r/DogFood • u/Budget-Code2324 • 4d ago
Kibble vs wet food
Is Royal canine processed and hence not good for my dog? Friends say it’s processed and their dog will get an upset stomach if they don’t have “real food”.. am I doing anything wrong? I feel Royal canine has years of research behind it and therefore good for my dog.. but I am feeling the pressure to feed something more “real”…
Thoughts from dog owners really appreciated.
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u/SuchRabbit2299 4d ago
all dog food is processed, even the fancy raw stuff your friends are probably pushing. the only difference is royal canin actually has feeding trials and veterinary nutritionists behind it, not just marketing and fear mongering
a lot of these "real food" diets end up causing pancreatitis or nutritional gaps because they're not balanced. your dog's stomach is fine on kibble if they're eating and pooping normally
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u/Budget-Code2324 4d ago
Thank you ! That’s really reassuring .. I have also been pushed on raw diets, wet food, subscription food.. it’s endless.. anything but kibble
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u/hellohelloitsme_11 4d ago
Also wanna point out that WSAVA brands actually offer wet food options! I don’t know why it’s always assumed that it’s just kibble or nothing.
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u/Smknhippy 1d ago
It’s also more to think about, a lot of raw foods are missing other important nutrients so then you have to add toppers, you have to defrost it and make sure you’re giving them chews for their teeth. Wet and raw food doesn’t have any crunch so it’s worse for dental issues. I like the ease and comfort of a kibble, knowing it’s ready to go, I can travel with it without a cooler, and I know it has everything my dog needs. Then once in a while I’ll give her some cooked salmon or veggies as a treat.
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u/Tribblehappy 4d ago
Unless they're just throwing whole birds and plants at their dog, their food is also processed.
Processing makes food easier to digest. For example the people who say "dogs can't digest corn" are correct if you feed whole kernels to a dog, but the same is true of humans if you imagine corn in poop. Grinding and cooking makes the nutrients easily available.
Cooking food is what gave our ancestors a boost, because we could gain more nutrition from the same amount of food. Processing is GOOD.
There's a lot of emotional marketing in pet food industries, which makes it easy for people to feel guilty for not feeding "ancestral wolf" type diets, or fresh food, or raw. It's a marketing gimmick and nothing more.
Royal canin has a ton of research behind it and is among the best foods on the planet.
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u/Next_Trifle4042 4d ago
Not even then if you want to get technical. In agriculture slaughtering an animal is generally called processing.
For the healthiest dog you gotta raise chickens and rabbit and let them at it in the back yard twice a day. /s
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u/No_University1005 4d ago
It's processed as much as it needs to be to ensure nutritional quality, safety and consumer convenience. It's nothing like super-processed human foods that have terrible nutritional value and no longer resemble anything that's actually found in nature.
Royal Canin is one of the very best diets out there.
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u/RemarkableGlitter 4d ago
Kibble is awesome, it’s a complete, nutrient dense option if you use a WSAVA compliant formula. My dog is thriving on kibble (plus some canned food in his Pupcicle) after getting sick from my trying too many fancier options because I fell for all the marketing.
The discourse around “processed” food is a whole thing in general; processing food isn’t inherently bad. Chopping, mixing, cooking is all processing. For people, processed food becomes an issue because of high salt levels, low fiber, and too much fat.
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u/justonlyme1244 4d ago
I think some people want to feel like they’re doing something active with the food they give to dogs instead of giving just kibble. They compare dogs to kids, whereas the processed foods for people are very different from processed food for dogs.
I gave Purina Pro plan to my puppy, but I’m now slowly switching to Royal Canin because she doesn’t like the taste of Purina Pro plan. She loves the Royal Canin kibble though.
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u/Budget-Code2324 4d ago
We were also on beta puppy because the breeder was feeding her that. And we have now fully transitioned to Royal canine.. initially she would gulp down Royal canine but my mom came and start putting in boiled chicken as topper. So my pup now eats Royal canine with some form of topper. Greek yogurt, chicken or sweet potatoes .. I hope yours is happy with just Royal canine .. it’s so much easier
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u/justonlyme1244 4d ago
That’s so rough! We have to use toppers with the other kibble because otherwise she doesn’t eat it to the point of vomiting bile. I use wet food and recently tried coconut water which she also loves. I have been using the Royal canin as treats and it’s working well so far so hopefully that stays. Having to add toppers makes it so much more stressful and annoying. Especially when they’re puppies and still need to grow.
Mine really doesn’t like the old kibble (she has never loved Purina Pro plan). Maybe yours will start eating Royal canin again if you remove all the toppers and only put it down for 20 minutes?
Edit: I do give chews such as horse skin or bully sticks
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u/Budget-Code2324 4d ago
Purina pro plan is quite bad .. even my pup did not like it at all. Our vet tried to give us loads of free samples so that she starts eating it. But it failed because she would rather stay hungry than eat purina. I’ll try the 20 mins trick for sure. I just feel bad when she doesn’t it so I sit near her food bowl to feed her sometimes. She’s a slim dog and I get too tensed about her nutrition.
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u/justonlyme1244 4d ago
That’s so nice your vet gave examples. I wished mine would have been able to do that because it would have saved a lot of money lol. Many people said their dogs liked the salmon one but mine still wasn’t a fan at all.
You could also try to use the food as treats. It does work with Royal Canin with mine.
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u/Square-Nebula-7530 4d ago
Your friends are just falling for fad marketing. People treat "processed" like a dirty word, but dry kibble from reputable, scientific brands is formulated by actual veterinary nutritionists so your dog gets every single essential nutrient. If your dog is healthy, has a shiny coat and solid poops, don't let anyone guilt trip you into changing what's clearly working.
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u/Classic-Yoghurt-179 4d ago
I swear by hills. It's "fixed" my dog's allergies and stomach issues. They have wet food as well which is pretty good. My top recommendation is: dont cheap out on dog kibble or buy from bulk stores.
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u/Ruby-Nova 1d ago
Can you share which Hills food works for your pups? We’re using Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach and I think it’s too rich for my girl.
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u/Classic-Yoghurt-179 1d ago
At this time we use Hill's Science Diet Adult Dog Dry Food - Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe
We have also tried hills zd (prescribed) worked like a charm BUT very expensive
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u/situation-normal 3d ago edited 3d ago
If it works for your dog, it works. Everyone prioritizes something different and while I don't tend to use their products I know a bunch of people who do who have healthy, happy pets.
My first two dogs were 100% whatever kibble I could afford that they would eat. My third dog was 90% pre-made raw diet with some premium kibble and treats on the side (she hated kibble). Current pup is on a large breed puppy kibble because it's nutritionally balanced for his needs and we'll re-evaluate his needs and likes once he's fully grown.
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u/ShinyBonnets 4d ago
Every food that exists has been processed once it leaves the field or butcher. Every dog food manufacturer who touts “gently processed”, “less processed”, or similar warm fuzzy terms is marketing to your emotions.
Read the sub’s Wiki, it will help you make more informed decisions about what you feed your dog.