Food Breeder Used-What should I Do?
 

I am so excited to be picking up my new lil guy this Tuesday, as you will see from my various posts with my millions of questions! :)

I am all about the healthiest and most natural food I can feed him without having to homecook. That being said, I had figured out that I was going to go with Solid Gold.

The problem is that the Breeder has him on 4 things I don't like at all nor do I want to buy lbs of the stuff. I know I'm supposed to gradually give him the new stuff I want to feed him but do I have to give him all 4 of the old things too?

She has been feeding him:
1. Bil Jac
2. Royal Canin
3. canned Eukaneuba
4. canned little caesars puppy

As well as 1-2inches of Nutrical 6x a day

She also says to give him canned at least 4x a day, 1-2 tablespoons if not eating dry good enough!

I'm thinking I wouldn't be eating that crap either!

I have read nothing good or healthy about any of her choices other than the Nutrical.

HELP, WHAT SHOULD I DO? :eek:

Congrats on your new baby!!!

No, you don't have to do exactly what she is doing. I am glad you know that all those products are sub-par and plan to feed differently.

I would get a small bag of the Royal Canin and a few cans of the canned products he is used too. Unfortunately, feeding him what he is used to is better for the first week and a half to two weeks. The stress of moving into his new home will be tough enough.

I would start by adding a probiotic/ acidophilous supplement to his current diet to strengthen his intestines and prepare them for the richer food you will be feeding. In addition, this should help with any diarrhea from the stress of his new home. I like PetFlora, but any human grade probiotic works. I use the human brand Solgar as well. You can find this at any GNC.

When I got my Yorkie Mix, she was being fed Purina by the shelter. Having that crap in my house was super upsetting!! I hated feeding it to her. However, we made the transition happen once she settled in and is now enjoying a raw diet, like her big brother!

What are you planning on feeding? Kibble, raw, canned???

Thank you so much for responding! I'm a nervous mother who only wants the best for her furbaby. :animal36

I had read that I should do 75% 25% for a week
Then 50% 50% for a week
Then 100% of the good stuff

Do you think I should shorten that? I really do not want to used canned food AT ALL. It grosses me out. Could I get away with just moistening the Royal Canin with some water if he won't eat it dry?

After that, I wanted to try Solid Gold dry dog food first by itself, but also add some water if he's used to the canned?

And I can just skip the Bil Jac altogether right? :)

Should I add the nutrical to his food (I'm not sure what breeder means by 6x a day)?

I sooooo appreciate your help!
Dina

No problem! Feel free to message me whenever - canine nutrition is my favorite thing.

Solid Gold makes great, high quality products. They make a canned product called Green Cow - its a blend with fresh green tripe which is a natural appetite stimulant and aids in digestion, heart, eye, skin and coat health and tons more benefits. Get some cans of that and you can use that as your canned product and not feel like you are giving her something bad. Its nasty, but its really good!

The ratios for switching that your said are exactly right - but go slower if there is any digestive upset. Some dogs can take as long as a couple months to fully switch.

I wouldn't buy Bil-Jac - it seems like extra crap going into her diet.;)

The reason your breeder is using Nutri-cal so often is that small breeds like Yorkies tend to have hypogylemia until they reach adulthood. Symptoms of hypoglyecmia are glazed eyes, shaking, lethargy, wobbly walking (basically like a dehydrated human).

Nutri-cal is basically sugar and corn syrup. Its junk. It works in a pinch in an emergency, but I wouldn't give it 6 times a day. It'll rot her teeth! Instead, portion out some of her kibble to give as treats throughout the day. By maintaining a level blood sugar, you can avoid needing Nutri-Cal. I always advocate having a tube in case and if you think your pup is getting a little hypo, a bit rubbed on her gums can really help.

Wow you know your stuff! It's so refreshing to hear from someone who thinks about nutrition the same way.

I'm so glad you told me about the Nutrical because I had no idea what is was.

I am going with "The Loved Dog" way of training, which is all about treats. So, the kibble will be perfect to be given throughout the day. I was also thinking about cheerios for a training treat for little repetitive things he does right?

I will add you to my contacts as I'm sure I'll have a lot more to ask as I embark on my new puppy journey!:)

Thanks,
Dina

P.S. Feel free to share anything else that would be good for treating, etc.

Anything I can do to help is my pleasure!

I learned all this the hard way - my first puppy (a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) was on Royal Canin when I got him. I didn't even have the option to start switching his food at first because he had awful, awful diarrhea. We went to the vet no less then 6 times. Finally - it occurred to me - why was my vet using antibiotics for diarrhea? It wasn't bacteria causing the stomach upset...

After tons of research, I finally took him off the Royal Canin cold turkey. We tried switching to a higher quality kibble, first by Nature's Variety, then by Solid Gold. No luck - still had diarrhea.

Then, we switched to a raw diet, with probiotics and enzyme supplements to help his GI tract recover from months of diarrhea. The next day he literally had his first semi-solid poo! Since, he has been great and I actually became so entrenched in learning about holistic pet care, I left my job in the fine art auction world and started working to learn to be a full time canine nutrition consultant. It has been the most rewarding life change - and really, one of the last things I expected to do, but really, anything I can do is my pleasure.

Do you have a name yet for your little guy?

Oh! As for treats, I really recommend using a portion of the kibble from the measured "meal portions" instead of using treats. It helps maintain a steady blood sugar as opposed to something grain based, like cheerios. I also used cheerios with my first pup!

Cheerios cause a spike in blood sugar and a rapid drop which can result in hypoglycemia. Its because Cheerios are grains, which convert to sugar when digested.

Please do not give him nutrical everyday!! By doing this you can actually cause him to be hypoglocemic. Nutrical is only suppose to be given when needed, NOT on a daily basis.

If you can, I would get some Bene Bac Gel. It is a good bacteria that you can give that with help him with the adjustment and should even help him if he develops diarahea from all the changes.

Exactly! Bene - Bac is simailar to what I was suggesting with the probiotics. Its the good bacteria stomach's need to thrive.

Wow, I'm so glad I asked! The "breeder" I've been in touch with hasn't been in touch with me. I keep emailing her questions but I am not getting respones. I just hope he isn't all out of whack from all the nutrical she's been giving him!

I grew up with Yorkies...Reggie and Roscoe. So,this will be my first yorkie on my own. I wanted to follow the family trend of "R" names and I've chosen Rudy. :D Rudy the lil cutie who I want to give good foody. :D

Ok, I will spare you all the rhyming I've doing with his name.

Thanks again everyone,
Dina

Dina - sounds like you'll do great as a furmom!

Rudy should be fine. You may have some upset stomach issues at first and he may prefer his 'junk' food too the healthy stuff...But thats why we are here - to help!:p

Wow
 

She has been feeding him:
1. Bil Jac
2. Royal Canin
3. canned Eukaneuba
4. canned little caesars puppy

As well as 1-2inches of Nutrical 6x a day

Other Yt's, please correct me, but I have never heard of feeding so many different types of foods. An the Nutrical.ahhhhh!

You have been given excellent advice from Yt's here. Do just as a any mom does. Listen to the doctor (in this case the breeder) and then do what your instics tell you. By asking about it, you already have a gut instinct about the breeders recommendations :eek:

Agreed. I do think its really odd she is feeding so many types of :thumbdown bad food :thumbdown

None of those are brands I think of for high quality nutrition and it seems so strange she would mix so many things into a delicate puppy's system. On the other hand, maybe he wont be as sensitive when you go for the switch??

Either way, its great your on YT and the people here are so smart and kind. We can't wait to see pictures of your new arrival!

Sorry...where are my manners:welcome4: to Yorkie Talk!

Hope to see pictures of your baby soon!!:p

Thank you so much for all of your help again! And for the warm welcome, I love it here! :D