YORKIE DIET- Healthy eating

[Mgmena]

Hi everyone I'm new here at Yorkie talk and I've never joined a forum to talk about my dogs because of my busy life but I have experienced and incredible change in my dogs since I changed their diet. First of all I am a proud parent of 3 and soon to be 4 beautiful dogs. Duque the yorkie he is 2 years old, Emmy my Shetland sheepdog she is 1 year old and Frankie my Boston terrier only 9 months old. Oh! And the puppy we still don't have a name for but she is a french bulldog girl (I'm so excited to get her!)

Ok so I'll start of by saying I have tried so many dog food brands (who hasn't) especially when I got duque as a puppy and I did not want him to eat just anything so I tried the best of the best. I work as a dog groomer, handler and trainer and at work I would ask everyone and every single client and I started out with royal canine that's what I used to think was good for him until I educated myself and saw that that was not a good brand and then moved to nutro and duque would not eat it then moved to blue buffalo with the antioxidants and all that and NOPE! Did not work he started swallowing the kibble and never at the antioxidants. I would mix it with water or put chicken broth and nothing one of two he would eat it and have terrible diarrhea or he would not eat. I just hated that duque was so skinny to a point where I would take him to the vet every 15 days to check his weight and ask the vet and every time I would come back praying that the new solution would but no. Until I was told to feed him orijen and I thought lets give it a try everyone told me it was the best thing in the world and you can't get better than that I thought ok. So I tried it and he started eating and gained a little weight but he would still swallow the kibble from time to time. And I thought ok well he is eating it so that's fine with me. Then I started noticing tears would ooze out of his eyes all brown and nasty and I take him every 15 days to get groomed and after a bath his eyes would be tearing again and it looked liked he had not received a bath in like a month and it became a discomfort to him and me. Also his poop had a horrifying smell it was very strong. The good benefits I got from orijen is a shinier coat but to a point where it got very very greasy and a healthy weight pup.

So that's my yorkies story now with my boston terrier I started feeding him the nutro because that's what the breeder was feeding but I didn't see much effect on him because I switched him to orijen immediately. And I started seeing the same brown gooey years from his eyes every now and then but his face area is white so he just looked horrible with those tears. And people at day care started telling me that he was a poop eater and then I started catching him eating his brother and sister poop and I was disgusted and I thought if orijen has all the nutrients then why is he still searching for other nutrients in other dogs poops I did not know how to stop him because he became sneakier with his poop eating and he only ate other dogs poop not his so there was no way to stop other than by catching him. And also his POOP my god he could clear a room with that smell I would clean it and be puking at the same time it was such a strong smell I had to leave him boarding when people would come over and stay at my place because it was really embarrassing to have that smell at home and his farts smelled like he was about to poop and I am aware that Boston's fart but these where worse than human farts.

And finally my sheltie since she was a puppy she ate orijen and same thing ready eyes and soft stool with a strong smell and she was also starting to eat poop.

But I finally fixed all that everything went away in about a week with this diet I tried on them. And it's simple it all came up one day that I ran out of orijen and its so hard to find that I would have to wait some days after ordering it online so I thought I should prepare food for them with the ingredients orijen has so the first day I put big chunks of cocked chicken in the blender and I grinded all that up into small bits and then cooked vegetable like corn, peas and carrots (you can find those anywhere mixed into small bags aT your corner store) I steamed cooked them and then mixed the chicken with steamed vegetables. There dish looked so yummy and surprise duque started chewing on his food and Frankie and Emmy ate it all. I tried this for a week Using chicken, ham, turkey and fish everyday something different. I would serve their food at room temp I don't suggest anything too cold or hot. They gobbled all their food and left their plates clean. My yorkie started gaining more weight to a point where he went back to the vet after being on this diet for 3 weeks up to now and the vet said he reached his healthy weight. His TEARS WENT AWAY! And so did Frankie and Emmys. There stool became solid without smell. And Frankie stopped eating poop. And duque had so much energy and he began to be more happy about feeding time like I said duque was so hard to feed I was hand feeding him to one point. But now this helped so much. As to price well I have 3 so it does get a bit pricey but when I see the benefits it's worth it and orijen goes for $75 for a big bag which will last for a month or so feeding 1 cup 2 a day each. I am very happy with the results and I really wanted to share them with all of you. I also have so many clients that ask me what do I feed mine. As to what vets say its really a healthier way to eat if they like it. And also a lot people say that of they're on this diet they won't get to chew much and clean their teeth I give them greenies every week. I'm sticking to this diet with my new frenchie.

Try it out- just remember don't cook any of the meats with any sauces or condiments and the vegetable just steam them you don't need to add anything to them. Just cook and serve.

My grandfather has living proof his terrier mix is 16 years old and still running and playing and he has no health problems at all. His other two chihuahuas the same thing never had problems. Lucy is 10 years old and no health problems at all and sparky 8 years old no health problems.

So to all of you having problems with your dog not eating maybe you can give it a try I know some dog lovers in here will think duh! Everyone knows that's a healthier way for your dog to eat but trust there's a lot of new puppy parents that at lost when it comes to feeding. I care a lot for my dogs and I would never try anything unless professionals approve it. My vet has been checking on them every month and my little guys are healthier than ever.

Hope you guys find this info important and If you have any questions you can email them to me at mgmena4@hotmail.com

[Maximo]

Welcome to Yorkie Talk. Happy to hear your pets are doing well.

A note of caution: dogs require a delicate balance of nutrients. Too much or too little of some nutrients can wreak havoc on their systems, namely their kidneys and liver.

Many people here who homecook use a supplement called "Balance It". A recipe from a board certified nutritionist is also advised. Recipes can be obtained online for a minimal cost.

I would also advise against ham. Very fatty and salty and could contribute to pancreatitis, a very serious and potentially fatal condition.

[Mgmena]

I use the ham in extreme moderation and I just started out this diet with them so i am going to be improving it to a point where it's completely balanced for them but still having the same befits.
As to the "balance it" supplement I will be looking into it. Thanks for the advise!

[MandiesMom]

Holy cow!! You have your hands full and getting fuller! lol

It's very nice to meet you and welcome to YT. I've been having food issues of late with my Sheltie (until a DNA tells me different lol). I just think not everything is right for every dog and you have to do what you have done...search and search. Still not gonna find the best for all (soon to be) 4, probably.

I considered home-cooking, also. But I just don't trust myself to get the nutrients right. And, if you are as busy as you surely seem to be, that's a lot to take on. I am cheering you on and let us know how it goes along the way, ok?

[bellemarie]

best diet i've ever used... raw!
the girls absolutely adore it and their coats etc are stunning- better than i've ever seen! and it was the only feeding method that gave them excellent muscle definition- and even aided kittys weight loss when she needed it!

[gracielove]

If you look in the diet section here you will see a sticky that contains a lot of recipes for treats and meals that dogs like. I stay away from grains as much as I can. I agree that cooking for your dog is much healthier than feeding the highly processed kibble that our pets are expected to live on.

If you have a butcher in your area lots of times you can get a good deal on some less expensive cuts of meat. I get various types of meat and cut them up and then put them in a blender to chop them up a bit more. I try to keep the ingredient list down. Sweet potatoes are much better for our pets than white potatoes. I use a couple of good supplements for calcium and omega 3's.

My little girl refused to eat kibble when she was a baby so I had to look into pet food a lot closer than I ever had. It is not good business and I feel much better either feeding her a good commercial raw or preparing home meals.

[ladyjane]

For information on home cooked diets, I use the following sites; but I also have consulted with a vet nutritionist for sick pups who needed special diets.

www.balanceit.com You can generate free recipes for healthy pups on this site.

PetDiets - VNC putting pets' health first! For a healthy pup, you can purchase a diet for $25

As Maximo said it is very important to get the right balance in a diet.

[Mgmena]

I completely agree with you bellemarie it's been the best thing I've done for my dogs. And gracielove yes my yorkie also refused kibble and I used to do so many things to make him eat but he never would until I thought he was eating the orijen but caught him swallowing it. I suggest people that are going to try the home coocking for their dogs to really research and find out whats good for them. Like the red potatoes they are very healthy and I also give yogurt and bananas as treats and it's been working very well and much better than kibble. I don't care what I spend as long as their happy and healthy. Lady Jane thanks for the website I will look into I know it will aid me a lot.
Thank you

[Lovetodream88]

Ham is not good for yorkies and can cause pancreatitis. Also you are doing much more harm to your dogs then good if you are not using a supplement like balance it and a recipe from a vet nutritionist.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Mgmena

I use the ham in extreme moderation and I just started out this diet with them so i am going to be improving it to a point where it's completely balanced for them but still having the same befits.
As to the "balance it" supplement I will be looking into it. Thanks for the advise!

You wont know if it is balances unless you are a vet nutritionist or if you get a recipe from one.

[Mgmena]

There's no harm I've seen with people that have their dogs on a similar diet and I am going to my vet every 15 days to check on them. I love my dogs to much so I don't believe why you would say that I'm causing harm. And I am starting to use supplements and vet said ham in moderation and prepare right is no harm for dogs unless I would feed it in large quantities.

I've been with vets that treat champion dogs so I doubt they are wrong for giving me instructions on how to feed them. I guess your thinking I'm giving table scraps to my dogs.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Mgmena

There's no harm I've seen with people that have their dogs on a similar diet and I am going to my vet every 15 days to check on them. I love my dogs to much so I don't believe why you would say that I'm causing harm. And I am starting to use supplements and vet said ham in moderation and prepare right is no harm for dogs unless I would feed it in large quantities.

I've been with vets that treat champion dogs so I doubt they are wrong for giving me instructions on how to feed them. I guess your thinking I'm giving table scraps to my dogs.

I have read on home cooking and talked to two different vets on it and all of them say that the dog is harmed if the meal is not balanced which HAS to be done by a vet nutritionist (which you can get balanced recipes from vet nutritionists online) and a supplement like Balance it HAS to be used. I am not saying your meaning to harm your dogs but not home cooking the right way is bad for them.

[sandy simpson]

I have stressed myself out over Yorkie food choices. I have been feeding Blue Buffalo but then I bought some Wellness thinking that was better. I am not sure which to feed. I have a 2 yr old an a 9 yr old. Vet says a senior food for the 9boy. They have been eating Blue and doing ok on it. What do all of you recommend? That is great if you can feed raw diet but I am afraid I would not give them all they need for nutrition.

[Mgmena]

I started feeding them home cook and some people will say that's not good and some people will say its the best bottom line it's whatever works for you and I care so much for my yorkie I tried everything and he would not eat until I tried home cooking which worked so well. Maybe you can try that or Orijen that's like the best kibble out there.

let me know how it goes

[suda]

Excellent that you cook your own meals for your furbabies, great to hear of their weight gain and stomachs more settled. Nothing worst than smelly poop.
I can't find "Balance It" here in NZ, going to vet tomorrow and see if they can recommend something similar