Royal Canin Size Health Nutrition Medium Adult

Why size-specific formulas exist

Sizing dog food by breed size is not marketing dressing. Dogs of different sizes genuinely differ in ways that affect a diet:

A medium-breed adult formula sits between those extremes and targets a weight band rather than a breed.

"Optimal stool quality" is a real formulation goal

It sounds like an odd thing to advertise and it is one of the more honest claims in pet food, because it is measurable.

Stool quality is a direct readout of digestibility. A highly digestible food produces smaller, firmer stools because more of the food is absorbed rather than passed. Manufacturers that run feeding trials measure it, and it is one of the few outcomes an owner can verify at home within a fortnight.

If you switch foods and stools become smaller and firmer, that is a genuine signal. If they become loose and stay loose past the transition period, that food does not suit that dog.

The questions worth asking any manufacturer

Veterinary nutrition guidelines point owners at the company rather than the ingredient list:

Established manufacturers answer yes to more of those than most boutique brands, and that is the reason veterinary recommendation patterns look the way they do. You can ask the same questions of whatever you are comparing this against.

Reading the label properly

The AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement is the most useful sentence on the bag: which life stage the food is complete and balanced for, and whether that was established by formulation or by feeding trials. Feeding trials are the stronger evidence.

Ingredient lists are ordered by weight before cooking. Fresh meat is roughly three-quarters water, most of it driven off during extrusion, so a fresh meat listed first contributes less to the finished kibble than its position implies. This is why ingredient order is a poor comparison tool.

Portion by weight, adjust by condition

Bag guidelines are population averages across a weight band and tend to be generous.

Feed to body condition: ribs easy to feel with flat hands and light pressure, a waist visible from above, a belly that tucks up from the side. Adjust the portion monthly.

Weigh the food rather than scooping it. Kibble density varies by more than a third between foods, so the same cup holds different calories after a switch — which is how dogs gain weight on an unchanged routine.

Treats, chews and training rewards should stay under about ten per cent of daily calories, and come out of the day's total rather than on top.

Transitioning

Seven to ten days, increasing the proportion gradually. If stools loosen, hold at the current ratio for a few days rather than pushing on.

Who should look elsewhere

If your dog has a diagnosed condition, a therapeutic diet from your vet is a different product and no over-the-counter food substitutes. If you are investigating a suspected food allergy, you need a limited-ingredient or hydrolysed diet chosen with your vet. And if your dog is simply overweight, portion control on the current food usually does more than a new bag.