Loving your pets through Royal Canin
Regina Manalili, Sales and Marketing Manager of
Royal Canin Philippines conducting the canine
nutrition seminar.
"What we eat, our pets also eat," people would say. Smart move? Not really.
If we love our pets, it's best to feed them food that's specifically designed for them, according to Regina Manalili, sales and marketing manager of Royal Canin, the maker of the world's most trusted pet food.
Manalili was here during Royal Canin's product launching last July 2, at Citrus, which was attended by members of the Iloilo Kennel Club, top breeders, pet shop owners and dog lovers in Iloilo City.
It was also in this launching that dog lovers learned that small, medium-sized, big and giant dogs have different needs, thus they have to be fed with food that is specifically designed for their size, breed, growth capacity and energy, among others.
DIGESTIVE CAPACITY
Rottweiler and Doberman Pinscher owner
Mike Buenaflor, GSD and Siberian Husky
owners Eusebio and Bryan Syching, dog
show handler Vic Satore with Rottweiler
breeder Aldine Aldeguer
First, they have different digestive capacity.
A large dog has a smaller alimentary tract, which is 2.8 percent of its body weight compared to a small dog, which has seven percent of its body weight, leading to a lower digestive capacity.
That is why Royal Canin has developed Maxi and Giant, the nutritional program for large and giant breed dogs. It has Acti-Digest, a formula that reduces fermentation activity in the colon, protects the intestinal mucosae and improves the consistency of the stools.
DIFFERENT ENERGY SUPPLEMENT
Dog show handler Wewin Villanueva,
Amy Wong, shih tzu breeder James Te,
miniature pinscher breeder Troy
Lazarraga, Tommy Wong and GSD
breeder Boy Locsin.
Small dogs consume more calories than bigger dogs because they move more, thus they exert more energy. Therefore, they need dog food that is specifically designed to support their rapid development.
Large dogs, on the other hand, have a moderate energy level, thus they need food that can help them sustain steady growth over a long period of time.
DIFFERENT GROWTH PERIOD
A large puppy, for example, reaches 50 percent of his adult weight in only five months. He needs twice as much energy as an adult to ensure the development of his skeleton. But, his still immature digestive system prevents him from assimilating large quantities of food. Thus, Royal Canin designed Maxi Puppy.
Chihuahua and Doberman Pinscher
breeder Athena Capalla, very young and
promising dog handler Mr. Chua,
Bacolod-based breeder Eisen Uy and
company.
Meanwhile, it takes 10 months for a mini puppy and seven months for a toy puppy to reach adult weight. This growth stage is quick and requires a very high-energy-level food, that takes into account the underdeveloped digestive ability and the small size of teeth and jaws. Thus, the Royal Canin Mini was created.
DIFFERENT LIFE EXPECTANCY
The small breed's normal life expectancy is at 14 years while the large breed is at eight years.
INNOVATIONS
Apart from the abovementioned considerations, Royal Canin has made innovations in order to ensure that our pets' needs are really met.
For one, Royal Canin's dog food has minimized the smell of the animal.
"The animal's smell has something to do with what it eats," Manalili, also a breeder, said.
Dr. Ronnie Brodet, German Shepherd Dog
(GSD) breeder Bernard Reyes, Australian
All-Breed Dog Show judge Keven Harris,
Chinese All-Breed Dog Show judge Tsai
Chin-Fa with his wife, GSD breeder
James Chua and upcoming dog breeder
Cherrie Gold Cajandig.
"Another innovation is the presence of L-Carnitine. This way, your dog will not develop fats; rather they will develop muscles and ensure that its weight is maintained," she added.
"Our product is also palatable for fussy dogs," Manalili further said. The New Exclusive Savour innovation includes the use of high quality nutrients, excellent raw materials without the fats and exclusive and immediately discernible natural flavorings.
Royal Canin also innovated against dental plaque and tartar. The texture of the kibbles has been specially designed to have an abrasive effect similar to brushing on dental plaque. The formula of the kibbles includes the so-called "fixers," sodium polyphosphates that make the calcium present in saliva form. This acts to prevent tartar formation.
SUBSTANCE
At the launching, some breeders raised the issue of Royal Canin being an expensive dog food.
Kathy Cinco and Marichel Magalona
"It's like buying a BMW if you are buying a car. With Royal Canin, you're buying the substance of the dog food," Manalili said, adding that Royal Canin has invested in innovations to ensure that dogs are well-protected.
"Yes, we are expensive, but you need not feed your dog so much because our kibbles have much more compound. So, in the long run, you save more because with our innovation, you feed your dog less," she added.
Manalili also allayed worries that since the product is poultry-based and since it's protein, it could cause allergies to dogs.
"No, it won't trigger allergies because we already hydrolyzed the poultry," she said.
SPECIAL BREED
Mike Buenaflor receiving his
Royal Canin dog food from
Manalili
Apart from Mini, Medium, Maxi and Giant varieties, Royal Canin has also developed dog foods for specific breeds. Some of them are Yorkshire Terrier 28, Poodle 30, Dachsund 28, German Shepherd 24, Labrador Retriever 30 and Boxer 26.
These were developed in 2002 when Royal Canin observed that some dog breeds have special characteristics.
ASSURANCE
Royal Canin's expertise is strengthened by the everyday experience of breeders and veterinary nutritionists with whom it collaborates as well as from its own scientific observations. This expertise is supplemented by information from scientists and academics from around the world.
Manalili giving a bag of Royal
Canin dog food to Amy Wong,
a dachshund breeder.
"As a user of Royal Canin products, specifically Royal Canin Giant for my Rottweilers, Royal Canin Maxi for my Golden Retriever, Royal Canin Mini for my miniature pinschers, Royal Canin First Age Milk as my whelping milk and Royal Canin Baby Dog for all my puppies under three months of age, I can honestly say that by far it is the most efficient and palatable dog food in the market. My dogs simply love it and will not take anything less. Proof of its efficiency are my dogs maintain their desired weight, not fat but lean muscle, with a lesser amount of food given compared with my previous brands of dog food, and small amount of stool with very minimal odor. It is the brand most top breeders use not only here in the Philippines but the world over," according to Andy Cinco, dog breeder and distributor of Royal Canin in Iloilo City.
Royal Canin has been a trusted brand worldwide for 30 years now.