten Meal, Natural Flavors, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Wheat Gluten, Egg Product | Corn Starch, Hydrolyzed Poultry By-Products Aggregate, Coconut Oil, Soybean Oil, Natural Flavors, Potassium Phosphate, Powdered Cellulose, Calcium Carbonate |
| Kibble/Canned | Kibble | Kibble | Kibble | Kibble |
| Best For | Dogs with stress-related issues | Dogs with digestion issues | Puppies | Dogs with food sensitivities |
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What Do People Think?
People liked this diet because of its calming nature. In fact, it was surprising for a lot of people to see how much this food could calm their dogs. It was great for a lot of people.
One thing that people don’t like, though, is that this is not very sweet. So, people getting their pooch to eat this was like a parent getting their kids to eat their greens. You might have to add some flavors or sweeteners to get your pooch to eat this.
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Our Verdict
For a product to be regarded as good enough, it has to do what the manufacturers made it do. From what you can see by the customers’ reactions above, this diet did just that.
So, if your dog has stress-related issues, then get this diet for him, you would be pleasantly surprised by the results. One thing you have to keep in mind, however, is that this is a veterinary diet. What that means is that you need the recommendation of your vet to get this for your pooch.
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