Royal Canin Maxi Ageing 8+

Dry Extruded complete

Poor
our rating

Is Royal Canin Maxi Ageing 8+ a good dog food?

We score it 39/100 (Poor). The main reasons are set out in "Why you might not" below, and every step of the calculation is shown under "How we calculated this score".

How we score

Why this score?

This recipe achieves an overall rating of 39 out of 100 based on several key factors. The overall quality of the ingredient list contributed +2.1 points to the total. However, the presence of ingredients without printed percentages reduced the score by -13.1. Furthermore, the processing format decreased the score by -7, and the carbohydrate content lowered the final result by -4.

Only part of the analytical constituents are declared, so the nutritional picture is incomplete.

100% of this recipe has no printed percentage. Estimated shares are model estimates, not label facts.

The Recipe score measures how attractive and transparent the declared ingredient list is. It is not, by itself, proof that the food is nutritionally appropriate for long-term feeding. The Nutritional and Evidence scores measure what we can verify towards that stronger claim.

Complete extruded dry food for senior dogs, with dehydrated poultry proteins, unspecified animal fats and oils and maize as the main ingredients.

Why you might choose it

  • Nutritionally complete: formulated to be fed as the whole diet.

Why you might not

  • 6 poor-graded ingredients make up about 32% of the recipe.
  • 100% of the recipe mass has no printed percentage, so the exact split cannot be verified.

View the source page

Estimated composition

carb37.0%
supplement22.4%
oil18.0%
meat10.7%
fibre8.5%
veg3.3%

Typical analysis (as fed)

Protein
27%
Fat
17%
Fibre
1.80%
Ash
6.20%

Additives & feeding info

Nutritional additives

Vitamin A: 21800 IU; Vitamin D3: 1000 IU; Iron (3b103): 34 mg; Iodine (3b201, 3b202): 3.4 mg; Copper (3b405, 3b406): 10 mg; Manganese (3b502, 3b504): 44 mg; Zinc (3b603, 3b605, 3b606): 127 mg; Selenium (3b801, 3b811, 3b812): 0.06 mg

Technological additives

Clinoptilolite of sedimentary origin: 10 g; Preservatives; Antioxidants

Storage

To be stored in a cool, dry place.

Feeding guide

see table

Who is this food for?

Suits

  • Labelled by the manufacturer for senior dogs
  • Labelling or feeding guide is aimed at large dogs
  • Doesn't list beef, lamb, venison, pork, duck as ingredients

Consider something else if:

  • Your dog avoids chicken: the label lists dehydrated poultry proteins
  • Your dog avoids turkey: the label lists dehydrated poultry proteins
  • Your dog avoids fish: the label lists fish oil
  • Your dog avoids grain: the label lists maize / corn
  • You want a single-protein recipe: this one lists more than one animal protein

These points are derived from declared ingredients and analysis, not a substitute for veterinary advice. If your dog has a diagnosed condition, food choice is a medical nutrition decision: speak to your vet. Use the homepage filter to find foods that fit your dog.

Ingredients (21)

#As declaredMatchedCategoryTierDeclared %Est. %
1Dehydrated poultry proteinsDehydrated Poultry Proteinsmeatgood-6.3
2animal fatsUnspecified Animal Fats and Oilsoilpoor-6.1
3maizeMaize / Corncarbpoor-6.0
4wheatWheatcarbpoor-5.8
5maize flourCorn flourcarbmedium-5.7
6barleyBarleycarbmedium-5.5
7maize glutenMaize glutencarbpoor-5.4
8wheat flourWheatcarbpoor-5.2
9wheat glutenWheat Glutencarbpoor-5.1
10hydrolysed animal proteinsHydrolysed Animal Proteinmeatmedium-4.9
11beet pulpBeet Pulpfibremedium-4.8
12mineralsVitamins and mineralssupplementmedium-4.6
13fish oilFish Oiloilgood-4.5
14soya oilSoybean oiloilmedium-4.3
15yeasts productsYeastsupplementgood-4.2
16psyllium husks and seedsPsylliumfibregood-4.0
17fructo-oligosaccharidesFructo-oligosaccharidessupplementgood-3.9
18algal oil Schizochytrium sp.Algal Oil Schizochytrium Spoilgood-3.7
19glucosamine from fermentationGlucosaminesupplementgood-3.6
20marigold mealCalendulaveggood-3.4
21hydrolysed cartilageHydrolysed Cartilagesupplementgood-3.3

Brand

Trust and provenance

Recall history
No recalls recorded in our database
Label data last checked
2026-09-09
Scored with
Model v2 (methodology)
Product page
www.royalcanin.com

Recall history is presentation-only and never affects the score. Dates are when we recorded the data, not when the manufacturer last changed the recipe.

Spotted a mistake in this listing? Report it here and we'll take a look.

Recipe: how the 1-100 score is calculated

Scored with model v2 on 2026-09-22. Each component is the feature value for this product multiplied by the model's published coefficient.

ComponentInputCoefficientContribution
Base score-32.336+32.34
Average ingredient quality0.29.915+2.10
Meat share of dry matter10.7%0.116+1.25
Carb share of dry matter35.8%-0.113-4.03
Oil share of dry matter19.5%-0.088-1.72
Vegetable share of dry matter3.2%-0.002-0.01
Supplement share of dry matter22.4%-0.009-0.20
Recipe graded poor32.2%-0.045-1.44
Number of poor ingredients6-0.868-5.21
Largest single poor ingredient5.8%0.056+0.33
Undeclared quantities100.0%-0.131-13.09
Complete dietyes1.703+1.70
Additive penalty-0.330.236-0.08
Processing multiplier1.0032.336+32.34
Processing: Dry Extrudedyes-6.996-7.00
Show all 40 components
ComponentInputCoefficientContribution
Base score-32.336+32.34
Average ingredient quality0.29.915+2.10
Meat share of dry matter10.7%0.116+1.25
Carb share of dry matter35.8%-0.113-4.03
Oil share of dry matter19.5%-0.088-1.72
Vegetable share of dry matter3.2%-0.002-0.01
Additive share of dry matter0.0%0.177+0.00
Supplement share of dry matter22.4%-0.009-0.20
Other share of dry matter0.0%-0.371+0.00
Unrecognised share of dry matter0.0%-0.022+0.00
Recipe graded poor32.2%-0.045-1.44
Poor-quality meat in recipe0.0%-0.182+0.00
Number of poor ingredients6-0.868-5.21
Largest single poor ingredient5.8%0.056+0.33
Undeclared quantities100.0%-0.131-13.09
Prints ingredient percentagesno3.194+0.00
Complete dietyes1.703+1.70
Frozen or chilled freshno11.440+0.00
High meat (30%+ of dry matter)no-0.506+0.00
Low meat (under 10% of dry matter)no-1.988+0.00
High carb and low meatno-1.250+0.00
Meat share × printed percentages0.0-0.073+0.00
Meat share × fresh0.0-0.339+0.00
Fresh × high meat0.016.475+0.00
Additive penalty-0.330.236-0.08
Processing multiplier1.0032.336+32.34
Processing: Rawno13.322+0.00
Processing: Fresh Chilledno7.712+0.00
Processing: Fresh Frozenno6.583+0.00
Processing: Fresh Refrigeratedno4.857+0.00
Processing: Fresh Shelfno0.072+0.00
Processing: Dry Freeze Driedno11.127+0.00
Processing: Dry Air Driedno9.320+0.00
Processing: Dry Cold Pressedno4.569+0.00
Processing: Dry Bakedno-2.321+0.00
Processing: Dry Extrudedyes-6.996-7.00
Processing: Dry Semi Moistno-6.833+0.00
Processing: Dry Mueslino-10.711+0.00
Processing: Wet Pateno2.935+0.00
Processing: Wet Chunksno2.292+0.00
Processing-type offset
-0.01
Additives declared on label
+2 transparency bonus
Subtotal
39.3
Final score
39/100

Contributions are rounded to two decimals, so they may not sum exactly to the subtotal. The full coefficient table is published on the methodology page.

Nutritional: declared analysis vs reference ranges

How the declared analysis compares with FEDIAF reference ranges for adult dogs. The label prints as-fed values; we convert to a dry-matter basis before scoring, and the bands are dry-matter ranges. Scores rise to 100 at the band midpoint: the reference is adequacy, not maximisation. Nutrients with a published upper limit taper again above it; fat is policed through calorie density rather than a direct penalty.

NutrientAs fed (label)Dry matter (scored)Score
Protein2729.3 (band 18 to 40%)100
Fat1718.5 (band 5.5 to 20%)100
Fibre1.82 (band 0.5 to 5%)89.4

Scored over 3 declared nutrients (combined weight 50); undeclared nutrients do not affect the score. Moisture was not declared and was estimated at 8% from the food type.

Low confidence: partial analysis or moisture estimated from the food type.

This measures agreement with published reference ranges, not suitability for an individual dog. For medical conditions, follow veterinary guidance.

Transparency: what the label discloses

How much the manufacturer discloses, measured against the FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice and Regulation 767/2009. Mandatory items dominate the weighting.

ItemPoints
Ingredient list on the label (mandatory)10/10
Printed percentages on the label (voluntary) - not on file0/20
Analytical constituents declared (mandatory) - not on file0/15
Additives declared (mandatory)10/10
Energy value declared (voluntary) - not on file0/5
Complete/complementary designation (mandatory)5/5
Feeding guidance given (mandatory)10/10
Manufacturer identity and address (mandatory)5/10
Country of manufacture stated (voluntary)10/10
Batch and date labelling (mandatory)5/5

Capped at 60: mandatory items missing (Analytical constituents declared).

Safety: recall history

Recall and safety-notice history, time-decayed. This dimension is shown alongside the score and never feeds the headline number.

No recalls recorded in our database.

See all current recalls we track.

Evidence: what the brand claims, and what supports it

The marketing claims made on the pack and product page, and how much evidence sits behind them. We record the claims as stated; we do not assess whether they are true.

ClaimTypeSubstantiation
Helps promote digestive health with highly digestible proteins and a balanced supply of fibres. (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Helps support large dogs’ healthy bones and joints through a combination of minerals and nutrients. (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Enriched with essential nutrients (EPA, DHA and vitamins) to enjoy a lifelong vitality. (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion

Limited: at least one claim rests on manufacturer assertion alone.

The full scoring method is published. See the methodology for exactly how the headline score and each dimension are calculated.

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