The scores
Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier: C (58/100) — Average. A grain-heavy formula led by two rice ingredients and chicken by-product meal, with wheat gluten and corn gluten meal rounding out the top six.
Wellness Complete Health: B (82/100) — Above average. Deboned chicken and chicken meal lead the formula, followed by oatmeal, ground barley, and peas — whole-food ingredients with genuine nutritional value.
A 24-point gap is substantial. It reflects a fundamentally different approach to formulation: one brand builds around cheap grains and by-product meal, while the other builds around named animal proteins and whole grains. For a tiny breed like the Yorkshire Terrier — where every calorie counts because they eat so little — ingredient quality matters more than it does for larger dogs.
How the ingredients compare
The top five ingredients tell you everything about where your money goes:
Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier: Brewers Rice, Brown Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken Fat, Wheat Gluten, Corn Gluten Meal
Wellness Complete Health: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Barley, Peas
Royal Canin’s first two ingredients are rice — brewers rice (a cheap milling by-product) and brown rice. The first animal-sourced ingredient doesn’t appear until position three, and it’s chicken by-product meal, which includes heads, feet, intestines, and undifferentiated organs. Wheat gluten and corn gluten meal follow, both plant-based protein concentrates that inflate the protein guarantee without providing the amino acid profile of actual meat. This is a grain-and-gluten formula with some chicken parts mixed in.
Wellness takes the opposite approach. Deboned chicken — real, named muscle meat — is the first ingredient. Chicken meal, a concentrated protein source, follows immediately. The grains that come next are whole oatmeal and ground barley, both of which provide fiber, B vitamins, and slower-digesting carbohydrates that help maintain stable blood sugar. Peas round out the top five with plant-based protein and fiber. There are no by-products, no wheat gluten, and no corn gluten anywhere in the formula.
For Yorkies specifically, this matters. A four-pound dog eating a quarter cup of food per day needs every bite to deliver quality nutrition. When two of the five heaviest ingredients are cheap rice and the protein comes from by-product meal and plant glutens, those tiny meals are doing less nutritional work than they should be.
Where Wellness Complete Health pulls ahead
Named deboned chicken as the first ingredient: This is the single biggest differentiator. Wellness starts with actual muscle meat — deboned chicken — followed by chicken meal as the second ingredient. Two named animal proteins in the first two positions means the formula is genuinely built around meat. Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier doesn’t include a named whole meat anywhere in its top five — its sole animal ingredient is by-product meal in third position, buried behind two rice ingredients.
Whole grains instead of gluten fillers: Wellness uses oatmeal and ground barley — whole grains that provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals alongside their carbohydrate energy. Royal Canin uses wheat gluten and corn gluten meal, which are concentrated plant proteins stripped from the grain during processing. They exist in the formula primarily to boost the protein percentage on the label without the cost of actual meat. For Yorkies prone to sensitive stomachs, whole grains are generally easier to digest than processed gluten concentrates.
Real fruits, vegetables, and probiotics: Wellness includes blueberries, spinach, and other whole-food ingredients that provide natural antioxidants, plus guaranteed live probiotics for digestive health. Royal Canin relies on synthetic vitamin and mineral supplements without the whole-food antioxidant base. For a breed as long-lived as the Yorkshire Terrier — they regularly reach 13 to 16 years — the cumulative benefit of whole-food antioxidants over a decade-plus of feeding adds up.
No by-products, no wheat, no corn gluten: Wellness keeps its ingredient list clean of the three most common quality shortcuts in budget and mid-tier dog food. No chicken by-product meal, no wheat gluten, no corn gluten meal. For owners who want to know exactly what protein their Yorkie is eating, Wellness makes that straightforward — it’s chicken, and it’s named. Shop on Amazon →
Where Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier holds its own
Royal Canin’s most compelling feature for Yorkie owners is the GLA-rich safflower oil specifically included for coat health. Yorkshire Terriers have a unique coat — it’s hair rather than fur, similar in structure to human hair, and it grows continuously. GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) from safflower oil supports skin barrier function and coat luster, which matters more for Yorkies than for most breeds. Wellness includes flaxseed and fish oil for omega fatty acids, but the targeted GLA supplementation is something Royal Canin does specifically because this formula exists for Yorkies.
The breed-specific kibble is designed for the Yorkshire Terrier’s small jaw and bite. At four to seven pounds, Yorkies have tiny mouths, and standard kibble can be difficult for them to pick up and chew. Royal Canin’s miniature kibble shape is genuinely easier for small-jawed dogs to eat, and some Yorkie owners report their dogs eat more consistently with the smaller pieces. Wellness makes a small breed formula too, but the standard Complete Health kibble isn’t bred-specific sized.
Royal Canin also includes L-tyrosine, an amino acid that supports melanin production and skin pigmentation. For Yorkies with their distinctive blue-and-tan coloring, maintaining coat color is a cosmetic concern some owners care about. This is a niche addition that Wellness doesn’t offer, though it has zero impact on overall nutritional quality or the 24-point scoring gap. Shop on Amazon →
The bottom line
A 24-point gap across a full letter grade makes this a clear call. Wellness Complete Health delivers real chicken as its first ingredient, whole grains, probiotics, and whole-food antioxidants — all without by-products or gluten fillers. Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier delivers brewers rice, brown rice, and chicken by-product meal dressed up with breed-specific kibble shape and a few targeted supplements.
The GLA safflower oil and L-tyrosine in Royal Canin are nice touches for Yorkie coat health, but they’re minor additions built on top of a C-grade foundation. You can supplement GLA separately for a few dollars a month if coat health is a priority — you can’t supplement your way out of a formula that starts with two rice ingredients and leans on wheat and corn gluten for protein.
For Yorkie owners who want the best base nutrition for their small dog’s long life, Wellness is the stronger choice by a wide margin. Read our full reviews of Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier and Wellness Complete Health for the complete ingredient breakdowns.