VIP veterinary surgery, Lagos, Algarve, Portugal

What are the different growth foods RC can offer me?
Royal Canin offer a Starter, Junior, Mid Stage and Mature style food for your cats and dogs. Each is enriched with many different nutrients to help protect your pet against certain conditions that can be harmful to them. For this purpose, the RC diet is classified as ‘preventative'. Not just a food to survive on.

Why is RC food better than my supermarket food?
Many store-bought foods have a lot of, indigestible protein. RC foods have a very low level of this protein, only 1%. This balance helps create a healthy digestive system, producing well formed faeces, low in odour and a lower flatulence level. (No one wants to clean up wet poo!)

RC foods are highly palatable and you may find your dog/cat enjoying it much more. The nutrients in each portion are much more concentrated, therefore your animal will end up needing much less food.

Because of the research gone into disease prevention through diet, the overall health that Royal Canin provides to your pet, extends beyond just feeding them. The difference in price may look big now, but these preventative diets will probably save you money on vet bills in the long run.

All diets have high quality fibres for gut health, carnitine for energy building, and pre-biotics to encourage a healthy gut flora. All dry diets are structurally designed to aid in dental health as the animal chews the kibble.

RC foods have very carefully controlled levels of proteins, minerals, vitamins, lipids, water and carbohydrates. These requirements vary from species to species, breed to breed and size to size, as they do from human to human.

Cheaper brands use very little animal protein in their diets and need artificial ‘filler' ingredients to make up the bulk. These can cause harm to your pet's organs, especially the liver.

What are the different Growth phases of Dogs and Cats and what type of food should they be on at this time?

Let's start at the beginning:

• Juniors:
Small Dogs (<10kg) are Juniors until 10 months of age
Medium Dogs (>10kg) are Juniors until 12 months of age
Large Dogs (>25kg) are Juniors until 16 months of age
Giant Dogs (>45kg) are Juniors until 18 – 24 months of age

The different size brackets ensure they grow at their correct rate and have not only the correct energy levels but also the appropriate balance of micronutrients for the size of the growing dog.

All junior dogs should have a food to help with their digestion as they are prone to tummy upsets and diarrhoea.

Once dogs pass the ‘Junior' stage of life, they can use the ‘Adult' version of their food.

• Adult:
Adult maintenance diets are not only complete nutritionally but, as mentioned earlier have added nutriceuticals to help prevent diseases through diet. Diseases that RC foods help prevent include renal failure, diabetes, skin infections, joint disease, diarrhoea, heart disease.

Try and feed your dog twice a day (especially large breed dogs), as their stomachs are very sensitive organs. Their stomachs can be described as ‘'a bit wobbly in there!'' in particular those with deep chests. Should you feed one of these dogs a very large portion of food, a big bowl of water and let him run around, he is at very high risk for a gastric torsion. (Twisted Gut). This is why RC suggest the daily amount is split over two different feed times.

• Mature:
We tend to say that dogs become mature when they are middle aged. This of course depends on their breeds. Small breeds tend to be classified as middle aged when they are roughly 8 years old, larger dogs when they are around 6 years old and giant breeds when they are roughly 4 years old.

The ‘Mature' version of their food will cater for all older dog needs. I.e., higher in chondroprotectors and antioxidants.

Some forms of antioxidants are tomatoes, green tea and grapes. These can be bought in supplement packs, but you must be careful in how much you give and always consult your vet first.

RC mature foods are also low in phosphorus. Research has shown that animals with chronic renal failure, live up to two years longer on a low phosphorous diet. (I.e. the Mature range or Renal range).

• After Sterilization
Should they be sterilised, cats can start eating the ‘Young Male/Female' range of foods. This food has everything the cat needs for a long and healthy life. These include a low starch content, helping to reduce the risks of developing a pre-diabetic condition, good tartar control and helps to promote healthy urine, unfavourable to the growth of crystals.

• Non Sterilized Cats
The ideal food for non sterilized cats is ‘Sensitive'. This is a complete diet for cats over 12 months old, with built in tarter control and helps fight against dental disease and hairballs. (We all know what that can be like!) The good proteins I mentioned earlier will help to pass the hairballs along much easier and out the other end with ease! They will not stay settled in the stomach, causing upset to the cat.

• Mature and Senior Cats
Cats are considered ‘middle aged' when they are around 8 or 9 years of age. It is at this stage that they can move onto the 'Mature' range, and ‘Senior' once they are well into their teens!

These diets are very carefully designed to help out older cats. They are full of antioxidants, made from a formula with a high digestibility factor and most importantly, a well controlled level of phosphorous. Research has shown that cats with chronic renal failure (Kidney Disease), can live up to two years longer on a low phosphorous diet.

Whatever you decide to feed your animals, please take into account the facts outlined above. We all want happy healthy animals and as you hopefully can now see, this all starts with a good diet!

Gestation and Lactation:

Pregnant bitches should start eating the RC ‘Starter' food at the 6 week stage of her pregnancy. This food is enriched with energy which mum will need to give birth! The food is of a better quality and as the puppies get bigger, stomach space will get smaller. Therefore small amounts of good quality food are ideal.

Mum's 3 rd week post-partum is when her nutritional needs are highest, and she will have lost 30% of her body weight. So make sure you look after her at this stage.

She can continue to eat this food while the puppies are being milk-fed. At about 3 weeks, puppies will start to get interested in mum's food, so you can all some water or milk to soften it down if they want a little taste!

The queen should be on the ‘Weaning' type of food, from the moment she is pregnant as her nutritional needs are very different to that of the Bitch.

Kittens growing up should stay on this food until they reach four months of age when they should move onto the ‘Growth' food until they are 12 months or they are sterilized.