Frequently Asked Questions

General Product Information

Can I purchase Royal Canin retail diets directly from you?

Royal Canin retail products cannot be bought directly from our facility; rather, they are exclusively available in pet specialty stores. If your local retailer doesn’t have the diet you require in stock, you can ask them to order the specific product you are looking for. To find a pet store in your neighborhood, use the “Where to buy” feature on our website.

Can I get a sample of Royal Canin products?

Although we don’t offer samples, our Palatability Guarantee means that we are so confident your pet will enjoy ROYAL CANIN that we offer a 100% guarantee for palatability on our products, with support from our retail and veterinary partners.

Do you offer coupons for Royal Canin products?

Occasional offers may be available on some of our products. To be kept up to date on any of these promotions, check with your local pet retailer or veterinarian or follow us on social media.

What is the Palatability Guarantee?

In the unlikely event your pet refuses to eat their Royal Canin diet, we offer a 100% guarantee for palatability on our products, with support from our retail and veterinary partners. If you purchase a product and your pet refuses to eat it, please return the entire uneaten portion in the original packaging, along with the receipt of purchase to the place it was purchased. The retail outlet or veterinary clinic will reimburse you the cost, issue a credit, or replace the product with a different Royal Canin product. Please note that some veterinary clinics and pet specialty stores are independently owned, and may have policies and operating procedures in place that supersede our guarantee.

Can I purchase Royal Canin veterinary diets directly from you?

Royal Canin Veterinary Exclusive products cannot be bought directly from our facility; rather, they are prescribed by your veterinarian based on your pet’s individual needs and are designed to support optimal health and disease management. Your veterinarian can order any of our Veterinary Exclusive formulas if they do not have the specific product for your pet in stock.

Is your packaging recyclable?

Our goal is to use environmentally friendly packaging wherever possible without sacrificing food quality.

Our dry products are packaged in bags that are designed to maintain the nutritional profile and freshness of the product throughout its entire shelf-life. Currently a recyclable option that meets these requirements does not exist. We are still searching for packaging that will maintain the quality and freshness of the product, and our goal is to improve our impact on the environment when an acceptable option becomes available.

Overall Royal Canin and Mars are strongly committed to the environment through our Sustainable in a Generation initiative. To find out more about our sustainability efforts click here.

Storage

How long will my pet’s food stay fresh?

Open dry food should be consumed within four to six weeks. To optimize palatability, choose the appropriate bag size according to the amount your pet should be eating (i.e. a 4.5lb bag for a single cat would be ideal).

Once opened, wet foods should be covered or placed in a sealed container, refrigerated and consumed within a timely manner.

Whether you feed a wet or dry formula, please remember to wash your pet's dishes daily as remaining food particles can attract bacteria and insects.

Can I freeze my pet’s food?

It’s not recommended to freeze pet food as this draws out the moisture in the kibble and, upon thawing, can cause mold.

How should I store my pet’s food?

Dry formulas should be stored in the original bag in a cool dry place, making sure the bag is properly sealed between feedings. Our packaging is specifically designed to protect the product before and after opening. Most bags include a re-sealable zipper. If the bag does not have this feature, it’s recommended to keep the product in the original bag and store in a dry, airtight plastic or steel container with a lid.

Place wet formulations in a sealed container in the refrigerator after they are opened. If your pet prefers room temperature food, try heating it to room temperature. If you use a microwave, put the food in a microwave-safe container and check the temperature before feeding – hot spots can occur leaving the edges of the meal cold and the centre very hot.

Feeding Royal Canin

How much should I feed my pet?

Feeding guidelines are provided for each Royal Canin diet, based on the age and weight of the pet. These provide a suggested starting point for the amount to feed your pet each day but may need to be adjusted according to your pet’s individual needs. The calculations used to determine the recommended caloric intake are based on the most up-to-date recommendations by nutritional experts.

For growing pets, it’s important to follow your veterinarian’s schedule of weigh-ins, particularly for large and giant breed dogs. Food intake may need to be adjusted frequently as their energy needs change during the growth phase.

It is recommended to divide the total feeding amount into two or three meals throughout the day using an appropriate digital kitchen scale or a proper measuring cup. Always ensure that you measure food very carefully. A small measuring variation when feeding cats and small dogs in particular can significantly increase their caloric intake. Additionally, it is recommended to weigh your pet after changing the diet or feeding amount and make any necessary adjustments based on their specific needs and the recommendations of your veterinarian.

How do I transition my pet to new food?

Dogs and especially cats may reject a new food if it is not introduced slowly by transitioning over a period of approximately 7 days. If your pet is sensitive to dietary changes a longer transition may be required. An abrupt change in diet can lead to digestive upset.

To effectively transition your pet to a new formula we suggest slowly mixing the new food in with the existing food in gradually increasing amounts.

Mix 25% of the new formula with 75% of your pet’s previous formula for 2 or 3 days
Then mix the two formulas 50% and 50% for 2 or 3 days
Then mix 75% of the new formula with 25% of the previous formula for 2 or 3 days
Follow with 100% of the new formula.

If your pet experiences any change in eating behaviour or stool quality contact your veterinarian.

Why does Royal Canin use Grains and/or Corn?

Grains and corn supply unique amino acid profiles contributing to a healthy skin and coat, provide an important source of energy and soluble and insoluble fibres for gastrointestinal health, and contain vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. Additionally, Royal Canin chooses high quality corn with a specific nutrient profile; this corn is finely ground to expose the digestible interior of the kernel so that the pet can fully benefit from the nutrition it offers. Wheat gluten is 99% digestible, making it more digestible than meat!

How do I know which Royal Canin diet is right for my pet?

Based on size, age, lifestyle and breed, each cat and dog has unique nutritional needs. For healthy pets, use our product selector to find the right diet for your cat or dog.

If your pet is experiencing a health concern, please refer to your veterinarian for more information. They will consider multiple factors when recommending an appropriate diet to best support your pet’s health.

My pet is refusing to eat the food.

The palatability of Royal Canin formulas is guaranteed. If you purchase a product and your pet refuses to eat it, please return the entire uneaten portion in the original packaging, along with the receipt of purchase to the place it was purchased. The retail outlet or veterinary clinic will reimburse you the cost, issue a credit, or replace the product with a different Royal Canin product. Please note that some veterinary clinics and pet specialty stores are independently owned, and may have policies and operating procedures in place that supersede our guarantee.

Why does Royal Canin use by-products?

Did you know that chicken meal and chicken by-product meal can have the same nutritional profile? Chicken meal includes muscle and skin, with or without bones, while chicken by-product meal may additionally contain organ meats such as liver and heart, as well as connective tissue, etc. Meals are cooked and ground, removing fat and water and leaving a finished product that is a concentrated source of protein and minerals. As a result, chicken meal and chicken by-product meal are more nutrient-dense ingredients than fresh chicken, which has a higher water content.

Royal Canin uses only the highest quality by-products in our food to contribute to a desired final product. By-products enable us to produce nutritionally precise formulations, providing energy and nutrients such as protein (amino acids), fat (fatty acids), minerals, vitamins, and functional nutrients (for example, glucosamine and chondroitin), all from a more secure and sustainable ingredient supply.

Royal Canin sources by-products from human food dedicated slaughterhouses. They are composed of clean, fresh parts from animals that have been inspected by a veterinarian and deemed healthy prior to slaughter.

Quality and Food Safety

Where do the ingredients in Royal Canin diets come from?

Ingredients for Royal Canin products are selected based on multiple different factors, including the suppliers’ compliance with our strict quality and food safety requirements, consistent availability and nutritional value. Royal Canin is making strides towards sustainability by attempting to obtain raw ingredients as close to each manufacturing facility as possible.

Overall Royal Canin and Mars are strongly committed to the environment through our Sustainable in a Generation initiative. To find out more about our sustainability efforts click here.

Why is there colour variation?

Royal Canin does not use any artificial colouring in our formulations. There are natural variations in raw ingredients which can result in a variation in the final product colour. While slight alterations in colour are normal and acceptable, we can assure you that each batch of our product undergoes rigorous testing to ensure it meets the highest quality and safety standards before being released to the market.

How do you ensure Royal Canin diets are safe for my pet?

Before being released for sale, all Royal Canin diets are subject to our intense quality assurance control program to ensure the diets maintain nutritional value and safety. Testing is done on every single shipment of incoming ingredients as well as finished products to validate nutrient composition as well as to ensure a safe product for your pet. A sample of every batch of raw material and every batch of finished product is kept under optimal storage conditions for two years ensuring complete traceability of all of our ingredients and products.

Additionally, we use strict selection criteria to identify suppliers that can help us maintain our best-in-class quality and safety standards. As part of that we undertake in-depth audits to determine nutritional value, production quality, traceability and sustainability.

What assurances can you give me about your quality and food safety?

Our quality and food safety systems are state-of-the-art and we continually invest in new technology to ensure this remains the case. Rigorous testing is done on all incoming raw ingredients as well as on every batch of finished product in order to validate safety, nutrient composition, and quality.

Royal Canin also has the following third party ISO certifications:

ISO 22000: Food Safety (HACCP principles – Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points)
ISO 9001: For quality management systems

We are the first pet food company in Canada to have both of these certifications.