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.

Our Airedale ate Purina with a spoonful of Alpo for every meal and lived to be 19. We could count the number of times she got anything else. No table scraps or meat scraps.

It will be interesting to me to see in another 10 - 15 years how dogs fare with various food brands and changes in feeding philosophies.

I heard long ago that dog food is marketed to make the humans think it would be good for THEM to be eating....hense, all those sumptious "gravies" and "stews" and "porterhouse flavored buffets", and that drivces them to buy what THEY think their dog would enjoy!.....when I was a kid, there was only Dog Chow by Purina and my dogs did fine on that....then I remember Gravy Train....did fine on that....lived very long lives, over 12 years old.......then I got into my teens and got into Chihuahuas...and we fed them boiled chicken, rice, and fpr the first time, we added table scraps....and my 3 Chis lived each 12, 14, 1nd 15 years old....and I do NOT remember all the teeth issues with ANY of my dogs growing up that we see now.....I remember canned dog food, Alpo....remember I did not like the smell or consistancy of poo with canned food so I switched to something in a plastic package you tear open....looked like raw ground hamburger meat....it smelled like some kind of chemical to me so I switched off that.....when I was first made aware of Royal Canin way back in 1976, I was amazed that a dog food company actually marketed their food based on nutritional science and not marketed towards what owners want to hear.....that impressed me, so I investigated it, researched the company, had a relative that lived in France that was actually familiar with the plant there and toured it....and I started feeding RC to my dogs back around 1978-80....and have used it ever since. I have been fortunate and never had any issues with this food...no rashes, no itching, no vomiting, no diarrhea caused by the RC....I almost killed a litter of puppies when I thought I would use a raw diet to wean my babies from mother to kibble.....that has been the only time I deviated from my RC and it almost cost me a litter....

I think genetics plays a bigger role than food as long as the food is balanced and its not table scraps which usually have alot of fat

Yes, you've summarized the magnitude of research out there into one sentence, good job! Being overweight is the number one predictor of poor health and illnesses. So no matter what food, make sure it's not too much for your dog.

I agree 100%....although I don't feed raw even though I have read about the benefits of it. ;)

Because you were referring to "Beniful" and that's only one product from Purina. I'm not one to prejudice a whole company based on only one of their products. I read the Little Bites bag and it no where did it say "Beniful"... so it's a different product. The bag is also market driven with well laid out selling points on the quality of the food... enough to get me to buy it temporarily. I also mentioned this isn't about economics, but the results of other foods with a lesser price tag possibly being good and nutritious as well.

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I got off the phone with my local Royal Canin dealer asking if they had bigger bags than just the 10 lbs and they said no. The Royal Canin YT 28 costs me about $55/month and to take care of my Yorkies for that and trusting the brand, I'm good with that. Cheap price for piece of mind and believing in the results.

Thank you all for your replies. Many of you share my same thoughts about wanting to feed our babies the best we can get them.

Matthias

Actually two of Purina products have killed dogs. But the waggin train chicken jerky should show you Purina does not care about the dogs that eat there food so god knows what they do to the food that does not have to be on the label or the low quality things they do use to make more money.

I think many things go into it, but diet can play a major part. It is not so much about ingredient, but more about how the food is used as a whole.

this is E's lab work from last year. A bit hard toreadthough... Pretty good for an old goat. The glucosewas up due to stress and the BUN ratio is considered ok in this case. Results are even better this year. I credit Ourina for soe of this. That is not to say I'd go buy a bag of Beneful either... Seeing how so many dogs thrive on certain rx kibbles and they can control disease it clearly can be a huge factor. Perhaps dogs lived to be 15+ bc these dreaded companies were doing something right...

Test Results CBC
WBC 7.2
RBC 7.5
HGB 17.4
HCT 53
MCV 71
MCH 23.3 MCHC 33 Platelet Count 309 Platelet Est Adequate Differential Absolute
Neutrophils 5112
Lymphocytes 1512
Monocytes 360
Eosinophils 216
Basophils 0
Wellness Chemistries
Total Protein 5.8
Albumin 3.5
Globulin 2.3
A/G Ratio 1.5
ALT (SGPT) 30
Alk Phosphatase 51
BUN 28
Creatinine 0.8
BUN/Creatinine Ratio 35
Glucose 146
Potassium 4.9
Adult Reference Range
4.0-15.5 103/μL
4.8-9.3 106/μL
12.1-20.3 g/dL
36-60 %
58-79 fL
19-28 pg
30-38 g/dL
170-400 103/μL
71 2060-10600 /μL
21 690-4500 /μL
L
%
5
3
0
0-840 /μL
0-1200 /μL
0-150 /μL
5.0-7.4 g/dL
2.7-4.4 g/dL
1.6-3.6 g/dL
0.8-2.0
12-118 IU/L
5-131 IU/L
6-31 mg/dL
0.5-1.6 mg/dL
4-27 HIGH
70-138 mg/dL HIGH
3.6-5.5 mEq/L

Comment
Hemolysis 1+ No significant interference.

Lovetodream88,

I agree. Companies are quick to point out the positives, but almost always "neglect" to put light on any neg's about their products!

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Ellie May,

Thank you Dear for your additional comments. It's hard to argue facts sometimes!

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To ALL who have replied and read, there is one factor that comes into play that is often hard to quantify that no one has mentioned....

LOVE!

Yes, love, a Spiritual factor I firmly believe that our babies receive plays a major part in their health and longevity. I love my babies as if they are my own blood children. I find my babies ARE my children!... and they receive and deserve as much love as I can give them!

Health, diet, exercise and LOVE all play a role in our babies' future!

Thank you all for your input, ideas, opinions and replies.

Matthias

Well we had two family dogs I grew up with who only got puppy shots and were never treated with spot on treatment or even heart worm prevention ( I do not recommend any of that) who were feed Purina there whole lives most beniful and both died of cancer that added with the fact they did not care that there chicken jerky was killing dogs for many years and the other stories of beniful making dogs sick is all I need to stay very far away from them.

RC is giving my dogs beautiful costs also. As for Purina, my dog is going on 13, has been sickly since age 8 weeks and due to Purina and lots of love and great veterinary care she too has great bloodwork. I think it's important to look at facts like these. I don't claim to know it all, and I don't preach to others. But my vet cannot tell when I walk into the room which one is the 4 year old and which one is the 12 year old. And it's not just about looks - I've reversed kidney and liver disease over here and have severe allergies under control. Had I resisted Purina or listened to hype, my dog would be dead. Oh and she doesn't have cancer either.

I read labels and want to feed my Yorkies the best food for their health. I have no guarantee that this will let them live longer. I just know in my heart I am doing the best I can for them. I research the flea and tick meds and am trying to make a wise decision. Do all you know how to do for health. I don't smoke because I know it is not healthy at all. I walk every day. Now, I don't know why I had cancer. I was always in great shape and health. Today I am strong and thankful for every day I can hug my family and my dog. Some things in life we cannot control. I just do my best to make wise choices. I do believe some dog food is terrible, read the labels.

Prescription food goes through different stuff then the regular food and its not hype it's facts.

..but the RC she uses is generally not RC and it has positive benefits that may be a contributing factor to lifespan.

I'm confused?