Expert: Becky - 5/3/2007

Question
I want to know if "Royal Canin special Exigent dry food for fussy" cats is ok.
I heard that rice is bad, many food has been recalled from royal canin. Can you check how safe is this product.  here is the ingredient:

dehydrated Poultry meat, maize gluten, rice, animal fats, poultry liver, vegetable fibers, minerals, vegetable oils, soya protien isolate, beet bulp, yeast, vegetable oils (including borage oil) , fructo-oligo-succharideground, egg powder, tracelements,  corn, brown rice, chicken fat, rice, natural chicken flavor, pea fiber, rice hulls, soy protein isolate, dried beef pulp (sugar removed), dried brewers yeast, soya oil, potassium chloride, dried egg product, sodium silico aluminate, calcium sulfate, fructo-olligosaccharides, DL-methionine, calcium carbonate, salt, choline chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, taurine, vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), niacin supplement, biotin, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), D-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, vitamin A ocetate, vitamin D3 supplement], paprika, borage oil, minerals [zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, calcium iodate], greet tea extract, rosemary extract, naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols, and citric acid


Please help, I'm very much worried


Answer
Hello!
The only foods that I know that was recalled were the canned or moist packaged foods. I am not aware of any dry food being recalled, but you may want to go to their website to see.
The first five ingredients are the most important.  This has chicken as first ingredient , which is good, but the second one is corn then rice.  Rice is ok but I would look for a food that has at least the first 2-3 ingredients as meat.  I like Eukanuba's Sensitive stomach forumula. The first four ingredients are meat!  I compared it to every other dry cat food in PetSmart, and it was the best.  

God Bless,
Becky