Changing Food...need suggestions - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Bonnie's Mom · 02-24-2006, 08:58 AM

Ok...I have finally run out of the 60 pounds of Chicken Soup that I bought last fall and I am thinking about changing brands. In addition to Bonnie we also have a 60 lb 13 yr old mixed breed (see picture below). No matter how hard I try to keep their food separated, they insist on eating from the others bowl so I have just given up and am going to feed them the same. They liked the chicken soup at first, but the last month or so, they have not seemed to go for it as much. Before that I was feeding them food from the Grocery store, but have learned from this site that isn't the best thing for them.
Keep in mind that Bonnie could probably stand to lose 2+ pounds (she weighs 8 lbs and has gained more than 2 lbs in the past year). Patch just lost 14 lbs due to sickness (he is fine now) and is doing much better on his 13 yr old knees, so I don't want him to gain any weight back. In the picture below, Patch has just had his summer cut, he normally has longer hair and it is coarse.
I know I have seen threads on here before about different foods, and there was 1 that I was interested in, but I can't for the life of me remember the name, or I would have done a search for it. I would appreciate any input that you may have regarding which food you think would be best for Patch & Bonnie! Thanks in advance for your help!

chachi · 02-24-2006, 09:01 AM

Well my dogs dont care for the chicken soup either so I am changing to Innova. I have heard good things about it and hope they like it.

golfwidow14 · 02-24-2006, 10:43 AM

I use Innova. It's a very high quality food and Samson really likes it. Their website is naturapet.com and you can go on there to see what stores sell it and to look at ingredient comparisons of a bunch of different foods. The company also makes a couple other foods (besides Innova) as well. You can also order if from petfooddirect.com.

jim n · 02-24-2006, 10:55 AM

Go to www.mordanna.com/dogfood. Most of the major brands are profiled.

LovinMyYorkie · 02-24-2006, 10:59 AM

I am in the process of switching SugarDaddy from Science Diet to Innova Dry Puppy. He loves the Innova. I'd check out their website to see what all they offer and just pick the one that would best fit all of their needs.

Good Luck and hope they like it!

Bonnie's Mom · 02-24-2006, 02:01 PM

Thanks for the suggestions. It looks like Innova is a favorite! Any other suggestions?

shelbysmom · 02-24-2006, 02:10 PM

Shelby eats Nutro Lamb and Rice. I tried several and it was the only kibble she would eat.

i_love_my_yorki · 02-24-2006, 02:24 PM

All the Yorkie breeders i have spoken to swear on giving their puppies & older dogs RC

BabyFidgette · 02-24-2006, 08:03 PM

I just started feeding Baby Merrick's. It was recommended over others.

yorkiesmiles · 02-24-2006, 09:20 PM

Flint River Ranch & Sojourner Farms

I feed my dogs and cats Flint River Ranch

Flint River Ranch uses only wholesome ingredients. No by-products, commercial meals, products contaminated with chemicals, or any chemical preservative. This does not make them unique, as several health foods on the market today are essentially human quality. The difference is in the processing. Flint River prepares the food and then oven bakes it. This process changes the molecular structure of the starches into an "easier to digest" form. There is less stress to the digestive system and, to my knowledge, this is the only company using this process.

My holistic vet say's the change in a pet's health is almost always noticeable within a short time. The food is very concentrated and highly digestible resulting in less digestive health problems and smaller stools to clean up.

Flint River also is very compact - so you feed a whole lot less than other foods and it costs no more, usually less, to feed than any premium commercial food. I feed 1/4 cup a day to each dog.

And my Yorkies love it -

the Flint River company has never had a "bloat" claim against it. The great manufacturing process that is used prevents this. The oven-baking and "cracked kibbles" only absorb enough moisture to start the digestion process, then they break down. Other meals/products, continue to absorb a great amount of water.

from Flint River you can get them to send you some sample packs if you want to first let your little Yorkie try it out. It looks so unlike any other food you have ever seen before because it is twice baked and then broken into pieces, so the pieces are not some uniform size and shape. And you can add water to it if you want - I don't.

my vet says that nutrition is a major key to unlocking the puzzles of many of the health problems animals have. Many musculoskeletal disorders, digestive complaints, allergies and skin problems can respond to proper nutrition.

I'm also one to point out be careful about what your vet tries to sell you. If he's selling it out his front door, he's making money on it!

Do your own research!!!

I normally feed Flint River Ranch Puppy & Adult Kibble Dog Food - with at least 37 ingredients including chicken, whole wheat flour, ground rice, lamb meal and fish meal.
this last time, I bought Flint River Ranch Trout & Potato - it has Trout, Potato, Course Ground Millet, Herring Meal, Oatmeal and Sweet Potatoes for the first 5 ingredients and also cranberries and blueberries in it. This isn shaped differently from the puppy & adult food I described above - the trout & potato looks more like any other regular food - I think the puppy/adult formula took them longer to eat - which I think is a good thing!

If my life wasn't so hectic, I might switch to Sojourner Farms.
It's a great product made from human quality raw grain and supplement mix that you mix at home with water, meat, and vegetables.

I know many advocate the best nutrition is wholesome fresh foods prepared at home for your pet. fresh raw meat and vegetables with added properly prepared carbohydrates. Along with proper supplements.

I've checked all over on the Internet and it looks like every single website for Flint River is under a different distributor - but you can get some good info out on the Internet about the food.
If anyone wants a # for how to order the food and get it shipped free to your door by UPS fresh from their ovens, just PM - I can give you the distributor number I order under

here's the info on Sojourner Farms that sells the human quality raw grain and supplement mix that you have to add water, meat, and vegetables to. Go to
http://www.sojos.com/index.cfm?affiliate=78749411

At the website there is a link to find a store near you that might carry it or you can order straight from them with free shipping.

lilbumbleybees · 02-24-2006, 09:32 PM

I am die hard Solid Gold Fan. I love it, I would never feed my guys anything else. All of my dogs, from my big mixes to my little yorkies are all on a Solid Gold food. The only other food I would even halfway consider feeding them is Innova EVO. The EVO is such a good food for all dogs. Much better than the regular Innova. We sell both among other all natural foods at the boutique I work at and those are the best out of all of them. We have a hard time keeping food on the shelves it sells so fast when it comes in.

Bonnie's Mom · 02-25-2006, 09:01 AM

Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions!! I'll let you know what I decide. Thanks to everyone who posted websites also! They are very helpful!

YorkieRose · 02-25-2006, 09:37 AM

I have changed to Soild Gold and Natural Balance..half and half. Kate eats it very well..and eats the meat roll also.

02-24-2006, 08:58 AM	#1
Bonnie's Mom Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,419	Changing Food...need suggestions Ok...I have finally run out of the 60 pounds of Chicken Soup that I bought last fall and I am thinking about changing brands. In addition to Bonnie we also have a 60 lb 13 yr old mixed breed (see picture below). No matter how hard I try to keep their food separated, they insist on eating from the others bowl so I have just given up and am going to feed them the same. They liked the chicken soup at first, but the last month or so, they have not seemed to go for it as much. Before that I was feeding them food from the Grocery store, but have learned from this site that isn't the best thing for them. Keep in mind that Bonnie could probably stand to lose 2+ pounds (she weighs 8 lbs and has gained more than 2 lbs in the past year). Patch just lost 14 lbs due to sickness (he is fine now) and is doing much better on his 13 yr old knees, so I don't want him to gain any weight back. In the picture below, Patch has just had his summer cut, he normally has longer hair and it is coarse. I know I have seen threads on here before about different foods, and there was 1 that I was interested in, but I can't for the life of me remember the name, or I would have done a search for it. I would appreciate any input that you may have regarding which food you think would be best for Patch & Bonnie! Thanks in advance for your help! Attached Thumbnails

02-24-2006, 09:01 AM	#2
chachi I Love My Yorkies Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 37,147	Well my dogs dont care for the chicken soup either so I am changing to Innova. I have heard good things about it and hope they like it. __________________ Chachi's & Jewels Mom Jewels http://www.dogster.com/?132431 Chachi http://www.dogster.com/?132427

02-24-2006, 10:59 AM	#5
LovinMyYorkie Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: South Dakota Posts: 16	Innova I am in the process of switching SugarDaddy from Science Diet to Innova Dry Puppy. He loves the Innova. I'd check out their website to see what all they offer and just pick the one that would best fit all of their needs. Good Luck and hope they like it! __________________ LovinMyYorkie

02-24-2006, 08:03 PM	#9
BabyFidgette Learn Yorkie CPR! Donating Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New Jersey Posts: 6,855	I just started feeding Baby Merrick's. It was recommended over others. __________________ Nicole & Baby "The more men I meet, the more I love my Yorkie!"

02-24-2006, 09:32 PM	#11
lilbumbleybees YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 1,339	I am die hard Solid Gold Fan. I love it, I would never feed my guys anything else. All of my dogs, from my big mixes to my little yorkies are all on a Solid Gold food. The only other food I would even halfway consider feeding them is Innova EVO. The EVO is such a good food for all dogs. Much better than the regular Innova. We sell both among other all natural foods at the boutique I work at and those are the best out of all of them. We have a hard time keeping food on the shelves it sells so fast when it comes in. __________________ Liz Little Lotte , Bouncer, Lilli , Yodi

02-24-2006, 10:43 AM	#3
golfwidow14 YT Addict Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: PA Posts: 401	I use Innova. It's a very high quality food and Samson really likes it. Their website is naturapet.com and you can go on there to see what stores sell it and to look at ingredient comparisons of a bunch of different foods. The company also makes a couple other foods (besides Innova) as well. You can also order if from petfooddirect.com.

02-24-2006, 10:55 AM	#4
jim n Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 201	Go to www.mordanna.com/dogfood. Most of the major brands are profiled.

02-24-2006, 02:01 PM	#6
Bonnie's Mom Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,419	Thanks for the suggestions. It looks like Innova is a favorite! Any other suggestions?

02-24-2006, 02:10 PM	#7
shelbysmom YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 1,394	Shelby eats Nutro Lamb and Rice. I tried several and it was the only kibble she would eat.

02-24-2006, 02:24 PM	#8
i_love_my_yorki YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 705	All the Yorkie breeders i have spoken to swear on giving their puppies & older dogs RC

02-24-2006, 09:20 PM	#10
yorkiesmiles Donating YT 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Iowa Posts: 9,493	Flint River Ranch & Sojourner Farms I feed my dogs and cats Flint River Ranch Flint River Ranch uses only wholesome ingredients. No by-products, commercial meals, products contaminated with chemicals, or any chemical preservative. This does not make them unique, as several health foods on the market today are essentially human quality. The difference is in the processing. Flint River prepares the food and then oven bakes it. This process changes the molecular structure of the starches into an "easier to digest" form. There is less stress to the digestive system and, to my knowledge, this is the only company using this process. My holistic vet say's the change in a pet's health is almost always noticeable within a short time. The food is very concentrated and highly digestible resulting in less digestive health problems and smaller stools to clean up. Flint River also is very compact - so you feed a whole lot less than other foods and it costs no more, usually less, to feed than any premium commercial food. I feed 1/4 cup a day to each dog. And my Yorkies love it - the Flint River company has never had a "bloat" claim against it. The great manufacturing process that is used prevents this. The oven-baking and "cracked kibbles" only absorb enough moisture to start the digestion process, then they break down. Other meals/products, continue to absorb a great amount of water. from Flint River you can get them to send you some sample packs if you want to first let your little Yorkie try it out. It looks so unlike any other food you have ever seen before because it is twice baked and then broken into pieces, so the pieces are not some uniform size and shape. And you can add water to it if you want - I don't. my vet says that nutrition is a major key to unlocking the puzzles of many of the health problems animals have. Many musculoskeletal disorders, digestive complaints, allergies and skin problems can respond to proper nutrition. I'm also one to point out be careful about what your vet tries to sell you. If he's selling it out his front door, he's making money on it! Do your own research!!! I normally feed Flint River Ranch Puppy & Adult Kibble Dog Food - with at least 37 ingredients including chicken, whole wheat flour, ground rice, lamb meal and fish meal. this last time, I bought Flint River Ranch Trout & Potato - it has Trout, Potato, Course Ground Millet, Herring Meal, Oatmeal and Sweet Potatoes for the first 5 ingredients and also cranberries and blueberries in it. This isn shaped differently from the puppy & adult food I described above - the trout & potato looks more like any other regular food - I think the puppy/adult formula took them longer to eat - which I think is a good thing! If my life wasn't so hectic, I might switch to Sojourner Farms. It's a great product made from human quality raw grain and supplement mix that you mix at home with water, meat, and vegetables. I know many advocate the best nutrition is wholesome fresh foods prepared at home for your pet. fresh raw meat and vegetables with added properly prepared carbohydrates. Along with proper supplements. I've checked all over on the Internet and it looks like every single website for Flint River is under a different distributor - but you can get some good info out on the Internet about the food. If anyone wants a # for how to order the food and get it shipped free to your door by UPS fresh from their ovens, just PM - I can give you the distributor number I order under here's the info on Sojourner Farms that sells the human quality raw grain and supplement mix that you have to add water, meat, and vegetables to. Go to http://www.sojos.com/index.cfm?affiliate=78749411 At the website there is a link to find a store near you that might carry it or you can order straight from them with free shipping.

02-25-2006, 09:01 AM	#12
Bonnie's Mom Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,419	Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions!! I'll let you know what I decide. Thanks to everyone who posted websites also! They are very helpful!

02-25-2006, 09:37 AM	#13
YorkieRose No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: South Florida Posts: 8,577	new diet I have changed to Soild Gold and Natural Balance..half and half. Kate eats it very well..and eats the meat roll also.