Choosing a dry food for a medium-sized adult dog usually comes down to three questions. What is actually in the bag? How was it made? And what does it really cost per day?

In this comparison we put Ethelia Healthy Dogs side by side with Royal Canin Medium Adult, one of the best-known dry foods for medium-breed adult dogs in Europe. We compare only published, verifiable information: the ingredient lists and additive declarations printed on each label, the manufacturers’ own production claims, and retail prices in Greece as of July 2026.

The short version: Ethelia Healthy Dogs is built on fresh chicken, fresh pork and fresh fish with hydrolysed rice, is cold-pressed and slow-cooked below 60 °C, and costs about €30.88 per month for a 15 kg dog. Royal Canin Medium Adult is built on dehydrated poultry proteins with wheat and maize, and costs about €42.75 per month for the same dog. That makes Ethelia roughly 28% cheaper per month, or about €12 saved every month and around €144 per year.

Here is the full breakdown.

The two products at a glance

Prices are indicative retail prices in Greece, July 2026. The Royal Canin Medium Adult 15 kg bag was listed at €93.84 at petcity.gr on 13 July 2026; we use €95 as a representative shelf price. Ethelia prices may vary by country due to VAT and transport costs.

1. Ingredient quality: fresh meat vs dehydrated proteins

What Ethelia Healthy Dogs uses

Ethelia Healthy Dogs is made with 100% fresh animal ingredients as defined by the FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practices (2018). The meat and fish receive no treatment other than maintenance of the cold chain. No meat meals, no dehydrated proteins.

The recipe, per 100 kg batch: fresh chicken (30 kg), fresh pork (25 kg), hydrolysed rice (25 kg), fresh fish (10 kg), beet pulp, brewer’s yeast, eggs, carrot, spinach, apple, olive oil, chicory, rosemary, coriander and turmeric. Preservation is natural: citric acid (1a330) and tocopherol extracts from vegetable oils (1b306(i)). No artificial colours or flavours of any kind.

All ingredients are sourced directly from local farms in Spain and delivered fresh and raw to the kitchens, never frozen. Every Ethelia recipe has been tested, analysed and verified by the Animal Sciences and Veterinary Lab of the University of Milan, Italy.

What Royal Canin Medium Adult uses

According to its published composition, Royal Canin Medium Adult contains: dehydrated poultry proteins, wheat, maize flour, wheat flour, maize, hydrolysed animal proteins, animal fats, dehydrated pork proteins, barley, maize gluten, beet pulp, minerals, soya oil, yeast products, fish oil, yeasts and algal oil.

The animal protein sources are dehydrated (rendered) proteins rather than fresh meat. The label does not state that ingredients come from local farms, and no third-party academic lab verification is published on the product page. That does not mean the ingredients are unsafe; all pet food sold in the EU must meet the same feed-safety regulations. It simply means the two brands take different approaches to sourcing and transparency.

Bite-size summary

2. Production method: cold-pressed and slow-cooked vs conventional kibble

How a dry food is cooked matters as much as what goes into it. High heat processes nutrients differently than gentle cooking, which is why Ethelia publishes its full production method.

How Ethelia Healthy Dogs is made

Ethelia is not extruded. The bites are formed by cold pressing, which sets it apart from the vast majority of dry dog food on the market. Before pressing, all ingredients are slow-cooked for 3 to 4 hours at temperatures below 60 °C. No extra water is added during cooking, and the process runs on recirculating steam, which saves energy and keeps CO2 emissions low.

The gentle process has a measurable effect: in an independent in-vitro study, Ethelia was found to be at minimum 25% easier to digest than regular kibble. Finished bags are sealed using MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging) for freshness and safety, with a 15-month best-before date.

How Royal Canin Medium Adult is made

Royal Canin does not publish cooking times, cooking temperatures, steam-recovery details or packaging method on the Medium Adult product label or the retail product page. Conventional dry kibble in general is produced by extrusion, a high-temperature, high-pressure process that is the industry standard. Since the brand does not disclose the specifics for this product, we can only note that none of the production claims Ethelia makes (slow cooking below 60 °C, cold pressing, recirculated steam, MAP packaging) appear on the Royal Canin Medium Adult label.

Bite-size summary

3. Composition: hydrolysed rice vs wheat and maize

Carbohydrate sources

Ethelia Healthy Dogs uses a single carbohydrate: hydrolysed rice (25% of the recipe). Hydrolysis pre-breaks the starch for easier digestion and absorption, and rice is a low-allergen grain. There is no corn, no wheat and no soy anywhere in the recipe.

Royal Canin Medium Adult uses wheat, maize flour, wheat flour, maize, barley and maize gluten as its carbohydrate base, along with soya oil. These are common, EU-approved feed ingredients, but they are generally lower-cost raw materials than hydrolysed rice, and maize gluten is a plant-protein concentrate that contributes to the declared protein percentage.

Analytical constituents side by side

Ethelia declares slightly higher protein and fat. Note that in Ethelia the protein comes from fresh muscle meat, organ meat, bone and cartilage, while in Royal Canin Medium Adult part of the protein derives from dehydrated animal proteins and maize gluten.

Vitamins compared (per kg)

Ethelia declares roughly 55% more vitamin A and 61% more vitamin D3. Royal Canin declares slightly more vitamin E and adds vitamin C, which dogs also synthesise naturally.

Minerals compared (per kg)

Both products meet EU feed regulations for nutritional additives. The declarations differ because each brand formulates differently: Ethelia relies on fresh organ meat, bone and cartilage as natural vitamin and mineral carriers and tops up with additives, while Royal Canin declares a broader list of added trace elements. A higher number for an individual additive is not automatically better; what matters is that the complete food meets FEDIAF nutritional guidelines, which both brands state they do.

Bite-size summary

4. Price: what a 15 kg dog actually costs per month

Price per bag tells you very little. What matters is price per kilo and, even more, price per day, because feeding amounts differ between foods. Ethelia’s higher energy density and digestibility mean a 15 kg dog needs about 190 g per day, versus about 225 g per day of Royal Canin Medium Adult (moderate activity, per each manufacturer’s feeding guidance).

The maths, step by step

What this means for your budget

For a 15 kg dog, Ethelia Healthy Dogs costs about €11.87 less every month, roughly 28% cheaper than Royal Canin Medium Adult. Over a year, that is a saving of about €144, more than two full 12 kg bags of Ethelia.

The value-for-money picture is the key takeaway of this comparison. Fresh-meat, cold-pressed food is often assumed to be the expensive option. Here it is the opposite: the food made from fresh chicken, pork and fish from local Spanish farms, slow-cooked below 60 °C, costs less per day than the conventional kibble made from dehydrated proteins, wheat and maize.

One bag of Ethelia (12 kg) lasts a 15 kg dog about 63 days. One bag of Royal Canin Medium Adult (15 kg) lasts about 66 days but costs €30 more.

The final scorecard

Frequently asked questions

Is Ethelia Healthy Dogs cheaper than Royal Canin Medium Adult?

Yes. For a 15 kg dog, Ethelia costs about €1.03 per day versus about €1.43 for Royal Canin Medium Adult, based on Greek retail prices in July 2026. That is roughly €11.87 saved per month, or 28%.

Why does a 15 kg dog need less Ethelia per day?

Ethelia Healthy Dogs delivers 360 kcal per 100 g and, per an independent in-vitro study, is at minimum 25% easier to digest than regular kibble, so the recommended daily portion is smaller: 190 g versus 225 g of Royal Canin Medium Adult.

Does Royal Canin Medium Adult contain fresh meat?

Its published composition lists dehydrated poultry proteins, hydrolysed animal proteins and dehydrated pork proteins. No fresh meat is declared. Ethelia Healthy Dogs uses only fresh chicken, fresh pork and fresh fish.

Does Ethelia contain corn, wheat or soy?

No. The only carbohydrate in Ethelia Healthy Dogs is hydrolysed rice. Royal Canin Medium Adult lists wheat, maize flour, wheat flour, maize, barley, maize gluten and soya oil.

Is Ethelia suitable for the same dogs as Royal Canin Medium Adult?

Royal Canin Medium Adult is formulated for medium-breed adults (11–25 kg) from 12 months to 7 years. Ethelia Healthy Dogs is an all-in-one recipe suitable for adult dogs of all breeds as well as puppies.

Where is Ethelia made?

In Spain, with ingredients sourced directly from local Spanish farms and delivered fresh and raw, never frozen. Every recipe is verified by the Animal Sciences and Veterinary Lab of the University of Milan, Italy.

Fairness and legal notice

This comparison was prepared in line with the principles of Directive 2006/114/EC on misleading and comparative advertising. It compares two dog foods intended for the same purpose, using objective, verifiable characteristics: the manufacturers’ published compositions, additive declarations, feeding guidelines and retail prices, each referenced below.

Royal Canin® and Medium Adult are trademarks of their respective owner. They are used here solely to identify the compared product, as permitted for comparative advertising under EU law. Ethelia Petfoods (ARGOS Petfoods) is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Royal Canin. Royal Canin Medium Adult is a complete pet food that complies with EU feed law; nothing in this article should be read as a claim to the contrary. Where a production or sourcing practice is marked “not stated on the label”, this means the information is not published on the product label or retail product page we consulted, not that the practice is absent.

Prices were checked in July 2026 and may change. Feeding amounts are manufacturer guidelines for a moderately active 15 kg adult dog; individual dogs vary, so adjust portions to maintain ideal body weight and consult your veterinarian for specific advice.

Sources

Royal Canin Medium Adult 15 kg product listing and price, petcity.gr, accessed 13 July 2026: https://www.petcity.gr/royal-canin-medium-adult-11100254.html

Royal Canin Medium Adult published label information: composition, additives (per kg), analytical constituents and daily feeding recommendations, Royal Canin product page, accessed July 2026.

Ethelia Healthy Dogs official specification sheet (Rev.00): composition, guaranteed analysis, additives per kg, feeding guidelines (FEDIAF 2021) and RRP, Ethelia Petfoods / ARGOS Petfoods, ethelia.com.

Ethelia production method documentation: cold pressing, slow cooking below 60 °C for 3–4 hours, recirculating steam, MAP packaging, FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practices (2018) definition of “fresh”, Ethelia Petfoods.

Third-party verification: Animal Sciences and Veterinary Lab, University of Milan, Italy, analysis and verification of all Ethelia recipes.

Independent in-vitro digestibility study: Ethelia found at minimum 25% easier to digest than regular kibble.

Directive 2006/114/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning misleading and comparative advertising.

FEDIAF Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs (2021).