If you have any question please feel free to go through our
Frequently Asked Questions list.
If you do not find the answer we will be pleased to answer it
on 08453 005011.
01. Are Size
Health Nutrition products highly
digestible?
Yes. The Size
Health Nutrition Dog Food products have been formulated using
only the most digestible ingredients such as chicken, egg or
hydrlosysed vegetables.
02. Are Size Health Nutrition products very
palatable?
Yes. The Size
Health Nutrition Dog Food products have been formulated using
a proprietary blend of poultry fat and aromas to ensure the
taste your dog will love. This palatability has even been enhanced
in 2005 with the launch of Exclusive Savour.
03. Do I need to supplement Size
Health Nutrition puppy food with any vitamin or mineral
supplements?
No. The protein, fat,
carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals in all Size
Health Nutrition formulas have been carefully balanced to
provide complete and balanced nutrition for your pet.
Supplementation may cause imbalances in the diet.
04. How do I know which Size Health Nutrition
product to feed my dog?
First, decide if your dog is a
mini, medium, maxi or giant breed dog.
Mini breeds are dogs that weigh 1 to 10 kg (adult
weight),
medium breeds
weigh 11 to 25 kg as adults,
maxi
breeds weigh 26 to 44 kg as adults, and
giant breeds can weigh 45+ kg as adults.
Then consider the life stage your dog is in - puppy, early adult or
late adult. The information on each bag of Size
Health Nutrition will aid you in this decision.
05. If I start feeding my puppy a Size Health
Nutrition puppy food, when should I change him over to one of
the other Size Health Nutrition products?
The suggested guidelines are
outlined on every Size Health Nutrition bag.
The recommendations for switching your puppy from his puppy
food to an adult food depend on his age and breed.
Generally, mini breeds can be switched at 10 months, medium breeds
at 12 months, and maxi and giant breeds at 18 - 24 months.
Check with your veterinarian on the right time to change your
puppy's food to an adult formula. It is important to note,
however, that any change in a dog's food should be made gradually
over a 5 - 7 day period to avoid gastrointestinal upset.
06. Is it harmful to feed my older dog or cat the
same protein level as
when they were younger?
Scientific studies have
demonstrated that high levels of protein are not harmful to the
older dog or cat. In fact, it has been shown that older dogs and
cats should not be fed low protein diets, as protein is critical to
ensure the maintenance of muscle, hair and the immune system.
Reduced protein can result in reduced lean body muscle mass and
reduced immune response.
07. My dog is overweight. How should I
feed him based on the Size Health Nutrition Dog Food
concept?
In general, overweight pets are
the result of too many calories and too little exercise. When
controlling your pet's weight, it is essential to feed sufficient
dietary nutrients and reduce the caloric intake. To accomplish
this, feed one of the Light products specially adapted to every
dogs'size. Also remember, exercise is an important part in any
weight loss program. We recommend consulting with a veterinarian to
determine the proper weight for your pet.
08. Should I put my adult dog on the Size Health
Nutrition Mature Formula If he needs to lose
weight?
No. The calorie content of the
Size Health Nutrition Mature products is very similar to that
of the Adult products. Overweight dogs need a reduction in their
caloric intake. Total food consumption should be reduced. The
switch from Adult to Mature should be dependent only on the dog's
age
09. What about competitor's claims to be superior
with a fresh meat formula?
The amount of fresh meat in a dry
product is severely limited by current extrusion technology
capabilities. Since meat is about 65% water, it is easily placed
first on the ingredient list by weight, when in reality the dry
matter content of this meat is such that it would not be the
primary ingredient at all. In fact, the actual amount of protein in
these products cannot exceed about 6%. Reading the label (or even
smelling the product!) makes it clear that these manufacturers have
found it necessary to add multiple other protein sources.
10. What are the benefits of taurine for
dogs?
Taurine is a sulfur amino acid
and is generally not considered essential as the dog can synthesise
this amino acid from other amino acids in the body. However, case
studies on various heart disorders such as dilated cardiomyopathy
shows that the canine patients suffer from a taurine
deficiency. Taurine may play a role in
fighting cardiovascular disorders through its simultaneous
action on the muscle's ability to contract, on the integrity of the
heart's cells, and on the heartbeat.
11. What are the major differences between large
and small breed dogs?
Large breeds have a longer, more
extensive growth phase. Large breeds can gain up to 100 times
their birth weight by adulthood, while small breeds will gain up to
approximately 20 times their birth weight. The tooth and jaw
size of the small breed is at least 3 times smaller than that of
the large breed. Small breeds require more energy per unit of
body weight than large breeds. The digestive tract of the
small breed is approximately 7% of its total body weight whereas it
is less than 3% of the total body weight of the large breed.
The life span of the small breed is much longer than that of the
large breed.
12. What benefits do Glucosamine and Chondroitin
have?
Both these compounds are
naturally occurring compounds that are produced in the body to
maintain healthy joint cartilage. During the ageing process, a
gradual decline in the body's ability to produce these compounds
occurs. This causes cartilage to lose its elasticity and the
ability to repair itself. The joint begins to deteriorate and, as a
result, the joint area becomes swollen and extremely painful. The
inclusion of the compounds to the Size Health Nutrition Giant
Breed and Mature diets nutritionally supports the dog's ability to
maintain healthy joints.
13. What formula do I feed my 7 year old Great
Dane?
The Size Health Nutrition
Giant Breed formula is an excellent choice for all giant breeds
over two years of age throughout their lifetime.
14. What formula do I feed my gestating Great
Dane?
The Size Health Nutrition Giant
Breed formula can be used for the feeding of gestating Great
Danes.
15. What is ageing control?
As the body ages, free radicals
are produced by the body's interactions with oxygen. Actions caused
in the body by the presence of these free radicals are main factors
in the ageing process. The integration of antioxidant vitamins such
as vitamins E and C can help neutralise these free radicals.
16. What is Amino-Acid balance
system?
Size Health Nutrition
products contain the optimal amino acid profile to support the
health and vitality of the pet. Furthermore, the large breed and
giant breed formulas contain the amino acid balance system, an
optimal blend of carnitine and taurine. As these breeds are most
prone to specific cardiac dysfunctions, the special blend of amino
acids has been shown to help promote optimal cardiac
health
17. What is borage oil and why is it found in some
Royal Canin formulations?
Borage oil is an oil of vegetable
origin. It is harvested from the borage plant, a blue-flowered
European herb. It is the only oil containing over 20% of
gamma-linolenic acid, which is directly derived from linoleic acid,
a fatty acid required by dogs and cats responsible for healthy skin
and shiny coats. As animals age, there is a tendency for their coat
to become brittle and their skin to become dry. The addition of
borage oil to their diet results in shiny soft hair and healthier
skin.
18. What is the difference between Size Health
Nutrition and other dog food products?
The Size Health Nutrition
Dog Food products have been nutritionally balanced to meet the
dog's specific needs during his various life stages, based
upon the dog's activity level and breed. There is a Size
Health Nutrition product available specifically formulated for
every individual dog's nutritional need. The Size
Health Nutrition rangecontains complete and
balanced foods for
mini,
medium,
maxi and
giant breeds during puppyhood, early adulthood and
late adulthood.
19. What is the significance of Wheat in a
dog or cat's diet?
Despite the debates surrounding
the use of wheat, wheat gluten has been proven to be a very
digestible source of protein (over 90%) and unlikely to trigger
allergies.
These range of diets are
available through good quality pet suppliers, they can be bought
direct from us by members of our breeder club, they are not
available from supermarkets.
21. Do your diets contain wheat?
All of our clinical and life
stage diets are wheat free, with the exception of the Vet Early
Care and Vet Cat ranges, Feline Health Nutrition Silhouette 37,
Bulldog 24, Vet Breed Bulldog, Boxer 26, German Shepherd
products and Vet Breed Boxer.
22. Do you make the diets in different
flavours?
The flavours we choose take into
account the specific nutritional requirement for that animals
breed, age and lifestyle. Our diets are very palatable and unlike
people animals do not require dietary variations to make food
palatable, it is mostly dependant on food size, texture taste and
aroma which is why we have New Exclusive Savour in all of our
canine diets thanks to a new technological breakthrough.
23. What’s the difference between the Vetsize/
Vetcat/ Vetbreed products and the retail equivalent?
There are differences between the
products but they depend on the product in question and include
ingredients and bag sizes. The main reason for the difference
in price between the Retail and Veterinary product is that you will
also be able to get expert advice at the time of purchasing the
diet from the Vet.
24. How should I change my pet onto your
diets?
Generally all dietary changes
should take place over 5 to 7 days, with a gradual increase in the
quantity of new diet consumed and a reduction in the old.
25. Do you need to add anything to the
diets?
All Royal Canin diets are
complete and so it is not necessary to add anything to them, this
includes meat and vitamin and mineral supplements which may
unbalance the diet.
26. Can you soak the Royal Canin
diets?
We recommend that our diets are
fed dry so as to get the maximum dental benefits, the
diets can be fed soaked but it is important that warm water is used
not boiling and that once soaked the food is not left for more than
15 minutes as the warm water will encourage bacteria to multiply
and old soaked diet can cause stomach upsets.