Diet, treats and more
 

Hi,

After losing a 2nd dog (not yorkies) today to kidney failure in less than a month, I have decided that we will be changing food, water and treats. I think we're just unlucky and it has nothing to do with food (we free fed Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice), but the vet mentioned it was possible after all the recalls. I think that with Jager (keeshond) that it was chronic renal failure and with Tequila (sharpei) it was amyloidosis or kidney failure as a complication of Sharpei Fever or FSF.

Nonetheless, the thought of losing little SoCo right now terrifies me. So we will be getting insurance for him so that money won't be an issue (not that it was with either Tequila or Jager, but dialysis and transplants were way out our budget). And I want to make sure that even with all I know about dogs (a fair amount) that I know the right things to feed and treat yorkies.

So, any advice? I've been thinking of either home cooking or raw. I looked at raw 6 years ago before we got Tequila, but it seemed quite expensive and time consuming. I work from home now so time won't be an issue, but raw in such a little body scares me! Also, do they handle the rmb well? I would guess it would have to be chicken or turkey bones (small enough for their mouths). Also, if you feed raw, what do you treat with? I've seen alot of people recommend Yorkie Yummies or something like that (little liver bites), but everything I've read about raw says don't mix cooked with raw as it can lead to bloat.

I'm sorry to write a novel, it just seems like all the research and care I put into my dogs was wasted and I'm so scared of losing SoCo young. I'm doubting everything I've ever learned and done! So any advice would be so helpful!

Thank you,

Tara

Sorry about the loss of your dogs Tara. Home cooking is great but always consult with your vet just to make sure that your baby get the vitamins and nutrients that your baby need. I home cook too, I mixed with her canidae, I also like Honest Kitchen,I like preference because I can add the meat(protein) that I will like them to have. Veggies are great for snacks too, you can always do search here for help on what kind of veggies and fruits, I feed mine fresh fruits and veggies never canned:thumbup: :thumbup:

Ellie's gets homecooked. You would end up spending a few hours every 2-4 weeks preparing it then freezing it up ahead. That's what most people do. Boughten dog food (even the best brands) really scare me now. I just don't trust them but the only thing with homecooking is that you cannot free feed, so you have to be home at certain times.

Bella's breeder fed her royal canine and I gradually changed her to a holistic food...innova. it was about the same price.
I have added yogurt, cottage cheese and raw carrots and I make
natural treats out of free range chicken liver, organic brown rice milled flax seed and some other ingredients
So far Bella is thriving.

I'm about to start home cooking too. I just ordered a book by Dr. Pitcairn that has been mentioned here several times- maybe that would help you feel more comfortable. I also looked inro raw but it was a bit expensive with 3 dogs. I like the idea of homecooking since I can buy free range and organic. Good luck! There are many here who home cook so you'll get tons of good advise.

Lots of us feed RAW on here. Some do prey model and some do pre-made. here is a huge thread on RAW with lots of great information.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=101885

I've actually now read the whole thread and I think that's what I'm going to do. Thank you everyone for your responses, I found them very informative. I think raw might be the better way to go for us simply because balancing a home cooked diet and all the supplements sounds a lot more complicated.

Tara :)

that's great! good luck. if you have any questions feel free to post them on that thread. its easier to find.