Royal Canin

[Conjure_Girl]

Originally Posted by Britster

I wanted to try Artemis too and I requested samples but haven't gotten them yet... they're on their way even though I already bought a bag of Innova so I probably won't want to switch.

It took us about a week to receive Artemis, but I was really impressed by the amount of samples they sent us. With Lulu's eating habits it will probably last us over a month

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

That's weird, because we tried Blue Wilderness because it was rated higher by the food analysis site, and Joey got brown goopy discharge from his eyes after eating it a few days. The discharge was really bad, and after a week, I took him off the food, and the next day no brown goop, but his eyes continued to have a slight discharge. I waited till they completely dried up for several weeks, and tried the food again. Same thing happened, really massive quantities of brown stuff. I've read that it's supposedly a great food, but it didn't work for Joey at all, I would hate for him to have to live with those runny eyes. So I've been wondering, whether other people saw any connection between goopy eyes and their food. By the way, I'm not talking about a little tearing.

I remember reading one of your posts about that and thought huh so weird!

Jackson has always had hard little eye crusties but they were never GOOPY. They were so wet and goopy and really hard to get out. He didn't have it until he started Wellness super5 mix chicken. He loved it but I couldn't deal with (nor could he) getting that nasty goop out of his eye every day. As I said, he's been on Innova for almost a week (regular Innova, not Evo) and has been soo much better. Still gets eye crust every morning but not the disgusting goopy kind.

[Conjure_Girl]

Originally Posted by Britster

But what do you mean taking her off rawhides was a mistake? Do you mean something bad happened with the bully sticks?

Rawhides and "bully sticks" are a bit different. Here are some articles about rawhides and its dangers:
RAWHIDE TREATS POSE DANGER TO DOGS | AskABreeder.com - Dog Breeding Information & Forums

"Salmonella bacteria is often present especially if the rawhide comes from outside the US. Another problem is arsenic used as a preservative. Yes, arsenic! Other dangerous additives can include antibiotics, (which can kill good bacteria in your dogs intestines) lead, and insecticides. Some countries like Thailand even include pieces of dog and cat skin in these rawhide treats. Health problems from rawhide chews can included sore throat, acute pancreatitis, choking, and intestinal blockage."

Danger Rawhide
Millennium Ark: Rawhide Warning

Bully sticks are often made from penis bones (Lol), and you can find some that are fully US made and totally natural. I think that some YT members make pretty good ones. And yorkies love them!!!!

You can also find many discussions here o YT about this topic.

[Faerie54]

Mr. Darcy started out on Blue puppy. Wouldn't eat it and threw the little black kibbles all over the floor. I tried Cal. Natural and he was not excited about that, either. He likes Orijen, especially the 6 fish. The trial size bags cost about 1.99 and work out as if he tires of Orijen, less waste. I have several flavors to hopefully keep him interested. Orijen has no grain content. So far no bad reactions, poops are normal and his weight for a six pound woof is fine.

[QuickSilver]

mcfalcon, how is your little guy adjusting to the tooth removal? Your situation definitely opened my eyes to what is awaiting Thor if we don't pay close attention to his teeth.

I've noticed the Royal Canin kibble is slightly softer, which I think Thor likes. He's already like an old man, he doesn't like to chew! I had him on Halo, which has very small kibbles, but he would only eat it out of necessity.

By the way, I just started putting one of those "plaque removers" into his water, so I'll post if I see a difference. We brush every night, but I feel like I'm barely keeping it from getting any worse, and this massive plaque monster is always waiting to strike.

Regarding freshness, both RC and Halo have re-sealable bags, but SF is always a bit humid, being a sea town and all. I do make an effort to push all the air out of the bag, but I remember the first time opened the Halo bag and thinking that it smelled kind of good. Now it just smells like dog food. I'm not positive, but since we open a food bag ~100 times, some air must be getting in.

[KJLive]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

Is Royal Canin not a premium food? I am trying it out with Thor (adult yorkie formula, 28) and he is wolfing it down. He actually ate 1/2 cup of dog food today, which is a record.

Of course, I always get really excited when Thor eats a new dog food, I buy an enormous bag, and he gets tired of it after a week. I am starting to wonder if it's simply a variety issue. OR, maybe the food gets stale after a few weeks? With an average consumption of 1/4 cup a day, it takes us a loooooong time to go through a bag.

I had this same problem w/Sophie when I first got her. I came home with a monster size bag of food. First few weeks she ate it, then didn't want it anymore. I realized the food was going stale, even though I sealed up the bag. They say the food should smell like a biscuit when you sniff in the bag. Although it did smell fine, it apparently didn't taste fine. So now I only buy the small bags. Even then, when we get down to the last couple scoops, she's not crazy about it unless I mix in a little Pet Botanics.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Conjure_Girl

Rawhides and "bully sticks" are a bit different. Here are some articles about rawhides and its dangers:
RAWHIDE TREATS POSE DANGER TO DOGS | AskABreeder.com - Dog Breeding Information & Forums

"Salmonella bacteria is often present especially if the rawhide comes from outside the US. Another problem is arsenic used as a preservative. Yes, arsenic! Other dangerous additives can include antibiotics, (which can kill good bacteria in your dogs intestines) lead, and insecticides. Some countries like Thailand even include pieces of dog and cat skin in these rawhide treats. Health problems from rawhide chews can included sore throat, acute pancreatitis, choking, and intestinal blockage."

Danger Rawhide
Millennium Ark: Rawhide Warning

Bully sticks are often made from penis bones (Lol), and you can find some that are fully US made and totally natural. I think that some YT members make pretty good ones. And yorkies love them!!!!

You can also find many discussions here o YT about this topic.

Oh yeah, I know what bully sticks are and I NEVER feed rawhide, lol. I was just confused by the way she worded her posts. I thought she was saying that rawhide was good and bullies were not and I was like huh?! LOL.

[QuickSilver]

I guess I spoke too soon.

I gave Thor a heaping 1/4 cup of RC for breakfast today. He ran over to his bowl all excited, sniffed, and then gave me this look that said, "how do you not know by now that I don't eat dog food? Silly human."

I think he waits for me to buy a bag, and then stops eating it. Just to torture me.

[mcfalcon]

Does anyone ever try a few drops of no sodium free range chicken broth.
Francie was a very fussy eater. Literally had to eat with a rubber ball - don't ask has to be seen to be believed! Does Thor free eat or do you take his bowl up. They say they'll never starve so maybe he's just not in the mood? I know it can be so frustrating!

[QuickSilver]

I know it's not recommended, but I free feed because Thor is so skinny, it freaks me out.

I'm still trying to figure out what the best feeding plan is. Thor has terrible teeth, so I do want to keep him on a kibble. I'm not 100% sure that kibble does really "scrape" his teeth, but I want to do everything possible to help him to those pearly whites. Or in his case, those pearly yellows. He won't chew on a flossie unless I boil it soft for him, which kind of kills the purpose.

I've tried a bunch of foods: Evo, Primal, several types of Solid Gold, Halo, now RC, and probably some others I can't remember. He is a total ho for snacks, so he does like to eat if he deems it tasty enough. He just doesn't seem to have much of an appetite. I wish he and I could switch eating styles!

[CSRE]

My Pulga was on Royal Canine when i got her too, after lots of trying i finally found what she likes, orijen, she loves it! actually i have to take it away or she will keep eating until she empties the bowl (i used to free feed).
I always remember what my vet told me when I said she only liked Royal C., he said;

“I can assure that, if you ask a normal kid, what meal he prefers between broccoli and fruits or a happy meal, he will most likely choose the happy meal, does that mean it is the best food for him? Or it that will be healthy in the long run (even if he doesn’t get sick when he eats it)?”

It made sense so, after that, non-premium dog food with questionable ingredients are banned in our home..

ETA: BTW, fot those of you who are unsure about which food your babies might like, here is some info on how to get samples http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...e-samples.html

[QuickSilver]

Originally Posted by CSRE

My Pulga was on Royal Canine when i got her too, after lots of trying i finally found what she likes, orijen, she loves it! actually i have to take it away or she will keep eating until she empties the bowl (i used to free feed).
I always remember what my vet told me when I said she only liked Royal C., he said;

“I can assure that, if you ask a normal kid, what meal he prefers between broccoli and fruits or a happy meal, he will most likely chose the happy meal, does that mean it is the best food for him? Or it that will be healthy in the long run (even if he doesn’t get sick when he eats it)?”

It made sense so, after that, non-premium dog food with questionable ingredients are banned in our home..

Thanks, I might try Orijen.

The thing is, I'm sure like a lot of people, I'm used to dogs that when given the choice between broccoli, fruits, and a happy meal, eat them all! It's new and weird for me to have an animal that only eats when he has to. When I dogsit other dogs, I have to feed Thor separately, as they are more than happy to eat his food for him.

[Conjure_Girl]

Originally Posted by Britster

Oh yeah, I know what bully sticks are and I NEVER feed rawhide, lol. I was just confused by the way she worded her posts. I thought she was saying that rawhide was good and bullies were not and I was like huh?! LOL.

Oh... sorry, I misunderstood you

[Conjure_Girl]

Originally Posted by CSRE

My Pulga was on Royal Canine when i got her too, after lots of trying i finally found what she likes, orijen, she loves it! <snip>

Do you know if Orijen sends free samples? I tried looking up for contact info on their site, but can't seem to find it.
Also, is it much more expansive?

Thanks!

[Conjure_Girl]

Originally Posted by Conjure_Girl

Do you know if Orijen sends free samples? I tried looking up for contact info on their site, but can't seem to find it.
Also, is it much more expansive?

Thanks!

Never mind, I just found their contact information and emailed them to see if they ship out free samples.