What do you feed your yorkie?

[brezofleur]

Originally Posted by gontygirl

I would love to hear more details on how you make that...

It's straight up raw. As in, get a package of chicken breasts, wash it off, feed it to the boys, lol.

Of course it's a little bit more work than that. Every week they get 80% meat, 10% bone (which is fine to give them as long as it's NOT cooked), 5% liver and 5% other organs. The other organs can get really nasty but that's the way it is. I was a vegan for many years but the health benefits far outweighed my disgust for meat.

Chad and I will typically buy 2-3 weeks of food for the boys at a time, put on music and I'll cut the appropriate sizes by weight, he'll label and we stick everything in the freezer. 24 hour thaw in the fridge when it's ready et voila.

They love it, I love that they love it and that they're so incredibly healthy. When I first started this a couple of years ago, it was cheaper than a lot of the high-end wet food and frozen raw, so it was a win-win. I'm not sure what the prices are for frozen raw now though, so I can't say if an additional benefit is cost.

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by Britster

I agree. It is mostly about money for all dog food companies. I don't think that only applies to Purina. Champion (Acana, Orijen) doesn't legally have to tell y some things and they have chosen not to... Ellie eats HA because it is literally the only dog food and possibly the only food period that she can eat. Other foods make her very ill. So I feed it (and like how non greasy it is) just as I'd feed Champion foods if they were what was keeping her alive. But that is the only reason I'd feed Champion. I don't trust them at all. We all have our comfort levels.

I agree (now). I don't really trust Champion like I used to anymore. I actually 90% trust Fromm and think they're amazing but of course their formulas just never seem to work right for Jackson. Eye booger galore and he's always acting super hungry while on it! It's like he does well for a while on it, but then little issues creep up. So we went and picked up two sample bags of Acana and the eye boogers have almost completely gone away and he's been sooo much less annoying/whiny/constantly searching for food. So I'm kind of at a loss. He does best on Acana, always has,... but it's not like he's dying when not on it. And even though I'm slightly uncomfortable with some things I've read about them, I'm not sure it warrants me switching, or enough worry. I mean, the odds of him becoming ill or dying from Champion are very low, just as the odds of a dog dying because their eating Purina are probably extremely low. Hell, I wouldn't touch a Diamond produced food with a ten foot pole, but honestly what are the chances of my dog becoming ill because of their foods? VERY low. I, personally, would still choose Champion over Purina, but that's just me.

I am actually looking into Annamaet but can't buy it locally. In terms of QC, they are on par with RC, etc, yet their foods have ingredients that satisfy me and are low ash. So I'm going to hope they work for us. I'm waiting on samples. Otherwise, he'll probably be back on Acana for now.[/QUOTE]

I think it is a matter of having a list of companies that you trust most and go with the one your pup does best on.

I know you've seen the nice things that Champion has decided to keep quiet. Not just Purina doing this! I ran across more aboutthem yesterday. People think theyare feeding this by product free, chemical preservative free, fresh meat, extensively tested food... It is a good laugh when a company rep gets on a forum and starts contradicting too! And they do have some expert answer writing with slight loop holes that make people believe things are perfect. The way their little AU incident was handled, researched, tested, etc. and the time it took... No thanks. Then again, I'm not one to go grab a bag of Beneful either bc I think it is complete garbage.

Anyway, this isn't a Champion thread, so...

Fromm's answers to y questions didn't impress me. My sister's dog eats BB and does well. I wouldn't touch that one either though. lol. My vet's dogs eat NB LID. If I had to feed a new fangled holistic kibble it would probably be Innova bc they do trials, have or had a nutritionist on staff, etc.

[LilAnnCamp]

I've been in the food mood this week. I have looked up many on DogFoodAdvisor & DogFoodAnalysis. I give up. I have 5 animals on 5 different foods. None of the food made it to 4 or 5 star.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Britster

I agree. It is mostly about money for all dog food companies. I don't think that only applies to Purina. Champion (Acana, Orijen) doesn't legally have to tell y some things and they have chosen not to... Ellie eats HA because it is literally the only dog food and possibly the only food period that she can eat. Other foods make her very ill. So I feed it (and like how non greasy it is) just as I'd feed Champion foods if they were what was keeping her alive. But that is the only reason I'd feed Champion. I don't trust them at all. We all have our comfort levels.

I agree (now). I don't really trust Champion like I used to anymore. I actually 90% trust Fromm and think they're amazing but of course their formulas just never seem to work right for Jackson. Eye booger galore and he's always acting super hungry while on it! It's like he does well for a while on it, but then little issues creep up. So we went and picked up two sample bags of Acana and the eye boogers have almost completely gone away and he's been sooo much less annoying/whiny/constantly searching for food. So I'm kind of at a loss. He does best on Acana, always has,... but it's not like he's dying when not on it. And even though I'm slightly uncomfortable with some things I've read about them, I'm not sure it warrants me switching, or enough worry. I mean, the odds of him becoming ill or dying from Champion are very low, just as the odds of a dog dying because their eating Purina are probably extremely low. Hell, I wouldn't touch a Diamond produced food with a ten foot pole, but honestly what are the chances of my dog becoming ill because of their foods? VERY low. I, personally, would still choose Champion over Purina, but that's just me.

I am actually looking into Annamaet but can't buy it locally. In terms of QC, they are on par with RC, etc, yet their foods have ingredients that satisfy me and are low ash. So I'm going to hope they work for us. I'm waiting on samples. Otherwise, he'll probably be back on Acana for now.[/QUOTE]

My worry is not so much that a dog will die on Purina my problem is I just can not give them money when they know there jerky is killing dogs and will not do anything about it. Its one thing to make a few oppsies and fix them but they are not fixing this and do not care to and the numbers just go higher and higher of dogs dying.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by LilAnnCamp

I've been in the food mood this week. I have looked up many on DogFoodAdvisor & DogFoodAnalysis. I give up. I have 5 animals on 5 different foods. None of the food made it to 4 or 5 star.

How they are rated means nothing its more about the ingredients, how your dog does and the company.

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by LilAnnCamp

I've been in the food mood this week. I have looked up many on DogFoodAdvisor & DogFoodAnalysis. I give up. I have 5 animals on 5 different foods. None of the food made it to 4 or 5 star.

I eouldn't worry about it.
Most of these sites were created by people with no credentials in animal nutrition. Some don't hold science related degrees at all.

[LilAnnCamp]

YeaH I believe in the companies I feed and their prices. And most of the ones which are prob better than my foods have been on the recall list this year! The real food problem in my house is keeping everyone eating only their food

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by gontygirl

I JUST found an amazingly informative site on line called, "DogFoodAdvisor" and it tell you all kinds of information about food rating, recalls, etc. EVERYTHING!!! I was researching Acana, since I saw a few of you feeding this same brand. I was curious lol. Anyhow, thought I'd tell you about this site...

This is a good site to check ingredient lists etc (knowing, however, that even those are sometimes incorrect) - but I'd be careful in putting too much meaning on their ratings. It's not based on irrefutable facts, it's based on opinions formed about facts...which is no different than all the opinions we see in this thread !

I feed raw - either Primal or NV.

[gontygirl]

Originally Posted by brezofleur

It's straight up raw. As in, get a package of chicken breasts, wash it off, feed it to the boys, lol.

Of course it's a little bit more work than that. Every week they get 80% meat, 10% bone (which is fine to give them as long as it's NOT cooked), 5% liver and 5% other organs. The other organs can get really nasty but that's the way it is. I was a vegan for many years but the health benefits far outweighed my disgust for meat.

Chad and I will typically buy 2-3 weeks of food for the boys at a time, put on music and I'll cut the appropriate sizes by weight, he'll label and we stick everything in the freezer. 24 hour thaw in the fridge when it's ready et voila.

They love it, I love that they love it and that they're so incredibly healthy. When I first started this a couple of years ago, it was cheaper than a lot of the high-end wet food and frozen raw, so it was a win-win. I'm not sure what the prices are for frozen raw now though, so I can't say if an additional benefit is cost.

It's probably WAY cheaper to feed the way you do... My worry is that my boy can't have large pieces of anything (like the bone) cus if I give him even a carrot he wildly eats it so fast he practically swallows it WHOLE and then throws up. I've had to make his food like oatmeal so he doesn't choke. I don't know if you can process bones like that...maybe that little nip thing on a chicken wing...but doesn't he have to have all different kinds of bones? I also heard that if you buy your raw meat at the grocery store...because it's so handled by butchers that salmonella or other toxins can form on the surface..which is why I have been told to boil raw meat for a few seconds (to kill surface bacteria). I don't know what is true and what isn't at this point..so much info going around...

[brezofleur]

Originally Posted by gontygirl

It's probably WAY cheaper to feed the way you do... My worry is that my boy can't have large pieces of anything (like the bone) cus if I give him even a carrot he wildly eats it so fast he practically swallows it WHOLE and then throws up. I've had to make his food like oatmeal so he doesn't choke. I don't know if you can process bones like that...maybe that little nip thing on a chicken wing...but doesn't he have to have all different kinds of bones? I also heard that if you buy your raw meat at the grocery store...because it's so handled by butchers that salmonella or other toxins can form on the surface..which is why I have been told to boil raw meat for a few seconds (to kill surface bacteria). I don't know what is true and what isn't at this point..so much info going around...

Zeus is a swallower too. He was starved for a while and still tries to find any food he can get. But if you give him a larger piece of bone (like chicken neck or 1/2 a quail body) he sits and chews it. You CANNOT cut up the bones to be small because of the chances of choking.

Salmonella is on everything and is everywhere. It's on the grocery carts you use. You just have to be careful. And, no, you cannot boil the meat otherwise it defeats the purpose. When you boil meat it also kills off the essential nutrients. Animal tummies are meant to digest raw meat. Kibble wasn't invented until 1864. It takes a lot more than 150 years of evolution to change a digestive tract. Now, I am NOT saying that all dogs can digest salmonella...just that they can tolerate more than we can so the danger isn't AS much.

Just make sure you know whom you are buying from.

[mimimomo]

The Problem with Dog Food Reviews

Momo & Princess gets The Honest Kitchen for breakfast & Canine Caviar for dinner. Mimi & Turbo are off kibble for now & gets THK & NV raw for dinner (if I don't forget to thaw it loll!). Momo & Princess needs to be on a strict low fat, high fiber diet, so they only get premade raw as a treat. I just picked up a bag of Small Batch yesterday...excited to try it. For now, it's only available here in CA, Oregon & WA. smallbatch pets

I would love to feed raw (BARF) or even home cook for them, but I'm scared of handling meat (it grosses me out not a red meat eater, but I do occasionally eat chicken & fish, but am very picky) & I don't even cook for myself!

[ironmike86]

Fromm grain free and homemade. I want Moki to eat kibble for the times I can't carry homemade.

[RileyDC]

Riley as been eating Canine Caviar since August and is doing The BEST he has ever done!! I started him out with a bag of wild ocean... Which he ate for about three months to make sure he had no reactions and he did really well on it. I then bought a bag of the open sky and he ate that for about a month and a half. He also ate a 1 pound bag of wilderness and did well on it.

Lately I have been alternating every few days between wild ocean and open sky. He still shrieks at every meal time. I also just recently bought a can of their beaver a can of their turkey and a can of their Duck. He did great on the beaver... And is now eating the duck. I have been just mixing a teeny bit of it with his kibble just for something extra.

He has had zero eye goobers and zero issues with his skin allergies and/or ears since we started the Canine Caviar in August. I am Soooo Happy that He is Happy with it!!

[FryFry]

Zoey eats Wellness Core Grain free for small breeds.

[Marhcarter]

I fed Huey Purina One for the first 3 1/2 years. He has always been a light eater and not really enthusiastic about mealtimes. He will go nuts for some treats or the rare treat of people food like a tiny bit of eggs and bacon on a Sunday morning. He has also had trouble with occasional vomiting, many times with no apparent cause. After reading information on YT, I discontinued his chicken jerky treats, which he adored but were made in China (I had no idea!!!) ! and 2 weeks ago we switched to Blue buffalo life protection formula for small breeds. I have never seen this dog wait by his bowl for mealtimes before, or come and get you if you are late feeding! He absolutely LOVES his new food and gobbles it up! He also has not vomited once since the change, although it has only been 2 or 3 weeks. I am thrilled!