Best food for a 5lb lazy Yorkie-Poo? Considering protein and calories.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If Teddy is healthy and doing well, I would not jump to switching his food. Royal Canin is one of the best pet foods out there. First, be sure that he is not having any other problems causing him not to eat well. Be sure he does not have any mouth pain or GI problems. This may require a vet visit if you're unsure. If Teddy is 6 lbs, his daily amount of food should be around 1/2 of a measuring cup or slightly less, so it is not a large amount of food. Be sure you are using a measuring cup to accurately assess how much he is being fed per day. Be sure that he isn't getting many other treats during the day, as a small dog can fill up quickly with a couple treats. If you truly feel that Royal Canin is not the best of Teddy then Hill's Science diet or Iams Eukanuba are equivalent quality foods. But do not switch his food frequently as you may create a picky eater. Be sure to do any diet changes gradually over the course of a week, mixing the food gradually.

Have Pebbles examined by your veterinarian to diagnose any medical causes such as intestinal parasites, malabsorption or maldigestion issues. Once she is cleared medically, you can try increasing the amount of food being fed. Switching to a "hotter" (higher protein) food should be done gradually to prevent gastrointestinal upset. Canidae, Acana, Orijen, Taste of The Wild and the Royal Canin line are all premium diets. The website www.dogfoodadvisor.com is an excellent resource for comparing diets.

Hi! She is so gorgeous! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are many great commercial diets. The most important thing is to get the appropriate diet for their age. Ginger should be on a puppy diet for now given her age. When she turns 1 she should be switched to an adult type diet. There are many brands that are excellent. I personally prefer Purina and Royal canin products but really as long as it is a decent well-balanced diet, it is ok. Good luck!

I can give you a couple of websites that have recipes for homemade diets. It's very difficult to get the correct balance of nutrients in a homemade diets, and these websites will help with that. One of the sites is from the UC Davis veterinary school, and the recipes are provided by experts in animal nutrition. I would use recipes from these sites to feed your dog. As for weight, a good weight for a mini yorkie is between 1-3 pounds, and no more than 4 pounds. https://secure.balanceit.com https://www.petdiets.com

I personally do not like Blue Buffalo at all. They have had serious quality control problems which they have admitted due to the fact that they don't own their own factories. They therefore give the recipe to someone to make, and have no control over whether or not the recipe is followed exactly. Plus many colleagues have reported an increase in gas with this food. I would not recommend Blue Buffalo for Fiffy. As for the other two foods, between the two of them I would recommend the Nutro Max. It's a better quality food in my opinion. Just so you are aware, grains are beneficial to dogs and I do not recommend feeding a dog a grain free food unless they have a proven grain allergy, which isn't very common at all in dogs. Food allergies are the least common type of allergies in dogs, and when they do have a food allergy, it is most commonly related to protein not grain. There are very few dogs who have true grain allergies. It is beneficial for Fiffy's health to feed her grains, and brands that I would recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I hope this all helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Any of the following brands can be fed so long as it is puppy food for small dogs. The food needs to be slowly transition over 7-10 days introducing the new food in about 20% increment every other day. For detail, contact your veterinarian on how to transition the food. Recommended brands are Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan, and Iams. Choose one, and stick with it until about one year of age. After that, transition to an adult formula for small breeds from the same brand. Void feeding anything other than the dogs food and a few treats made specifically for dogs. Hopes this helps!

To the best of my knowledge, PetCoach does not employ a nutritionist and mainly employs general practitioners. I will try to help however! The food I recommend is Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier Puppy: https://www.royalcanin.com/us/dogs/products/retail-products/yorkshire-terrier-puppy-dry-dog-food I agree that her eye does look irritated. See what happens when you switch the food. If she continues to have the problem, or if it remains chronic instead of going away, discuss a food trial with a hydrolyzed protein with your veterinarian. That's the best way to rule out a food allergy. I hope this helps.