BARF and Your Yorkshire Terrier. Is it Good for Them?

Alternatives To Commercial Dog Food

Thanks for joining me.

The use of kibble as dog food is a convenience for owners.

We scoop up a half cup of food, or what the recommended amount is, and feel like our dogs enjoy it because they eat heartily.

The commercial dog food industry survives on convenience and when it comes to Yorkshire Terriers design special formulas for them.

In 2007 the food contamination issue made people question the quality of ingredients used in these commercial foods.

While all businesses need to profit to survive, the lowest cost isn't the healthiest in many cases.

Most sandwiches are more expensive than a candy bar, and not all sandwiches are the same either! Your Yorkshire Terrier eats what he is given - we have a choice to other options. Many people have turned to a BARF - Bones and Raw Food - diet for their dogs from Yorkshire Terriers to Great Danes.

The dog's system is designed to handle meat.

While in the wild dogs will eat berries and other things they are first and foremost a carnivore - and Yorkshire Terriers are just as much one as a wolf with the exception he isn't capable of taking down an elk! However, large and small dogs fed raw meaty bones must be done with some common sense especially for smaller Yorkie dogs.

Large breeds are advised to not be allowed wings - due to the tendency of many large dogs to gulp their food and the size allows the possibility of a wing to get stuck.

However, for larger breeds wings are too expensive due to demand for human hot wings! For Yorkshire Terriers that a wing, or half of a wing, is the size of his daily meaty bone allowance this is much more economical.

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Fish, chicken, beef, pork neck bones, rabbit and many other types of meat can be used.

Those with access to hunting or venison can use that.

The BARF diet takes slightly more thought than scooping out a portion, but only slightly.

Once you get the pattern down you might find it varies for most Yorkshire Terriers.

One day your Yorkshire Terrier might dine on a piece of pork neck bone with meat and a very small piece of ground meat.

The next day might be a chicken wing and piece of beef heart; the next you might use some leftover (de-boned) chicken from your dinner, a chicken liver and a few sardines or a little mackerel.

With Yorkshire Terriers getting the right sized portions is key.

For example - a can of mackerel is about $1 for 15 ounces - if your dog gets one ounce that's 15 meals! Because of the amounts, an economical way to do things is get some small food storage containers.

Split that can of mackerel into 14 containers and a bowl.

Add your proper Yorkshire Terrier sized portion of ground meat - turkey, beef or pork or combine them! For organ meats you can either give a very small piece daily or once per week give a bite of liver.

Beef or pork liver runs just over $1 per pound locally, and that is several one ounce servings for Yorkshire Terriers! This may be an option for Yorkshire Terrier breeders.

In some areas chicken leg quarters are under 50 cents per pound, but sometimes this is too much bone for a yorkie to handle.

Pull out the larger bones and discard, leaving just small bones in there that they can swallow easier.

Many BARF feeders report less stools, healthier coats and better breath.

Their teeth are in better shape.

Raw feeding is not necessarily expensive particularly when compared to the premium foods that are over $1 per pound.

Keep a balance and proper sized portions.

Too much reliance on just one food can create upset.

Even sardines can be used as a "meaty bone" for smaller sized Yorkshire Terriers.

Many feel a raw diet is the only way to feed.

There are many great books on the subject, and a great deal of information online.

Keep the Yorkshire Terrier's size in mind at all times - he can't handle the size of bones that a Border collie or German shepherd could consume with ease.

But keeping it to the size of food he can eat and many are surprised the way their Yorkshire Terriers and other small dogs take to "real food!" This dog food website covers more of these issues.

Take care and I will be back with another report later.

All the best.

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