Feed the same food or rotate? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

TiestosMom · 04-04-2011, 03:13 PM

Hi Guys,

I read a lot of comments here about rotating and changing your Yorkie's food after a certain period of time. I was wandering, is it good for them? I always heard that dogs should eat the same food, maybe I was wrong...
Can someone please elaborate on that? pros? cons? thoughts?..

Thanks so much! I'm learning so many wonderful things from this forum!

yorkietalkjilly · 04-04-2011, 03:20 PM

I feed Tibbe the same food besides his veggies and doggie treats and the occasional piece of what I'm eating. I fix it different ways but it is the same food. He has never had any vomiting or loose stool but that could be his constitution as much as the food.

LDMomma · 04-04-2011, 03:23 PM

I've read stuff supporting both sides.

That changing food can make them finicky or give loose stools.

Or that not changing food can allow them to develop allergies.

For us, we rotate between different flavors of the same brand (Honest Kitchen). We use about 5 different varieties.

ArmaniMan · 04-04-2011, 03:27 PM

I think if you find a food that works really good for you and you want to stick with it that is fine- but rotating works too. I don't have any specific method, I will use the same food for a few bags, then switch to something else for awhile, maybe go back. I also give them lots of different add ins, cottage cheese, yogurt, fruits, veggies, baby food, chicken, fish, sardines. I like giving them variety for two reasons, one I think it is healthy for them- two I think it makes them less picky- never knowing what will be in their dish, they will pretty much eat anything.

Gatord · 04-04-2011, 03:37 PM

I switch foods also. But I always keep on hand what I know they will eat in case they don't eat what I switch. I also give them fresh veggies and fruits along with their other treats if they have eaten their food for that day.

TiestosMom · 04-04-2011, 07:30 PM

Thanks everyone! I have to switch his food anyway because I read bad reviews about the one he's eating now (Nutro- Natural Choise) although he seems to do fine on it and the Vet had nothing bad to say when I mentioned it... I will try several defferent ones that were recomended on this forum and we'll see what works best

Poor guy, when I first got him I had to switch his food from the one the breeder fed him (Iams) because he was vomiting, then we tried both the Nutro and Halo and the Halo one made his poop kinda bad so we stuck with the Nutro (after Vet said it's ok). It's weird I've been to two different Vets and both did not seem very concerned with the kind of food my boy was fed

I'm just happy I found this forum it is so helpful specially for first time Yorkie and dog owners

Wylie's Mom · 04-05-2011, 06:04 AM

I like rotating a little, both for variety, and to keep them from developing food allergies (which can happen when feeding the same thing over and over). If you do rotate, be sure and save some novel proteins - just in case you ever need to do an elimination diet in the future.

AlicetheYorkie · 04-05-2011, 02:48 PM

It's weird I've been to two different Vets and both did not seem very concerned with the kind of food my boy was fed

I'm just happy I found this forum it is so helpful specially for first time Yorkie and dog owners

[/QUOTE]

Ya, unfortunatly most vets know very little about food and even nutrition in general. I have found though that if the vet practices holistic medicine also (they're not easy to find though

), they tend to know and care more about nutrition. I trust the advice I get on YT way more than my vet when it comes to nutrition and what foods to use. When my vet asked what I was feeding and I told him Orijen, he just smiled, shook his head and said "good" lol I'm not even sure he'd heard of it but at least he doesn't think I'm wrong for going holistic and tell me to give Iams or something instead

TiestosMom · 04-05-2011, 05:02 PM

When my vet asked what I was feeding and I told him Orijen, he just smiled, shook his head and said "good" lol I'm not even sure he'd heard of it but at least he doesn't think I'm wrong for going holistic and tell me to give Iams or something instead

[/QUOTE]

Thats exactly what my Vet did... and my answer was Nutro....

lol I'm just happy we found this forum, we will be getting some free food samples in the mail as well like one of the posts recomended, so we are going to have some food experiments

04-04-2011, 03:13 PM	#1
TiestosMom Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 19	Feed the same food or rotate? Hi Guys, I read a lot of comments here about rotating and changing your Yorkie's food after a certain period of time. I was wandering, is it good for them? I always heard that dogs should eat the same food, maybe I was wrong... Can someone please elaborate on that? pros? cons? thoughts?.. Thanks so much! I'm learning so many wonderful things from this forum!

04-04-2011, 03:20 PM	#2
yorkietalkjilly ♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas Posts: 22,140	I feed Tibbe the same food besides his veggies and doggie treats and the occasional piece of what I'm eating. I fix it different ways but it is the same food. He has never had any vomiting or loose stool but that could be his constitution as much as the food. __________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis

04-04-2011, 03:27 PM	#4
ArmaniMan I ♥ Armani & Chloe Donating Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 3,895	I think if you find a food that works really good for you and you want to stick with it that is fine- but rotating works too. I don't have any specific method, I will use the same food for a few bags, then switch to something else for awhile, maybe go back. I also give them lots of different add ins, cottage cheese, yogurt, fruits, veggies, baby food, chicken, fish, sardines. I like giving them variety for two reasons, one I think it is healthy for them- two I think it makes them less picky- never knowing what will be in their dish, they will pretty much eat anything. __________________ Armani & Chloe

04-05-2011, 06:04 AM	#7
Wylie's Mom Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 35,889 Blog Entries: 2	I like rotating a little, both for variety, and to keep them from developing food allergies (which can happen when feeding the same thing over and over). If you do rotate, be sure and save some novel proteins - just in case you ever need to do an elimination diet in the future. __________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann \| Pfeiffer \| Marcel Verdel Purcell \| Wylie \| Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨°

04-05-2011, 02:48 PM	#8
AlicetheYorkie YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 889	It's weird I've been to two different Vets and both did not seem very concerned with the kind of food my boy was fed I'm just happy I found this forum it is so helpful specially for first time Yorkie and dog owners [/QUOTE] Ya, unfortunatly most vets know very little about food and even nutrition in general. I have found though that if the vet practices holistic medicine also (they're not easy to find though ), they tend to know and care more about nutrition. I trust the advice I get on YT way more than my vet when it comes to nutrition and what foods to use. When my vet asked what I was feeding and I told him Orijen, he just smiled, shook his head and said "good" lol I'm not even sure he'd heard of it but at least he doesn't think I'm wrong for going holistic and tell me to give Iams or something instead __________________ Jenn, mom to: Dayton , Alice ,Darla, Miya , Summer & Chooch

04-04-2011, 03:23 PM	#3
LDMomma YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: FL Posts: 410	I've read stuff supporting both sides. That changing food can make them finicky or give loose stools. Or that not changing food can allow them to develop allergies. For us, we rotate between different flavors of the same brand (Honest Kitchen). We use about 5 different varieties.

04-04-2011, 03:37 PM	#5
Gatord ♥ Jack & Josie ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: FL Posts: 1,235	I switch foods also. But I always keep on hand what I know they will eat in case they don't eat what I switch. I also give them fresh veggies and fruits along with their other treats if they have eaten their food for that day.

04-04-2011, 07:30 PM	#6
TiestosMom Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 19	Thanks everyone! I have to switch his food anyway because I read bad reviews about the one he's eating now (Nutro- Natural Choise) although he seems to do fine on it and the Vet had nothing bad to say when I mentioned it... I will try several defferent ones that were recomended on this forum and we'll see what works best Poor guy, when I first got him I had to switch his food from the one the breeder fed him (Iams) because he was vomiting, then we tried both the Nutro and Halo and the Halo one made his poop kinda bad so we stuck with the Nutro (after Vet said it's ok). It's weird I've been to two different Vets and both did not seem very concerned with the kind of food my boy was fed I'm just happy I found this forum it is so helpful specially for first time Yorkie and dog owners

04-05-2011, 05:02 PM	#9
TiestosMom Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 19	When my vet asked what I was feeding and I told him Orijen, he just smiled, shook his head and said "good" lol I'm not even sure he'd heard of it but at least he doesn't think I'm wrong for going holistic and tell me to give Iams or something instead [/QUOTE] Thats exactly what my Vet did... and my answer was Nutro.... lol I'm just happy we found this forum, we will be getting some free food samples in the mail as well like one of the posts recomended, so we are going to have some food experiments