Change of Dog Food

Please throw the Kibbles n' Bits in the trash - this is not food in any sense of the word - it is simply corn, dyes, and preservatives. When is the last time you saw a dog grazing in a corn field or eating cans of dyes and preservatives?

It's hard to keep my answer condensed, because nutrition and pets are the most important things to me, but here's a little information to get you started - you're welcome to message me, and check out my full answer for "What are the best quality dog foods available -" asked by luvmybull.

Yorkshire terriers are very overbred, and bad breeders breed "teacup" and "toy" dogs that have badly formed bodies and internal organs, and bad dental structure. Yorkies are very prone to tooth decay, which will spread and rot out their entire jaw if not taken care of. A natural diet will keep your dog free of food-related diseases and calamities.

I am a firm believer in raw food! Food in a raw state is in a natural state, and thus at its prime for eating. Dogs can technically live on an omnivorous diet, but any dog that lives wild, whether it is a feral dog or the dog's cousin, the wolf, will eat meat, fat and bones every chance it gets. A wild dog's diet is comprised of muscle and organ meats, bones, fat, and they will possibly ingest some fibrous vegetable matter if they eat any stomach or intestine contents, which they usually avoid. Aside from munching grass to help them throw up, dogs do NOT eat vegetables, grains or fruits - and most importantly, their digestive system is an extrememly harsh, short one, which breaks down meat, bone and fat beautifully but doesn't break down those fibrous vegetables and grains.

If you want to give your dog the best diet possible, either feed him raw muscle and organ meats with raw bones, or at least get him a dry food that is meat-based and preferably organic and supplement this dry food diet with raw bones and fresh (or cooked, if you must) meat and eggs. A healthy dog will have no "doggy" breath, very minimal fecal matter (because his body is using what he's eating), healthy skin, a shiny coat and eyes, and will not come down with diet-related diseases down the road. Food truly is the best medicine, and is far easier on your wallet than expensive medicines, tonics and surgeries that you'll buy from your vet to fix the problem after it's too far gone.

Now, I will say that not all bagged foods are bad. The following brands are trustworthy and minimally processed. Eagle Pack in Mishawaka, IN is a tremendous food that has my endorsement, based on what I've seen from feeding it to the animals in my care at the Humane Society.

Blue Buffalo - Eagle Pack - Innova - Wellness - EVO - Timberwolf Organics - Castor & Pollux - Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul - Newman's Own - Solid Gold

(This of course is not a full listing, just a listing of foods I've had experience with; there are many more great ones out there!)

Here is a good website of facts concerning raw food, its overwhelming health benefits, and why its best concerning your pet's natural physiology:
www.companionnaturalpetfood.com

Take a peek at this great website for unbiased dog food information:www.dogfoodanalysis.com

Best of luck to you and your Yorkshire terriers!

I feed my Dog Natures Variety. This is a great human-grade food, she also did very well on Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul (which is cheaper)
No matter what decision you make, if your goal is to feed a healthy food then it's important to educate yourself on what is in the food - check the ingredient list. I opt for Holistic/Human Grade foods.
She was on Iam's for a long time, until I looked into foods. Most commercial foods are filled with byproducts and chemicals that is deemed not fit for human consumption and are not good for our furry friends.
In my opinion, if it's not good enough for me to eat, that it's not good enough for my animals to eat either.

I would recommend doing research on the internet about this, and I think once you see what is in many commercial brand foods, you will not want your dog to eat it.
Hoping this helps...

Rachael Ray's Nutrish or Good Life Recipe

We have never fed our three anything but home made nutritional food. Our vet believes in and supports our decision to feed them a wholesome diet including chicken, turkey, almost any vegetable and a starch like brown rice, barley or couscous. They eat twice a day, the before mentioned is dinner and for breakfast they have cottage cheese and bananas or oatmeal with any type of fruit and on the weekends they get a treat of buckwheat pancakes. I see a major difference between their over all health and energy levels compared to our previous two dogs (which we lost in 2007 to cancer). It's not for everyone and it's a little more expensive than picking up a bag of food, but in the long run I believe it is worth it.

My dogs are Blue Buffalo fans.
Just avoid anything with glutens. That is what caused the huge recall last year. A good rule of thumb is to make sure you can pronounce the ingrediants.

I would recommend Iams or science diet. They are both really good foods to feed your dogs.

Hi. They will eat whatever you put in front of them. They might be a little picky at first but when they get hungry enough, they WILL eat what's there. They're like children
LOL. Good Luck.

Kibbles and Bits is one of the worst foods you can feed your dog. Anything that is all natural is better for your dogs. When you do switch your dogs food, make sure you do it gradually so they don't get an upset stomach.

The more I pay attention to what is in commercial pet food products the more I feel we should stay away from them period. Dogs need protein, so I would suggest that you search for a product with a high protein amount and no additives or by products--good luck. Why not try "people" food. A hamburger or turkey burger a slice of liver or piece of chicken. Far healthier and I would imagine the dogs will be happy.

I feed my dogs Wellness Core. Great protein no grain diet. Can be bought at Petco.