Picked up a couple samples of Fromm 4 Star grain free from Heads To Tails Grooming Shop in Kirkland, WA yesterday. Gucci didn't seem thrilled but that was after his mamma fed him his simmered and chopped chicken. ;) We'll see what today brings!

That pretty much does it for Royal Canin in this thread. Even though I was excited to see a yorkie specific feed, my excitement was tempered by the ingredient list. Time to move along, open another thread!

I hope you can find something that really, really works -- I know how frustrating it can be, and that's no fun when they don't want to eat. Keep tryin' and keep us posted on how it goes :).

I recently decided that my babies were in need of a higher quality diet so I began researching different foods. A friend who owns one of my stud's offspring informed me that her vet highly recommends Royal Canin for Yorkies. But when I saw the ingredients I wasn't sure if I wanted to use it. I then went to my local Petsmart and saw Iams Pro Health which lists chicken as its 1st ingredient. Is the chicken something that I should be thrilled with or are there other major necessary ingredients that I should focus my attention on?


This dog food issue has become so complex. We really just want the most healthy food for our babies.

The Fromm samples I picked up yesterday were a no go today. Even did our 3 mile walk and waited till after 7pm before mamma fed him his boiled/chopped chicken. I know, not enough nutritional value. Still working on it. :confused:

In the interim, we'll pick up another bag of his previous food, Senior Toy Breed Natural Dog Food : NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® Dog Foods - The Nutro Company , and look at some supplements to put on his boiled/chopped chicken.

Have you guys tried mixing the chicken in with the kibble? Perhaps it would soften it and help transition from such a treat to the more balanced meal you are looking for. No knock- I know the little guy has to eat!- bit I can't imagine lilah eating kibble if she knew she could wait and get mamas homemade chicken ;)

Yes, we've mixed them in the past, works well!

In this case though, we're trying to find a stand alone kibble to switch to.

There is an entire forum just about dog food. Yes, pretty complex and ever changing.

Dogfoodadvisor.com will explain your chicken question better than I, but yes, chicken is good.
Iams Grain Free Naturals (Dry)
Iams Naturals Dog Food (Dry)
Iams Premium Protection (Dry)
Iams ProActive Health (Canned)
Iams ProActive Health (Dry)
Iams So Good Dog Food (Dry)
Iams Veterinary Formulas Intestinal (Dry)
Iams Veterinary Formulas Skin and Coat (Dry)
Iams Veterinary Formulas Weight Control (Dry)
Iams Woof Delights (Tubs)

LOL those were supposed to be links. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-fo...-health-adult/

What would you guys say about merricks? (Classic puppy or small breed adult) or (grain free versions)

Or wellness small breed puppy? What's the difference between the toy breed and small breed?

This toy breed senior kibble is super small, you can easily hit the link to look for different ingredients and such.
Senior Toy Breed Natural Dog Food : NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® Dog Foods - The Nutro Company

Going thru the same thing
 

I've been studying for quite a while ....just when I thought I found quality ingredients in Evangers premium duck and sweet potatoe ...I failed to find the information in time of their reputation status not being a trustworthy manufacturer....( search evangers here).
I have worked in the food industry for 30 years and I know just how that goes...it's a game of cover your behind or else! And people get fired over things that leak out. So when it gets this far where the FDA is involved, Has to be a lot worse goin on in the inside.:( my husband adds..but if they want to stay in business they will fix it and have a better product). He worked with me ..

She loves the product , I now have her fully converted , and it recently added chelated minerals...it's grain free since that is always an issue....but I am still looking ...
at Natures Variety Instinct, canned, and kibble. Now I'm not too sure of the percentages for a yorkie but others seem to like it.....
Wellness Core I'm looking at too....Yes they have had some recalls but limited, and who hasn't....Zoeys not too fond of Fromm, she was on that when she fell ill so I'm hesitant on going back ...
Good luck ya all

Wellness Dry Recipes for Dogs

I don't see a toy breed puppy in wellness.... so exactly what are ya asking?

Gives me a chance to look at their senior toy breed, that's my only focus at this point. Toy Breed Complete Health Senior Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe

I like the ingredients and analysis of the Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health Senior Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe

It's got the joint stuff and the stomach stuff.

The portion size is smaller than some, 1/2 cup for a 5 pound old pup.

Looks like it's available at Petco.

Might be Gucci likes more of a bland chicken type diet since he wasn't fond of the Orijen and Fromm. :confused:

OUR INGREDIENTS: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Barley, Ground Rice, Peas, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Tomato Pomace, Ground Flaxseed, Natural Chicken Flavor, Salmon Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Tomatoes, Carrots, Spinach, Choline Chloride, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Beta-Carotene, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Biotin, Folic Acid], Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate], Apples, Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Taurine, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract.

Mark - it may be tougher to find, but have you tried Nature's Logic yet? It's a bit of a different food, but very impressive. Maybe they can send you samples...? Contact Us - Nature's Logic

When I read these food threads, and all the fussy Yorkie eaters, I thank my lucky stars that all my dogs have been great eaters. They eat what I give them, but mainly we do homefed and also pre-made raw. I like to add my own joint supplements into the food as each dog gets a different amount. I do add a bit of kibble as we travel cross border and it is not allowed to bring in raw to the States.


I am waiting on a order of ducks feet - this is for my senior boy who has arthritis to see how well that works for him.


I hope everyone finds the food that works for their YOrkies.

I haven't looked that one up yet.
Been running the senior wellness by my better half, checking prices/availability.
Local stores, about $19 for 4 lbs, tax incl. first bag..... if works out.. about $13 for 4 pounds, buy 4 bags at a time to get shipping included at chewy.com.

Those were two separate questions I was asking. (also i was typing on my phone so I couldn't go into much detail) Isn't a Yorkshire Terrier a Small Breed and a Toy Breed?

I'm starting to think Gucci has Ol Roy taste buds and I'm trying to feed him pate' and caviar! LOL

If you haven't read this review, it's kinda hilarious once you get to where they describe the meat content. LOL ROADKILL! LOL
Ol' Roy Dog Food | Review and Rating

Your answer is yes to both. Toy breeds nomenclature is probably sourced from the conformation or show environment. Small breed is a more generic term that is in public use.


Different organizations may classify small/medium/large/giant etc to their own definitons which is by no means universal. Usually done by weight ie: small is 25lbs medium 25+-50 large 50+ to 75 large 75+ to 100 etc.

By the AKC guidelines, a yorkie is a toy breed, 4-7 pounds or something... others are still yorkies, just bigger and more to love. google would help better than I on that. Here ya go!

Weight: Must not exceed seven pounds.
https://www.akc.org/breeds/yorkshire...d_standard.cfm
https://www.akc.org/breeds/yorkshire_terrier/index.cfm

AKC Breeds by Group - Toy Group

I didn't find a small breed definition at AKC... looks like small breed is more of perspective or who is defining it.. to a great dane owner, a german shepherd is small.... unless you can find a definition somewhere, dog food manufacturers may have a different weight that they consider in their small breed kibble.

Since we're talking about food specifically here...Unless I'm missing something, only a small % of food manufacturers have a toy breed specific food. Seems like most have small breed food.

Yorkies are a toy breed, but that doesn't mean all have to eat foods labeled "toy". These foods are probably smaller sized kibble and even smaller packaging. The word "small breed" on the label, has no specific meaning with the AKC. A variety of dogs would fit in this label, probably dogs under 30 pounds. While a large breed dog, can eat smaller kibble, large kibble is harmful to some small dogs and they will swallow the kibble whole instead of chewing it, and that can cause intestinal distress. However, some small dogs have no problems with larger kibble.

Concerning, Wellness small breed vs. toy breed, they look very similar in the quality of their ingredients, the toy breed has a higher protein content 30 instead of 28, not sure if that's an advantage, 28 is probably good enough, if it's a high quality protein, and both seem to be using good sources of protein, as in no "by products". I believe the toy breed can only be purchased in 2 and 4 pound bags, while the small breed can be purchased in 4 and 12 pound bags.
Toy Breed Complete Health Adult Deboned Chicken, Brown Rice & Peas Recipe

Small Breed Complete Health Adult Turkey & Oatmeal Recipe

Not sure yet if one would be better than the other, I wish it were easier to find calories per cup, that would influence my decision, because my boys are prone to weight gain.

502 and 420 calories/cup respectively for the Wellness formulas you linked. The calorie content is under the "feeding guidelines" tab. I was surprised at how much higher in calories the toy breed formulas are but I guess it's because they have smaller kibbles and more fits into a cup.

Oh thanks so much, that helps a lot. Yeah, I guess a better way to compare would be calories per gram.

If you do the per gram measurement the toy food still has more calories 3,832 kcal/kg for the toy, vs. 3,740 kcal/kg for the small breed. Royal Canin had 3802 calories per kcal/kg, and I wanted to stay close to that number, so I could use either one of these.

Thanks Nancy! In your opinion (for a yorkie puppy), which would be better Wellness Puppy Core or Wellness Small Breed Puppy? They don't have a Toy Breed Puppy...

I was considering both in the adult formulas, Core has potato as the carb and Small Breed has oatmeal, and ground brown rice as the starch, but that seems to be the major difference. I've heard potatoes don't have much besides energy to offer in nutrition, so, I think small breed might be slightly better, but I'm just guessing, and both sound nutritious enough. From my understanding, the source of protein and quality are the major deciding factors. Both have deboned chicken and chicken meal as their first and second ingredient which is excellent. Small Breed Adult has a very small kibble, and I know Wellness in other formulas, such as Simple Solutions, has a large kibble that was too large for one of my dogs, but I can't comment on the kibble size of Core. Since you are feeding a puppy, it probably doesn't make a difference, it should be small.

I'm also considering Nature's Logic, the puppy food and adult food are the same, and it has no starch. I'm thinking the way my two hold on to every pound, taking out the starch might be a good idea.

Sorry to read the Fromm didn't work out. My pup doesn't gobble her food down but she finishes it by late morning. For dinner she gets this Freshpet® Select Tender Chicken with Crisp Carrots & Leafy Spinach Dog Food Recipe which she gobbles down. It's not kibble but if you are giving him boiled chicken this may be a better option. It's fresh so watch dates. I freeze part of it because we can't use it fast enough. (one week from opening).

I went to a local Petco today after calling smaller and closer pet food stores. The smaller stores didn't have this in stock. I bought a 4 pound bag of Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health Senior Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Adult Dog Food. The kibble is tiny! So far, so good! Gucci seems to like it today, we'll see what tomorrow brings!

The bag is resealable and should stay a little fresher a little bit longer.

With tax, $18.61 for the 4 pounds. If he continues to enjoy it, chewy.com will be much cheaper per pound when buying 4 bags at a time.
Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health Senior Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Adult Dog Food at PETCO
Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health Senior Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe Dry Dog Food, 4-lb bag

:bravo::bravo::bravo: HOPE he loves it !!!