Is chicken bad for Yorkies?

[yorkies2luv]

Hi,
I have two yorkies. Mozart is 10 years old. I noticed he would get an upset stomach whenever we gave him chicken, but he could at least tolerate chicken flavored food. I got Emmy from my daughter. She was 7 months or so when we got her. She was on Pro Plan then. I had heard that the Nutro was very good for them because it did not have wheat. I started them on the lamb like you did. Then when they didn't have the lamb flavor, I bought the chicken. Emmy started with diarrhea. I have taken her to the vet 3 times about it. She has nothing wrong with her stool...no worms or parasites. Then Mozart started with it too. The only explanation is the food. I think both of them are sensitive to chicken....even the flavored food. They are now on the Purina EN for digestion.

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by yorkies2luv

Hi,
I have two yorkies. Mozart is 10 years old. I noticed he would get an upset stomach whenever we gave him chicken, but he could at least tolerate chicken flavored food. I got Emmy from my daughter. She was 7 months or so when we got her. She was on Pro Plan then. I had heard that the Nutro was very good for them because it did not have wheat. I started them on the lamb like you did. Then when they didn't have the lamb flavor, I bought the chicken. Emmy started with diarrhea. I have taken her to the vet 3 times about it. She has nothing wrong with her stool...no worms or parasites. Then Mozart started with it too. The only explanation is the food. I think both of them are sensitive to chicken....even the flavored food. They are now on the Purina EN for digestion.

This might interest you:
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...ighlight=nutro

Nutro has made a lot of dogs very sick.

[Dawnzig]

After reading all of your replies, I first want to says how much I appreciate all of your input, and want to let you all know that I feel welcome here.

I think it is most likely a combination of everything. I have a question here:

Can feeding too much chicken (per serving) cause diaharea?

I think it is likely that I have been giving him too much chicken. Even with as much as I did give him, he seemed to definitely want more. And he did eat kibble (the first night) after I gave him quite a bit of chicken.

But I notice yesterday and even tonight, he is not too interested in kibble. So now I think I need to cut way down. I just want him to get some meat on his bones. I can feel every rib. His belly area is an hourglass, and I can feel all his hip bones, on the topside.

That just doesn't seem normal to me.

Back to the food: One person posted where it seemed like (he/she) thought all I was giving to him was chicken, but I have kibble available all the time, and chicken was at dinner time only (sunset)

Variety:

I'll look into other types of meats I can give him. The honest truth is that this chicken is convenient. I have a difficult time devoting my precious time (not working) to cooking more for the dog than I do for myself). I'm not going to make a daily menu for him. It just isn't going to happen. I'm out of the house before sunrise, and there is not much that I can do about that. I figure I have 4.5 hours before bedtime each day and those hours are precious to me, and trust me, I don't spend them cooking and cleaning and washing dishes....

Anyway, On top of the food changes, I figure AJ is stressed out about all the changes, and there is definite tension between the dog and the cat. And the cat is definitely the alpha, I think if she wanted to, she could kill him. (she looks at him with daggers in her eyes.....)

I don't allow AJ on the bed, that is Mina's (the cats) territory.

I just had to lay out some boundaries when he moved in here. (I live in a studio... not a lot of space). So the bed, which has been Mina's territory her entire life, remains intact. She is Queen. Alpha. She is tolerating him. She has never hurt him (scared him some... he needed it. He is such a brat sometimes, and eggs her on and even becomes harrassment. I can't expect the cat not to protect herself.

Anyway, so to make him feel less left out, since he is not allowed on the bed, I keep a foot stool set next to the bed where AJ he sleeps sometimes, if he wants, but he generally chooses his bed which he has had all his life. (my aunt locked him up in a cage at night, which he hated. I always let him out when I stayed up there before she died. Now, he is sleeping at the foot of my bed, in his own bed.

OK, I'm a sucker, I have put a heating pad under it so that he is warm enough (I don't keep my apartment as hot as my aunt's house. He seems sensitive to cold) In fact, he just curled up next to me.. he is so dang cute...

Back to my response to all the various (welcome) advice:

I will consider another brand other than Nutro, but really am lost. (Open for suggestions)

I do intend on taking him to a local vet, I haven't done that yet. (I'm sorry, but I'm not one to incur that expense when the pet seems totally healty.

I want to give him a few days to adjust to meat being added to his previous kibble only diet.

I mean, he is healthy, playful, bouncy... seems in tip-top shape. (You should see him leap when he is doing the back and forth yard-run routine)

So, if his diahreaa doesn't clear up within the next 2 days, I absolutely will take him to the vet.

I have been kind of procrastinating, because he has had a recent vet visit and was declared healthy... except for the teeth (he has retained the baby teeth, and I've been told it costs 3 grand to remove the retained baby teeth)... Me and my bank account shudders... I kind of wish my aunt, who told me about this, left me the money to pay for it... I digress...

So, I want to thank everyone for their input, I haven't read that link yet, but intend on doing so shortly.

Thanks for making me feel welcome. From both me and AJ.

[Ellie May]

$3000 to remove baby teeth? No way.
I wouldn't want to pay anymore than $350 with blood work.

[Dawnzig]

Wow.. maybe I have been avoiding the vet for all the wrong reasons. I can afford 350.

I need to shop around it would seem. Maybe the vet my aunt had was taking her for a ride. (that would be shameful, considering she was an elderly woman who was on oxygen.... sheesh)

I'm going to make some calls tomorrow. There is a vet I take my kitty to that I would like to take AJ to. I have to figure out how to get the chip information transfered to me (yes, apparently my aunt had him chipped).

And then I have to decide whether to get him fixed or not. I have always spayed or neutered all of my pets over the years. But the lady who has AJ's parents, is interested in breeding him with another (non related) female.

I kind of want to let him do it, mostly because I think it would be fun for him (plus, I've taken away his stuffed animals, and feel kind of bad...)

....And if he has a good bloodline, it would be cool to know he has sired a few before I get him snipped...

My aunt kind of promised the lady (which is why he still has the family jewels at 14 months)

It is a quandary, I don't really know much about this. I have heard that you shouldn't breed them until at least 2 years, does that include males? This guy seems ready, because as I mentioned, if allowed to, he would hump everything. It seems to have calmed down some since I took away the stuffed animals.

[Ellie May]

You can try breeding a male at about a year but it shouldn't be done unless all the pre breeding tests come back normal.

[yorkiesmiles]

Welcome to YT. I hope things have cleared up for AJ. As far as finding a different food, I would highly recommend doing your research. If you want to stay with a kibble check out http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ you can compare ingredients and ratings. A 4 or 5 star food would probably be best. Or if you think you might want to home cook for AJ you could read Dr. Pitcairn's book Natural Health for Dogs & Cats.

I had 2 Siamese when I adopted my 2 yorkies when they were 2 yrs old. My male Siamese, couldn't have cared less, but my female still has days - 4 yrs later- where she gives the dagger eyes - pure jealousy

Going to the vet is a wise choice - just so you and AJ can establish a good relationship with the vet, despite his recent visit to your aunt's vet.

Hang around here on YT - lots of great yorkie information & some fun knowledgeable people too.

You'll have to sign AJ up for our Little Gentleman's Club, you can do so on this thread: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...ight=gentleman

[yorkies2luv]

Thank you so much for posting information about Nutro. My pups will never be on it again!!

[Ellie May]

You're Welcome

[penningtone]

You sound like a great Yorkie mom. Congrats on your new baby! Like others have said, too much of anything can be bad. I would scale back on the chicken (it can also spoil their appetite for traditional dog food).

Remember that fiber is not only needed to ease constipation. It can keep loose stools in check as well. Fiber regulates the entire digestive tract, so eliminating fiber rich dog food can cause havoc.

You're clearly a caring new Yorkie owner. If you're anything like me, it's hard not to spoil them rotten!

[amandawash]

Just a quick thought- you could put him on puppy food, which has more fat than adult food, and may help put/keep some weight on him.