Opinions please!
 

I took Nala to the vet yesterday for vomiting. He said he suspects just GI upset from something she ate. Her recent lab work was all good, so he wasn't overly concerned just yet. She had been to daycare the two days prior to getting sick so she may have eaten another dog's food. He gave her a shot and some anti-nausea pills to take at home PRN and we will see how she does this weekend. So far she is much better today. Poor little girl is hungry though. He doesn't want her to eat until later today. I heard a crunch.... she found some hidden kibble in one of her many beds. Now I know why she hides her food. :D
Anyway, before we saw the vet the tech was asking what she had eaten in the past 24 hrs and when I told him steamed carrots he wanted to know what human food I feed her. She gets a poached egg on Saturday and Sunday mornings, steamed and raw vegies, banana, apples and a few other fruits. He told me eggs were bad for her because it was too much cholesterol for a dog her size...4.5 lbs. He also said bananas have too much potassium for her and that she shouldn't have any amount of banana ever. This makes me sad because those are two of her favorite things and she can hear an egg crack from next door and smell a banana from a mile away. I felt like I was only feeding her things that were good for her, but now I'm not sure. I planned on asking the vet but before he saw Nala there was an emergency with a dog hit by a car and I was a bit distracted thinking about the poor dog and it's family. Opinions on eggs and bananas for Nala please??

As far as I know banana is safe Callie will have some occasionally and it is not listed on any lists of things bad and toxic to dogs. She also will occasionally have a few bites of scrambled egg.

Thank you! That is what I thought too. Nala only gets banana occasionally, but she does get egg a couple of times a week.

A whole egg is a lot for a 4.5 pound dog. Eggs do have 187 mg of cholesterol, which is 62% of the daily recommended intake for a full size human.

Keep in mind that dogs require a more carefully balanced set of nutrients than humans. These fresh food treats should not exceed more than 10 - 20% of her diet or you risk upsetting the balance of nutrients.

When you give fresh foods, you also have to take this into account for her total daily intake. If she is eating regular dog food and all of the treats, she is probably getting too much. You also have to consider her activity level and food intake.

Thank you for the information. No more egg for Nala. She WAS getting way too much cholesterol!! :eek: When she gets fresh foods she only gets small amounts... except for the whole egg.... and she still eats her dog food, just a little less of it. On the days she got an egg it was her meal, but I won't have to worry about that if she doesn't get eggs anymore. Her food is Fromm and she seems to really like it.

I agree that a while egg is a lot for a little dog. Was she tested for pancreatitis? Many times when a small dog eats something with too much fat it can set off an attack.

If your daycare is allowing your little one to eat food other than her own you may need to look for another daycare. If she is not being supervised it could lead to other problems.

Fruit other than raisins and grapes usually are pretty safe. Just remember to give small amounts as you don't want the added fruit to interfere with her getting the nutrition from her regular food.

Fatty foods are a big NO for dogs. They do not have the ability to digest them properly and can have some serious side effects. Same with sugars and salt.

A lot of people including the breeders/exhibitors do feed scrambled eggs. Hopefully one of them will recommend a serving size and how often. I am really cautious and give my almost 9 pounds guys just a couple bites, never more than a teaspoon. Sometimes I replace their kibble with a homecooked meal of chicken/sweet potato.

As Gracielove pointed out, pancreatitis is a real concern. Some dogs can be set off with one tiny bite of the wrong thing. Others, it takes time to build.

She was negative for pancreatitis. She doesn't get anything fatty other than the egg. I only started giving her egg after I read on YT that is was safe for them. I didn't realize that the whole egg was too much. She won't be getting any at all now... it just isn't worth the risk. I would never give raisins or grapes. I have given her blueberries, but the tech also said not to give her any fruit peel and he considered blueberries in that category.
Her daycare said that they only feed the dogs in their crates and she isn't allowed in other dog's crates. I always send her own food and that is all they give her. I just can't figure out where she got something she doesn't usually get. Unless the GI upset wasn't actually from something she ate. The daycare also said they haven't had any reports of illness, and I did notify them about Nala.... hope she didn't make any other dogs sick.
Thank you so much for the information. I'm glad I asked for opinions about eggs. She hasn't had any egg since last weekend though, so I'm sure that is not what caused her vomiting. She is much better today without any vomiting at all. She ate a very small amount of chicken a couple of hours ago and so far it has stayed down.

If she loves eggs so much, I wouldn't take them completely away. I think a bite of egg 2 days a week is probably perfectly fine. Just my opinion.

Thank you for your input. My husband mentioned eggbeaters. It says all natural egg white with half the calories but I'm not sure about cholesterol. I may look into that.

Glad to hear Nala is doing better.

Thank you! :)

You might want to look at this website:

PetDiets - VNC putting pets' health first!

You could send the vet nutritionist who runs the site a question, and she will answer. Just go to the FAQs section! I am sure she would be happy to advise you on extra little things that you can feed your girl.

If she didn't accidentally get into food she shouldn't have you might look into the food she is eating. Make sure the dog food it's self isn't too high in fat. Some dogs just can't tolerate higher levels of certain substances. There are dog's are just different in what they can tolerate.

It is the egg yolk that is high in cholesterol, whites are safe in the right proportion. Gracie loves blueberries. I usually give her 2 or 3 when I have them with breakfast. If your dog is still quite young you might want to just introduce things like that very slowly and watch for reactions before adding other new foods. If she is used to eating those things with no problem it may very well be something else you are dealing with. Did they check her liver function? Hopefully this was just a freak incident and will not present again.

Thank you so much for the link. I just ask about egg white and banana also. Looking forward to a reply from the nutritionist. :)

Nala will be 3 yrs old this week. :D She has been on Fromm for a few months and seems to have done quite well with it. She also really likes it. She loves blueberries too, but she only gets 2 or 3 when we have them. She prefers bananas, but the tech said that was too much potassium. I have sent a message to a nutritionist asking about that. Other than a whole egg, I haven't given her anything with any real fat content. I am careful and usually only give her what I have seen to be ok based on YTers. This is the first time she has had a tummy issue in over 17 months. The main concern for me was that she didn't have diarrhea, only vomiting. I had requested labs at her yearly in Sept and her liver function was good. The vomiting lasted for 2 days and now she is back to her wonderful little self. :p
The reason she was at daycare two days consecutively was because we had workers at out house and people carrying big objects stress her out. At first I did wonder if it was stress, but I would have expected diarrhea. She has only had GI issues twice.... once after our vacation when she was 8 months old and again when our older dog died. Both of those times were because she was stressed.... but it was mostly diarrhea with some vomiting. She is walked on a leash so I am able to keep an eye on her poop. lol

Awwww...I am sorry about Nala...I hope she is all better, now.

Not to contradict your vet...;)...because I am certainly no expert in these things, but...

From what I understand, eggs are called 'the perfect protein' and/or 'the perfect food' and are 'used' as 'the protein by which all other proteins are measured'...seriously, that's what I found when I looked a while back...and egg and/or egg white protein (depending on which article you read) is said to be the 'most digestible' protein, even as reported by canine sources. I suspect all those 'egg sucking dogs' of old (some of which have actually landed court cases for their owners when the eggs 'sucked' belonged to neighbors :eek::rolleyes:) would have suffered significant health issues, possibly ending their 'egg sucking' careers. :D

I know my grandparents dogs were basically 'pre-commercial dog food' and ate plenty of eggs, lived long and healthy lives, with no issues until they suffered things like falling through the ice of a frozen pond on the property, etc.

Also bananas, when I searched for potassium rich foods a few months ago, did not appear at the top of any of the lists I found, although they do contain potassium.

This list shows bananas as 67th:

Potassium Rich Foods - The Full List | Potassium Rich Foods

This list shows bananas as 10th:

Top 10 Foods Highest in Potassium

I have no concerns about feeding bananas, if the dog will eat them...a lot of dogs will not...or eggs, raw or cooked (lightly scrambled with organic half and half and cooked in coconut oil), always whole each part of the egg 'balances' the other part as I understand it, and biotin can become an issue otherwise, but when I feed raw, it is usually in an 'eggnog' with organic half and half and naturally raised ('organic') eggs to minimize hormones, antibiotics, etc., fed to the chickens and dairy livestock, and while the Yorkies 'do' like it and 'will' eat it, as will the kitties, they don't eat nearly as much food as my large breed mixes did, nor do they seem 'interested' as often...but they are 'pickier' as well, and so they don't get it anywhere near as often as the big dogs did.

Brody used to love bananas, but has since decided he does not like them all that much, and Mia never liked bananas, so none of my kids gets bananas either.

I hope you find the answer you seek. :)

Thank you so much for this information. Nala loves you as you are her new hero if it leads to her getting a little egg now and again. lol I have emailed a pet nutritionist and will report that answer when I get it.

I would be very interested in that reply as well...and I hope Nala LOVES it! :D

I give my boys a scrambled egg as a Saturday meal every couple of weeks, thanks for the info Maximo, I'll run it by my vet and stop if he says so.

thanks for this

Below is the answer from the pet nutritionist. I am thankful to everyone who has taken the time to give me advice and information. I am always interested in any info pertaining to the diet and health of my sweet Nala.

Dear Robin,

You submitted the followin question to the PetDiets website.

Your Question:
I have a 4.5 lb yorkie that I feed grain free Fromm. I also occasionally give her steamed vegies, fruit and a poached egg. I have recently heard that a whole egg is too much cholesterol for a 4.5 lb dog and a pinch of banana is too much potassium for a small dog. Egg and banana are two of her favorite things. Would it be harmful to give her a bit of egg white once or twice a week or should I cut that out all together? Also, what about banana? Would an occasional bite or two be safe?

Response from our Nutritionist:
Cholesterol is of no significant issue to the dog, and potassium intake is of no concern if the dog has normal kidney function. So may continue with the whole egg and bananna if the dog has no medical problems.

Respectfully,
R Remillard, PhD, DVM, DACVN

Sweet! Now, no more worries for you...and Nala will be thrilled, I am sure! :happyboun

NP...what they eat is always a concern. :D

Nala will be doing the happy dance! :D

Her website is very informative! SO happy you checked it out! Now, remember, she said as long as there are no medical problems...some people assume all is well and never to blood work. I personally do blood work on my pups at a minimum of once/year. It is often the first hint that you have if something is not quite right with them.

I agree that it is definitely an informative website that I bookmarked for future reference. I'm glad I emailed my question and so is Nala. :)
I also request annual blood work on Nala because I have read so many sad stories on YT. She had just had her annual visit in Sept and her blood work was all good.
I have learned so much from this site and try to always do the very best for Nala. I am thankful for so many knowledgeable people who care so much for these little babies.

:thumbup:

I'm glad you got such a quick response. I was watching this thread closely because the Sunday morning scrambled egg and occasional bits of frozen bananas are favorite treats around my house. I'm glad to have confirmation that its ok.

I was impressed with the quick response. Glad you can feel good about your Sunday treats as well! :thumbup:

That is a terrific website! :) Her credentials are amazing...if you get a chance, go read about her.