Does Food-Type "Really" Determine Life Longevity?
 

I had a female yorkie that lived to be 15 1/2 years. She was fed Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier 28 about the last 10 years of her life. I'd like to think it was the food that helped her stay healthy. Her diet was 90% Yorkshire Terrier 28 and 10% table scraps & deli meats, etc. She sported a very beautiful shiny coat of hair and had a great abundance of energy, even through her senior years.

About 5 months ago I ran out of that food and went to my local grocery store and bought some cheap($) off-brand type. About 2 months ago I started feeding them a Purina brand food that is smaller in size. The RC YT 28 costs $38 for 10 pounds. The Purina brand cost me $8.46 for 8.4 lbs. This equates to RC YT 28 being $3.80/lb. and Purina being $1/lb... quite a difference.

Ok, so that I'm clear, I want it known this isn't so much about economics rather than quality good food for my babies... hence my questions...

I would like to get feedback about how long your yorkie(s) have lived or is living and you've fed them one type of food for the mainstay of their diet.

Obviously the better quality nutritious food a yorkie eats, it should equate to a healthier and longer life expectancy. But does it really? Can a $1 a pound dog food be just as good or better than a $3.80/lb. food? I know about home cooking recipes for yorkies, so this is mainly about processed commercial dog foods.

Your feedback would be most appreciated. Thanks.

Matthias :)

Well, of course we'd like to think that the better quality of food they eat, the better quality/longevity of life they live..but I'm not totally convinced of this. My grandmother had a dog named Bandit who lived for over 19 years. He wasn't a yorkie but he was on the smaller size, mixed mutt. She feed him what ever was on sale & lots of deli meats/scraps.. He never had any big health problems at all, besides slight arthritis before he passed. He lived a great, very active life and I'm so glad we had him for over 19 years. So idk if quality of food is everything.

I doubt there is much of a difference. I'd still stay clear of anything that states by-products.

I think a good food and ingredients is important but knowing the company is just as important you have to make sure you trust them. Like Purina are the makers of Waggin Train chicken jerky that took them years to pull and hundreds of dogs died before they pulled it there beniful food is also said to be making dogs sick and killing them. My moms dog Sammy was on beniful for a few months and his pee would leave a sticky hard to get off residue on his weewee hair but when I got them to switch to Acana it stopped. You also have to be really careful with table scraps and know what is toxic like ham is terrible and can cause pancreatitis which is very painful for them.

Beth Boofa,

Yeah my thought reflect those sentiments as well. I recall over 30 years ago it seemed to me there wasn't much talk about foods for pets as there are now. My grandma had a German Shepherd that lived a bit beyond that dog's typical life expectancy and died from being hit from a car, not old age. My mother's dogs lived to be old and grey and reached their peak too. All these dogs were fed about 1/2 commercial food and the rest table scraps.

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Yorkiedaze,

You're probably right. Back in the day many people fed their dogs about anything and faired well as for years lived. I've seen the results of by-product filled foods as the poop is bigger and more volume whereas good food seems to be used in the body more.

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Lovetodream88,

Lately my babies have been fed Purina Little Bites Total Care Nutrition. It's one of the cheapest($) commercial foods I've seen. About Beniful, I'm going to look up Little Bites to see what type of feedback I can find on the net. As for the ham and the pancreatitis comment, thanks for letting me know. I never heard that before. As for the pee, I've noticed the same on one of my baby boys, but his hair is long after the winter and needs a trim. I think perhaps if the hair were short, I may not even notice, so am not sure it's a result of the Purina.

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Y'all a big THANK YOU! for your replies.

Matthias

I think it depends on every dog. My last yorkie ate Purina for 13 years and never had any problems. Never threw up much I never remember him having the runs. So it's hard to say. Mine get a few table things as meats,carrots etc.... I think it really depends on the pup. And the breeding. And I think you could almost find a recall on every dog food. I am sure there is one or two that have not had recalls. Anyways jmo.

I look at Georgie's food the same way I look at mine. Will I live longer eating better quality food? Meaning foods that aren't processed, or contain a lot of fat and sugar? I think the answer is yes it sure will increase my chances. I do agree genetics plays a large role too but if there is anything I can do to help my sweet boy live a long healthy life I will do it:) JMO

Morgan I believe the same as you do

There are also people who have smoked almost their entire lives, and live into their 90's. A fluke is a fluke. LOL

I think it's the same for our pups as it is for us. Garbage in, garbage out. If you eat healthy foods, you have better health. That just makes so much sense to me.

Food is the same with dogs as it is with us lowly humanoids. I could eat like a pro, and die when I'm 60...while the person next to me could eat junk every day, smoke, drink what have you...and they'll live to 100. So, a lot of health can be a crap shoot. And genetics can cause things that nothing can prevent.

That said, I do believe a good diet with quality ingreds is good for any creature. The more natural a diet can be, the better, in most cases. I think one of THE most important things for a dog's health is activity...they should walk, run, play, fetch, feel loved. Dogs who get fat kinda break my heart...that is, when 'fat' is due simply to not moving (rather than from, say, a health issue).

I feed pre-made raw - usually Primal or Nature's Variety. I really love it for my kiddos. So much less processed than other foods, which I like. But, I think dogs can do so well on many different types of diets.

I have to ask why would you want to continue feeding Purina when you know there not trust worthy?

Studies and food trials show there isn’t much difference as long as your dog has a balanced diet, which means a dog food that is balanced, not table scrapes, (few snacks aren’t harmful). If you compare an A type of diet to a C type of diet there will be shown to be no impact on health on longevity, however, an F diet compared with an C or A diet will show a difference. Most dogs fed dog food, eat healthier than humans. For me it’s more about quality controls and recalls. Personally, I do think some of the lower cost dog foods might be compromising too much on certain things, but I don't think the highest cost food will insure your dog will live longer either. I feed RC and I think you wrote an excellent endorsement for it, I hope Joey and Ralphie get that long of a healthy life.

I agree! It's not just the weight and obvious health implications, but the mental stimulation and happiness from activity that promotes health. Activity is the least expensive and best thing we can do for our dogs.

I believe in feeding your pet the best quality food that his system can handle and that you can afford.
Over the past 8 years I have fed my GSP, Buddy, a variety of top quality foods and have gradually lessened that quality due to the foods being too rich for his system (poor dog rarely had a firm stool and pooed often) and too rich for my wallet. I finally hit on a product that he likes, is priced right, and is easy on his system. It is Premium Edge, a natural product made by Diamond- a company that I swore up and down at the begining that I would NEVER feed my dog. I get a 35 pound bag for about $35, Buddy has firm stools, rarely vomits any more, and still is as healthy as can be.
My sister used to feed her cats cheap food and they had a bunch of health issues that she (and her vet) contributed to old age. I talked her into switching to a better food- she tried them on Blue Buffalo- and now they are like totally different cats. Both no longer have health problems. The old boy- Joey, who we were really just waiting to die because he always seemed to be on his last days- now acts like a young cat again- he jumps and plays and his blonde coat is shiny and he sheds far less (he's a long hair.) The other cat- Sylvester, well he has gotten fat now because he LOVES his food and it has changed his looks! He is a white and black, long-hair. I have NEVER seen a cat so shiny before! His white is amazing, seriously, I never realized just how dull his coat was before. Even the vets are shocked at how much these cats have changed just by being on a high quality food. My sister has also noticed that even though the food costs more upfront she feeds less of it and saves like crazy on vet bills so it is beyond cost effective for her to have switched!

I also believe feeding better quality foods increases the dog's chances to stay healthy. I also believe that years ago the mainstream commercial dog foods were better than they are now. With cost increases, higher prices of meat, tough economy, and competition, I believe companies have done what they can to cut their costs to maintain or increase profit margins. This equates to lower quality foods, imo. Also, many people say they had or know someone that had a dog that lived to be 20 yrs old eating Purina, etc. But, in many cases those dogs were also fed a lot of table scraps and meat scraps. This supplemented the cheap food they were eating and provided a boost in protein and nutrition. I prefer to feed better quality foods from trustworthy companies. I believe that those foods are better for my dogs and give them better chances to stay healthy over their lifespan.