This is a specific conversation about Dog food allergies — identifying and fixing them — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
An 11-year-old Yorkie with a lifelong chicken intolerance is a specific situation — true food allergies are actually less common than intolerances, and yours sounds like a well-established intolerance that's already been identified. At this age, the vet wanting a diet review makes a lot of sense, because senior dogs have different protein, joint, and kidney considerations on top of any existing sensitivities. Before I point you toward anything specific: what symptoms have you seen historically with chicken — skin, gut, or both? And is your dog currently on a food that's working reasonably well, or are you actively seeing flare-ups?
It's mainly been skin — itching and flaky coat. She's been on a turkey-based dry food for years and it's been mostly fine, but the vet said at 11 she probably needs something with better joint support and easier-to-digest protein. She's also slowed down a lot and lost a bit of muscle.
inparticular.ai
That's really useful — skin reactions to chicken with turkey tolerance is a classic profile, and the good news is turkey is a genuinely solid novel protein for her. The muscle loss and slowing down at 11 is normal for a Yorkie but it does mean you want a food with slightly elevated, high-quality protein to maintain lean mass, plus added glucosamine and chondroitin for joints. Has the dry food she's on been a single-protein turkey, or could it have had any chicken fat or chicken derivatives in the ingredients list?
Honestly I've never checked that carefully. It just said turkey on the front. She's not had obvious flare-ups so I assumed it was okay.
inparticular.ai
It's worth checking, because many 'turkey' dry foods still include poultry fat or chicken derivatives lower down the list — that can cause low-grade irritation without a full flare-up. For a senior Yorkie with a confirmed chicken intolerance and a vet wanting better nutritional support, I'd move her to Forthglade Complete Senior Turkey with Brown Rice. It's a wet food, which is easier on ageing kidneys and digestion than dry, and the ingredients are clean — turkey is the primary protein with no chicken derivatives. It also has added glucosamine for joints, and the higher moisture content will help maintain hydration, which matters a lot in small senior dogs. The soft texture is easier for older teeth too. It comes in individual trays which makes portion control for a small dog very straightforward. Given her history, I'd run the specific ingredients past your vet at the review — they'll almost certainly approve it, but it's good to have them on board.
That sounds sensible. How much would she need each day, and would I phase it in slowly?
inparticular.ai
For an 11-year-old Yorkie — typically around 3 to 4 kg — you're looking at roughly one to one and a half of the 395g trays per day, split across two meals. Forthglade's packaging has a weight guide so check that against her actual weight. And yes, always phase in over 7 to 10 days — swap about 25% of the old food for the new each couple of days. It reduces the chance of digestive upset during the transition, which matters more in older dogs whose guts are less adaptable. Given her skin history, keep a note of how her coat looks over the first month — you should see an improvement if the old food had any hidden chicken content.
Really helpful, thank you. I'll grab some to try and mention it at the vet appointment.
inparticular.ai
Perfect approach. Forthglade Complete Senior Turkey with Brown Rice is a straightforward, honest ingredient list — your vet will have an easy time reviewing it. Good luck at the appointment, and I hope her coat and energy improve over the next few weeks.
