Guess who!?! (+ a few ?'s)

[KimberlySRN]

We brought Suri home!
She is a doll. I picked her up, and brought along her Pet Flys carrier so I could strap her in. I didn't know if I liked the carrier but it worked perfect in the car(being strapped in). Suri slept the entire way with no problem. As soon as we got home she used her potty pad, ate some kibble and drank some water. She even learned how to use the hide-a-squirrel! She is a smart little girl.
Now for my questions…
I was told to add a little chicken broth to her food at night, and was curious as to what kind? I have a some from trader joe's that is low fat and gluten free.
As far as food, Suri's breeder was feeding Nutro Small Bites, and I would like to switch her to a different food but thought I should let her settle before I add another stressor. (So I bought a small bag) My question is most of the foods that have no grain or less grain are very high in protein, which I thought was bad for yorkies? So what organic food is recommended for yorkies?

Gosh… I am so nervous but excited! She is actually here finally. She is one smart cookie, quite but loves to play.

[marcerella02]

chicken broth tends to be high in sodium so i'm not sure i'd do that or at least water it down.

As for protien- ah the myth... unless you have an unhealthy dog.. there is nothing wrong with high protein. Layla gets home cooked food which is mainly protein and she is doing great. Wellness Core makes a great food as does Natural Balance which i think is what i'm going to use for a kibble after we are done with our wellness bag... they have a great grain free variety and their ingredients are great .. PLUS they have a feature on their website where you can put in a code on the bag and see how that batch did in quality control which i LOVE... finally a company taking control and showing customers what they are getting. Orijen also has a grain free variety.

[KimberlySRN]

Originally Posted by marcerella02

chicken broth tends to be high in sodium so i'm not sure i'd do that or at least water it down.

As for protien- ah the myth... unless you have an unhealthy dog.. there is nothing wrong with high protein. Layla gets home cooked food which is mainly protein and she is doing great. Wellness Core makes a great food as does Natural Balance which i think is what i'm going to use for a kibble after we are done with our wellness bag... they have a great grain free variety and their ingredients are great .. PLUS they have a feature on their website where you can put in a code on the bag and see how that batch did in quality control which i LOVE... finally a company taking control and showing customers what they are getting. Orijen also has a grain free variety.

I was thinking the same thing about the sodium, I know they have low sodium which is usually what we get. I'll have to check it when I get home.

That's good to know about the protein. I saw a few that I wanted to try on that site that scores the food 6 stars and down, but most of it says not suitable for puppies because of the high protein. I will definatly look at the ones you recommended at the store tomorrow. ( I found a pet store that pretty much carries most of the top quality foods.)
I think as far as the chicken broth I will just stick with the nutrical.

How long should I wait before the switch?
Cause at the rate she eats it will be a long time before the 5 pound bag is finished.

Thank you for the info.

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by KimberlySRN

I was thinking the same thing about the sodium, I know they have low sodium which is usually what we get. I'll have to check it when I get home.

That's good to know about the protein. I saw a few that I wanted to try on that site that scores the food 6 stars and down, but most of it says not suitable for puppies because of the high protein. I will definatly look at the ones you recommended at the store tomorrow. ( I found a pet store that pretty much carries most of the top quality foods.)
I think as far as the chicken broth I will just stick with the nutrical.

How long should I wait before the switch?
Cause at the rate she eats it will be a long time before the 5 pound bag is finished.

Thank you for the info.

Oh i forgot she is a puppy.. i would looking into Natural Balance's Puppy food... i honestly think it is the best thing out there (right now) and feed her puppy food until she is a year. While i dont' THINK they make a grain free puppy food their food is still great.. and they might have an all stages food that is grain free which should be ok.

I'd wait about a week before you switch... let her settle in... she WILL pick out all the new food and leave her old food just the way it goes and since you are switching from a pretty low quality food to a very high quality food it is normal to see diarrhea for 3-7 days... her body is cleansing out all the "crap".. and keep in mind if they have diarrhea for that long it is normal to see small amounts of blood in the poop... their intestines are being agitated and so a small amount is to be expected... if there is A LOT... take her to the vet but i dont' see it being a problem.

[KimberlySRN]

Originally Posted by marcerella02

Oh i forgot she is a puppy.. i would looking into Natural Balance's Puppy food... i honestly think it is the best thing out there (right now) and feed her puppy food until she is a year. While i dont' THINK they make a grain free puppy food their food is still great.. and they might have an all stages food that is grain free which should be ok.

I'd wait about a week before you switch... let her settle in... she WILL pick out all the new food and leave her old food just the way it goes and since you are switching from a pretty low quality food to a very high quality food it is normal to see diarrhea for 3-7 days... her body is cleansing out all the "crap".. and keep in mind if they have diarrhea for that long it is normal to see small amounts of blood in the poop... their intestines are being agitated and so a small amount is to be expected... if there is A LOT... take her to the vet but i dont' see it being a problem.

Okay, I will definatly keep an eye on her. Thank you so much!

[amandawash]

Originally Posted by marcerella02

Oh i forgot she is a puppy.. i would looking into Natural Balance's Puppy food... i honestly think it is the best thing out there (right now) and feed her puppy food until she is a year. While i dont' THINK they make a grain free puppy food their food is still great.. and they might have an all stages food that is grain free which should be ok.

I'd wait about a week before you switch... let her settle in... she WILL pick out all the new food and leave her old food just the way it goes and since you are switching from a pretty low quality food to a very high quality food it is normal to see diarrhea for 3-7 days... her body is cleansing out all the "crap".. and keep in mind if they have diarrhea for that long it is normal to see small amounts of blood in the poop... their intestines are being agitated and so a small amount is to be expected... if there is A LOT... take her to the vet but i dont' see it being a problem.

Uhhhh, careful with the diarrhea. Ranger had it for two days (very small amount) and ended up in the ER for two days. Just be careful and really watch her. I think loose stool is a better adjective than diarrhea and should be expected, but not liquid and blood. Just my two cents..

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by amandawash

Uhhhh, careful with the diarrhea. Ranger had it for two days (very small amount) and ended up in the ER for two days. Just be careful and really watch her. I think loose stool is a better adjective than diarrhea and should be expected, but not liquid and blood. Just my two cents..

yes perhaps loose stool would have been better but i've heard it is common with loose stool to have a bit of blood.. Layla has had it and has been fine... of course it goes iwthout saying you want to make sure your dog is still eating and drinking and isn't legthargic and has pink gums.. but i figured that was a given.

[amandawash]

Originally Posted by marcerella02

yes perhaps loose stool would have been better but i've heard it is common with loose stool to have a bit of blood.. Layla has had it and has been fine... of course it goes iwthout saying you want to make sure your dog is still eating and drinking and isn't legthargic and has pink gums.. but i figured that was a given.

It is a given, but just from my experience my baby was fine- eating, drinking, playing, etc. I left him for a couple hours and came back to find him almost comatose. It was so bizarre. It was at that time there was blood, so the only indication I had was two things of diarrhea the day prior. Also, if there is blood, you usually have to take them off their dry kibble for a bit and let the intestine heal. In many cases, if you continue with your regular food it will just irriate it further and cause more problems... I have had to deal with these intestinal issues a lot

Where are the pictures of the baby?!?!?!?!?!?

[KimberlySRN]

I have tons of new pictures, but we just moved and are having trouble with the net. (I'm using my phone )
I have a few videos of her playing with the hide-a-squirrel I won in the raffle. I have to say I think that is going to be her favorite toy. (Thank you again Bloomingtails!)

[maggiesmom_2007]

Congrats on your new baby, Can't wait to see pics.

[amandawash]

Oh my gosh we LOVE our hide-a-squirrel. Can't get enough of it that's for sure! Can't wait for pics!

[Patti]

Glad Suri is home!! Can't wait to see pictures.

[nvnvgirl]

Originally Posted by KimberlySRN

I was thinking the same thing about the sodium, I know they have low sodium which is usually what we get. I'll have to check it when I get home.

That's good to know about the protein. I saw a few that I wanted to try on that site that scores the food 6 stars and down, but most of it says not suitable for puppies because of the high protein. I will definatly look at the ones you recommended at the store tomorrow. ( I found a pet store that pretty much carries most of the top quality foods.)
I think as far as the chicken broth I will just stick with the nutrical.

How long should I wait before the switch?
Cause at the rate she eats it will be a long time before the 5 pound bag is finished.

Thank you for the info.

I say, ask your vet to see what they think is good. If you feel like you need to, take in a copy of the nutritionals on the foods you're thinking of and let the vet tell you what they think and WHY. My two have been on what the vet recommended and I haven't had ONE single problem since putting each of them on it....I may have to change at least one of theirs, b/c I think he's got an allergy, but I know that neither of mine have any stomach upsets anymore or any poopy problems any longer. It's when I start letting them have other things that we start having "issues". And most sites will tell you to change foods slowly by adding a small amount of the new food to the old food, decreasing the old food over a period of a couple of weeks at least. I can attest that it's not a good idea to do it anymore quickly than that.

Congratulations for getting your new little one home and all the best luck!

[KimberlySRN]

Originally Posted by nvnvgirl

I say, ask your vet to see what they think is good. If you feel like you need to, take in a copy of the nutritionals on the foods you're thinking of and let the vet tell you what they think and WHY. My two have been on what the vet recommended and I haven't had ONE single problem since putting each of them on it....I may have to change at least one of theirs, b/c I think he's got an allergy, but I know that neither of mine have any stomach upsets anymore or any poopy problems any longer. It's when I start letting them have other things that we start having "issues". And most sites will tell you to change foods slowly by adding a small amount of the new food to the old food, decreasing the old food over a period of a couple of weeks at least. I can attest that it's not a good idea to do it anymore quickly than that.

Congratulations for getting your new little one home and all the best luck!

I will be making an appointment hopefully for this week tomorrow.
I plan to slowly change her food, I want to make it as easy as possible for her tummy to handle it.

Thank you everyone, and hopefully I will have pics tomorrow, She has gotten furry since the last batch of pictures. She has a nice thick coat now.

[roxyprincess]

i love the name suri!!

and the hide a squirrel is a hit at our house too