It is true that specific breeds of cats and dogs are more susceptible to certain health conditions. Labradors are prone to becoming overweight, Dalmations are prone to bladder stones, Miniature Schnauzers tend to have higher cholesterol and fat levels in their blood, Maine Coons are prone to heart and hip disease while long haired cats like Persians may get more hairballs. So it would make sense to feed diets that are specifically designed for these breeds. However it must always be remembered that other more important health problems can occur in any breed and diseases in pets should always be put before breed.

So are breed specific diets a waste of time and only a marketing tool?

The answer to this still remains no. If your pet is healthy and has no disease process occurring, then feeding the most appropriate diet for the breed definitely has some value. Although the overall ingredients and nutrient profiles can be similar in the breed specific foods compared to diets for all breeds, there may be differences in specific nutrients, the calorie content, the fiber content and type, and the shape of the kibble that benefit individuals of that breed.

Let’s take for example the Labrador Retriever, a breed known to easily gain weight and gobble down their food! Breed specific diets take this into account and have adapted the calorie content and created the kibble in such a way that it encourages them to eat more slowly. It also addresses the fact that most Labradors need good joint and bone support at the same time and supplies nutrients for a healthy skin.

The Great Dane is a giant breed that also tends to eat too quickly and in the breed specific diet the kibble is thus designed to encourage their very large jaws to chew and slowly eat their food. The energy content is also concentrated in order to meet their nutritional requirements but not overload their sensitive stomachs.

Other breed specific diets take into account that some breeds such as the Bulldog and Persian have very flat faces with short jaws, called brachycephalic breeds, and have designed the kibble in such a way that allows them to more easily pick up the food and chew.

Persians also have very dense thick long coats and can tend to get hairballs often, so the increased fiber in this breed specific diets can only help them, while the complex of nutrients in the diet helps maintain healthy skin and a beautiful coat.

Yorkshire terriers can often be very picky eaters. The breed specific diet can take this into account and create a food with adapted texture and scent in order to increase the palatability of the food for the fussiest of Yorkies! While taking into account that they can have sensitive tummies and at the same time need a diet to meet optimal nutritional needs for a healthy skin and coat.

While these breed specific diets are created with a certain breed in mind, remember that these are not therapeutic diets, meaning they are not allowed to be marketed as intended to prevent, cure or treat any disease. Diets that can make these claims have been restricted to use only under the direction of a veterinarian.

Also bear in mind that the breed specific diets have to meet the same minimal nutritional standards as a diet intended for all breeds, but how the manufacturer interprets and follows those guidelines will definitely affect the overall quality of the product. With this in mind one could feed your Persian cat an all breed cat food safely and your domestic shorthair can eat the Persian breed specific diet too, which is helpful in multi cat households.

Another fact regarding nutrition to remember is that there is a big difference in the nutritional requirements of Large breed vs Small breed dogs, especially in puppyhood. This is important because the amounts of calcium and phosphorus in a diet are different for each breed and excessive amounts of these nutrients in large breed dogs have been linked to health issues. But luckily the breed specific diets also use this information when creating a diet. If you are not going to use a breed specific diet then remember that the size of the dog is important, and choose a large breed diet for a large breed dog.

The bottom line about feeding your pet is that there are benefits from breed specific diets but that they don’t replace specific therapeutic diets created for diseases. The diet your pet needs to eat should always be based on its health status before its breed. And the size of the animal is important. But for healthy purebred animals the breed specific diets do take breed characteristics into account and in such a way, have value.

The Royal Canin pet food range includes options to follow breed specific diets or diets that take your pets size and health into consideration. To shop all Royal Canin pet foods, click here.