Wet food question

[lpham]

I am currently feeding my yorkie Blue Buffalo small breed puppy but it seems like she only picks at her food. I had originally thought about introducing wet food into her diet but my research led me to stick to dry food since there seemed to be so many disadvantages to wet food (sticking in the teeth, runny poop etc) but now I'm reconsidering since it seems like she doesn't eat enough and I want to be sure she is getting enough nutrition. I want to try out wet food to stimulate her appetite, I know that dry food in general will provide all the necessary nutrition if you pick the right one but she doesn't seem to like her own food and is always begging. She has been on the same food since the first day I got her which has been about 6 mths. I'm concerned since she feels/appears to be too skinny to me. When I hold her I can feel all of her bones from her ribs to her hips which leads me to think she isn't eating enough in the day. She is free fed so she eats when she wants but I think she is getting bored of the food. Not only that but I wanted to switch to something that may promote a healthier looking coat and wellness overall for her. Her coat is really dry, thin, and appears to be breaking off.

I have been using Blue Buffalo since it has a good reputation and isn't suppose to be bad but I need advice on what to switch her to and if I should stick to the same brands of wet and dry food. For example, if I buy Wellness for her (I've heard great things about this food) do they offer wet food as well? What other pet foods are good in terms of a healthy coat appearance and wellness. I want a food that can provide her the support that she needs for the huge amount of energy that she has. She is always running around, jumping like a rabbit, and playing. I would really appreciate some suggestions based on your experience! Thanks!!!

[princessizzy]

If you are able to feel her bones like that then Yes start giving her some wet food in the morning or night ( when she's most hungry) I would give it to her in the morning then give her dry in the evening or you can leave that out through out the day...

You can also try giving her a raw food in the morning... That will help put on weight also... We use Natures Variety Raw in Chicken or Beef... and it's good for their teeth... Izzy has never had any trouble and she has put on little weight too

If you set on only dry food... Then I would give her something with higher protien

[ally173]

you can mix wet and dry; or feed her only wet; no harm in that.
i believe blue buffalo has wet food; wellness does too; there are many high quality wet foods. also to entice the appetite solid gold makes canned green tripe that you can add one teaspoon to any food and she should eat it up. the food smells bad but dogs go crazy for it good luck

[107barney]

Watch the % of minimum crude fat in wet foods as it can sometimes be higher than dry foods of the same brand. My Barney had two life threatening bouts of pancreatitis due to eating wet food. Yorkies are prone to digestive issues, especially as they age.

As for wet food and teeth - if you brush, you can avoid many problems with teeth no matter what food you choose. My two dogs that are 10 have no signs of gum recession or periodontal disease and it's from good home care - I brushed their teeth about 2-3x a week since they were puppies. They have good breath and clean teeth and we've fed mostly soft home cooked foods all this time.

[boopster]

Is Nutrical adviseable for puppies who need more calories? Or is it too high in sugar for these little guys? I've used it in a cat and a dog who lost their appetites in their senior years but never on a young one.

[lpham]

Originally Posted by boopster

Is Nutrical adviseable for puppies who need more calories? Or is it too high in sugar for these little guys? I've used it in a cat and a dog who lost their appetites in their senior years but never on a young one.

When I first got her around 6 wks, I was feeding her nutrical almost everyday once a day up until she was 12 weeks. She seemed to be eating a ton then but her appetite seems to have petered off now since I stopped giving her nutrical.

[lpham]

Originally Posted by 107barney

Watch the % of minimum crude fat in wet foods as it can sometimes be higher than dry foods of the same brand. My Barney had two life threatening bouts of pancreatitis due to eating wet food. Yorkies are prone to digestive issues, especially as they age.

As for wet food and teeth - if you brush, you can avoid many problems with teeth no matter what food you choose. My two dogs that are 10 have no signs of gum recession or periodontal disease and it's from good home care - I brushed their teeth about 2-3x a week since they were puppies. They have good breath and clean teeth and we've fed mostly soft home cooked foods all this time.

She hates getting her teeth brushed so I actually don't brush as frequently as I should and what % of minimum crude fat should I be looking for in the wet foods?

[lpham]

Originally Posted by ally173

you can mix wet and dry; or feed her only wet; no harm in that.
i believe blue buffalo has wet food; wellness does too; there are many high quality wet foods. also to entice the appetite solid gold makes canned green tripe that you can add one teaspoon to any food and she should eat it up. the food smells bad but dogs go crazy for it good luck

Is solid gold available at any of your normal pet stores like petsmart or petco or do I need to look for that at a feed store? I know wellness and blue buffalo are the only foods available at the typical pet stores and most other brands of premium dog foods are only available by ordering online or at a feed store.

[lpham]

Originally Posted by princessizzy

If you are able to feel her bones like that then Yes start giving her some wet food in the morning or night ( when she's most hungry) I would give it to her in the morning then give her dry in the evening or you can leave that out through out the day...

You can also try giving her a raw food in the morning... That will help put on weight also... We use Natures Variety Raw in Chicken or Beef... and it's good for their teeth... Izzy has never had any trouble and she has put on little weight too

If you set on only dry food... Then I would give her something with higher protien

Thanks so much! I think I'm going to start giving her wet food in the morning as you suggested. We are going to go to the pet store today so I'll look for premium wet food to start adding to her diet. Is Natures Variety only available at feed stores?

[Beamers Mom]

Originally Posted by lpham

Thanks so much! I think I'm going to start giving her wet food in the morning as you suggested. We are going to go to the pet store today so I'll look for premium wet food to start adding to her diet. Is Natures Variety only available at feed stores?

You can locate Natures Variety by putting in your zip code here:

Find A Store | Nature's Variety

[ally173]

Originally Posted by lpham

Is solid gold available at any of your normal pet stores like petsmart or petco or do I need to look for that at a feed store? I know wellness and blue buffalo are the only foods available at the typical pet stores and most other brands of premium dog foods are only available by ordering online or at a feed store.

yes solid gold green tripe is available at petco; not petsmart

[Sandyd]

I have a new rescue dog and, while she's 2 yrs old, we didn't know what she was eating prior. After research here on YT, I decided to buy Acana expecting she would gobble it up but no go. I really didn't want to get into wet food either so last night I added just a bit of warm water to her kibble and let it "gravy" a bit and Wha-la, success. Every last bite was gone.

So possibly just adding a bit of moisture to the dry food will help?

Worth a try.

[Sandysbabies]

We feed Blue Buffalo. I give them about 2or 3 tablespoons in the morning and at night. I leave Royal Canine, the toy breed size, out during the day. They have all done real well on it. Even Dudley has gained weight and he is a real itty bitty boy. We give them treats like carrots and cherrios in between meals and also the dental chews. Good luck with your baby and I think you will like Blue Buffalo. I have bought everything imagineable. Its also easier because I can buy it at Petsmart instead of having to go to a special store.

[Lizzie07]

I personally have never fed a dry only diet. I remember reading, quite a few years ago that wet food is actually close to a more natural food than dry food. I also don't feed only one brand of food. You never know, there could be beneficial trace minerals in one food that isn't in another. I also rotate foods, I don't feed one brand forever. The big, really big mistake I've made is feeding the same protein source. For some reason, I would always pick chicken to feed the dogs, only very ocassionaly
feeding a different protein source, such as beef. I have come to learn that most dog allergies are to a particular protein and that as dogs age, feeding them the same protein over time can lead to developing an allergy to it. I think this is what has happened to my IBD dog, who is 15 yrs old.

Back on topic, I subscribe to the whole dog journal and in their latest booklet, "Top Dog Foods for Total Wellness," there is an article "All Wet? Alright! These products may be healthier than their kibbled counterparts." The article states, "Wet foods are frequently made with higher quality ingredients that their dry counterparts, most significantly, fresh, whole meats. They also contain a higher percentage of meat than dry foods; most dry food extruders can't handle foods that contain more than 50% meat. Wet food usually contains way fewer chemical additives than dry foods. Artificial colors and flavors are actually uncommon in wet products; because of the moist, fragrant nature of the meat-based contents, artificial flavoring and other palatants are rarely needed to attract dogs to otherwise unappealing food."

The article goes on to discuss how they approve wet foods and which foods WDJ approves. Petco carries Wellness, Organix, and Natural Balance, all on the list. Merrick is on the list, which I've seen at Pet Supermarkets. Nature's Variety is on the list too, but I don't think that is being carried at the above places.

I know a lot of people think dogs' should get all the nutrition they need from their dog food, but that kind of doesn't make sense to me. It seems like even our own nutrition is evolving and if the foods are so complete, why the continuing research? And wouldn't they benefit from a variety of foods. Heck, at one time, cats were dying from a lack of taurine in the processed diets that people where feeding them. Also, wet food is starting to look preferable to dry food for cats and may ward off diabetes and heart disease. Dog food, too, has evolved, and continues to evolve.
At one time, most people never considered giving their dogs any raw food. Bones, even raw bones were considered dangerous. Many, many people believe otherwise now.

[ClaudeBisson]

We have been using Royal Canine in our breeding program for 28 years. We have used the starter, the puppy and the adult all with great success. They also make a special blend for Yorkies. We are experimenting using the raw diet for some breeding females and we are having great success with that program as well.