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Originally Posted by JessicaB Hmm... where to start??? I have read through this thread in it's entirety to gain some insight in regards to suggested feeding for when I get a Yorkie. I would like to give my opinions about some of these things and hear what everyone thinks. I have owned several different breeds of dogs in my life and spent a lot of time researching nutrition. It sounds to me like a lot of important factors are being left out of this thread. Like humans, all animals require a certain amount of nutritional elements. It seems that everyone already understands this and has taken a lot of effort to determine the proper values. However, not one person has discussed the fact that, like humans, not every dog's body is the same. Each dog's digestive system is going to process things differently. Some more so then others. Similarly, some dogs can tolerate ingredients that others cannot. Some may even have allergies to certain ingredients causing vomitting, runny stool, lack of appetite, skin reactions, or worse. There has been no mention of the "filler" ingredients in these dog foods which can be potentially dangerous to some pups. In addition, changing from one brand of food to another can be very upsetting for their stomach by itself. Remember to make the change slowly and in moderation. I am also curious... I do not believe in using moist food which I see a LOT of you do. Do you feel that this is necessary to the breed? The only reason I do not use wet food is because it does not provide any dental benefits. The crunching of the hard food aids in tartar removal. And last, I hear a lot of people mention that their pups are picky eaters. It has been my experience that a pup will only become picky and refuse food when they have been exposed to multiple choices. Dogs that are fed "people food" or multiple brands, flavors, or types are more likely to turn up their noses and wait for something better to come along. They are just like children in this sense. I think the most important thing is to find the foods that meet the nutritional values suggested by people educated in the matter and then over time, try to find the one that is best suited for your pups. There are going to be a lot of different results coming from the same foods because your pups are all different. Now that I have written a novel (haha), I would love to hear what everyone thinks. |
Jessica - you make some very good points. Until I joined this forum, I was not aware of all the junk in pet foods. My breeder used Eukaneuba which is better than some out there, but still not great. I switched over to Royal Canin puppy small bites, because I liked the fact they had a specific Yorkie formula when she was older. She faithfully ate it with no problems till she got sick at 9 months old and refused to eat it again. I've tried
several other brands trying to get her back to dry food. She will now at least eat a few pieces now and then of Chicken Soup and Solid Gold Wee Bits. Since she is tiny the food needs to be really small. I find this to be problematic with many of the good brands - the kibble nuggets are just too big!!
So, she didn't start out as a picky eater, but became one. In an effort to get her to eat, I have been mostly cooking for her (scrambled eggs with spinach, boiled chicken w/brown rice, oatmeal, yogurt). Obviously she is not getting the amount of veggies found in other foods. She occasionally will eat the Natural Balance meat (in casing like sausage), but lately has been turning her nose up to that also. Frankly, I'm afraid to just give her the dry food and take a "when she gets hungry enough she'll eat" attitude. I pick up samples of other dry foods whenever I can in an effort to find something she gobbles up rather than picks at and then this is what she will get.
Her coat looks great, her teeth are nice and white, she doesn't have smelly breath, poops twice a day, though she belches regularly!! I do give her VitaDog daily also. I hope I am doing the right thing, but do we ever know for sure?!