Raw Food Diet for Yorkies

As a result of the popularity of my post on making healthy homemade dog food, I have been receiving quite a lot of requests from people wanting to know more about the proper diet for their dogs. The overwhelming number of responses so far has been that readers would prefer a list of specific recipes and a shopping list. Some have also asked that I discuss the pros and cons of various commercially available diets. So here we go!

First, you can’t go wrong feeding your dog chicken necks and wings bought from your butcher. They are practically pure cartilage which makes them very easy to digest and highly beneficial for teeth and joint health. If you’re making your food, just add some to what you’re cooking for yourself and give the rest to your dog. Cooked bones are dangerous because they can splinter but since these are pure cartilage it’s fine.

I have had excellent results with whole ground turkey bought from my grocery store. It is very cheap if on sale and I just feed it as is, no additives or anything else. However, any combination of good quality meats will do, even fish! If the meat has fat on it I remove it before feeding but that’s about all I do. Just be sure to vary the diet so that your pet gets a wide range of nutrients without too much saturated fat which can lead to pancreatitis.

One key to feeding your dog is to make sure he has a healthy balance of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. This can be trickier if you are cooking for yourself but many health food stores carry flax seed oil which is a good addition to your dog’s diet. I mix it in with his meats when making my dog food.

Another thing I feed my pets is green beans. It sounds odd but they love them, especially frozen or canned. Again, just make sure no salt or preservatives have been added. Many brands also add sugar so watch out! If the label says “in natural juices” it’s probably okay but not guaranteed 100%. Frozen green beans are far superior though because there is virtually no nutritional value left in fresh green beans after they are picked and shipped.

One thing I have not seen mentioned yet is eggs. This is an excellent source of protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. The yolks contain carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin which are very important for eye health, especially as dogs get older.

The whites are rich in sulfur-containing proteins which support the production of keratin – an important component of hair, skin, and nails. Eggs also help with digestion so don’t worry about giving your dog the occasional eggshell! Just be sure to cook them first because raw eggs can carry Salmonella which is dangerous for both you and your pet. You can use an egg slicer or a pair of scissors to break a boiled egg into small pieces.

One of the most common questions I get is whether I feed my dog commercial food or not. The answer is yes and no. While most commercially available diets are indeed highly processed, there are some good brands out there. The key with any brand is to read the label carefully and make sure that real meat, vegetables, and/or fruit are listed as the first ingredient.

If it says “by-product” anywhere in the list then you should avoid that brand because by-products include things like beaks, claws, feathers, etc which do your pet absolutely no good nutritionally speaking. Remember – they know what sells so if a company can make more money by including ingredients they will! A couple of good brands are Life’s Abundance and Canidae.

Another question that comes up a lot is whether your pet needs commercial food. The answer is “maybe”. Many dogs do just fine with whole ground turkey or any other meat combination. However, some pets have medical conditions which may be helped by feeding them a carefully formulated diet such as one high in protein and low in carbs. These diets must be made specifically for the animal so they don’t contain ingredients like corn which can cause pancreatitis in certain animals.

If your vet has recommended such a diet I’d recommend researching it beforehand so you know what goes into it and how much of each thing to feed your pet. This will greatly simplify things because most of these recipes call for very specific measurements.

Another thing I feed my pets is green beans. It sounds odd but they love them, especially frozen or canned. Again, just make sure no salt or preservatives have been added. Many brands also add sugar so watch out! If the label says “in natural juices” it’s probably okay but not guaranteed 100%. Frozen green beans are far superior though because there is virtually no nutritional value left in fresh green beans after they are picked and shipped.

One thing I have not seen mentioned yet is eggs. This is an excellent source of protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. The yolks contain carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin which are very important for eye health, especially as dogs get older. The whites are rich in sulfur-containing proteins which support the production of keratin – an important component of hair, skin, and nails.

Eggs also help with digestion so don’t worry about giving your dog the occasional eggshell! Just be sure to cook them first because raw eggs can carry Salmonella which is dangerous for both you and your pet. You can use an egg slicer or a pair of scissors to break a boiled egg into small pieces.

One of the most common questions I get is whether I feed my dog commercial food or not. The answer is yes and no. While most commercially available diets are indeed highly processed, there are some good brands out there. The key with any brand is to read the label carefully and make sure that real meat, vegetables, and/or fruit are listed as the first ingredient.

If it says “by-product” anywhere in the list then you should avoid that brand because by-products include things like beaks, claws, feathers, etc which do your pet absolutely no good nutritionally speaking. Remember – they know what sells so if a company can make more money by including ingredients they will! A couple of good brands are Life’s Abundance and Canidae.

Another question that comes up a lot is whether your pet needs commercial food. The answer is “maybe”. Many dogs do just fine with whole ground turkey or any other meat combination. However, some pets have medical conditions which may be helped by feeding them a carefully formulated diet such as one high in protein and low in carbs. These diets must be made specifically for the animal so they don’t contain ingredients like corn which can cause pancreatitis in certain animals.

If your vet has recommended such a diet I’d recommend researching it beforehand so you know what goes into it and how much of each thing to feed your pet. This will greatly simplify things because most of these recipes call for very specific measurements.