Royal Canin

Royal Canin X-Small Adult 8+ review

Name: Royal Canin X-Small Adult 8+
Brand: Royal Canin

40.7/100Average

DryAdultSenior

A straightforward, predictable bowl for a small older dog with a small appetite, and it sits in our Average band. The oils are the thoughtful part: fish oil plus an algal oil supplying EPA and DHA directly. What holds it back is the cereal following the meat and the poultry that is never named as a bird.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Adults of around 4kg and under moving into their senior years
Owners who want marine omega 3s in an older dog's bowl, from fish oil and algal oil
Small dogs whose interest in dinner has faded. Hydrolysed proteins are there for palatability
Gentle fibre handling, with psyllium husks and chicory pulp together
Ageing teeth: pentasodium triphosphate at 0.35% is in the mineral mix

Worth watching

Cereal does a lot of the work: maize gluten, wheat gluten, maize flour, wheat flour and wheat
Poultry is never named as a bird, which matters on a suspected chicken sensitivity
No energy figure on the pack. Our 386 kcal per 100g is an estimate, so portion by eye as well

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

How this scores

How we score

40.7/100Average

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balanceAverage

TransparencyPoor

ValueAverage

The details

Dog fit

Listed for small adults moving into their senior years. At low activity the label asks 24 grams a day at 1kg and 67 grams at 4kg, so weigh the first few bowls.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult, Senior

Breed size

Small

Main protein

Poultry

The score, in context

Royal Canin X-Small Adult 8+ 40.7

All one Average. Typical dry food: Good.

The analysis is ordinary; the mark comes from the cereal run behind the meat and the unnamed animal entries.

What's in it

Dehydrated poultry proteinsWater already driven out, so its place is close to its real share. Poultry is a category, not a named bird.
Rice, wheat flour, wheatWheat turns up as flour, as grain and later as gluten.
Animal fatsNo species given.
Maize flour, maize gluten, wheat glutenThe glutens are plant protein boosters, so the protein figure is not purely animal.
Hydrolysed animal proteinsFor palatability; unnamed.
Chicory pulp, psyllium husks and seedsOne prebiotic, one bulking.
Minerals, including pentasodium triphosphate0.35%Goes after the mineral in saliva that hardens plaque.
Soya oil, yeasts products
Fish oil, algal oil (Schizochytrium)EPA and DHA, the algal oil straight from the source fish get theirs from.
Fructo-oligosaccharides

Vitamin C at 400 mg and vitamin D3 at 900 IU per kilo stand out, alongside vitamin A, iron, iodine, copper, manganese, zinc and selenium.

No animal ingredient is tied to a species, so this food cannot anchor an elimination diet.

Named ingredients

Dehydrated poultry proteins, rice, wheat flour, wheat, animal fats, maize flour, maize gluten, wheat gluten, hydrolysed animal proteins, chicory pulp, minerals (including pentasodium triphosphate (0.35%)), psyllium husks and seeds, soya oil, yeasts products, fish oil, fructo-oligosaccharides, algal oil Schizochytrium sp. (source of EPA and DHA).

Against the range

One recipe for small dogs of about 4kg and under in their later years. Dehydrated poultry proteins lead, with rice and five more cereal entries behind, and no animal ingredient tied to a species. Fish oil and algal oil both go in for EPA and DHA.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

386.5 kcal/100g

Estimated using Modified Atwater factors*

Protein

24%

Fat

18%

Fibre

1.7%

Ash

5.6%

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

26.1%

Fat

19.6%

Fibre

1.8%

Ash

6.1%

Carbs

46.4%

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

37.5%

Carbs

57.8%

Veg

0.5%

Oils

3.5%

Other

0.7%

Pricing & size