Today, we’re going to be looking at the Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Puppy Dry Dog Food. This recipe is manufactured by Royal Canin, which is a sub-brand under Mars, Petcare Incorporated.
Royal Canin is a brand whose products you can trust, and the major proof of this is that their recipes are AAFCO approved.
AAFCO is a voluntary association that is demanded by law to regulate the distribution and sales of animal food and drugs.
According to this association, Royal Canin’s dog food recipe meets their “dog food nutrient profiles” needed for growing puppies.
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Who Is The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Puppy Dry Dog Food For?
The first thing you can tell, right from the name of this product, is that it is strictly for puppies.
Because it’s a puppy diet, this meal does not contain as many nutrients as is needed by an adult dog.
Another thing you have to keep in mind is that this is not only due to size. So, even if you have a really small adult dog, it might not be advisable to give them a puppy diet.
Furthermore, this is a veterinary diet. That means you would need to get the consent of your vet before you get this for your young pooch.
This is advisable because this is only meant for dogs with gastrointestinal issues, i.e., issues with digestion. These issues are mainly issues with digesting fat.
It also includes issues like loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. So, if your dog has any of these symptoms, it’s best you take him to a vet, and the vet just might recommend this diet.
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Ingredients Of Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Puppy Dry Dog Food
Brewers Rice
When rice is milled, the small fragments of the rice kernel are parted from the large kernels. These small fragments are referred to as Brewers rice.
They obviously don’t contain as many nutrients as the whole rice kernel. This makes Brewers rice a low-quality grain which is basically used as an affordable filler.
As much as Brewers rice does not have so much nutritional value, it does not have any negative effect on your dog either.
In fact, it gives you the exact same nutritional benefits as white rice. The only reason humans don’t eat brewers rice is that it’s not as palatable as white rice.
Chicken By-Product Meal
By-products are defined by the AAFCO as “clean, non-rendered parts of animals, other than their meats”.
These include parts like the spleen, blood, bone, intestine, and so on; parts that humans would naturally not eat but still have nutritional values that are healthy for your dogs.
While by-products are very popular, they are also a widely contested dog food ingredient. Some people believe that by-products are just cheap meats gotten from slaughterhouse waste.
Apart from just being an affordable alternative, manufacturers, as well as dog food experts, believe that by-products produce nutrients needed by dogs. Them being so affordable is simply an added advantage. It makes the dog food itself more affordable.
One advice that many experts give, though, is that if you’re going to get a by-product, get one that has its source named. That is, like the one in the featured product for today “chicken by-product”.
They are a lot better than generic by-products like “poultry by-product”, or “animal by-product”. Because you know their source, you are able to tell, to an extent, their nutritional value.
Chicken Fat
This is also obtained through the process of rendering. Chicken fat is a great source of healthy doses of linoleic acid. This is an essential omega-6 fatty acid.
These healthy fats contribute to your dog’s healthy-looking skin and shiny fur.
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Corn Gluten Meal
This is another by-product. However, unlike the other ones we’ve looked at, this one is plant-based.
It’s collected after the production of different corn products including- corn starch, corn syrup, and so on.
It’s particularly great because it’s a high source of protein. In fact, it contains about 60% protein.
However, while some people absolutely love this, some others are worried. Because of how rich corn gluten meal is in protein, it significantly boosts the protein content in the recipe.
But because plant-based protein is not as healthy as the meat-based protein, it does not serve as a substitute.
Natural Flavor
This is as simple as it sounds. Natural flavors are simply flavoring made from natural materials that are used to improve the flavor of the food and make it more palatable.
Natural flavoring is gotten from either plants or animals, while artificial flavoring is cooked up using man-made ingredients.
The ingredients listed in this article are listed in order of their pre-cooked weight. So, the ingredients we’ve already talked about are the ones that are weighty enough to affect the overall quality of the food, individually.
The remaining ingredients we’ll be talking about are significantly smaller in weight. So, individually, they will most likely not affect the overall quality of this product.
However, together, they can, which is why we’ll be talking about them.
Dried Plain Beet Pulp
Another by-product in this diet is this ingredient. It’s derived after sugar is extracted from sugar beets. The word “plain” is used to show that this beet pulp is not sweetened. Sweetening a dried beet pulp is often to increase its palatability.
The main nutritional value that dried plain beet pulp offers is dietary fiber. Being that this is a gastrointestinal diet, dietary fiber is a very important nutrient. It’s very important because it helps indigestion.
Just like other by-products, dried beet pulp is a controversial ingredient. While some people believe that it regulates blood sugar and improves intestinal health, others believe that it’s nothing but an inexpensive filler.
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Wheat Gluten
Wheat gluten is the proteinous part of wheat. Although this provides enough protein, it is still regarded as a controversial ingredient because it’s plant-based.
Plant-based protein is less desirable than animal-based protein because it has a lower-quality amino acid profile.
Egg Product
Egg product contains shell-free eggs that are very easy to digest. It also contains high-quality animal-based protein. In fact, egg protein, oftentimes, has the highest biological value (BV).
The Biological Value metric is the measurement of the usability of an ingredient’s protein.
Those are all the ingredients you need to know about. The remaining ingredients are so small that they would not have a significant effect on the overall quality of the product.
Pros Of The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Puppy Dry Dog Food
It’s a healthy puppy diet that has all the nutritional benefits your pup requires.
For a dog food of this quality, the Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Puppy Dry Dog Food is pretty affordable.
There is a healthy balance between animal and plant-based protein.
Because it’s a gastrointestinal diet, it helps dogs who have any digestion issues.
The proteins present in this diet are easily digestible. They also help in the maintenance of a healthy balance of good bacteria inside your puppy.
There is chicken fat in the diet which provides necessary omega-6 fatty acids. This keeps your dog’s skin healthy and gives him a shiny fur.
Although this is kibble, it’s made specifically for puppies, so, it’s cut into tinier bits, which makes it easy for your pup to chew.
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Cons Of The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Puppy Dry Dog Food
Because this is a puppy diet, we would have preferred that it was canned food, instead of kibble.
Although the kibble is cut into small pieces, it’s still difficult for some pooches to chew, especially really small puppies.
It’s not sweet. Getting your little pup to eat this dog food is similar to getting your children to eat their vegetables.
Because it’s not sweet, you might have to add some extra flavoring and sweeteners to get your pup to eat it.
Furthermore, the diet contains a lot of plant-based protein. Plant-based protein has a lower-quality amino acid profile, compared to animal-based protein.
Alternatives To The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Puppy Dry Dog Food
So Your Little Puppy Does Not Have Any Gastrointestinal Issues And Just Needs A Normal Diet. Check Out The Royal Canin Small Puppy Dry Dog Food
Click here to get it on Amazon!
The featured product we talked about today can only be given to your puppy by a veterinarians recommendation if he has issues with digestion.
If he does not and you just need a normal diet for him, this is one you would love to try.
It’s kibble but it’s made with small puppies in mind. So, the pieces of the kibble are really small, which makes them easy for your pup to chew on.
The main source of meat in this diet is “chicken”. The recipe features both “chicken by-product meal”, and “chicken fat”.
One thing we don’t really like about this recipe is that it contains a lot of plant-based protein.
Does Your Puppy Prefer Canned Dog Food Instead? Check Out The Royal Canin Puppy Canned Dog Food
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Although the kibble is cut into tiny pieces that are easy for your puppy to chew, some pups simply don’t like kibble.
If your dog is one of these, then you are better off getting him a canned dog food that he is actually going to eat.
Another benefit of canned dog food is that, because it’s wet, you can easily add flavors and sweeteners that would make the entire meal more palatable for your pooch.
Further, we really like this recipe because it has a lot of animal-based protein.
The recipe features “chicken by-products”, “chicken”, “pork by-products”, and “salmon”. For something so affordable, this is great.
While all the main ingredients in this recipe are meats, there are a few other ingredients that are in the diet. These are- corn meal, brewers rice flour, powdered cellulose, and brewers rice, to name a few.
Is Your Pooch No Longer A Puppy And You Need To Upgrade His Diet? Check Out The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Low Fat Dry Dog Food
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So, the other products we’ve been looking at in this article are made for puppies, but this one is quite different. It’s made for adult dogs.
It’s a similar diet to our featured product, being that they are both gastrointestinal diets.
The two main ingredients in this diet are the same as the one in the featured product- brewers rice, and chicken by-product meal. The other ingredients in this recipe are- wheat, barley, chicken fat, and so on.
One thing we don’t like about this diet is that there are more plant-based sources of protein than animal-based. As we’ve said before, animal-based protein should always be preferred over plant-based protein.
Quick Comparison Table
| Featured | Normal Diet Option | Canned Option | Adult Option | |
| Product |
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Puppy Dry Dog Food
|
Royal Canin Small Puppy Dry Dog Food
|
Royal Canin Puppy Canned Dog Food
|
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Low Fat Dry Dog Food
|
| Ingredients | Brewers Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken Fat, Corn Gluten Meal, Natural Flavors, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Wheat Gluten, Egg Product | Brewers Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken Fat, Wheat Gluten, Corn Gluten Meal, Corn, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Natural Flavors, Fish Oil, Vegetable Oil | Water Sufficient for Processing, Chicken By-Products, Chicken, Pork By-Products, Chicken Liver, Salmon, Corn Meal, Brewers Rice Flour, Powdered Cellulose, Brewers Rice, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Pork Plasma, Guar Gum, Vegetable Oil | Brewers Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Wheat, Barley, Natural Flavors, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Grain Distillers Dried Yeast, Chicken Fat |
| Kibble/Canned | Kibble | Kibble | Canned | Kibble |
| Best For | Puppy with gastrointestinal issues | Puppy without any digestion issues | A puppy who prefers canned dog food to kibble | Adult dog with gastrointestinal issues. |
What Do People Think About The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Puppy Dry Dog Food?
People who bought this dog food were really thankful to Royal Canin for how well it worked.
Puppies who had digestion issues got cured after using this diet for a few weeks, and obviously their parents were very happy with the result.
One thing people found challenging, though, was getting their pooch to actually eat this food. The food is not very sweet, so, to get your pooch to eat it, you would need to add some sweeteners and flavors, and some positive reinforcements even.
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Our Verdict
The Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Puppy Dry Dog Food is great dry dog food, especially for its price.
It’s AAFCO approved, so, you can rest assured that it has all the necessary nutrients needed for the proper growth and development of your pooch.
Another thing we like is that it’s made with chicken, you just have to love chicken. Not only is it a great source of animal-based protein, but it is also a great source of essential fatty acids. Added to that, it tastes great.
Before we leave, though, we must mention, this is a veterinary diet. That means you need to get your vet’s recommendation before buying this for your pooch.
Click here to get it on Amazon!
