Are you going to be overseas for several months, or longer? This would be a moot point for me because it takes Thor so long so get through one bag.

If you have someone who is willing to do it, why not ask them to ship Solid Gold to you, as long as it's not too expensive? If you can surf the web from where you are, you could probably find good deals on shipping every few months.

I don't know if you have to worry about expiration dates too much, I mean, the food is already dry, right? As long as it's sealed? I'm not sure.

Anyway, I would consider a backup plan I guess, because even if you go with RC, your dogs could end up allergic, and then you'll need to figure out shipping anyway.

I'm sure you could email customer service of Wellness & Evo (and SG) and ask about the expiration dates, if they have them. I imagine they all do.

What a dilemma!
 

Do you think your vet can get other foods besides RC?

Keep in mind that Evo 'red meat' has 40 something % protein & is not recommended amount for Yorkies. High protein levels are not good for them, keeping it at 20 something % is the norm. (sorry I'm not accurate on the #'s) I think they have other formulas & is a good quality food.
I know all dog food has an expiration date, it's usually up to 3-5 years. If stored in an airtight container away from the sun, it'll last longer.

1. I personally would not downgrade food.
2. If your Yorkies are doing well on SG, I would keep them on it.
3. Yes, I would try to find the closest online place that wil ship to me or have family members ship the food.

[QUOTE=QuickSilver;2737548]Are you going to be overseas for several months, or longer? This would be a moot point for me because it takes Thor so long so get through one bag.

Great question, I'll be here (The Emirates) for at least 2 years,maybe 3. You're absolutely right about needing to have a back up plan in case the RC doesn't work out. I'll look at shipping rates, if they're too expensive then I might be able to ask other expats to bring me a bag in their suitcase when they fly home. (there are people traveling to/from the states all the time). I don't know if it's realistic to rely on people to "pretty please" bring me a heavy bag of food for the next 2 years though. especially now with airlines tightening their reigns on excess baggage....i'm babbling!:p You have great points....but I still don't know what to do :confused:

Hm, maybe take minimomo's suggestion, and buy some HUGE bags with an exp date of three years. That would seriously be like one big bag of food for Thor. Can you calculate how much you'll need?

Also, it's not like they will DIE on RC, so even if people were inconsistent about bringing you the food, they could be on it for a week or two here or there. ??

Solid Gold is ok...
 

mimimomo - My girls are doing ok on the Solid Gold. They itch a little, but I don't know if it's from the food or the shampoo (Buddy Wash). I could continue on the Solid Gold, but if I have to ship it here anyways, why not ship a superior product? I got the feeling that Wellness is Superior to SG...correct me if I'm wrong? If they're the same, then that knocks out option #3! (and gives me less to be confused about :) )

Yes, you've answered part of your dilemma! Lol
I personally would choose Wellness over Solid Gold & I've read on YT that most Yorkies like Wellness. It does have sea salt & garlic, I believe in the ingredient...but also read that in small amounts, it's actually beneficial.

tee hee!
 

you're so right! ok, so it sounds like I'm switching to Wellness, having it shipped, and relying on Royal Canin from the vet if I'm ever in a bind. I'll contact Wellness to find out the details on expiration dates.

Sounds like a plan! Thanks everyone, for helping me work it out.

Last question; Since my girls are only 3lbs, I'm going to get the Wellness Super5Mix Small Breed Adult Health Dog Food. I'm not familiar with this line of dog food, so am I right in assuming that this is the only type of Wellness dog food they qualify for due to their size?

Lol, I know...grandma & grandpa always giving them snacks as a way of showing love.:rolleyes::D That's true, molasses & fruit have natural sugar. Sure will keep you posted on what the vet says. Momo & Princess has gained 3 ozs ea. They have such a good appetite.
Yes, that's the one I was thinking of.:)

I would stick with Solid Gold unless you are having problems. After going through a lot of different foods (all ultra premium or holistic) Acana and chicken soup for the puppy lovers soul have been the best. RC has a lot of fillers, high in fat and sugars (which are both to get the dog to eat it). But Acana is good for picky eaters (but the kiddle is bigger). IF you prefer little bites Chicken Soup, Fromm Family, earthborn, Artemis. All good and have small bites. Things to watch out for in ingredients Wheat, Corn, Soy, BArley (high in sugar), and white rice. Brown rice is great, rye is good ... But WHEAT CORN and SOY ... alllllll bad!!! Plus you will notice a HUGE difference in their coat. Wee bits is a pretty good affordable food. I hope I can help. I'm a health nut with my pets (I wish I was the same with myself LOL).

bad news from vet
 

Thanks for the help everyone. I called the vet today to see if I could get them to import the dog food of my choice under their license. When she said "no" (it was worth a try!) I asked her if I should have it shipped via UPS or get someone to bring it over for me in a suit case. Here's what she said, "If you order online from a petshop in the US or somewhere else then you'll end up with customs duties and will need an import permit from the Ministry here...big deal..." So we'll have to rely on friends to bring us bags of food... If they have too many bags customs will take them away b/c they think you're selling it illegally. not an ideal situation. I could ask people to help once or twice but I can't keep asking for the next 2-3 years (that's how long we'll be here). The easiest solution, and the thing that makes the most sense is to put them on Royal Canin for the next few years, then switch to a high quality food when we return to the states :( I'm not happy about it... but it just makes for sense for our situation.

What are your other choices? Where are you overseas if you dont mind me asking?

I'm in The Emirates (near Dubai). The choices are Purina small breed, eukanuba Naturally Wild, Royal Canin Yorkshire 28

I feed RC and have had no problems. I put 1/2 cup in the bowl in the morning for the 5lb yorkie and the 4lb poodle to share. There is usually some food left the next morning. I free feed because the poodle is getting older and needs a bit more flexibility in her schedule now. So each dog is eating less than 1/4 cup (4 TBL) a day.

I feed Joey 4 Tablespoons of RC a day, the package says at 5 1/2 pounds he should get more of it, but so much depends on how much exercise a dog gets and their individual metabolism. After a trick training class, Joey put on a lot of extra weight, and the vet said to reduce his food by a third, and add a few green beans, to help fill him up. He gradually lost the weight, and looks trim at his present weight. We've been extremely happy with RC and had no tearing at all on it, but wanted to switch to a food that had potatoes instead of corn, and Joey developed extreme brown tearing and gunk in his eyes from the new food, so we switched back to RC. Most of the problems I've heard with RC is due to the corn content, and the allergy displays itself with extreme itching, corn is not the first ingredient of RC as it is in many dog foods, most dogs don't have a problem with corn, but you'll probably know if your dog starts scratching itself all the time. RC is supposed to have an ingredient that helps reduce tartar, and at 3 Joey's teeth are looking really good, we also do other things for this too, but since tartar is such a problem with yorkies, and many start losing teeth at 3, it's something to think about.

I can see your dilemma, and I think there's a good chance the RC will be fine. However, you might want to ask yourself (again), what will you do if they start itching constantly? It's not something they'll be able to put up with for years on end. Will you go to one of the other brands the vet has? Start cooking?

Also... they must have dogs in the UAE, right?? What are they all eating?

Finally, can you just buy three years worth of dog food and send it to yourself now / check it? How many cups do your babies eat per day?