Royal Canin or Natural choice?

[paulinanguyen2]

my little yorkie snickers has been on Royal Canin food, but i'm not sure if its th best choice or not because it has corn in it..and some people have been telling me that natural choice lamb and rice is the best kind of food you can feed your dog. but...IM SO CONFUSED! i dont know if i should switch or not...HELP!! SOMEONE!

[Rae Rae]

Rocky LOVES Royal Canin. I've heard good reviews from people on here about it, and after he ate our friends dogs whole bowl of it I decided it's probably best for him. I hope someone else can help you out better though.

[yorkieK9trainer]

Nutro Natrual Choice (Lamb & Rice/small bites)

Ingredients
Lamb Meal, Ground Rice, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Soybean Oil, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Natural Flavors, Rice Gluten, Dried Egg Product, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, Dried Kelp (source of Iodine), Salt, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Ferrous Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Biotin, Copper Proteinate, Niacin, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Vitamin A Supplement, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid.

Royal Canin (presumably Yorkshire 28 Formula)

Ingredients
Chicken meal, rice, brown rice, chicken fat (naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols, citric acid and rosemary extract), chicken, corn gluten meal, dried egg powder, barley, natural chicken flavor, cellulose, beet pulp (sugar removed), salmon oil, brewers yeast, potassium chloride, soya oil, fructo-oligosaccharides, salmon meal, sodium tripolyphosphate, brewers yeast extract (Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation solubles), alfalfa meal, taurine*, Vitamins [dl-alpha tocopherol (source of vitamin E), inositol, niacin, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C*), d-calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A acetate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], flax seed, borage oil, choline chloride, dried spinach, magnesium oxide, Trace Minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, calcium iodate], glucosamine hydrochloride, dried sweet potatoes, dried apples, dried bluberries, green tea extract, chondroitin sulfate, L-tyrosine, garlic, ginger.

I personally would not feed either one. The Nutro has lesser protein, by about 7 points actually and everyone has their own opinions on the needs of small breeds. It's always best to speak w/ a certified nutritionalist in order to really get a true understanding, imo. But as far as both foods go, they do not have enough protein sources within the first four ingredients for me to consider feeding them. NUTRO- has sunflower oil...studies are showing it may be on the carcinogen list in dogs, but most importantly, BOTH foods have wayyy too many fillers in them. Your dog could be getting better nutrition out of there diet than this. Each dog requires different things. And just because you're dog looks good on the outside doesn't neccessarily mean he looks just as good on the inside. Often times the outside is a reflection of the inside, but I don't rely on that.
jm2c

[yorkieK9trainer]

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog...ml#Ingredients

(this is one of the dry kibbles I feed most of my dogs...including two Yorkies)

I just appreciate the protein sources and less fillers this kibble has to offer.
There's another one I feed, but it's imported from overseas and can't be bought here on the shelves just yet.

[paulinanguyen2]

so if royal canin and natural choice arent good choices, what is the best choice for a 3 month old yorkie? HELP!!!

[chachi]

I feed mine Royal Canin

[yorkiemalt]

I also feed Natural Balance.....but I use the Venison and Brown Rice formula.

[yorkieK9trainer]

That's just it.
What works well for one dog, doesn't always work well for the next.
The BEST thing you can do is find a few foods that are considered "healthy" w/ next to no fillers and extra "junk" and try to see which one appeals to his palat. I know that spinach and brussel sprouts are good for me, but I wouldn't touch them w/ a ten foot pole! On the other hand, I know that other vegetables are also good for me and I choose those.
Present your little one w/ the right healthy choices and he can make the call if you'd like to do it that way. There are always little sample bags you can get.

I'd recommend trying the Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance. You can get it at PetCo or a local feed store. Otherwise there is a newer food out that has a reference to Timber wolves that you can buy and there's only one formula out of a few (the one that has NO Sunflower Oil) that I would say try.

Let me know if you'd like other recommendations if these don't work for you!

[romeos mommy]

i switched romeo from r/c to nutro lamb and rice. he won't eat the healthier food.

[soneal]

All 3 of mine are on Natural Balance potato and duck. It is for all life stages from puppy to adult and they all 3 love it. Plus it has great things in it.

[yorkieK9trainer]

Natural Balance, out of all the food mentioned here certainly has healthier ingredients and in healthier portions, but people here that are unfamiliar w/ it should know that if you've got a Yorkie w/ a particularly small mouth, they may have a hard time eating the somewhat larger round kibble pieces of N.B..
If it becomes an issue, you could always soften it some, or go w/ an equally healthy diet that offers smaller kibble.

[yorkiemalt]

You can also put the Natural Balance kibble in a blender/food processor for a few seconds and it makes them small enough.

[dizpatch]

Originally Posted by yorkiemalt

You can also put the Natural Balance kibble in a blender/food processor for a few seconds and it makes them small enough.

That is a good idea!

[Jenn218]

Okay.....I have never heard of nautral balance?? You say you can get it at Petco and PetsMart?

Mojo was on Eukanuba when we got him, then we switched to Royal Canin and after his tummy issues (sensitive tummy) we switched to Nutro lamb and rice (small bites).....every now and then, we mix it wth some Royal Canin (Yorkshire 28).

Is this natural balance for sensitive tummies too?

[yorkieK9trainer]

Jenn, it's not laden w/ the many things that cause sensitive tummys to go ary. I would have to venture a "Yes, he should be just fine" on this one. There are a few other formulas within the Natural Balance family that you could get other than my fav. (The Original). They make treats out of the soft logs that you can buy (made from the same stuff as the dry kibble), I'd buy a small bag of those treats and see how he handles it. I use that stuff for my tracking bait too!

The blender idea is a fabulous one!

One last thing, you can't get Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance at PetSmart. Only PetCo (out of the chain stores like it) have a contract to carry this brand. Otherwise you'd have to go to a smaller mom and pop store or a feed store.