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-   -   I'm paranoid, should I switch foods?? (https://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yorkie-health-diet/171059-im-paranoid-should-i-switch-foods.html)

viviansnickers 05-01-2009 05:40 AM
I'm paranoid, should I switch foods??
 
Hi everyone...

So I tend to freak myself out all the time and wanted your opinion. I have been reading how high protein diets and garlic particularly can be harmful for Yorkies. Well I feed Snickers a rotation diet with NV RAW Medallions for breakfast and EVO kibble for the evening. Evo has garlic in it and it also has a crude protein of level of 42%. Now, Snickers is doing FINE, but I'm nervous. These two things make me feel worried. It took a LONG time to find a food Snick would eat, he liked the Evo and is active, happy etc. He has nice small poops, but they are smelly!! Also, he has alot of eye gunk. If I skip a day of cleaning his eyes, it's hard to get out!!

Please give me your opinions..!! PLEASE!!!

Thank you!!

Britster 05-01-2009 06:00 AM
I don't know what to tell ya! I got a little paranoid myself after reading some threads on here... and even though Jackson was/is doing fine on the Before Grain food, which has 32% protein, I got scared too! LOL. So, I went out and bought WellnessSuper5Mix since I knew he had eaten the samples before and liked it. He's been eating it just as well as he was eating BG so I think he's happy with it. The Wellness has 22% protein so it's significantly less amounts of protein and it's also less fat. I've just been mixing in the two foods for about a week now... I'm not sure if I want to continue to buy both brands of food and mix them up, or just begin buying Wellness!! Ahh, so many questions!! Jackson's also a bigger boy at 13lbs, so I'm not sure if the protein is more "acceptable" for him or what. But I have lots of confidence in the Wellness brand and a lot of people on YT use it.

Here were some of my other thoughts as well... the Wellness is definitely more easily found than the Before Grain especially since Petco has begun selling it. It was also a bit cheaper than BG food so that's a plus for me.

viviansnickers 05-01-2009 06:04 AM
I know!! UGH!! I do want to keep Snickers on a grain-free diet no matter what. He used to scratch alot on Merrick which I considered a pretty good food. The other choices would be CORE--but the kibble is big. TOTW but Sick put his noce up to it....I don't know..GEEZ!

Britster 05-01-2009 06:08 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by viviansnickers (Post 2602727)
I know!! UGH!! I do want to keep Snickers on a grain-free diet no matter what. He used to scratch alot on Merrick which I considered a pretty good food. The other choices would be CORE--but the kibble is big. TOTW but Sick put his noce up to it....I don't know..GEEZ!
Yeah, understand!! It's so tough! See, Jackson's been on food with some grains in the past and did absolutely fine so I don't think allergies are the problem. I just want them to be good grains and have more meat in the food. He definitely likes the dog foods that contain more meat. He ate the Dog Whisperer puppy food for a while and liked it but the kibble was actually too small for him.

I saw TOTW in the pet store near my house too and considered it but I didn't want to buy a whole bag of dog food. I don't know if he would like it or not. I'm pretty sure it was cheaper but I think the bag was smaller. Wellness comes in 6lbs and the BG was 6.6lbs.

tumismom 05-01-2009 06:09 AM
i think evo is fine for your baby since his liver is healthy and he doesn't have any problems. high protein is only bad when they already have liver problems. and the amount of garlic in there is sooo little that it won't harm him. I used to feed Evo to my girls before and they were fine. I only stopped because one of my girls is allergic to beef or chicken. Now they are on Primal raw and home cook food. My friend has been feeding Evo to her baby for a long time without any problem.

tumismom 05-01-2009 06:11 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Britster (Post 2602729)
Yeah, understand!! It's so tough! See, Jackson's been on food with some grains in the past and did absolutely fine so I don't think allergies are the problem. I just want them to be good grains and have more meat in the food. He definitely likes the dog foods that contain more meat. He ate the Dog Whisperer puppy food for a while and liked it but the kibble was actually too small for him.

I saw TOTW in the pet store near my house too and considered it but I didn't want to buy a whole bag of dog food. I don't know if he would like it or not. I'm pretty sure it was cheaper but I think the bag was smaller. Wellness comes in 6lbs and the BG was 6.6lbs.
if you email the TOTW and ask for sample, they will get back to you fast and send you at least 5 bags of sample. Just ask them;)

Britster 05-01-2009 07:18 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by tumismom (Post 2602735)
if you email the TOTW and ask for sample, they will get back to you fast and send you at least 5 bags of sample. Just ask them;)
Oh, awesome! Thanks for the info!

lovespandp 05-01-2009 05:56 PM
I feed peanut evo red meat small bites and he does well on it, he eats about 1/4 of a cup every 2 days and his poops are small and they dont really have a smell to it :D

amandawash 05-01-2009 07:11 PM
I really like the Wellness Core in addition to the Primal raw I feed. It has 32% protein. My boys do really well eating it for breakfast.

_Chrissy_ 05-02-2009 04:42 PM
How big are the Wellness Core pieces aompared to say Natural Balance Small Bites, Wellness Small Breed or Evo Small Bites?
My Max loves the Wellness Small Breed but I was thinking of rotating with Wellness Core.

Ellie May 05-02-2009 04:57 PM
I probably wouldn't choose to feed Ellie a food with garlic if I had the choice but she is on one right now (an rx diet). We will check red blood cells soon and pay particular attention to her CBCs.

the high protein, I really have no advice there.
Some love it. Some hate it. You have to do what you're comfortable with.
There are no studies to show that it causes liver or kidney damage but that doesn't mean it will always be that way.

BonBon 05-04-2009 08:58 AM
Vivian, since you feed NV's raw have you tried their grain-free Instinct kibble? The chicken is high in protein (42% I think) but the rabbit and the duck/turkey are only about 34%-36%. I feed all of mine these 2 kibbles along with the NV raw and they seem to be doing great. Like you, I am concerned about the safety of feeding too much protein, that's why I like the mid-level amounts in Instinct.

Britster 05-04-2009 09:05 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by bonbon (Post 2606829)
Vivian, since you feed NV's raw have you tried their grain-free Instinct kibble? The chicken is high in protein (42% I think) but the rabbit and the duck/turkey are only about 34%-36%. I feed all of mine these 2 kibbles along with the NV raw and they seem to be doing great. Like you, I am concerned about the safety of feeding too much protein, that's why I like the mid-level amounts in Instinct.
34% and 36% is still considered "high" according to what I've read on here but who knows! Jackson eats Before Grain which has 32% protein which I've learned is a bit high. I guess what I've gathered is more protein and more fat means they must be exercising A LOT in order to burn off as much fat and protein as they ate. I've started buying him Wellness Super5Mix (chicken) as well and that's only 22% protein and less fat. So, he kind of gets both now... Wellness and Before Grain.

viviansnickers 05-04-2009 09:25 AM
Hey Bonny!! Thanks a bunches...I didn't know Instinct Duck/Turkey was less protein, might check it out. Need to hit up the place that has samples.

I appreciate all the feedback friends!! When will they come out with the ONE perfect dog food that has the right amount of everything and is the 1 food all dogs love, will eat, and thrive from!!?? Ugh! I think for now, I will keep Snick on the Evo since 1) He likes it and 2) He actually EATS it!! Hahahaha! He has not shown any signs of the food not agreeing with him so why change a good thing? I just psych myself out I think. So many opinions and so much research and still, not 1 right answer. Oh well!!

Bonny--I did notice Snick LIKES the Venison NV, but not as much as he LOVED the chicken!! He just loves his chicken. I also got him a bag of lamb. We are still all loving the NV raw!!

BonBon 05-04-2009 09:48 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Britster (Post 2606843)
34% and 36% is still considered "high" according to what I've read on here but who knows! Jackson eats Before Grain which has 32% protein which I've learned is a bit high. I guess what I've gathered is more protein and more fat means they must be exercising A LOT in order to burn off as much fat and protein as they ate. I've started buying him Wellness Super5Mix (chicken) as well and that's only 22% protein and less fat. So, he kind of gets both now... Wellness and Before Grain.
You're right, these are still considered 'high'. I guess I should have said they're in the mid-level of the high protein foods. Thanks for correcting that point! :)

Vivian, I'm going to have to try the organic chicken and see if Alexander can tolerate it. Recently I've been feeding them only venison, which is their fave so far, but I'm about to run out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they like the chicken because I'd sure like to give them a little more variety in the raw.

viviansnickers 05-04-2009 11:12 AM
Bonbon....the Instinct duck/turkey has salmon in it!! Snickers won't touch it, he does not like fish!!:(:(

BonBon 05-04-2009 11:43 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by viviansnickers (Post 2607094)
Bonbon....the Instinct duck/turkey has salmon in it!! Snickers won't touch it, he does not like fish!!:(:(
Well, pooh! The rabbit has salmon in it, too, so that won't work. It's so funny how picky they can be! Mine all LOVE salmon but they all HATE lamb. :confused:

I think you should stick with the Evo if he likes it & is doing well on it. Why mess with a good thing?

Lexismom09 05-04-2009 01:55 PM
Lexi eats EVO small bites. I also give her a little Wellness Puppy canned twice a day.
I am weaning her off the canned puppy and she loves the EVO. She was also a very picky eater and of all the kibble we tried this was it! All the reviews on EVO are great. I don't know if I would want to go thru the getting her to eat something else. I picked EVO because it was good as a puppy and as an adult. How would you know if the protein was to high for them?????
Would they show some obvious signs or would you only know by testing the liver?

kalina82 05-04-2009 02:02 PM
i say if its not broke don't fix it. since he's doing fine on his current diet, and he loves it, i would keep him on it. I think a lot of the concern on this forum is because a lot of yorkies have liver issues that they are usually born with (single and multiple shunts). Since yorkies are more prone to it most would just not chance the occurrence of a problem and won't feed high protein foods. however there are many yorkies on this site that are perfectly health and thrive on these high protein foods. i believe dogs do benefit from a higher protein food because that is what they were born to eat. dogs are carnivores, whether they are yorkie size or great dane size.

kalina82 05-04-2009 02:05 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by _Chrissy_ (Post 2604586)
How big are the Wellness Core pieces aompared to say Natural Balance Small Bites, Wellness Small Breed or Evo Small Bites?
My Max loves the Wellness Small Breed but I was thinking of rotating with Wellness Core.
i'm perplexed whenever someone says the kibbles are too big. I've fed morgan every type of high quality food that as been discussed here and haven't found any of them to be too big for her to eat (besides when she was a tiny puppy). Morgan east the Core every now and then and has no problem eating this at all. There's a bit more crunching but she eats it just fine. it is slightly bigger then the small breed formula but still fine for a small dog.

Lexismom09 05-04-2009 02:12 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by kalina82 (Post 2607293)
i'm perplexed whenever someone says the kibbles are too big. I've fed morgan every type of high quality food that as been discussed here and haven't found any of them to be too big for her to eat (besides when she was a tiny puppy). Morgan east the Core every now and then and has no problem eating this at all. There's a bit more crunching but she eats it just fine. it is slightly bigger then the small breed formula but still fine for a small dog.
Lexi did not like the larger Cruncher bites while she was teething. Example would be Innova. The size was not the problem so much as the hardness. She seemed to like them ok but after several bites would stop eating. Now after the last of the baby teeth were removed I do not see that there would be a problem, for her anyway. I think the no grain food tends to be of a harder bite. That is why I went with the EVO small bites. No grain, easier to chew, during the teething process.

viviansnickers 05-04-2009 03:27 PM
Thanks Chicas!!! I'm not going to change anything until I have to, which I hope is never!!!!!!!!!!

So appreciate all the feedback, as always...such great responses!!!

Sweet Apple 05-04-2009 07:08 PM
I don't know as much about yorkies, as most on here, but I thought the overly high protein might cause "hot spots", more than anything else...If a dog eats too much protein, and doesn't have the time or space to run it off, it comes through their skin as hot spots...I've had to cut dogs back on their protein intake, in the past, because of hot spots....this info came from my vet of 30 years (who has since retired:()....
Maggie:) & Apple:aimeeyork


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