Maybe Merrick's not so great after all...
 

months and ago I switched from Royal Canin Yorkshire formula and started dancing around all the different brands trying to find something they both liked as much. I found PetBotanics, they loved it! Petsmart on the other hand didn't, and they discontinued the kibble here i Albuquerque. So I finally settled on Merrick Grain free formula. They liked it, plus it has a rotating menu so I can change up the flavor without disturbing their digestive systems. I thought that was going well until today. It's been awhile since I'd had the money to go to my usual groomer. Well she came today and did her grooming magic routine, and while she groomed them same as always, they don't look as beautiful as they used to. Their hair isn't nearly as full and shiny as before. It's like this thin drab almost dry and stringy look to it. They look so pitiful now. I'm tripping on this. I figure it must be the food. Only problem is , if I go back to RC , and Toby starts itching again, Ill have to start right back at square one with the kibble try outs. Cause unless I'm mistaken RC doesn't make a grain free formula for small dogs much less specifically for yorkies. Or at all that I remember. So do I go back to feeding them something less natural since they looked so good on it? Or is there another brand that I can try that is tailored to this breed? There's such a dramatic difference that I can't possibly stick to Merrick any longer. My dogs look like they've had chemo treatments.
By the way, I sedated Toby and we managed to groom everything but his beard this time without all the violence he usually subjects us to. He still wasn't exactly cooperative and the scissors were dropped about 5 times, But we got him 90% groomed successfully! And now Maddy is all silver with a black tail. she's frigging cute! But she still has her cottony puppy coat. That should start changing now , right? She's going on 7 months old now.

I believe RC has a grain free option but it is prescription dog food....it may not be for Yorkies specifically, but grain free for small/toy dogs will work well for your yorkie....your vet can write a script for it.

They actually write a script for it? who fills it? That concept is completely new to me. If Toby does in fact have an aversion to grain I'm going to have to stop free feeding them or he'll eat the girls food. He hasn't been itching at all for months now. I may have to look into that. Cause the last thing I want is him to start that again.
One thing that may help is coconut oil... We bought that "as seen on t.v" tongue brush thing for Izzy, because she just has the worst breathe ever. But she doesn't like any of the pastes that came with it. She'll only use it when I put coconut oil on it. So I was thinking of getting some grapefruit extract and adding that to the coconut oil or their water or something. But they will get down on that thing or anything else for that matter if there's coconut oil on it. That should help with their coat, right?

You can contact Chewy.com and they will contact your vet and get the script right from the vet and then you just get the food from Chewy.com. You can stop free feeding or just feed them all grain free....it certainly wont hurt them.....

Have you had any experience with their grain free enough to know whether or not it makes a difference in their coat? I just have it in my head that since the yorkshire formula is formulated for yorkies specifically, that maybe the generalized grain free won't be quite as affective. Seems like a lot of trouble to go through if it won't bring him back up to par. Maybe I should just stop nitpicking and just do it...lol (my inner voice is saying Shut up Shawna!)

To add to the other posts......
Have you tried Fromm grain free foods? They will send you samples and then if you like it Chewys will send it to you.

Just another thought!

All of mine are on RC for 30+ years....my problem was some like the yorkie blend, some just liked the mini blend...so I just put everyone on the regular mini dog blend, and my dogs are in tip top health, great coats, 12-15 year old "retirees" running around like they are half that age, so just the blend for mini dogs works super for them....There is a pic of a Jack Russell on the front, I think.....

You can also try salmon or coconut oil. I use salmon oil and it does wonders for their skin.

i just bought that as seen on tv thing for helping with the bad breath issue. It has all these rubber pokey whatsits on it, and you're supposed to spread the paste that comes with it on there so they lick it off and it scrubs their tongue... well none of them like the paste, so i just put coconut oil on it and they lick that off. hopefully that helps. I'm just going to have to get some grapefruit extract and add it to their water for some help with Izzy's halitosis.
But i might send for those samples, or just go back to RC... maybe I'll just get all three on the grain free RC. I'm aa libra and I'm so indecisive it makes ME crazy, not to mention everyone around me...lol

Grain free for allergies
 

Hi! I got advice on YorkieTalk to try Fromm Wild Bird grain free for my dog’s allergies. He loves it! It has helped a lot with his scratching but he still licks his feet. Anyhow, his vet wants me to switch to something else because of the low taurine content on grain free foods, which can lead to heart problems. She says it’s not worth the risk. Has anyone found an alternative to Grainfree that helps with allergies? I appreciate your advice.

Food allergies are rare more then likely you are dealing with environmental allergies. There would be vomiting, diarrhea and other issues for a true food allergy.

I use Wellness Limited Ingredient Salmon and Potato. I believe that brand is grain free but there are other options of limited ingredients that do have grain in them.

I seriously doubt he was allergic to grains in the food. You might want to start looking into Cytopoint for when his allergies act up. Speak with your vet about it...it is an injection and usually lasts about two months although I have seen it last longer. You only take them back for another when they start licking and/or scratching.

You also could go with an RX food like Hill's ZD Ultra but again, since he is still licking his feet, it probably wasn't food to begin with.

I have been feeding Jackson Royal Canin Whitefish and Potato PW prescription food.

I believe he is one of the rare dogs that actually has a grain allergy. He got pancreatitis in Sept 2018 and I put him on the RC GI low fat kibble and canned. He seemingly well on it MINUS the fact that he was ALWAYS acting starving... like more than usual. Very ravenous. He was just never fulfilled, ever. He had always loved food but this was like next level. But I was too scared to risk pancreatitis again so kept him on it. In December he began having chronic diarrhea. Test after test after test ruling out nearly everything.... the specialist settled on IBD induced by a food allergy. I cannot say with 100% certainty but any of the foods containing corn, wheat, rice, etc, are what he seemed to get worse on. I started home cooking for him and saw some improvement but it wasn't balanced at all. Tried him on some hydrolyzed foods and saw immediate return of worse diarrhea within hours.

Once I started the RC whitefish and potato, diarrhea improved nearly immediately. No grains, it's legit just fish and potato. I still feed the kibble as his base primary food and I mix in the low fat tuna or chicken Weruva cans (only a few formulas are fat appropriate for pancreatitis). He is doing well and I even began feeding it to my cockapoo who has skin problems - I have noticed a huge decrease in the amount of licking her paws and scratching that she would do.


It may be worth looking into? I am feeding the moderate calorie version due to the low fat but they have a regular version as well.

Brit, her vet is suggesting she go back on foods with grains due to the cardiac issues associated with grain free foods.

Evidence Update: Grain-free and other “BEG” Diets Associated with Heart Disease in Dogs | The SkeptVet


I would need absolute, concrete evidence that my pup was allergic to grains before I considered grain free foods.

I totally missed - I was reading the OP and not realizing it was from 2015 :eek:

I was referring to the Cause unless I'm mistaken RC doesn't make a grain free formula for small dogs much less specifically for yorkies. Or at all that I remember. comment in the OP. Whoops!

And was just letting her know that RC does technically have some grain free foods in their RX line.

It's not really the fact that it's 'grain free' per say. It's the addition of all of the legumes that is the problem. And 99% of grain-free foods out there contain butt loads of legumes. So I agree, nowadays, I don't trust most companies out there to be able to formulate a proper nutritionally balanced grain free food. RC has a few perfectly formulated grain-free foods for example. There are plenty of grain inclusive foods that also contain tons of peas, legumes, etc etc, that can still make dogs be at risk for DCM. Even WITH grains.

Either way the studies are super scary and I hope more research continues to be done.

Dog food
 

I am feeding my 2 yorkies Lifes Abundance dry food and Fromm turkey and sweet potato wet food. I order Lifes Abundance and have it se t to me. This food has my dogs coats looking so healthy. Breeders feed this food. Check it out. I heat a little water and put the wet food znd them some dry on top. They love it. This is a reputable company. Im happy with them.

LOL I had done the same thing. I advised her to go back to RC and then caught it and edited it.

3 yr old Gidget has been on RC for Yorkies for over 2 years. Coat looks great and it agrees with her. Vet said she's very healthy and to keep on doing what I've been doing. So, it's RC for me and Gidget.:)

More research will suss it all out, but all of these foods that popped up out of nowhere...or actually somewhere...where someone decided they were experts in dog nutrition and started ranking foods based on ingredients have always concerned me.

Yeah, for sure. I was suckered into it for many years. As I am sure you remember LOL.

And then the Hills situation has me totally confused again because tbh, I don't really trust any of them lol. :rolleyes::eek: But what can ya do? I'd for sure rather have a company that catches these things and recalls than not do anything at all (which is what has been going on for years with many of these designer foods getting away with these formulas which are now showing are making dogs ill or unhealthy etc).... but when Hills kept recalling more.... and this is a *prescription* food that is supposed to HAVE the better quality control that we so hope for AND pay for and trust. But me personally will feed RC or Purina over Hills at this point.

Sorry to go off topic ish. Just venting. And again I think we all do the best we can do and what we feel is best for our individual dogs.

I trust Hill's ... what happened there is something that a vet nutritionist told me could happen to any of the companies. She works for a competing company btw. The whole thing was blown out of proportion. My Teddy Bear is on ZD...it has saved his life. Daisy, one of my fosters is on low fat ID ... she has been for some time and has kept her out of trouble. I simply looked at the lot numbers and went on with my life. The people who were online bashing Hill's were crazy...one woman told me her dog was so sick and losing weight so she gave more of the food....no vet, but blaming Hill's.

I asked my vet if he had seen any pups with issues related to the Vit D issue and he said no.....had he heard of any? Again, no.

I asked one of the specialists and the same answer.

Heck there are recalls on food that we consume ALL the time. I think it is unrealistic to think there will never be any.....I know that I have seen some companies have recall after recall...and some once in a while. I had not seen any with Hill's foods except cat food prior to this.

I think there were definitely a lot of people who blew it out of proportion. I guess it just makes me unsettled since these are prescription foods who are supposed to be given much more quality control with an issue like this... it wasn't really something "small". From what I read - the only reason they found out about it was because a dog got sick... NOT through their testing. But maybe this was incorrect information. Also how they basically were like everything is fine... and then I think a week later, it was a whole 'nother batch that got recalled. It just seemed like a lot... it was not really a small issue. And if it had happened to Champion or some other company not in 'the big 4', I think most would be up in arms, as well.

I just expected better quality control from a company that has so many scientists, vets on staff and does research etc. My expectations, especially for prescription foods that pets lives depend on, is that not a single bag or can leaves that facility with contents that have not been tested. I totally completely get that recalls happen. And if Hills is what saves your dogs life, I'd likely suck it up and keep feeding. I am SURE after the backlash that they will be a lot more careful in the future. I would think anyway. I am just glad that so far, RC hasn't had the same issue *knock on wood* My vet and IMS both prefer RC and Purina over Hills anyway and that was prior to the recall - have no clue why. I know many IBD dogs do amazing on Z/D so I am grateful it exists.

Btw, on another note, I find it funny when folks say they'd NEVER touch Purina yet they feed Merrick (they are owned by Purina now, lol). I know no one in this thread said it but I've seen it before online. :yelrotflm

Never thought I'd see the day where I am feeding an RC kibble and a Purina kibble (my cockapoo eats a mix of Jackson's RX food and Purina Sensitive Skin & Stomach due to her skin/itching issues) as well as his canned Weruva mixed in. Times have changed. :p

Purina bought Merrick's in 2015. The recalls before that time were numerous and I have never even thought about them since. I had no idea Purina bought them. Merrick's had purchased Castor and Pollux years ago .. I had fed their food for some time but stopped after I had a problem with a bad bag and they lied to me.

My healthy pups are on Hill's Ideal Balance...have been for years and I have had no problems thankfully.

Oh, and yes it is humorous about Purina...that started with treats thing...the chicken jerky

My 3 have been loving RC Yorkshire Terrier adult food for a couple years. They seem healthier, their coats grow thicker and faster which is almost a problem as I have to groom more often, their teeth are good, no more picky eaters here, and plenty of energy for the 10 & 11 year olds.

The problem is they are doing a little "too good" they are all a couple pounds overweight, in my opinion. They only get 1/4-1/3 cup twice a day. I'm thinking of switching back to Wellness Healthy Weight for small dogs, which they were on for years before RC. It is hard though because I really do think they are healthier now, just getting a little chunky.

What do you think I should do?

Is it possible it is treats causing the weight gain? If not, and you are sure it is the food and they like it and are healthy, I personally would just cut back a bit on the food...just a little bit.