Question for the "Food Police" :-)
 

Is it better to feed one super premium food or a mixture of 2 or 3 different premium foods? Do you think the dog benefits from the variety? I have had this discussion with several other yorkie owners, and everyone seems to have a different opinion. What do you think?

I honestly think it is just a matter of personal preference. I feed a mixture of two premium quality foods. However, another YT member emailed me a mixture of reasons why you shouldn't. I didn't find the reasons compelling enough to stop. If you wanna read the article, send me your email address and I'll send it to you.

i feed different premium foods but not at the same time. i do it bag by bag. the last bag morgan had was wellness. now she's on merrick's cowboy cookout. next is either gonna be a different flavor of merricks or solid gold. i think switching foods every now and then is good for their digestive system. it trains it to be prepared for different foods and the stomach will be less prone to diarrhea and intestinal problems.

Thanks! I will PM you. :)

I feed my 2 Merricks right now. But I add 1/2 tbsp. of another dry food just for texture. It just seems so boring to eat the same type of food day after day.

I agree it's probably good for them to experience different foods. Just wondered if it's a good idea to mix them.

I think a species-appropriate, prey model RAW diet is best for our carnivorous pets.

- Feeding Your Dog

I used to mix two:-Cannidae & Innova until he just refused to eat Innova at all and now I stick to Cannidae. I do mix in some vege and broth. He loves it.

That was an interesting article. I've been reading a lot lately about raw diets for dogs. The Timberwolf Organics homepage also has info on this.

I found this interesting tidbit -

"Dogs have been reclassified as canis lupus familiaris. Recent tests have shown that the DNA of a dog is the same as a wolf."

Every now and then Baxter will howl, and he looks just like a miniature wolf! Sooo cute...lol

I would think it's a great idea to mix premium foods. I've heard that no single dog food is perfect, so rotating premium brands helps ensure they have fewer deficiences. A nutrient one brand might lack, another brand might have.

I haven't started that yet. It took so long to get a brand that didn't upset Eddie's stomach (Nutro) that I'm afraid to experiment.

LOL....aren't they a 'hoot'?

Thanks for taking time to read the article, and not lobbing stones at me, or setting me on fire! I try not to shove this down peoples' throats, but I figure when asked what everyone feeds - I'm part of "everyone", too! Yes, our cute, l'il furkids are wolves - and need to be fed as such. I'm convinced that much of the gastric upset and 'picky' eating that plagues our beloved breed is because they cannot digest all the crud that's in commercial dog food. Switching to RAW saved our 12y/o senior's life. And, Miss Abbie is thriving just fine on it. She LOVES her raw meaty bones, and heaven help anyone who gets between her and her meal!

Maybe I need a hardhat too, because I find all this 'wolf' talk fascinating! Can I ask what raw food you are feeding your dogs? It would seem that dogs have adapted to cooked food after being domesticated so long. But I'm reading a lot of opinions that say a raw diet is much better for them.

It's all very enlightening. We have 'humanized' our babies so much, that the thought of feeding them raw food takes some getting used to.

But you may have a point about the gastric upset that yorkies are prone to. I guess time will tell.

Amanda ~ sadly, they have not 'adapted' to cooked food, they just survive, as any species does when forced into an unnatural situation. A prey-model diet is what we strive for, with the bulk of the meal being raw meat, suppletmented with raw bone and organs - just as a wolf would eat in the wild. There are some organic food companies that are seeing 'the Light'; but, almost all of them include carbohydrates and veggies - neither of which are our pups equipped to digest. Their digestive system is still that of the wolf. They are carnivores - NOT omnivores, nor herbivores. It amazes me that we think because we put bows in their hair and dress them up, that they should be fed like humans.

Mine are partial to chicken and pork; but, ideally RAW feeding is about variety. I live in town, where I can't get neat things like elk, or carabou :( . I was given some venison the other day, but neither would touch it. That will take some convincing, I think! lol RAW fish is important for omega3s. Continue your research, and I'm part of a support list of 7,000 members. If you want to join, pm me and I'll give you the link.

I'm not running into other RAWfeeders here, which surprises me, on a board this size. I think they're here - just not 'out', yet ;).