Dry Food?
 

HI...........I'm new to YorkieTalk.com......

I just rec'd a 1.5 yr old, male Yorkie that weighs 4 lbs. They told me all they had been feeding him was "Beneful", but when I googled that, it said that was the WORSE dog food I could be feeding him. So.......

What is the best commercial brand dry dog food to feed my little Yorkie, "Reno"?

Do I keep food down for him all of the time or ration it daily ?

Thanks........Rick Sage

Hi congrats on your new yorkie.
Well , there are lots of quality dry dog foods.
A lot depends on what is available in your area i guess.
If you have a petsmart you will find lots of good choices.
Example: Blue buffalo, taste of the wild, halo, natural balance,
just to name a few.
As for the feeding schedule i guess it depends on your dog.
My puppy is 5 months old and he is still on 3 feeding a day
because too much food at one time gives him tummy trouble.
For your dog just go by the recommended amt on the bag and
see how he does with that.
Where he is only 4 pounds maybe 3 feeding a day would be a good idea.
Hope this helps

WELCOME! I used Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings to compare the quality of foods available at my local Petco. My girls just turned 3yrs (approx 5lbs) and I feed twice a day... they get canned food in am and kibble in pm. I do give a few carrots or an edible chew stick around lunch too :)

I used Blue Buffalo,be sure to transition your pup to the new food to avoid tummy upset! Welcome!

Welcome and congrats!!! Your vet may have samples that he can give you to try. I personally try to stay away from food that lists corn as one of the main ingredients. It's a filler with zero nutritional value, same as for humans. So my best advice is to read the labels :)

My female Yorkie -Shari- (almost 2 Years old) lately seems a little sad (or low of energy) and she is refusing to eat her regular dry food (Royal Canin Yorkie formula) even we have mixed it with home cooked plain ground beef.
On the other hand, she's facing her third heat. Could exist a relationship between her food inappetence and her heat? Or contrary may be arriving the time to try another brand as Eukanuba?
I highly appreciate your advice and guidance.
Regards.

Proplan !!!!!!

We use blue buffalo basics which is a good transition food since it is made for sensitive tummies. We love the salmon flavor since it has more omega 3's for their joints. (My girl had surgery for LCP syndrome) I agree with those above who said to transition him slowly so you don't accidently make his tummy upset. You can always talk to a rep and ask what they recommend for your lil man.

With my two (8-9lbs) we feed them twice a day but they usually free feed when they are hungry. We supplement with 1-2 treats a day and we also give them fresh veggies and they get canned food 1-2 times a week. I have one with a sensitive tummy so we feed the wet food less often since it will irritate his tummy if we feed it more often.

Another good food you can get at Petco now is Nature's Variety. Ours did very well on it. We used the Prairie formulas most of the time. They ate this food from the time we got them at 12-14 weeks old. We stopped using it after the price continued to go up though. We are now "experimenting" with different foods. Now I tend to buy a good food that I can get a good deal on, either locally or online. My dogs have been getting plenty of variety lately. I currently have 4 dogs - 3 small dogs ranging from 7-11 lbs each, and one 90 lb dog. We go through 30 lbs of food in a little less than 4 weeks.

I would stay away from anything with:

By-Products
Non specefic animal source
Contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin
No meats in the first five ingredients
Contains artificial colorants
Contains ground corn or whole grain corn

After looking into these ingredients, find a dog food that works for your dog, Peanut has been on many in his 4 years, Blue Buffalo, Innova, Solid Gold, Royal Canine... I finally found a food that works for him. Its called Acana, He has been on this food now for about 2 years! He loves it and I love the quality! The better quality you get, the better your dog will feel!


IMO here is the top worse dog food

Beneful Dog Food
Eukanuba Dog Food
Hills Science Diet Dog Food
Iams Dog Food
Kibbles and Bits
Opitmum
Pedigree Dog Food
Pro Plan Dog Food
Purina One and Chow Dog Food
Royal Canin Dog Food

Currently, I have my Teddy on Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier dog food and his coat is a mane of pure silk, his eyes are beautiful, and most importantly his blood work is superior. I am very pleased with the food, and I don't care what any layperson says about food (or google for that matter) since a board certified vet nutritionist recommended it for him. I've been a home cooker for years, but my schedule is crazy so I wanted something to use sporadically. Love Royal Canin, and there are others on here that use it and their dogs also look wonderful - Nancy1999 comes to mind as one other person I know of that has used this food long term and Joey is very healthy and beautiful.

My pups are on Hill's Science Diet, Ideal Balance. They are healthy and happy! I also consulted with a vet nutritionist before making my decision about dog food. There are far too many dog food companies cropping up calling themselves holistic for my comfort...I just know something is going to happen one day. Most don't do any research or feeding trials...and one company actually ignored my requests for information about their foods and their "experts" that they refer to on their website.

We as pet owners need to think beyond ingredients and think about who is putting the ingredients together and how.

I feed pre-made raw - either by Primal or Nature's Variety. I like it so much better than kibble.

Dogs can thrive of many different types of diets/foods. Most people choose their dogs' food based upon any specific health needs, nutrition beliefs (for canines), preference of by-products or other ingredients, reputation of manufacturer etcetcetc.

Here is a canine nutrition white paper that I find really educational: http://files.championpetfoods.com/OR...hite_Paper.pdf

I loved everything about Royal Canin for Foxy, except in her case it gave her horrible eye boogers. But she loved it and her coat was great. I guess what works for some doesnt work for others. But I dont think its a horrible food by any means.

How do you all feel about Wellness small breed?

I think it has to do a lot with the dog. I had Pnut one RC and he didn't do well on it.

I've always been a fan of Blue Buffalo, particularly the Wilderness formulas because my dog has done the best on that type. I also feed her Primal pre-made raw.

As far as her feeding schedule goes, I feed her twice a day...raw in the a.m. and kibble in the p.m. with potty treats throughout the day. She also gets a small biscuit after each feeding and then a bigger treat late at night right before bed.

I feed Prey Model Raw and love the results. I did feed kibble for a while (Orijen and Acana) which IMO are some of the top quality kibbles you can feed.

I agree with lovespandp on that list of things to avoid when considering a quality dog food for your pup. Do your own research, you don't need to be a vet nutritionist to educate yourself on what is beneficial to a canine diet.

I totally agree that it depends on the dog. I mean, honestly, alot of people can say that about many foods. Jackson also has great shiny, soft hair, and minimal if any eye gunk, and great stools, and perfect bloodwork and he's on Acana. Does that make Acana superior to RC? No, not necessarily, but I've never tried RC so can't say if I'd have the same results. I just know that he did okay on the grain inclusive foods we tried, but not AS good as he does on Acana, IMO, so for my dog, I am using what works for him.

Many humans thrive on a low carb diet, while others have serious health problems from it. Some doctors support one way, but not the other. But does that necessarily make one right or wrong? Nope, what works for one person may not work for another. Most healthy humans eat every single day healthily without consulting any doctors or nutritionists... it doesn't necessarily take rocket science to figure out what is good and bad for us. Almost everything that comes in a box and has a long list of ingredients that we have no idea what it is, isn't going to be that great for us. lol. Usually anything natural is going to be the best choice... I feel it's the same for canines. Well at least as natural as possible. Just like with humans, sometimes we just do the best we can and be sensible about what we eat. While some may thrive being a vegan, others will not.

I guess I have been very lucky ... when I think of the many pups I have taken in over the years, I have simply never had all of the eye gunk and other issues that some people have with different dog foods. They all eat what many people think is not a high quality food (of course I do disagree with them :) .. but we all have our own opinions) and they do fantastic! Oh well...guess I will simply say that is what works for my pups.

What I worry about more than anything is the companies ... who they are and what they are doing. I still shudder when I think of that recall list and the pups who were dying during that time. It was just awful...so many people and their pups were innocently affected. I think that people tend to forget these things.

Kind of makes me think of Whitney Houston and all of the hoopla about mixing drugs and alcohol. Back in the 70s that was a well publicized problem....many of you will remember the Karen Ann Quinlan case. Now, how many years later???? .... how quickly the public forgot.