I never thought about that. That is a pretty good reason to change up and I always want my Honey to be happy.

I just prefer to feed Buster a Grain free or low Grain diet as I find he has less issues. I do like to rotate brands as well as Protein to vary his diet.
From your and Champions websites
Ideal Balance™ Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Diet
Ingredients ( 2nd ingredient brown rice, 3rd wheat, 4th Barley, 5th soybean meal )
Chicken, Brown Rice, Whole Grain Wheat, Cracked Pearled Barley, Soybean Meal, Chicken Meal, Pork Fat (preserved with
mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Dried Egg Product, Natural Flavor, Whole Grain Oats, Apples, Lactic Acid, Soybean Oil,
Cranberries, Peas, Carrots, Dried Beet Pulp, Iodized Salt, Flaxseed, Broccoli, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of
vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin
B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E
Supplement, Choline Chloride, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate,
Sodium Selenite), Taurine, preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Phosphoric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary
Extract.

ORIJENS INGREDIENTS Adult Dog Food (2nd ingredient chicken meal 3rd Salmon 4th turkey meal )
Fresh boneless chicken*, chicken meal, fresh boneless salmon*, turkey meal, herring meal, russet potato, peas, sweet potato, fresh boneless turkey*, fresh whole eggs*, fresh chicken liver*, fresh boneless lake whitefish*, fresh boneless walleye*, sun-cured alfalfa, pea fiber, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), organic kelp, pumpkin, chicory root, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, blueberries, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium.

We all feed what we want. I did say that there is a grain free Ideal Balance. I just chose not to use it. I have lovely, basically healthy dogs. That's enough for me.

As I have posted in the past, I have chosen to go with a company that does feeding trials. From a vet nutritionist I consulted with regarding finding a food I could TRUST. The recalls were very concerning to me.

Every pet food label must contain a statement and validation of nutritional adequacy. AAFCO regulations allow two basic methods for pet food manufacturers to substantiate claims.
Formulation Method — Requires the manufacturer to formulate the food to meet the AAFCO nutrient profiles for dogs and cats.
This method is less time consuming and less expensive because feeding trials with pets are not required, only a calculation of the nutrient levels.
An example of an AAFCO statement using the formulation method would be: "Brand ABC Cat Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by AAFCO Cat Food Profiles for maintenance of adult cats."
Feeding Trial Method — Requires the manufacturer perform an AAFCO-protocol feeding trial using the food as the sole source of nutrition.
Gold Standard or preferred method.
Documents the pets' performance when fed the food.
An example of an AAFCO statement using the feeding trial method would be: "Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that Brand X Dog Food provides complete and balanced nutrition for maintenance of adult dogs."

I am not saying that the dog food advisor is the answer. Yes, do your research. I have talked to many pet nutritionist and most of them say the same thing about quality dog foods. You get what you pay for. As far as I am concerned, I will stick with the dentist!

I agree with you. You've researched and consulted nutritionists and found food that works for your babies. That's the bottom line we all need to learn about what goes into the food we feed our babies. Once we are informed we can make good choices for our dogs. Just like human diets what works for one person may not work for someone else.

To the OP, if your vet thinks this is an allergy how about an elimination diet? If you just cut out grains and things are no better in 12 weeks you will have to go with an elim diet anyway. are you sure this is not an environmental issue?

Absolutely switch foods if you think this one is not working. I'd just choose carefully.

It is interesting to me that so many dogs on yt have tearing blamed on food. I'm not saying it isn't happening, but it seems this is not an accurate representation of what the average vet sees...

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If you don't like SD, don't feed it. Simple.:)
Whether or not meat is the first ingredient after grains are added is not important to me. I would not want and would not let my dogs eat that much meat. And the more Ellie's homemade diet was changed up/rotated, the more issues we had.

Basic nutrition is easy. Nutritionally biochemistry and physiology are not. If it is really that easy then more people would have PhDs in this field.

We did do elimination and that went pretty good because I dont really feed her anything then dog food anyway. When he called to check on her yesterday he told me to go to the store and get baby water instead of giving her water from the sink. I started giving her the water yesterday when I got home and all day today. I have noticed that her eyes are doing much better today. Im sure I will still change her to a grain free food but he said if the eye draining stops when I change the water then not to worry about changing her food right away. He said he would call back in a week to see how she is doing or if I had any questions I could call him. So we will see.

I don't think dog food advisor is the only way to choose a food by going oh its rated 5 stars that means its good. I use it just too look at ingredients and the comments on a food. When picking a food you have to look at the company and the ingredients. I know Callie is allergic to grain and I know this with my own tests she always breaks out if she eats a food with grain in it no matter how "good" the food is and because of how much I have tired it and talked with my vet about it because a few times her bumps got pretty bad she feels it is a grain allergy too. Some dogs do fine on grains and some don't. A big factor is how your dog does on the food.

:thumbup:

I recently which Dolly over to CC and have to say I think this is a wonderful food all her itching stopped within a week after I started using it, I have the open sky flavor

So Glad You tried The Canine Caviar!! Riley is doing better than ever after 6-months of feeding. It's such a good feeling when you can see something working for them. I still get so relieved & Happy when I flip him over and see a Clear Tummy :thumbup: :)

Yes, people do feed their dogs what they feel best. You have made your decision on what is best for your dogs. Without any regard to other people's own research you make a condescending remark about people using the Dog Food Advisor as their source of information concerning what is best for their dogs. That is not condescending? Making disparaging remarks about the dentist who runs the site is not condescending? You made suppositions in your remarks. Others have chosen to go a different route in feeding their dogs. I'm sure everyone of them has done their own research into what they are doing including talking to their own vets. Opinions vary. Not everyone comes to the same conclusion...including veterinarians.
The dentist that you mention simply set up a site for people to read ingredient lists and make a more educated decision about the foods they are buying for their pet. He is not some uneducated fool putting out info. He has spent a lot of time researching pet foods and you think that is a bad thing? He does it as a free service to pet owners which is far less suspicious than some other sources of information available.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
I have to switch and shop around because Minnie Mia gets picky. ;) I try to stay with the 4-5 stars food. We have basically tried them all. :D
My Mini Schnauzer lived 4 years with liver disease after changing her to Science Diet 7+ years dry and wet food (as per our vet's instructions.) She was 14 years old when we finally lost her. She was very ill at age 10. (can't blame it on any dog food because we fed her way too much for the table) :( The vet she had been seeing told us to take her home and keep her comfortable. We took her to a different vet (our current one) who put her on liver meds and Science Diet.....we kept her 4 1/2 years longer. So, what I'm saying is if a very sick dog can get better while eating SD food, it really isn't a "bad" dog food!!
I haven't fed my yorkies SD, but I'm not saying I never would.
I agree with ladyjane...we all feed what we want to!! I know of dogs (yes, yorkies even) that have lived long, healthy lives eating the less approved dog foods everyday.

Its not good to just go to dog food advisor see a 5 star food and think its good and go for it there is more research needed then just that but that is what a lot of people do not realizing they are giving a food where the company has bad protocol and many recalls.

Now tell me, why do the vets push the science diet dog food? My vet has ist in his office too. I know they sell the specialized kind but that regular stuff made my dog so itchy and she was a mess! Please do not put your Yorkies on this food. Too many of us have had negative reactions to it. There are so many high quality foods out there. Not at Walmart either. Go to a petsmart or petco and get some good stuff. First read up on the good foods and then go get some. You will save lots of money at the vet!

Vets sell prescription Hill's diets and they work for sick pups. There are many people on this forum who have used these foods with great success. I am one of them. If you ever have a pup with medical issues..those foods can save lives.

AND....I also use Hill's Science Diet Ideal Balance and don't have all itchy pups. Hill's is a reputable company and I will stick with them thank you! :)

Like I said...he is a dentist...and that is simply a fact. I choose to use people educated in the field of animal nutrition. I don't find that condescending at all.

I am not going to argue with you....

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thum bup::thumbup::D

I don't know why some of your vets push SD. They shouldn't be pushing (forcing, badgering, continuously insisting) any food or drug. If they are, I'd get out if there fast.:) Part of their job is to find alternatives or owners with certain beliefs (within reason). I know many vets, none of which push regular dog food of their chosen brand on anybody. In fact, some of them even try to find OTC alternatives to rx diets so that their clients can get it anywhere, they don't have to stock as much, and client saves money.

I appreciate sites like dogfoodadvisor and dogfoodanalysis for their ingredient lists, but those change frequently and are sometimes not updated. I think if somebody sees 1 star rating next to a food, they are automatically going to bypass it. So in that regard, I think the sites do a disservice.

I'm sure very few people here rely exclusively on the dentist which is good. ?that would be kind of like asking a veterinary nutritionist to examine human teeth. I do see a lot of relying on random internet articles even f they were not based on solid studies (or misinterpreted). I'd sooner talk to a nutritionist than try to truly wrap my brain around all of it.

My Yorkie has been on nothing but Hills ID RX (Science Diet) for over two years and I do not see myself changing this ever. I have seen my poor little girl in pain from Pancreatitis and I will do whatever it takes to make sure she is never that sick again.

As far as alternatives I can feed her Avoderm Weight Control also (comparing the ingredients, fat and fiber) and do in extreme cases when I have run out food and forgot to order it from the Vet.

I do buy my Hills ID from the Vet, this food requires a prescription (which I have and carry with me) but there isn't any place local that carries it.

I dont think SD is a bad food at all because I have heard a lot of great things it has done for a lot of dogs. I really dont think this is just the food for Honey. On the other hand I think I will be changing her food Im just not sure what yet.

I must say us yorkie owners are really aggresive about our yorkies and what we give them lol. On the other hand I do believe that there are a lot of foods that work for some dogs but not others.

I agree, before Sophie Kate was on the RX food she was the picky little eater ever. I tried so many different foods only to have her turn her little nose up after a few days. Go with what you think is right, healthy and most of all what keeps your Yorkie happy and healthy.