The Farmer’s Dog vs. Royal Canin: Comparing The Best Dog Food Brands

When you have a dog, you want the best for your lovable pup. You make sure that your dog gets exercise everyday, plays with their toys and eats complete and nutritious food. Your dog needs nutrients to live a happy, healthy life. Two of the best dog food brands are The Farmer’s Dog and Royal Canin.

The Farmer’s Dog is a subscription-based good food service and Royal Canin is found in stores country-wide. But which one is better? Let’s compare!

Qualities to Look for in the Best Dog Food Brands

One of the goals of a dog owner is researching dog food brands. When you are looking for quality dog food brands, there are several points to consider. Let’s take a look at 10 qualities you should look for in the best dog food brands.

1. High-Quality Ingredients

When it comes to dog food, look for high-quality ingredients. The packaging should clearly state that it contains real meat, vegetables and fruits. Avoid foods that have fillers like corn, soy, wheat and chicken meal.

2. Specifically-Named Protein Sources

Pay attention to the packaging and how they source their ingredients. Make sure that all the protein sources are clearly identifiable, with terms such as “chicken,” “beef” or “salmon,” rather than the generic terms like “meat” or “animal by-products.”

3. Balanced Nutritional Profile

It’s important that your dog gets a balanced and complete meal every time they eat. That’s why it’s beneficial to choose a dog food that meets the nutritional levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). The foods should have a balanced mix of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

4. No Artificial Additives

Avoid dog food brands that list artificial coloring, flavors and preservatives in their ingredients. Some of the better alternatives are natural preservatives like Vitamin E and Vitamin C.

5. Positive Reviews and Reputation

Some of the best research that you can do when it comes to dog food brands is looking at reviews. Pet owners comment about dog food brands and make recommendations on sites like Amazon, Google Reviews and Reddit.

What Is The Farmer’s Dog?

The Farmer’s Dog was launched in 2014 with co-founders Brett Podolsky and Jonathan Regev. The catalyst for the founding of the company was Brett’s dog, Jada, who suffered from severe digestive issues. Their goal was to improve the quality of dog food.

With the help of veterinarians, Brett formulated a home-cooked, human-grade food that rapidly helped Jada’s digestion. From there, he decided that this fresh, delicious food should be shared with all dog owners, leading to the founding of The Farmer’s Dog with Jonathan.

Research For Revolutionary Dog Food

So what did Brett and Jonathan do? What kind of research did they immerse themselves into to create the most delicious and healthiest dog food?

• Listened to the vet who suggested home cooking
• Researched decades of pet nutrition research
• Worked with the best that nutritionists
• Created human grade food that is nutritionally balanced

Both Brett and Jonathan realized that this could be a good business venture. They decided to create a dog food subscription and delivery system for the entire nation. Today, more than 100,000,000 meals have been delivered by The Farmer’s Dog.

The Farmer’s Dog Pros and Cons

The Farmer’s Dog strives to produce the healthiest, most nutritious dog food in the country. However, like any other dog food company, The Farmer’s Dog has some pros and cons.

Pros

• High-Quality Ingredients: The Farmer’s Dog uses human-grade ingredients in their recipes. This means your dog won’t be eating harmful additives, by-products and preservatives.
• Personalized Meal Plans: Every single one of The Farmer’s Dog meal plans is tailored to fit your dog’s age, breed, size and specific dietary needs. It also sends you pre-portioned meals to ensure proper serving sizes.
• Fantastic Health Benefits: There are many benefits of eating fresh, human-grade food. Those include fresher breath, a healthier, reduced skin issues and smaller, cleaner poops.
• Convenience: The Farmer’s Dog delivers to your house at regular intervals that are determined when you sign up. Meals are easy to store in the refrigerator or freezer.
• Sustainable: The Farmer’s Dog uses recyclable and eco-friendly materials for packaging. They also are committed to being eco-friendly and conscious about the environment.
• Transparency: The Farmer’s Dog lists all ingredients, nutritional information and food sources.

Cons

• Cost: The Farmer’s Dog is more expensive than traditional dog food brands.
• Storage Requirements: All meals require refrigeration, which can be inconvenient if you have limited fridge or freezer space.

What Is Royal Canin?

Royal Canin’s start was quite fascinating. In 1968, a passion for pet health led a veterinarian from France named Jean Cathary to create a “yellow soup” for dogs. He later started Royal Canin as a full-fledged dog food company with a mission to create healthy meals.

What Royal Canin Believes In

Royal Canin believes in various points that will drive home their beliefs in healthy pet food for both dogs and cats.

• They use research from veterinary nutritionists to create the most precise pet nutrition available for both dogs and cats.
• Royal Canin aims to be sustainable and environmentally conscious with all their products.
• Their dog food is made to ensure high performance, from the shape and texture to the palatability and digestibility, as well as the safety and traceability.
• They also offer prescription-grade food for health issues like gastrointestinal problems, heart failure, allergies ad renal issues.

It uses a science-led nutrition approach, constantly researching pet nutrition over the past 50 years. Explaining every tidbit of their ingredients, Royal Canin’s goal was to make their dog food as nutritious and as healthy as possible — for every dog across America.

Royal Canin Pros and Cons

Royal Canin, like any dog food company, has pros and cons. Let’s take a look at them right now.

Pros

• High-Quality Ingredients: Royal Canin uses fresh, high quality ingredients in their meals. They also contain no additives or preservatives.
• Digestible and Palatable: Many dogs experience better digestion with Royal Canin. They also provide more tasty, palatable meals than many other dog food brands.
• Breed-Specific Formulas: Royal Canin offers formulas that are not only breed-specific, but also considers a variety of factors such as size, age and common health issues.
• Positive Health Impact: Many dogs experience positive health impacts including more energy, shinier coats and healthier skin.
• Veterinary Diets: Royal Canin has a wide range of prescription veterinary diets for any dog suffering from specific medical conditions including heart issues, allergies, renal failure, gastrointestinal issues, and even weight loss.
• Research-Based: Royal Canin stands out because it invests heavily in research and development to create formulas based on scientific evidence and nutritional expertise. They also maintain strict quality control measures because they strive for safety and consistency in their products.

Cons

• Cost: Royal Canin is generally more expensive than the traditional store-bought kibble or any dog food you find at supermarkets.
• Availability: Their dog food meals may not always be available in supermarkets or pet stores because of stock shortages. This means that if you’re looking for a specific flavor, you may have to go to various supermarkets to find it. If your dog is on a prescription diet, it may be even more complicated to find the right formula.
• Grains and Fillers: Grains can be a great source of nutrients but sometimes dog owners prefer grain-free diets. Royal Canin may use grains and other fillers like corn and wheat in their products.

Bottom Line

That’s how Royal Canin and The Farmer’s Dog stack up. While they are both fresh, high-quality meals it’s a bit of an apples vs. oranges comparison due to the companies’ different business models.

When trying to arrive at a conclusion of the best brand for your dog, weigh the factors above. Royal Canin may be difficult to find in certain locations like urban areas that lack specialty dog food stores or big-box pet stores, or in rural areas where any pet store can be a long drive away. In those cases, a delivery service may be the best option for getting healthy food for your dog.

When your dog is being transported, healthy food and plenty of water is extremely important. The dog-loving transporters on CitizenShipper have experience with feeding and storing fresh food while on the road. If you need to transport a dog, look no further than our #1-rated dog transportation marketplace.

As a Proud Partner, we’re offering you a Special 80% Discount on your first box of The Farmer’s Dog!

Disclaimer: CitizenShipper is a partner of The Farmer’s Dog and may earn commissions by referring customers.