Yorkie Dry Food
 

The food list can be confusing. I was told to feed my Yorkie Nutro when I adopted her. But I was told by a few people about recalls etc. I am switching her over to Eukanuba Yorkshire now. In your opinion is this good? I was told Royal Canin might have to much corn in it. She seems to be doing ok during the transition. Is there a food that say 9 out of 10 Yorkie owners prefer?

Everyone is going to have different opinions on what is best...so you just need to go with what works for you.

I personally prefer Life's Abundance. It has NEVER been on a recall list. I like it because its also an All Lifes Stages food so I also can feed my pups the same as the adults. Plus all mine love it! :)

Its very healthy with all human grade ingredients.

So we are sticking with it :)

lol.. it would be amazing if there were a food 9/10 loved :p there would be less "arguing" on here about food that's for sure :)

Life's Abundance is good!, So is Wellness and Solid Gold and merricks and Orijen. I'm a fan of "grain free" food but any of the foods i named, grain free or not... are good foods.

I REALLY recommend getting her off of Nutro... just looking at their puppy formula their first ingredient is "Chicken Meal" and second is "corn meal" not good.

Marci, are you sure chicken meal is bad? From my understanding, meal isn't by-products. Meal is the meat without water, so it would actually be better than just "chicken". Just chicken would be weighed with water, so a lot of it teh weight would be water, not meat, whereas chicken meal is the same thing with the water taken out, so you are getting more meat and less liquid.

Am I missing something?

To the original poster, I really don't like dog food at all (I homecook) and I don't like recommending brands, but below is a list of brands that I absolutely would NOT use:

Nutro (it is thought to be causing illness and isn't being recalled)
Eukanuba/Iams (animal cruelty/terrible ingredients)
Science Diet (might consider Nature's Best or prescription line)
Royal Canin (might consider prescription line..has made many Yorkies itchy)
Purina (terrible ingredients)
Pegidree (terrible ingredients)
Evo CANNED (way too high in fat...might add Innova canned to this)
Merrick (questionable because of quality control issues)
Store brands (terrible ingredients)

What is considered a "good food" is a matter of opinion. Is Eukanuba the worst food on the market? No. Is it the best? No. Is it the best match for YOUR baby? Could be, only time will tell. What is best for one dog may not be the best option for the next. I feed mine both Nutro and Eukanuba along w/ Wellness and Nature Balance, home cooked and supplements, all tailored to the needs of my dogs individually.

I would suggest that you look at the sticky at the top of this section. It has contact info for some of the more preferred brands (at least those preferred by YT members) and some of the companies will send you samples or coupons if you ask them.

A good site to use in your research for a "better food" is:
Dog Food Review Ratings
It will link you to several sites with information on commercial foods, home cooking and raw feeding. Try different things and see what you think is best for YOUR dog. :)

And always ask questions--if you aren't already confused, we can help confuse you even further.;)

Thanks for all the input, it really does help believe it or not!

Saki is 3 years old and he's recently started to scratch alot (especially behind that ears) and i cant figure out what would be causing it.

Could it be his dry food??? he's free feed Royal Canine and i cook for his dinner.

Yes, itchy ears is a symptoms of a food allergy and this is a common problem with Royal Canin. His food should be switched and see if the scratching stops in about 60 days.

Thanks Crystal.. you are right... i wasn't paying attention!! none the less... NO on the corn!!!

okay, what kind of ingredients should i be looking for that are good and bad for my baby...i'm at the point i dont know what to do. The vets only want to give him shots to prevent him from itching.

What foods can you get there?
Can you get California Natural?
Something grainless?
Natural Balance?
Can you homecook?

I'm not sure i've just always bought that for him and he's always seemed to like it so never looked at other stuff...but i will definitely have a look today. I think we have natural balance any particular type???

and yes i can homecook!!?!?!?!?!?!?

so grainless and what about corn???

would it be worth me to get a allergy test????

Although void fillers are not best for a dog's diet, some grains may be good...depending on the individual dog. (Mine get a little oatmeal or rice with their food, both grains.) What is best for one may not be best for the next.

I switched Bruno from Iams to Science Diet Natures Best. Baylee has been eating it since we got her home. I know there are a lot of people on here that don't care for the Science Diet. But since we switched Bruno he is eating much better. We never had any issued with it messing his tummy up or anything. Baylee loves it!!

You don't have to go grainless but a few of them are common allergens.
I would avoid corn altogether. You could homecook if you want. Talking to a nutritionist before doing that is probably best.

Allergy testing for food isn't something I'd do.
An elimination diet is best.
If you are going with Natural Balance, I think they have a couple foods that are good for allergies (like duck and sweet potato).

Yorkie Dry Food
 

I've been feeding my 7 month old Yorkie Nutro Natural Choice Small Bites Puppy Food, which contains all good ingredients, according to the literature I've read... no corn meal, chicken meal listed as first ingredient, no artificial preservatives. She's doing very well on it. The only thing is that she doesn't seem to like the smell of it, as it has fish oil, and she doesn't eat it very well. I have started mixing in a little Nutro Ultra Small Breed Adult dry food, which has lamb meal as well as chicken meal and less fish oil. She picks those bits out and eats them all first and really loves it. My question is this... is it too soon to switch her over to adult food? I've read that small breed dogs can be considered adult at 6-7 months.

Nutro has been blamed for illnesses and even death in soooo many.
Consumer complaints about Nutro Pet Foods

To answer your question, you can probably switch her now but it is best to wait til 9-12 months.

Can I ask what you meant about Eukanuba/Iams? I feed my dogs Eukanuba, but so far I have not heard anything bad about the brand. I would hate to be feeding it to my dogs if it's not a good choice.

Thanks!!

I really sorry to say it because i know it is hard to hear you aren't feeding your baby the best, but Eukanuba is a horrible food. (it's ok.. i fed Layla IAms when i first got her... and then i learned!) Here are the ingredients in their "yorkie" specific food (which is just a marketing ploy if you ask me... every dog can benefit from anything added to a diet to enhance helath)

Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Brewers Rice, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Fish Meal, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Dried Egg Product, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Flax Meal, Fructooligosaccharides, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), DL-Methionine, Rosemary Extrac

So Chicken by products are all the parts of a chicken that are not fed to people- i'll let you use your imagination with that one ;) Corn meal is a cheap filler and can cause EXTREME itching in your dog as most dogs are allergic to corn. The WHole grain sorghum and brewers rice are also just cheap fillers- things your dog does not need to eat. Also Beet pulp is controversial in food... some say it causes liver/kidney issues.

If you are looking for a great food try any store that carries Wellness, Natural Balance or Canidae.

Thank you for the info, marcerella02!! I guess what some people have been saying are true - vets really don't know about dog food. The reason I went with the Eukanuba is that it came highly recommended by my vet. I will look into the two brands you recommended and see if I can find them here.

Also, I definitely agree with you that have a "yorkie" version (or any other breed version) is a waste.

Thanks again!!

vets recommend Eukanuba because they are paid by the company to sell their food. :(

Yes, I couldn't aggree more than you! It's a shame but that is the fact!

That's true that vets really don't know about the dog food. I believe that many vets even don't know that grapes are toxic to dogs! I just don't understand why lots of vets don't know which are toxic to dogs or pets. It's really a shame I think.

I too feed mine Life's Abundance. It's NEVER been recalled. No fillers, no by-products - never have to worry about what "parts" they use. They don't even use diseased, dead, or disabled animals. :-) HUMAN-GRADE ingredients!

Vets love Eukanuba, Science Diet and IAMS because they get a kick back!

Anyone can be bought. :-)