Royal Canin

Royal Canin Shih Tzu Puppy review

Name: Royal Canin Shih Tzu Puppy
Brand: Royal Canin

42.3/100Average

DryPuppy

A growth kibble narrowed to one breed, a small dog with a big coat to grow into. It is energy dense at 397 kcal per 100g, and borage oil puts a named skin and coat fat on the list. Opaque meat and fat entries hold it in our Average band.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Shih tzu puppies, the breed the kibble and feeding guide are written around
Coat from the outset, with borage oil and fish oil both named
Small stomachs, since plenty of energy fits in a modest bowl
Young digestions, with FOS, beet pulp and hydrolysed yeast on the list
A starter bag, sold in one small size

Worth watching

No named species anywhere: poultry, animal fats and hydrolysed proteins all left broad
Maize high on the list, and fish oil, for anyone keeping either out
No calcium printed, on a growth food
Protein at 28.0%, modest for growth

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

How this scores

How we score

42.3/100Average

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balanceGood

TransparencyPoor

ValueAverage

The details

Dog fit

Listed for shih tzu puppies. Let the growth chart set the amount, and check by hand under the coat, which makes it easy to miss a pup carrying more than it should.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Puppy

Breed size

Small

Main protein

Poultry

The score, in context

Royal Canin Shih Tzu Puppy 42.3

All one Average. Typical dry food: Good.

The analysis is not the trouble; the label leaves very little to verify, with every protein source given as a category and no calcium on the panel.

What's in it

Dehydrated poultry proteinDried, so it carries through to the kibble. Poultry is a family name, and the bird is never given.
Rice, maizeMost of the structural work.
Animal fatsNo species.
Vegetable protein isolateLifts the protein reading from a plant source.
Beet pulpModerate fibre most puppies take comfortably.
Hydrolysed animal proteinsAnother unnamed animal source.
Fish oil, soya oilFish oil for long chain omega 3.
Minerals, fructo-oligo-saccharides, hydrolysed yeast0.34% on the FOS
Borage oil0.1%Gamma linolenic acid for skin and coat, a reasonable priority on this much hair.
Yeast extracts, marigold extract

Vitamins and trace minerals printed in full per kilo, with yucca for stool odour and clinoptilolite as a processing aid.

No moisture on the label, so our dry matter figures assume 8%.

Named ingredients

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

Against the range

Dehydrated poultry protein opens the list, with rice and maize doing the structural work and a vegetable protein isolate lifting the protein from a plant source. The fats lean towards coat: fish oil early, soya oil, and borage oil named at 0.1%.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

397.3 kcal/100g

Protein

28%

Fat

18%

Fibre

1.5%

Ash

7.6%

Dry weight

Protein

30.4%

Fat

19.6%

Fibre

1.6%

Ash

8.3%

Carbs

40.1%

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

41.6%

Carbs

46%

Veg

4.1%

Oils

6.8%

Other

1.5%

Pricing & size