Royal Canin

Royal Canin Golden Retriever Puppy review

Name: Royal Canin Golden Retriever Puppy
Brand: Royal Canin

44.2/100Average

DryPuppy

A growth kibble written for one breed, and Average on our reading of the label. Fibre is unusually generous for a puppy food at 4.1% of dry matter, which suits a famously enthusiastic eater. The gap that matters most for a breed that finishes large is calcium: the label prints no figure.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Owners drawn to a recipe aimed at one breed, not large puppies in general
Pups whose coats get fussed over. Borage oil at 0.1% sits alongside fish oil
Joint ingredients from the start, glucosamine and chondroitin both listed
Retriever pups that empty the bowl fast, as the extra fibre makes a meal feel fuller
A gentler energy density, our estimate 360 kcal per 100g against 376 typical

Worth watching

No calcium percentage printed, so put it to the maker
Hydrolysed animal proteins and a vegetable protein isolate both leave their source open
Wheat high on the list, plus soya oil and fish oil
Glucosamine from hydrolysed crustaceans, worth a note with a shellfish sensitivity

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

How this scores

How we score

44.2/100Average

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balanceGood

TransparencyPoor

ValueAverage

The details

Dog fit

Listed for Golden Retriever puppies. Ask Royal Canin for the calcium figure before ordering, then start from the bag's chart and let the waistline decide.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Puppy

Main protein

Poultry

The score, in context

Royal Canin Golden Retriever Puppy 44.2

All one Average. Typical dry food: Good.

The gap comes from construction, not from anything alarming: category-named meat, an unnamed plant protein and wheat high on the list.

What's in it

Dehydrated poultry proteinDried meat, so it contributes close to its declared place. Poultry covers any farmed bird.
Rice, maizeThe base.
Vegetable protein isolateConcentrated plant protein, no plant named. Part of the 31.9% dry-matter protein comes from here.
Wheat
Animal fats
Vegetable fibres, beet pulp, psylliumCarry the fibre, higher than most growth kibbles.
Hydrolysed animal proteinsLooser still on source than the poultry.
Fish oil, soya oilFish oil is the omega 3 source.
FOS, hydrolysed yeast, yeast extracts0.34% FOSThe digestive side.
Crustaceans, borage oil, marigold, cartilage0.1% borage oilGlucosamine, GLA, lutein and chondroitin, none of the joint pair dosed.

Dosed generously per kilo, with vitamin A at 26500 IU, vitamin E at 780 mg and zinc at 130 mg.

No calcium figure on the label, for a breed that finishes large. Ask Royal Canin for it.

Named ingredients

Dehydrated poultry protein, rice, maize, vegetable protein isolate*, wheat, animal fats, vegetable fibres, hydrolysed animal proteins, beet pulp, fish oil, minerals, soya oil, fructo-oligo-saccharides (0.34%), psyllium husks and seeds, hydrolysed yeast (source of manno-oligo-saccharides), hydrolysed crustaceans (source of glucosamine), borage oil (0.1%), yeasts extracts (source of betaglucans), marigold extract (source of lutein), hydrolysed cartilage (source of chondroitin).

Against the range

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

359.7 kcal/100g

Estimated using Modified Atwater factors*

Protein

29%

Fat

16%

Fibre

3.7%

Ash

7.4%

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

31.9%

Fat

17.6%

Fibre

4.1%

Ash

8.1%

Carbs

38.3%

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

39.7%

Carbs

48.6%

Veg

Oils

2.9%

Other

0.9%

Pricing & size