Best Dog Food for Yorkies in 2024

Not all dogs are alike, and this means their dietary needs can vary significantly. This variation is due to differences in size, coat type, and physical activity levels among dogs. As someone who owns a dog, it’s your responsibility to understand and be well-informed about your dog’s specific nutritional requirements.

That way, you’ll know how to satisfy those needs and help your dog live a long, happy, and healthy life – through many life stages.

And for all the owners of the Yorkshire Terriers, we are going to present the best dog food for Yorkies buyers guide. We can help you to understand what kind of dog food recipe ought to be provided for them by their owners based on the dog’s nutritional needs.

However, the people that don’t own Yorkies should not worry, because many other pages about the best dog food for other dogs including large and small breeds are being added here, and if, for example, you own a pit bull, you see our picks for the Best Dog Food for Pitbulls.

Our team has spent hours researching products to find the best dog food for Yorkies, read our in-depth reviews below. Learn more about our 10 point inspection checklist.

The Best Dog Food for Yorkies

1. Blue Buffalo Small Breed Chicken & Rice Formula

Blue Buffalo's small breeds recipe is a great dry dog food choice for Yorkshire Terriers because it contains completely natural ingredients. This basically means that your Yorkie is going to get high-quality vitamins and minerals, as well as essential nutrients, which are really important for your dog.

There is a lot of protein in this small breed specific dry dog food recipe, and it comes from the muscles of chickens. There aren’t any chicken meal or chicken by-products here, only high-quality protein sources. This dry dog food also contains whole grain and flaxseed – an amazing alternative to fish oil, and a perfect amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. You can also find ingredients full of antioxidants here, like cranberries and blueberries.

Why We Like it – Blue Buffalo is one of the best dog food for Yorkies. The dry dog food contains real chicken and brown rice for small breeds is has a high protein composition from the muscle of real chicken, and there aren’t any chicken by-products. Apart from that, this Chicken recipe also contains flaxseed, which can be a great alternative to fish oil.

Nutrition Information:

Caloric Content	3,648 kcal/kg, 397 kcal/cup
Crude Protein	26.0% min
Crude Fat	15.0% min
Crude Fiber	4.0% max
Omega-3 Fatty Acids	0.5% min
Omega-6 Fatty Acids	3.0% min
Moisture	10.0% max

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2. Taste of the Wild Appalachian Valley Dry Food for Small Breeds

This Wild TOW Appalachian Valley food recipe made by Taste of the Wild has a high protein composition from venison, a dry dog food ingredient that is easy for small dogs to digest. Venison is a great source of healthy proteins and fats and is a huge plus for this dog food product.

There are other protein sources in this food, and they include duck, lamb, egg, and ocean fish, and all of those ingredients are considered a source of high protein and prebiotic and prebiotic fibers. This dog food product also provides optimal amino acid nutrition, and the fact that the dry kibble is rather small makes it easy for a Yorkshire Terrier to eat and manage.

Why We Like It – The Taste of the Wild TOW Appalachian Valley dog food recipe is full of venison protein, which is something that a Yorkshire Terrier stomach can easily digest. Also, venison is a great source of protein, but not the only one; other healthy protein sources in this product include duck, lamb, ocean fish, and egg – great sources of both prebiotic and prebiotic fibers.

Nutrition Information:

Caloric Content	3,719 kcal/kg, 370 kcal/cup
Crude Protein	32.0% min
Crude Fat	18.0% min
Crude Fiber	4.0% max
Omega-3 Fatty Acids	0.3% min
Omega-6 Fatty Acids	2.8% min
Moisture	10.0% max

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3. Wellness Complete Health Small Breed Adult

In this Wellness Complete Health Small Breed, you can find all the natural ingredients that adult Yorkies need. Their adult dry dog food ingredients include chicken, deboned turkey, salmon meal, oatmeal, ground barley, ground brown rice, rye flour, spinach, sweet potatoes, blueberries, apples, chicken fat, etc.

This potato recipe food is rich in protein, vitamin E, vitamin A, and beta carotene, and healthy fats making it a good competitor for the best dog food for a Yorkshire Terrier. Also, the small size of this dry kibble makes the food easily digestible for Yorkshire Terriers.

Why We Like It – The Wellness Complete Health Small Breed recipe contains chicken meat, deboned turkey, salmon meat, ground brown rice, oatmeal, rye flour, sweet potatoes, spinach, blueberries, apples, chicken fat, etc. All of these ingredients are the things that make this adult Yorkies dog food so full of vitamins A and E, as well as beta carotene and protein.

You might be interested in Best Dog Food for Shih Tzu

Nutrition Information:

Caloric Content	3,645 kcal/kg or 408 kcal/cup
Crude Protein	28.0% min
Crude Fat	15.0% min
Crude Fiber	4.0% max
Omega-3 Fatty Acids	0.5% min
Omega-6 Fatty Acids	3.0% min
Moisture	11.0% max

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4. Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Healthy

Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Healthy ingredients include duck and chicken, meaning that it is both healthy and tasty for your Yorkshire Terrier – perfect for picky eaters.

This Natural Balance food does not contain any gluten, nor artificial flavors or colors. The size of Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Healthy kibble was specially designed to support the small bellies and mouths of small dog breeds, meaning that it is the best dog food for Yorkies.

We Like It – Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Healthy is a small breed recipe containing ingredients such as duck and chicken, making this food amazing not only for your Yorkies health but also rather tasty, so picky eaters need not refrain! The recipe does not contain any gluten, nor does it have any artificial flavors or colors.

Nutrition Information:

Caloric Content	3,460 kcal/kg, 370 kcal/cup
Crude Protein	23.0% min
Crude Fat	13.0% min
Crude Fiber	5.0% max
Omega-3 Fatty Acids	0.4% min
Omega-6 Fatty Acids	2.5% min
Moisture	10.0% max

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5. Wellness CORE Grain-Free

There are no grains in this Wellness CORE Grain-Free small breed recipe, but the dog food is rather rich in protein. The main ingredients of this natural small-breed grain-free dog food include chicken and turkey, and most importantly – salmon oil.

Other ingredients include plenty of vegetables and fruits, which take care of your Yorkshire Terrier. There are other healthy ingredients in Wellness CORE Natural Grain-Free dry food, such as vitamins and minerals, omega 3, probiotics, and antioxidants.

Why We Like It – This small breed recipe makes it onto our list of the best food for Yorkies because it is full of protein. Its most important ingredients include chicken and turkey, and salmon oil as well. Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free dog kibble is also full of vegetables and fruits, helping your dog obtain his optimal health.

Because of all the probiotics, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals that this product is full of, this natural grain-free dry dog kibble is a perfect and healthy gift for your Yorkshire Terrier.

Nutrition Information:

Caloric Content	3,746 kcal/kg, 412 kcal/cup
Crude Protein	36.0% min
Crude Fat	16.0% min
Crude Fiber	5.0% max
Omega-3 Fatty Acids	0.5% min
Omega-6 Fatty Acids	3.0% min
Moisture	10.0% max

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Best Dog Food for Yorkies with Sensitive Stomachs and Allergies

Natural Balance LID Limited Ingredients Potato and Duck

If you have a Yorkie puppy with a sensitive stomach or a dog who is prone to allergies, try this Natural Balance LID Limited Ingredients small breed puppy food. This recipe for sensitive tummies has a rather minimal list of ingredients. They include high-quality protein and carbohydrate sources, making this puppy recipe a great food for Yorkie puppies.

Also, this Natural Balance LID Limited Ingredients puppy food is grain-free, making it easy to digest, and the formula is great for skin and coat health. A perfect solution for dogs with sensitive tummies.

Nutrition Information:

Caloric Content	3431 kcal/kg, 375 kcal/cup
Crude Protein	24.0% min
Crude Fat	10.0% min
Crude Fiber	4.0% max
Omega-3 Fatty Acids	0.5% min
Omega-6 Fatty Acids	1.5% min
Moisture	10.0% max

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Best Food for Senior Yorkies

Wellness Complete Health Small Breed Natural Senior

If your Yorkie has started getting older, you should get this Wellness Complete Health Small Breed food for him. It was formulated especially for older dogs, which means that it meets all their needs.

Wellness Complete Health Small Breed Natural Senior dog food recipe includes hip, joint health, and digestive health support.

Wellness Complete Health Small Breed Natural Senior contains a deboned turkey meal with glucosamine and chondroitin, which means this small breed recipe is ideal senior dog food for older Yorkshire Terriers.

Nutrition Information:

Caloric Content	3,478 kcal/kg or 435 kcal/cup
Crude Protein	25.0% min
Crude Fat	12.0% min
Crude Fiber	5.0% max
Omega-3 Fatty Acids	0.5% min
Omega-6 Fatty Acids	3.0% min
Moisture	10.0% max
Vitamin E	300 mg/kg min

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Best Dog Food for Yorkie Puppies

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Puppy Food

If you have a Yorkie puppy, then the Blue Buffalo Life Protection Puppy Food should work great. This puppy recipe is made of high-quality meat, garden-grown vegetables, and fruits, as well as of whole grains. This makes this food for Yorkie puppies full of nutrients that a pup that’s still growing needs.

This puppy food makes it onto our best dog food list because it contains Life Source Bits full of antioxidants, something essential for a puppy that is still growing and developing. This puppy recipe does not contain any by-products, wheat, soy, or corn, either.

Nutrition Information:

Caloric Content	3,709 kcal/kg, 415 kcal/cup
Crude Protein	29.0% min
Crude Fat	17.0% min
Crude Fiber	5.0% max
Omega-3 Fatty Acids	0.75% min
Omega-6 Fatty Acids	3.25% min
Moisture	10.0% max

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How We Picked the Best Dog Food for Yorkies

Small Breed Specific

You can always look for food specifically meant for Yorkies, but you may not be able to find it in all brands. We do recommend looking for small breed-specific food. This is because the kibble in your dog’s food will be small enough for your little fur baby.

Top Ingredients

Pet owners should look for food with the best ingredients for healthy digestion and nutritional value. Fresh, whole and recipes without fillers, artificial additives and preservatives are the best.

Omega Fatty Acids

We also suggest omega fatty acid-rich food for healthy skin and coats. Yorkies have long and luxurious fur, which is why a pet owner needs to keep the dog’s coat healthy with sufficient levels of omega 3s and 6s.

Yorkie Best Dog Foods Buyers Guide

Nutritional Needs of Yorkies

Yorkshire Terriers are like other dogs. They need food full of vitamins and minerals, nutrients, and especially those made of completely natural ingredients and do not contain any byproducts. Of course, some crucial considerations should be made before choosing the best food for your Yorkie pet.

Like most of us know, Yorkshire Terriers are small breed dogs, which tells us that they do not have big mouths. So, if you are feeding your pet dog with dry dog food, then you should choose kibble, and most importantly, choose small-sized kibble.

If you give your Yorkie kibble that is too big, your dog might not be able to chew it properly or to chew it at all and could have trouble digesting it. This is something that could eventually lead to malnutrition for your dog or even worse.

Another key consideration needs to be made, and it has to do with the age of the dog, which can and will affect the amount of food that the pet eats.

A puppy has very different nutritional needs compared to an adult dog, even small breeds. Now, because then they are a toy breed, they can’t eat too much food at one time, and that is why you can’t just feed your Yorkie once a day.

This could cause some problems that could lead to an upset stomach and low blood sugar. You need to feed your Yorkie dog at least 2 or 3 times a day rather than just once.

Now, having that in mind, the exact amount of food given to your dog and the number of times you will feed it mostly depends on the age of the dog. These are the suggested feeding schedules based on that:

Weaning (4 – 7 weeks) – 3 Months: When you have a puppy still weaning from nursing, it is essential to offer him food throughout the day. This will allow the puppy to gain enough weight to handle a more structured diet compared to a mother’s milk. In this stage, you need to make sure that the food is always available to the dog.

Doing so can help prevent hypoglycemia and help your puppy eat whenever he feels the need to, which is extremely important during this development stage.

3 Months – 1 Year: After the weaning stage, you need to start introducing your dog to a feeding schedule, which basically means that you shouldn’t provide the Yorkie’s food for the dog at all times because that will make the potty training extremely difficult. Also, when a dog eats on a schedule, you’re going to be able to train him better and improve the dog’s behavior.

During this stage, the dog should get 3 or 4 meals a day – one in the morning, one in the afternoon, one in the early evening, and one in the evening. You need to remember that your dog should not get any food at least 2 hours before sleep!

1 Year and Up: Once your dog turns 1 year, he can be considered an adult dog, and therefore, you ought to start adjusting the feeding schedule to 2 meals a day. If you were feeding your Yorkie puppy food, it’s time to switch over to adult dog food at this point.

The amount of calories per day your dog needs to consume depends on his age and activity level. If the dog is younger, the number of calories per day is much higher because it is much more active. Basically, this is the recommended calories per day for Yorkies:

– 200 calories per day for small breed puppies

– 150 calories per day for small breed adult dogs

– 120 calories per day for small breed senior dogs

Best Food Ingredients for Yorkies

The ingredients for the food the dog eats are essential for Yorkies and other toy breeds. They can impact your dog’s immune system, skin and coat health, and overall well-being and improve it or worsen it.

You may also want to consider if you want grain-free foods. Dogs need carbohydrates; however, too many can also make them put on weight. Whatever you decide, not all grain-free foods are created equal, so make sure your dog food contains high-quality ingredients.

You can read more about the pros and cons of grain-free dog foods here.

Here are some of the ingredients that are beneficial to Yorkies, no matter the dog’s age:

Protein: This is one of the most important Yorkie food ingredients, and some of the best sources of protein include lamb, chicken meal, fish, beef, and turkey meal. The best protein can be found in the muscles of animals and should never be processed in dog food!

Carbohydrates: Dogs need carbs and are considered to be one of the most important in your Yorkies’ dog food, but when it comes to Yorkies, you must be careful because there are several different types of carbohydrates.

Small breeds stomaches can have a hard time processing the common carbs, like soy and corn, and the problem lies in the fact that many of the cheapest dog foods contain them. You ought to find Yorkies’ food with softer carbs, like brown rice and sweet potatoes.

Fats: Every Yorkie needs to intake healthy fats because they can help the dog maintain a nice, shiny, long, healthy skin and coat. Fish oil, rich in omega 6 fatty acids, is considered the best ingredient for this!

Common Health Issues to Watch Out For

Small toy breeds can have big health issues, which is exactly why they should be taken care of. And because the Yorkies are little but tough, they are predisposed to some health problems; and even though a vast majority of Yorkies live a long, happy, and healthy life through all life stages.

Some can experience certain conditions considered to be common to this breed of dog. Therefore, the Yorkie owners must be aware of these health issues to help their dog if the need for it arises.

Here are some of the most common health problems that usually affect Yorkies:

Collapsing tracheas – With Yorkies, a problem frequently arises when the cartilage rings of the trachea collapse. Collapsing tracheas makes it difficult for the dog to pass the air through his windpipe.

It is still unknown what exactly causes collapsing tracheas, but it is believed that it could be a congenital abnormality in Yorkies. The symptoms of Collapsing tracheas in your dog include labored breathing, honking cough, and blue color in the gums.

Luxating patellas – This is a condition that occurs when the kneecap gets dislocated into the femur’s groove of your dog. This commonly affects Yorkies and other toy dogs, but the problem is that its symptoms vary and usually depend on the serenity of the issue. However, they usually do include abnormal movement of the hind legs, lameness, and skipping.

Dental problems – Tooth decay is something that happens to Yorkies rather frequently. This happens because these dogs have teeth that are vulnerable to the effects of plaque and tartar. The result of this is an infection that can occur in the dog’s gums rather easily. Help your pup with the best dog toothpaste.

Hypothyroidism – This is a condition that refers to the underactive thyroid gland and is really common in Yorkies. These dogs have thyroid glands that frequently do not produce enough thyroxine, a hormone that helps manage metabolism, which can lead to weight problems.

Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease – This condition reduces the amount of the supplied blood to the bones of the rear legs, which causes those bones to degrade in time. Clear signs of this problem include limping and can happen to a Yorkie as young as six months old.

Sensitive Stomachs – Sensitive stomachs are something the Yorkies are prone to, and this happens because they have a really tiny stomach that can easily become upset. This, in turn, leads to vomiting and diarrhea. in dogs See more foods for sensitive tummies here.

Dry or Wet Dog Food for Yorkies?

When looking for the best dog food for Yorkshire Terriers, you’ll notice that there are two main types of it available – dry food and wet food. And if you’re wondering which of them is better for your Yorkie, the answer is that the best dry dog food is the only option.

This mostly has to do with the fact that Yorkies have sensitive teeth, and so, this food is the better option. If you are deciding between dry food or wet dog food, consult your vet for their opinion.

If you are an owner of a dog with dental health issues, then dry dog food is the best option for them. The best dry dog foods have a crunchy texture, and because of that, it can help clean the dog’s teeth of tartar and plaque.

So, when you choose dry foods for your Yorkie, also be sure to choose the one that comes in smaller kibble, because, as we have already mentioned, Yorkies have really tiny mouths and might have trouble eating the larger kibble.

How Much Should You Feed Your Yorkie?

This is a question that can be difficult to answer because not every Yorkie is the same, and each of them has different needs. If your Yorkie is more active, he will need a lot more food than the Yorkies that aren’t really active. Also, the younger dogs will have to eat a lot more than the older ones.

Usually, it goes like this: a puppy ought to consume about 45-55 calories of puppy food per pound of body weight. When it comes to small breed adults, they need a lot fewer calories. Now, because not all foods have the same number of calories, we can’t just give you a definite amount of food your Yorkie ought to eat.

We can’t just say that you ought to give the dog half a cup of food; it all depends on the dog. The best way to figure out how much dog food you ought to give to your dog is to read the label on the food product and do it according to it.

Conclusion

Small dogs and toy breeds have different needs than larger breeds, and your Yorkshire Terrier will also have different needs during different life stages. Therefore the best dog food for Yorkies may change as they get older.

For the best dog foods look for high-quality ingredients with high protein, Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, and healthy carbs like sweet potato. The best dog foods for your Yorkie may also be small breed specific.

Did You Know?

The right dog food for your dog will depend on many circumstances, consult your vet for the best options.

Expert Tip

If your Yorkie is picky, which can happen a lot with this breed, try food toppers and mixers. But it’s still important to make sure these toppings are made from top-quality ingredients.