Royal Canin

Royal Canin X-Small Puppy review

Name: Royal Canin X-Small Puppy
Brand: Royal Canin

45.3/100Average

DryPuppy

A dense kibble for the smallest breeds, the ones that finish in single figures and eat in mouthfuls. The analysis is strong, with carbohydrate under the puppy typical and DHA from a named algal oil. The label lets it down on identification: poultry, fats and hydrolysed protein all left open. It sits in our Average band.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Toy and very small breed puppies
Tiny appetites with real energy needs, at 405 kcal per 100g against 376 for a typical puppy kibble
DHA named at source, from algal oil
Young digestions that do well on soluble fibre: psyllium alongside beet pulp
A pup that came home already eating this range

Worth watching

No meat named to a species, so no use for an exclusion trial
Wheat gluten, maize, maize gluten and rice, plus fish oil
No calcium printed on a bag sold for growth
Ash at 9.0% of dry matter with no calcium line to break it down

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

How this scores

How we score

45.3/100Average

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balanceGood

TransparencyAverage

ValueAverage

The details

Dog fit

Sold for toy and very small breed puppies. Weigh each meal; the bag's chart sets the start by age and expected adult weight.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Puppy

Breed size

Small

Main protein

Poultry

The score, in context

Royal Canin X-Small Puppy 45.3

All one Average. Typical dry food: Good.

The food does more than the label admits to; unnamed animal sources and a missing calcium line are what cost it.

What's in it

Dehydrated poultry proteinDried, so the weight is close to what lands in the bowl. Poultry is never narrowed to a bird.
Rice, maize
Animal fatsNo species named.
Wheat gluten, maize glutenPlant protein lifting the reading with no meat behind it.
Hydrolysed animal proteinsUnnamed again.
Beet pulp, minerals
Soya oil
Psyllium husks and seedsSoluble fibre for a young gut.
Fish oil, fructo-oligo-saccharides, hydrolysed yeastyeast 0.30%Prebiotics, with fish oil for omega 3.
Algal oil, yucca, marigold mealAlgal oil is the named DHA source.

Vitamins A and D3 with iron, iodine, copper, manganese, zinc and selenium, plus clinoptilolite, a manufacturing clay.

No calcium figure on a growth food. Toy breeds are the forgiving end of that question, but ask if unsure.

Named ingredients

Dehydrated poultry protein, rice, maize, animal fats, wheat gluten*, maize gluten, hydrolysed animal proteins, beet pulp, minerals, soya oil, psyllium husks and seeds, fish oil, fructo-oligo-saccharides, hydrolysed yeast (source of manno-oligo-saccharides and betaglucans) (0.30%), algal oil Schizochytrium sp. (source of DHA), Yucca Schidigera juice, marigold meal.

Against the range

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

405.4 kcal/100g

Protein

31%

Fat

20%

Fibre

1.5%

Ash

8.3%

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

33.7%

Fat

21.7%

Fibre

1.6%

Ash

Carbs

34%

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

40.1%

Carbs

52.8%

Oils

5.7%

Other

1.3%

Pricing & size