Food?

[whitcline08]

Dry dog food or canned dog food a better choice for a yorkie? Also I've read that you can give a yorkie table food But have been told you shouldn't Because it's not good for them. Is it or isn't it?

[whitcline08]

Also wanted to know what brand of dog/puppy food is best brand at Walmart is best to feed to a yorkie because that is the closes store to me and carries all kinds of brands.

[Martie]

We feed ours dry food. Kibbles Bites for small dogs. We also do feed them (with permission from our vet) homemade chicken breast (no spices or skin/boiled) and rice. We always make sure we feed our babies quality dog food, not any of the "cheaper" brands. Yorkies can have very sensitive tummies.

[Lovetodream88]

I prefer dry food because it is better for there teeth. There are some human food that are good for them but there are a lot that are very bad for them. You don't have a petco or petsmart near you even within 30 minutes? I do not believe walmart carries any high quality food but I could be wrong. I prefer grain free food which I think is only available online and at petstores. Here is a link to a sticky about toxic foods http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...oods-dogs.html

[Beabble]

I feed our yorkie and yorkie mix Wellness Super 5 Mix Adult Health For Small Breeds. I don't give ours table food, to worried about Pancreatitis. I don't believe Walmart sells any good quility dog foods either, but to his or her own. We all do what we have to do. I had to feed one of our boxers Purina Puppy Chow for years because he had horrible reactions to anyt other food, and I tried the high quility foods on him, and every time, he broke out in blood red hives. I was floored when he did ok with the Purina, cause it isn't a high quility food. But like I said, we d what we have to do.

[Princess Belle]

We feed Belle Life's Abundance. They have a great line of treats and supplements as well.

[LovinOurYorkies]

I don't think you'll find a high-quality food at walmart (that said, I fed my first yorkie purina little bites all her life - she lived to be 15 - but if she got ahold of ANYTHING other than her little bites, she had horrible tummy troubles).

I would start with kibble (easier especially if you travel, and is said to be better for teeth). My girls wouldn't eat kibble when they came to live with me, so I found a good canned food; then I read here about adding coconut oil to kibble to entice them to eat it. So now, Tillie and Bella get canned in the morning and kibble mix in the evening.

I feed Whole Earth Farms canned... it's grain-free, high-quality, and not costly (comparatively). I get it at our local Petco by the case, but you can order it online and have it shipped directly to your door. WEF also makes a dry kibble but I haven't tried it yet bc it's always out of stock... Till then, feeding Castor & Pollux Natural Ultramix (kibble) which I picked up at Whole Foods.

I also give chicken (cooked, not seasoned), carrotts, and green beans as treats. If you decide to give people food as treats, I would recommend you search online (or on this forum) for a list of safe options bc some can be toxic to dogs. I wouldn't feed people food as meals unless you have a recipe that could ensure complete nutrition.

Sorry so long... just got on a roll there

[gracielove]

I don't think Walmart has any quality pet foods. I guess it depends on what you consider to be "quality." Many brands of kibble sold at Walmart have various types of glucose in them that flavor the food so the dogs will eat them. It causes tooth decay and diabetes as they get older. I'd check out the pet store foods Just get enough so you don't have to make lots of trips.

You can feed your dog a little meat and some vegetables but be careful which ones. Grapes are bad for dogs and can shut down the kidneys. Do a google search for foods dogs should not eat. Find a good food that your dog likes and don't switch as the change is bad for their stomachs.

[Britster]

Well, define "table food"... lol. Anything salty, high in fat, sugars, preservatives ... most aren't good for us, let alone the dogs. Most fruits and veggies are fine (stay away from grapes though! I think onions and avacado's are bad too). Plain chicken breast, a lot of just plain meat would be fine for most pups. There's a list of "okay people foods" for dogs somewhere.

As far as Walmart goes, I highly doubt you'll find anything decent in there. If you have a Costco near you, you can look for Kirkland or 4health. Alot of Tractor Supply's and stores like that carry some better foods. Most have Taste of the Wild.

I like Acana and Fromm among others but those are my top right now.

I would actually prefer to feed all canned food if I could afford it.... I believe canned food is better for dogs, less preservatives, more moisture, usually more meat. Dry kibble does about as much for their teeth are humans eating hard pretzels would. In fact, I've heard that a lot of the carbs in dry kibbles can add to teeth problems such as tarter, but don't know if there is in truth in that.

[WyominGirl]

I feed Infinia, it's a grain free holistic. Do you have a local pet or feed store?

I know that people think feeding good food is more expensive but the truth is when you go with a quality food you feed less, and in the long run your vet bills will be smaller too!

My yorkie eats 1/4c of food twice/day. A small bag lasts months, even our 80# lab only eats less than 4 cups per day.

Another advantage: less filler= less poop!

If your only choice is WM read the ingredients! If corn or another cheap filler is in the 3 ingredients, move on to the next bag...

Hope that helps?

[Beabble]

Oh and you want to stay away from food that have BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin in them. BAD, BAD, VERRRRRY BAD!!

[gracielove]

We have plenty of people here that have fed dogs kibble but their dogs teeth still go bad. Don't use kibble just because you think it is good for their teeth because that is just not true. Brush your dogs teeth with a dog tooth paste or use one of the gels but don't depend on food to keep them clean. Have a good chew toy like a bully stick to help also.

[dustinleephil]

I feed Macy and Hank Blue Wilderness. I get it at PetSmart, but they also have it at tractor/farm supply stores. You can put in your zip code on the website, and it'll tell you where they sell it. They seem to really like it, sometimes I'll mix it in a little warm water and they go nuts over it.
bluebuffalo.com

[whitcline08]

Anybody know if of the following brands good or bad?...
Iams, iams healthy naturals, iams premium protection, beneful, natural life, purina one, purina, pro plan, kibbles n' bits, purina-chef michael's, science diet? I know petsmart carries most of these brands so I don't know if any are good since some say their made exspecally for toy breeds

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by whitcline08

Anybody know if of the following brands good or bad?...
Iams, iams healthy naturals, iams premium protection, beneful, natural life, purina one, purina, pro plan, kibbles n' bits, purina-chef michael's, science diet? I know petsmart carries most of these brands so I don't know if any are good since some say their made exspecally for toy breeds

I would not feed any of those. Right now Callie is eating blue buffalo and seems to be doing great on it. Taste of the wild is also a good food.