Royal Canin is known for its vet-recommended, size-specific Digestive Care kibble. Dog parents are switching to Nextrition, a cold-pressed dog food made in the USA, because it’s gentle on sensitive stomachs, made with real meat instead of by-product meal, and easy to try with low-cost trial packs.
 Nextrition Cold-Pressed Recipes |  Royal Canin Digestive Care | |
|---|---|---|
| Complete & Balanced | Complete & Balanced | Complete & Balanced |
| Life stages | All life stages and sizes | Adults, by dog size |
| Food format | Gently cold-pressed dry food | Crunchy dry kibble |
| Protein options | Chicken, beef, lamb or salmon | Chicken |
| First ingredient | Real chicken, beef, lamb or salmon | Chicken by-product meal |
| Corn | None in any recipe | Corn & corn gluten meal |
| Protein (dry matter) | About 31–35% | About 26% (Medium) |
| Calories per cup | 480–505 kcal | 321 kcal (Medium) |
| Prebiotics | Chicory root | Beet pulp & FOS |
| Probiotics & postbiotics | Fermentation extracts & yeast culture | Not named on label |
| Fruits & vegetables | Pumpkin, sweet potato, blueberries & more | Beet pulp |
| Sample packs | 4 recipes · $9.99 | None listed‡ |
Royal Canin Digestive Care is made with chicken by-product meal. Nextrition gives you four real-meat recipes, including three chicken-free options.
Real chicken, not chicken by-product meal, with rice and oats. A gentle start for firmer stools.
Shop the Chicken RecipeReal beef and beef liver with sorghum, oats and millet, and no chicken. Built for strength and energy.
Shop the Beef RecipeReal lamb with barley and millet, and no chicken or corn, for dogs with allergies or tummy troubles.
Shop the Lamb RecipeReal salmon with New Zealand green mussels and kelp, and no chicken, for itchy skin.
Shop the Salmon RecipeRoyal Canin Digestive Care is a traditional kibble, cooked under high heat. Nextrition starts with whole chicken, beef, lamb or salmon instead of a dry meal, then presses it with grains, fruits and vegetables without high heat or steam.
Royal Canin relies on beet pulp and fructooligosaccharides as prebiotics. Nextrition pairs prebiotic chicory root with five probiotic fermentation extracts and postbiotic yeast culture in all four recipes.
Nextrition recipes have 480 to 505 calories per cup, compared with 321 in Royal Canin Medium Digestive Care, so your dog eats about a third fewer cups.
Whether your dog weighs 10 lb or 100 lb, your free feeding plan shows exactly how much to scoop.
Nextrition is shelf-stable: no fridge, no freezer, no thawing.
Order once or subscribe and save up to 17%.
Royal Canin Digestive Care comes in separate adult formulas for small, medium and large dogs. Every Nextrition recipe is formulated for all life stages and sizes, so one bag can feed the whole household.
Start with a $9.99 Trial Variety Pack and let your dog pick a favorite of the four recipes.
Sampler orders don’t sign you up for anything.
Yes. Nextrition is a cold-pressed dog food made in the USA. All four recipes (Chicken, Beef, Lamb and Salmon) put real meat first, contain no by-product meal or corn, include prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics, and are complete and balanced for all life stages.
Chicken by-product meal is the first ingredient in Royal Canin Small, Medium and Large Digestive Care dry dog food, followed by corn. Every Nextrition recipe starts with real chicken, beef, lamb or salmon.
No probiotics are named on the Royal Canin Digestive Care label. It uses beet pulp and fructooligosaccharides as prebiotics. Nextrition lists all three on every bag: prebiotic chicory root, five probiotic fermentation extracts and postbiotic yeast culture.
Royal Canin formulates Digestive Care for adult maintenance, starting at 10, 12 or 15 months depending on dog size. Nextrition is formulated for all life stages, so the same recipe can feed a growing large-breed puppy and an adult.
Every Royal Canin Digestive Care dry size is built on chicken by-product meal, so the dry line has no chicken-free option. Chicken ranks among the food allergens most often reported in dogs. Nextrition Beef, Lamb and Salmon recipes contain no chicken.
Nextrition recipes have about 31% to 35% protein on a dry matter basis (26% to 30% minimum as fed), compared with about 26% for Royal Canin Medium Digestive Care (23% minimum as fed).
Royal Canin Digestive Care is extruded kibble built on chicken by-product meal, corn and corn gluten meal. Nextrition is cold-pressed: whole meat, grains, fruits and vegetables pressed together without high heat or steam. Both are shelf-stable and served dry.
Yes. The Nextrition Trial Variety Pack costs $9.99 for four 0.25 lb samples of Chicken, Beef, Lamb and Salmon, and buying it never starts a subscription.
This comparison uses the four Nextrition recipes (Chicken, Beef, Lamb and Salmon) and Royal Canin Medium Digestive Care dry dog food, with Royal Canin Small and Large Digestive Care checked for ingredient order, based on each brand’s published label as of October 2026. Dry matter protein is estimated from each guaranteed analysis.
‡No Royal Canin Digestive Care trial pack was found in the seller listings we reviewed. This is not a claim that Royal Canin never offers samples.
Royal Canin is a trademark of Royal Canin SAS. Nextrition is not affiliated with Royal Canin.
