What do you feed your yorkie- and why?
 

I'd love to hear from yorkie lovers. I'm trying to figure out what would be the best options to feed my yorkie Louie. Currently, the foods I feed my yorkie are:
wet: Chicken Broth, Salmon, Carrots, Turkey, Potatoes, Green Beans, Potato Starch, Pea Protein, Sugar, Egg Whites, Chicken Fat, Dried Whey, Dried Beet Pulp, Soybean Oil, Chicken Liver Flavor, Carrageenan, Dicalcium Phosphate, Choline Chloride, Iodized Salt, Dried Apple Pomace, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid), Taurine, minerals (Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate). Protein 24.0 Fat 15.8 Crude Fiber 1.2 Carbohydrate / NFE 53.0 Calcium 1.03 Phosphorous 0.69 Sodium 0.34 Potassium 0.83 Magnesium 0.100 Vitamin C 424 ppm Vitamin E 531 IU/kg Total Omega-3 FA 0.82 Total Omega-6 FA
dry:
Chicken, Brown Rice, Whole Grain Oats, Brewers Rice, Chicken Fat, Egg Product, Chicken Meal, Cracked Pearled Barley, Dried Beet Pulp, Yellow Peas, Chicken Liver Flavor, Flaxseed, Lactic Acid, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Fish Oil, Iodized Salt, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L Ascorbyl 2 Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Green Peas, Apples, Cranberries, Carrots, Choline Chloride, Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Broccoli, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Natural Flavors, Beta Carotene
Guaranteed Analysis
Moisture: Max. 10.0 %, Protein: Min. 16.6 %, Fat: Min. 9.0 %, Crude Fiber: Max. 2.5 %, Vitamin C: Min. 100 ppm, Vitamin E: Min. 500 IU/kg

Tear my foods apart lol! What do you like, what don't you like? Thank you in advance!!

Food is not about just ingredients. Things we think are great for us are not what’s great for our dogs because they need different stuff. The things that are more important are is there a vet nutritionist on staff, do they have good quality control and do they doing feeding trials. Great company’s that do that are Royal Canin, Wellness and hills/science diet.

I chose my dogs’ food based on the history and manufacturing standards of the producer. They own their own 2 production plants and have over 100 years experience without a recall on their kibble. My dogs like the food and do well on it.
I keep it simple and it works for us so far. Tried to switch it up a little, but dogs wanted this food. We supplement with fresh steamed chicken breast and rice occasionally.

Hi Kristin,
So, what is the name of the food?

BTW after years of feeding my 3 fur girls Wellness Healthy Weight small breed kibble (hoping they would not gain weight),about 6 months ago I switched to Royal Canin Yorkshire terrier food and they absolutely love it. Karlee has to have Royal Canin S/O Urinary support Rx food, and the RC Yorkshire Terrier food is a similar kibble so the other 2 don't steal Karlee's food. Only problem is, that they look like they are putting on a bit of weight, even though they each just get 1/3 cup twice a day. Their hair has gotten thicker, and I think they seem healthier on RC.

I feed Sojos -- this is a pre-mix where you add your own meat (raw or cooked). I feed this bc it's the freshest food I can get them other than making a custom recipe. And they go crazzzzzy for it besides.

Pre-mixes (they also have 'complete' diets as well): https://www.sojos.com/mix-meal

I have had great luck with Royal Canin also.

So many breeders start puppies out on it, it must be good. I don't know why it took me so long to try it, and I'm just happy that they love it cause I used to have to put a little "chum" of chicken and rice on top of all other kibble to get them interested. They eat RC like it's a treat, and want more (which they don't get cause they are getting a little chunky).

BTW, Taylor, I see your pack has grown since I have been mostly away. Wow, looks like a lot of fun for you.... congratulations. And Congratulations on becoming a Vet Assistant!

Thanks so much. They are keeping me busy for sure lol.

Dogfood
 

I feed my yorkies Life's Abundance. JoJo has a sensitive stomach and he has done well on this food. I feed that dry and Hills canned turkey and rice prescription food. No problems.
You have to order life's abundance on line. It doesn't sit on shelves in the store.

Gidget has been on Royal Canin since 6 months old. No issues at all.

Hi- my breeder started (me and my friend have brothers) them on puppy RC Yorkshire terrier (mine boy was so pickie). I did give too many treats. Breeder changed to Health Extensions and told me to stop the boiled chicken I added. She said adult Yorkies can’t have too much protein. Casey started to show signs of allergies (licking lips, paws and scooting) took to doc all looks good. In the meantime Casey is overweight so
I hesitate to put him back in RC like his brother as his brother is thin. The protein and fat content in RC Yorkie is high. Anybody know of food to
Help lose weight

What dry
Food are you using looks like great nutrition and ingredients

Protein is fine unless they have a health issue. Fat is also not bad unless there is a health issue. Both those things are actually important in a diet. You don’t need a special food for weight loss just feed him less and if he is still hungry had some green beans.

Ingredients are the least most important thing in the list of things to look for with a food. The most important thing is vet nutritionist on staff, feeding trails and good quality control. Dogs need different things then us humans so what might be great for us isn’t what’s great for them.

Dogfood
 

Look into Life's Abundance. My yorkies are doing well on this food. I order it on line and it is delivered to my home. Look at the ingredients. NO by products . Got into this from a friend who is a breeder. It is highly recommended.

Pro Plan Sport 30/20.
Why: We have three dogs. A Yorkie, Shih Tzu,
a new Black Lab puppy (rescue from a kill shelter in Mississippi).. He was a little malnourished and a bit underweight. A friend suggested Pro Plan.
Our dogs are doing great on it. No digestive issues and perfectly formed solid stool. The puppy has gained weight and looks great.

Pro Plan seems to always produce these outcomes from what I have read.

Say what ya want about Purina, but there is something about it that works.

I used to be anti-purina, SD, RC, etc but a lot of the results that I have seen speak for themselves and I can't believe I used to be so adamantly against these foods lol.

My cockapoo has skin and itching issues and we've been doing a trial of Science Diet Sensitive Skin & Stomach to see if it helps. If not, our next step is going to be to try Pro Plan Sensitive as I have read a lot of good results with that as well.

I had good results as well on Purina with my cocker spaniels. They were on that from the breeder, lots of poop though . Like 5 per day.


Emma is on nutri source chicken and pea formula . She has been on this since puppyhood from her breeder. She does well. 2 poops per day , solid , no tummy issues , she likes it , good coat , no skin allergies .

I know. I never thought of trying it for our dogs but I'm glad I did. I don't know why it works it just does.

I feel strongly it’s because of the fact they have vets actually working with them. I just can’t make my self trust them after the chicken jerky, the fact they didn’t care how many dogs were dying is very bothersome to me. It took me a lot of time to finally use their probiotic but I’m sure a lot more goes into prescription stuff. All mine are eating the Hydrolized protein prescription food from Royal Canin and nobody has had issues. They all love pretty much any Royal Canin food. The boys have the softest hair.

My 3 have been on Royal Canin for just a year, and I am amazed at how much healthier their hair is. The only problem is that they like RC so much, and eat it up quickly..... but they gained a little weight so I've had to cut back on amount a little.

I'm not sure, but also feel that their teeth are a little better; I expected they would need a dental this year, but so far vet says they aren't that bad.

Dogfood
 

I had a little poodle with bad skin issues. Went to the dog dermatologist. He recommended using venison dog food. It helped. Its very hypoallergic. Just a tip. Sure wish it could help. Itching is so bad for skin.

my yorkie had bouts of bowel and stomach issues . My problem I have tried so many foods from the vet, problem he hates it I use the one for kd dried and kibble . What can I get that is good that he might like ,, poor boy goes through days of not feeling well . he is 8 years old, when he is feeling good he is great . Then he goes into not eating not happy . My heart aches for him . I was told not too much protine is tuna ok and boiled chicken

Have you tried Royal Canin prescription food? Does the vet know what causes him to not feel good?

I feed one Yorkie with Royal Canin Adult Dog dry food and Nature’s Menu Adult soft food pouches. My other Yorkie has kidney failure and she’s on Royal Canin Renal. Thankfully she stared to eat and is much better. The vet originally prescribed Hill’s k/d but she didn’t like it. I’ve always liked Royal Canin because my dogs were always healthy until they got really old.

I just wish RC was cheaper :eek: Even the non-RX stuff is sooo pricey. I'd love to feed the RC Cocker formula to Lola to see if it helps with some of her little issues as well - like yeasty ears, etc, skin, things that Cockers are prone to... but it's $26 for a 6lb bag! I can get Pro Plan for $11, same size.

The RC Gastro low fat is sooo pricey. I've been feeding mostly canned as it seems to fill him up more - it's a very thick wet food, not soupy. And for Jax being 18lbs he needs 1.25 cans per day if I'm doing solely the canned food. I've been feeding about 1 can and then 1/4 cup of the kibble. So at 2.70 per can and then $30 for 6.6lb bag of dry, I am approaching nearly $100 per month to feed one dog lol.

One bag of Callie’s prescription food is $43.00 for a 10 pound bag. They all eat it but I supplement it with a little chicken or an Ollie’s case beef because he hates chicken. I feel like with them you get what you pay for. Mine do so well on their food. No way Callie would ever have eaten another food this long.

Hi my Yorkie is 10 year’s old the vet said a couple pounds over weight. Otherwise very healthy never any problems besides started limping on her front right leg took her to the vets they said arthritis gave her medication . Wondering if there’s a dog food that somebody could recommend that’s good and all natural for weight . And she was trying to get a treat every time she goes out to the bathroom so I have been breaking them in half .

So, both little Ruby and somewhat less littler Canela now eat Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Hearty Vegetable & Chicken Stew.

Since Canela was 7 months old, we've switched through four different dry foods -- Ruby has experienced two switches in food.

Both (Ruby is a rescue who came into my life about a year and a half ago.) now eat Hill's because at Canela's last physical (in which she got senior bloodwork done), a Grade 1 heart murmur was detected. I was asked what she ate, and I mentioned that she's been on a grain-free diet for years now and that the last time we switched, it was about two years ago. I was told about the lack of taurine in some grain-free food (I checked, and sure enough, there is none) -- it was at that moment I decided to switch.

I also did the massive switch from dry to wet because Ruby (as a rescue) only has about 1/4 of her teeth left. Canela has a broken molar (which is the reason we went to the vet and she had her murmur detected -- we've scheduled for an echocardiogram so they can see what they're dealing with prior to anesthesia), so, I thought the best route would be wet food.

So far, both love the food. We're still trying to see what works best in terms of feeding. I believe the can is still too generous in terms of what to feed them, so I'm eye balling it for the mean time.

I also crush the food pieces even more with a fork, so it's basically puree.

I only use dry food. I will admit that is for my convenience and cost. It is much cheaper than wet food.


For Bella I use Wellness Limited Salmon and Potato Small Breed


For Thumper he is on RX Hills Science Diet K/D Lamb Flavor.


The reason I do not use chicken is in the past they have not cared for the flavor. (Though they love boiled chicken when they are sick)


I have used Natural Balance before as well but the pups started to get fussy with the food. I believe they are also a good brand.