Beware of Royal Canin Duck & Potatoe

[Jakeyjake]

6 month old Stella started itching a couple of months ago to the point of a staph infection. Round of antibiotics and putting a t-shirt on her cleared things up, but the vet suggested switching her diet to see if she had food allergies. He put her on Royal Canin duck & potatoe (you can only get through your vet) She was on it for three weeks and yesterday she started vomiting multiple times so off to the vet we went. He did an x-ray and she was full of stool and gas! Apparently being constipated can make a dog sick and vomit. He did an enema that is still making a mess with a dribble here and there. Although I noticed her gasiness and that her bowel movements had slowed down, I didn't think it was going to make her sick! The vet said not to take her off of the food and perhaps she needs a stool softener! He also said it takes at least 8 weeks on the food to determine if she has food allergies. She had the blood test for other allergies and she is allergic to dust mites and some grasses and he recommended allergy shots. I have been going to this vet for 15 years, but it might be time to make a change. Seems more like they are just trying to make money as yesterday cost me over $500.00 and it was all due to the food, although the vet claimed she must have "gotten into something" to cause the vomiting.

 

[davidh]

Get her off that food, we don't feed Royal Canin anything. We did a long time age, lots of gas and skin issues. Try Natural Balance, FROMM, or an other grain free food.

 

[Cbrugs]

I have never heard anything good about Royal Canin. I had tried multiple foods with Jax because I thought he had a food allergy. My vet said an actual food allergy in dogs is a low percentage and most of the time it is contact or environmental allergies. I finally took him to a dermatologist this week and had an intradermal allergy test done. It turns out Jax is allergic to practically everything outside and will be going on allergy shots.

 

[Jakeyjake]

Thanks David. I am putting her back on Horizon Pulsar salmon and it is grain free. I sprinkle it with a little freeze dried cod and she loves it.

 

[Jakeyjake]

Good luck with Jax on his allergy shots. My Jake who is 15 mos. has been on allergy shots for about 3 months now. Hopefully he will get some relief!

 

[pbois]

I guess I'll speak from the other side of the table. I've worked at an animal hospital for over 14 years and Royal Canin is the top prescription brand we recommend to clients for their pets and we recommend it because of the high rate of success we have with it and it is extremely palatable to most pets, more so in our experience, than the other options for prescription brands. We do not use the duck variety very often, but that's due to our high success rate with their whitefish or venison. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the food, but hope you realize that food brands and/or types aren't a "one size fits all". I am sure your Vet recommended it because he/she has had good experience with it. Royal Canin, on the prescription side, puts a TON of research into the foods they put out.....it's actually quite ridiculous at how much research they put into it to make sure that it fits into whatever category, medically, it needs to.

I realize food can be a polarizing subject as we all want to feed what is best to our pets, but I hope you cut your Vet a break as he really was recommending a quality diet for your pet to fit the needs he thought she needed. Also, it sounds like food isn't the issue anyways so hopefully you can go back to what you were feeding, although, he was right in that a true food trial takes up to 8 weeks.

On a side note after coming onto this board I researched Fromm quite a bit because everyone recommended it highly and liked what I read and passed the brand onto my Vet and he too like what he read. I switched all my dogs to it and the one dog that did terribly on it was our Frenchie Bolt. Two weeks after starting it we noticed horrible gas and he started vomiting up whole food anywhere from 3 - 5 times a week. Clearly we moved him off one variety and switched him to another and he is doing great. Anyways.....just wanted to add a different perspective.

 

[2bullymama]

I guess I'll speak from the other side of the table. I've worked at an animal hospital for over 14 years and Royal Canin is the top prescription brand we recommend to clients for their pets and we recommend it because of the high rate of success we have with it and it is extremely palatable to most pets, more so in our experience, than the other options for prescription brands. We do not use the duck variety very often, but that's due to our high success rate with their whitefish or venison. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the food, but hope you realize that food brands and/or types aren't a "one size fits all". I am sure your Vet recommended it because he/she has had good experience with it. Royal Canin, on the prescription side, puts a TON of research into the foods they put out.....it's actually quite ridiculous at how much research they put into it to make sure that it fits into whatever category, medically, it needs to.

I realize food can be a polarizing subject as we all want to feed what is best to our pets, but I hope you cut your Vet a break as he really was recommending a quality diet for your pet to fit the needs he thought she needed. Also, it sounds like food isn't the issue anyways so hopefully you can go back to what you were feeding, although, he was right in that a true food trial takes up to 8 weeks.

On a side note after coming onto this board I researched Fromm quite a bit because everyone recommended it highly and liked what I read and passed the brand onto my Vet and he too like what he read. I switched all my dogs to it and the one dog that did terribly on it was our Frenchie Bolt. Two weeks after starting it we noticed horrible gas and he started vomiting up whole food anywhere from 3 - 5 times a week. Clearly we moved him off one variety and switched him to another and he is doing great. Anyways.....just wanted to add a different perspective.

Those RC vet prescribed are good for short term use..... help with an issue or settle things down. long term, they are just junk -- filler after filler, not real substance to them

 

[pbois]

Those RC vet prescribed are good for short term use..... help with an issue or settle things down. long term, they are just junk -- filler after filler, not real substance to them

Actually most prescription foods are meant for long term use as most medical conditions are long term problems. I speak from experience with a Shih Tzu I once owned and adored. She spent the biggest majority of her life on a prescription urinary food from the age of 7 yrs old to just under 19 yrs old.

Like I said above food is a polarizing subject and I know many on this board hate certain brands....I was just trying to give a different perspective from someone that has seen first hand, for many years, that these prescription foods do a lot of good for many, many dogs.