Royal Canin

Royal Canin Giant Starter review

Name: Royal Canin Giant Starter
Brand: Royal Canin

43.5/100Average

DryPuppyAdult

A dense, high-energy kibble for the first stage of a giant breed's life, and it settles in our Average band, a step short of the typical adult dry food. The gap comes from the label's silence, not the analysis. Protein is declared at 30.0%, fat at 22.0%, and the DHA comes from an algal oil.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Giant breed youngsters at the start of their growth
Owners weaning a big litter, with guidance split into 0 to 4 months and 4 to 12 months
A lot of nutrition in a small volume, at 417 kcal per 100g
Unsettled young digestions: psyllium husks and seeds, hydrolysed yeast and fructo-oligo-saccharides are all named

Worth watching

No calcium figure on a giant breed growth food. Ask the maker before it becomes the everyday bag
Not one animal entry named to a species, from the poultry protein to the hydrolysed proteins
Wheat gluten fourth, and fish oil beside the algal DHA, so it is neither wheat nor fish free

Written by our editorial team. Independent guidance, not veterinary advice.

How this scores

How we score

43.5/100Average

Protein and processingPoor

Nutritional balanceGood

TransparencyAverage

ValueAverage

The details

Dog fit

Listed for giant breeds from puppyhood. A growing giant eats well beyond any adult figure, so feed to the month brackets on the sack, not by eye.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Puppy, Adult

Breed size

Giant

Main protein

Poultry

The score, in context

Royal Canin Giant Starter 43.5

All one Average. Typical dry food: Good.

The analysis is the best thing here; a label that never names a species, leans on wheat gluten and leaves out calcium is what holds the score down.

What's in it

RiceLeads the list.
Dehydrated poultry proteinThe bird is never named.
Animal fatsNo species.
Wheat glutenChosen for how well it digests, so some of the declared protein is cereal.
Hydrolysed animal proteins
Maize, beet pulp, minerals, soya oil, vegetable fibres
Fish oilPuts fish in the bag alongside the algal DHA.
Psyllium husks and seeds, fructo-oligo-saccharidesSoluble fibre, and food for the gut's own bacteria.
Hydrolysed yeast, butyric acid salt0.30% (yeast)Manno-oligo-saccharides and betaglucans, with the salt there for the gut lining.
Algal oil Schizochytrium, marigold mealDHA for a developing brain and eye.

Vitamin D3 at 1200 IU and zinc at 135 mg per kilo lead a mineral load bigger than an ordinary adult kibble carries.

No calcium declaration on a food for a giant breed at the very start of life. Ask Royal Canin for the level.

Named ingredients

Rice, dehydrated poultry protein, animal fats, wheat gluten*, hydrolysed animal proteins, maize, beet pulp, minerals, soya oil, vegetable fibres, fish oil, psyllium husks and seeds, fructo-oligo-saccharides, hydrolysed yeast (source of manno-oligo-saccharides and betaglucans) (0.30%), algal oil Schizochytrium sp. (source of DHA), butyric acid salt, marigold meal.

Against the range

One concentrated growth kibble for giant breeds. Rice and dehydrated poultry protein lead, wheat gluten sits fourth, and a digestive kit of psyllium, fructo-oligo-saccharides and hydrolysed yeast runs through the tail. Calcium is not declared.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

417.3 kcal/100g

Protein

30%

Fat

22%

Fibre

1.9%

Ash

8.2%

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

33%

Fat

24.2%

Fibre

2.1%

Ash

Carbs

31.7%

As-fed composition

Estimated breakdown of the finished product by ingredient category, from the declared ingredient list and ingoing weights. These are estimates, not measurements.

Meat

32.1%

Carbs

56.7%

Veg

0.5%

Oils

9.1%

Other

1.6%

Pricing & size