I figured someone here would have the answer!
 

We got another baby the other day, a 17-week old little girl we named Isabella (Bella for call!). My hubby took her to the vet for her purchase check up because I had to work. The hospital I take the dogs to has several vets, and the one we got is older, and the owner of the hospital.

At any rate, things were going very well until he tried to discuss diet. She's a little girl, 2 lbs. 6 oz., and he was concerned that she would have a good diet. Barry to him that we were feeding raw (Nature's Variety + their Prairie for kibble, which they rarely touch). He was very stern that she needed a lot of protein, and that we should be feeding a good puppy chow like Purina for at least the first year of her life.

:eek: :eek: :eek:

Barry understands why I chose to feed raw, but didn't feel he could argue the case, so he just passed the info on to me. I'm really not sure how they can get more/better protein than all meat, but there you have it. However, it DID make me wonder: are they getting all they really need for healthy, growing bods?

The dog food manufacturers have food for "stages" of life, i.e., puppy, adult, senior, etc. Is a puppy getting everything they need, or should I be supplementing with something?

I don't have any answers for you but wanted to welcome you and your new baby. Good luck.

Thank you! It appears that Yorkies ARE like potato chips: you can't have just one :D . Hopefully, we'll be able to stop with two :rolleyes: . Our house is just SO much more *alive* with these two ... we really enjoy them. It's amazing how fast a couple of little fur balls can reduce grown, normally dignified adults into cooing, baby-talking puddles of mush :D :D :D

I agree with you. I knew I would be bad but was surprised at my big ole hunk of a man. Murfee has him wrapped around his little paw.

I don't feed raw but I have heard others who do say they add vitamins.... hmm I would like to see what everyone says!!

Definitely do not go with Purina, it is junk food. Yorkies do not do well on a high protein diet. I don't use anything that is over 28% protein. I do not feed raw so I cannot comment on that. If you are using the Nature's Variey raw then I think it has every thing in it you puppy would need. I have used it in the past on my adults but not for a very long period and they were also getting dry Canidae. Hopefully, there will be someone else on YT that has fed their puppies raw diets that can comment. I have alway just used Canidae and Chicken Soup Puppy for my puppies.

The NV raw foods run 11-13% crude protein. Is that enough?

Your vet is right about the protein. Puppies need at least 20-25% protein. I never fed raw so don't know anything about that but 13% protein is NOT enough

http://www.naturesvariety.com/conten...7155wXmO9EF262
If these are the ones you're talking about they are for All life stages. They are 13% protein with moisture added. It needs to be converted to dry matter which is about 41% protein.

This is what they say on the NV website about the raw:

Raw Frozen Diets
Nutrition the way nature intended.

Your pets are meat eaters, so raw food is the most instinctive and natural form of nutrition they can eat. A diet consisting of raw, fresh meat, organs, ground bone, and fat reflects what they would eat in nature. With natural proportions of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, proteins, and amino acids, raw diets provide wholesome nutrition for the health of your pets. The natural results of such high quality nutrition include increased energy, toned muscles, and a soft, glossy coat!

================================================== ==
Now....this is me speaking....I have read many review on NV raw and personally if I had only one dog I would certainly give it a try. I think is has plenty of protein. I would not start supplementing because this food is already complete and balanced. What I don't understand, because I am not a scientist, they say it is 90% meat so you would think it would have a higher protein count. I guess all the water in it is what makes the protein count lower. I have also read that you can feed it solely or in combination with dry food. I know not all dogs can take it but most of the reviews are very good. I know my vet sells it and speaks highly of it. He also sells Solid Gold. I would recommend you keep doing what you are doing and maybe find another vet that is a little more knowledgeable about nutrition.

RAW is the best thing for your puppy so keep it up :thumbup: I have fed NV raw medallions for over a year and a half now with great results. Unfortunately, most vets know next to nothing about nutrition and are very missinformed so your vet probably just doesn't know any better than to recommend low quality foods like Purina and Science Diet. Stick with raw and you can't go wrong :)

Can you get samples of NV's products?

Just found the Sticky on food samples, question is how long does it take to get them. I want to switch soon.

Here is a coupon for NV. With any NV purchase, you can get a free bag of raw or dry. http://www.naturesvariety.com/tryit/index2.lasso

You have to remember too much protein is not good for them..I don't feed raw, I look at the wolves that eat raw, and I've never seen a healthy looking one yet..

Thanks for the link. I believe I'm gonna try this. I just get so confused on picking which one I want to try??

chicken is usually a good one to start with or Venison.

I've been mostly alternating venison and rabbit. Rabbit is a richer meat so you might want to get her used to the raw before trying it

:confused: Dogs are carnivores, as are wolves (they are actually the exact same species)...they need a high protein diet of meat, bones, and organs. Where have you seen all of these unhealthy wolves?

http://www.geocities.com/havens_home/feedraw.htm

hmm.interesting..

:thumbup: :thumbup: i want to know where you see it also..My girls are on NV raw and they are doing very very well..I think the vets are pushing to sell SD, Purina and all the craps because they make commission!

i would say stick with NV!.

First as far as protein and yorkies, do a search, it tells you straight out too much protein is NOT good for them..... Too much protein for too long can cause kidney damage. I see wolves all the time(my hubby always has the national geographic channel on), it even showed the wolves eating some kind of carcass the other night, all the wolves are always thin, and always look like they're starving to death..
They sure don't look healthy to me..These are my opinions, which we all have...I'm not telling anyone what to feed their dogs, as I sure wouldn't want someone telling me what to feed mine..But, I do know that in 51 years, we've had 2 big dogs that have lived to be 17 and 18, and a lot of small dogs, that have lived to be almost 20..most of them were on purina, as back years ago, that was like the number one food..and the thing is, I can never remember any of them ever being sick or any kind of health problems..Well, I take that back, my golden retriever we had put down at 18(cancer), but, even people(if they live long enough), usually end up with some kind of cancer

I went there, trying to see who wrote it???

High Protein does NOT cause kidney damage

http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/protein.html (agree with all except saying a dog is an omnivore...a dog is a carnivore!)

A fable that has finally been debunked is the one that states that dogs acquire kidney problems from eating too much protein. This fable was repeated so often that it became self-sustaining and axiomatic. Finally, experts in animal nutrition have buried this myth. It simply is not true that high protein levels in dog food cause kidney problems. "The dog can digest large amounts of proteins, especially those of animal origin" stated Prof. Dominique Grandjean DVM, Ph.D., at the Fourth Annual International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association Symposium

The very early research that pointed a finger at protein as being a cause of kidney failure in dogs wasn't even done on dogs! It was done on rats fed unnatural diets for a rodent... diets high in protein. (Were we tinkering with Nature during these “tests”?) Rats have difficulty excreting excess protein in their diets because they are essentially plant eaters, not meat eaters. Dogs are quite able to tolerate diets with protein levels higher than 30% on a dry weight basis. Dogs are meat eaters; that's how Nature made them! Rats are not. So some of the early research on rats was assumed to be true for dogs... and the myth of "too much protein in a dog's diet causes kidney damage" was started. And just like any seemingly valid rumor or assertion, it derived a life of its own and is only recently being accepted as untrue.

http://www.peteducation.com/article....articleid=1104

High protein pet foods are NOT harmful to a normal animal's kidneys. As an animal's body digests and metabolizes protein, nitrogen is released as a by-product. The excess nitrogen is excreted by the kidneys. A high protein diet produces more nitrogen by-products and the kidneys simply excrete the nitrogen in the urine. While you may think this would 'overwork' the kidneys and lead to possible kidney damage, this is not true. The kidney's filtering capabilities are so great that even one kidney is sufficient to sustain a normal life. There are many pets - and humans - living perfectly healthy lives with just one kidney.

The myth that high protein diets are harmful to kidneys probably started because, in the past, patients with kidney disease were commonly placed on low protein (and thus low nitrogen) diets. Now, we often put them on a diet that is not necessarily very low in protein, but contains protein that is more digestible so there are fewer nitrogen by-products. These diet changes are made merely because damaged kidneys may not be able to handle the excess nitrogen efficiently. In pets with existing kidney problems, nitrogen can become too high in the bloodstream, which can harm other tissues.

Unless your veterinarian has told you your pet has a kidney problem and it is severe enough to adjust the protein intake, you can feed your pet a high protein diet without worrying about 'damaging' or 'stressing' your pet's kidneys. Also, you are not 'saving' your pet's kidneys by feeding a low protein diet.

BTW - if you google "high protein dogs" those two links are the first two that come up :) It was quite an easy search so I don't know where you are getting your info from..

Low Protein diets are something the pet food industry loves to sell because they are cheaper to make...but low protein is not better for our dogs. Much worse actually... The pet food industry is pretty aweful and full of lies, deceit, and false advertising

did you know the pet food industry has only really been around for the past 50-60 years whereas dogs have been eating raw meat and homecooked meat for thousands of years?

http://www.api4animals.org/facts.php...more=1&cat=286
http://www.sojos.com/historyofpetfood.html
http://www.homevet.com/petcare/foodbook.html

OK after reading I am now considering a change!!:D If you feed NV raw is that all you feed or do you feed dry too? What about glucosamine and condroiton(sp), the food i've got my big dogs on have it, with NV would I have to supplement?
Thanks for all the info YTers!!!!:)

I only feed raw. I also give a fish oil/vitamin E supplement. I should be giving a glucosamine supplement because of Lacy's LP....I need to look into a good one. You might want to supplement glucosamine with your big dogs, esp. if they have issues with their joints. I haven't tried this (although I'm still thinking about it) but raw chicken feet are a good natural source of glucosamine.

[QUOTE=MyFairLacy;1720142]I only feed raw. I also give a fish oil/vitamin E supplement. I should be giving a glucosamine supplement because of Lacy's LP....I need to look into a good one. You might want to supplement glucosamine with your big dogs, esp. if they have issues with their joints. I haven't tried this (although I'm still thinking about it) but raw chicken feet are a good natural source of glucosamine.[/QUOTE]


Ewww....but I bet the dogs would love them:p :) Where would you find raw chicken feet??????

[quote=bbrewser;1720149]LOL You can probably find them at some supermarkets...maybe talk to a local butcher about ordering them for you. You might have better luck looking in an Asian supermarket as well. That's where I'll probably go if I decide to try them out

I was told by my vet that dogs are supposed to be on high protein diet unless they have liver problems or kidney problems to begin with. As long as they are healthy, it will not harm them. I trust my vet so i guess i am sticking with it. And i am not saying kibbles are bad. There are really good high quality kibbles out there. I would never tell people what they should feed their dogs but i would like to give them some options and suggestions. oh the wolves thing, well, they do look starving at times because it's not everyday that they catch their prays in the wild. They go on for couple of days without having anything at time. So i guess they look starving. But our babies on the other hand, they do get fed by us daily. I don't think mine look starving because they are on raw..they are solid little piggies.:) Oh for the OP, NV kibbles are excellent to if you ever want to try!