Hi Peggy,
Where do you purchase the Earthborn dog food?
I hope it comes in small bags, because I think like you about the expense and
waste.
About Sabrina, I was not part of the lawsuit, since all I could stay focused on
at the time was saving her life and stabelizing her. Quite an ordeal. Now I
have this little girl who has to be syringe fed, and on phenobarbital twice a
day. She is literally my little ball and chain!
The vets that care for her, are the ones that have kept her on the ID for the
past 5 years. It is the ONLY food she tolerates without to many troubled
interuptions. Her bloodwork was still good just last month. She is tested a
little more often than normal. Gracie's was the surprise.
Let me know about the Earthborn.
Thank you.
Becky & the girls
Sent from Becky's iPhone
On May 1, 2012, at 4:37 AM, Peggy & The Girls <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi Becky.
>
> Well Gracie is a senior, and seniors can't burn up a high protein and high
> fat diet, just like people, lol!
> I looked up your kibble and this is what it said:
>
> Chicken, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, poultry by-product
> meal (natural source of glucosamine), animal fat preserved with
> mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), corn germ meal, fish meal (natural
> source of glucosamine), dried egg product, animal digest, wheat bran,
>
> Crude Protein (Min) 30.0 %
> Crude Fat (Min) 17.0 %
> Crude Fiber (Max) 3.0 %
>
> IMO this is a very high protein. Most couch potatoe dogs only need 26-28%
> protein. 30+% is usually for very active and young dogs. The fat isn't to bad
> for an adult dog, but too high for a senior. Corn gluten meal is not healthy
> for dogs, and gluten as a general rule is imported from China, even for
> people food. Animal digest can be from any type of animal, even road kills
> that are bacteria ridden.
>
> I switched Gigi to Earthborn Adult Vantage. She seems to be doing well on it
> and I have even noticed a little more shine coming back to her fur. She has
> had a dry look because she can't have the fats that she needs for her coat
> and skin due to her liver issue. Gigi has also had seizures in the past due
> to the liver not functioning properly, but now that her diet has changed she
> hasn't had any in several months. She also had seizures from Rosemary which
> is in a lot of the natural foods and treats. Princess never had any reaction
> to Rosemary, but just to play it safe I stay away from it. The Earthborn
> Adult Vantage is 22% protein and 12% fat. She has also been a lot more active
> on it, as compared to sleeping a lot before. She has been on it for 3 weeks
> now and I hope this works because I am so tired of trying different brands on
> her and the expense is a waste. She was on another brand for a couple of
> months but then I started to notice that her poop was too white and hard. I
> think that may have been because it had a lot of rice in it and she may have
> been having a hard time digesting and passing it out. But between the two
> brands because of the lower fat she seems to be doing better and did loose
> the 1/2 pound over maybe two and a half months. Which is considered a good
> ratio of time for a dog to loose weight. It wouldn't be healthy for them to
> loose to much, to fast.
>
> Gracie is a large chi, and may need more then the 1/3 per day that I feed
> Gigi. You would have to figure out what is best for her. This food is a
> Holistic food and everything is made in the USA and no fillers or junk in it.
> So I am really hoping this works out. Gracie may do well on good chicken base
> diet of 26% protein and 14-15% fat. I don't think that she needs anything
> lower then that to start off with, as long as all her vital organs are
> healthy, she should still loose some weight and a good half to one hour
> straight walk would do her good too. When I walk my girls, we walk in the
> street at a comfortable but constant pace, no stopping and smelling the roses
> until before and after the walk.
>
> Gee I am so sorry to hear that Sabrina was one of the dogs that suffered from
> the tainted foods. I sure hope that you had your name on the class suit and
> socked it to them. How sad that she has to suffer her whole life now. I think
> that I read on the Hills site, or maybe it was Dr. Fosters and Smith site,
> that those ID diets aren't suppose to be for life as the dog does not get
> enough vitamins from them, especially vitamin D, which the lack of can cause
> some pretty bad complications. Maybe you could research that a little more on
> those sites.
>
> <15480J~1.GIF>
>
>
>
>
> -------Original Message-------
>
> From: Becky
> Date: 5/1/2012 2:14:26 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] Re: Becky & Gracie
>
>
> Hi Peggy,
> And thank you for sharing all of the onfo with me.
> I know treats can be a real issue with the weight problems, and someone else
> bad suggested giving low sodium green beans or carrots for the treats. I
> think I will give that a try too.
> What kibble are you using that is lower in protein and fat?
> I currently feed Purina Pro Plan, tiny toy size.
> My little white chi, "Sabrina" has to eat Hills Prescription ID. She was one
> of the dogs who ate the tainted dog food about 5 years ago. We nearly lost
> her. She pulled through but has neroulogical damage leaving her with
> seizures. She will not eat on her own, I have to syringe feed her every 4 to
> 5 hours. Our lives have been changed forever. So sometimes I allow Gracie
> to have some canned ID. Sabrina's food has to be put through the food
> processor, and I add baby rice cereal to get her through the night. It is
> very complicated. She will have IBS if I do not feed on time.
> It is a good thing I love her so much, because to be honest, I don't think
> many people would deal with this.
> So I have one who likes to eat, and one who will not eat. Pretty bizarre
> about Sabrina.
> But back to Gracie, yes, her weight gain began after spaying her at age 2.
> I have not had Gracie tested for thyroid, but had given some thought before,
> because I myself suffers with hypothyroidism. It makes losing weight very
> difficult, and gaining it very easy.
> Thank you for wishing us luck on her next test coming up in June.
> I will post about it at that time, because Mark also wants to know, he posts
> on this forum too.
>
> Becky & the girls
>
> Sent from Becky's iPhone
>
> On Apr 30, 2012, at 6:41 PM, Peggy & The Girls <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> Becky, I think that when people don't respond to a certain post in regards to
> a health issue it is because they haven't had that problem and maybe don't
> know anything about it.
>
> Gigi gained over a pound within a couple of months after her spay too. Yet
> she was on the exact same diet with the exact same amount and the exact same
> treats, which are limited to only 2 a day. I found out that she has a
> border-line liver issue and cannot digest high protein or extra fat content
> in foods, because the liver can't flush them out. But spaying can change a
> dogs hormone level drastically as well. Gigi blew her coat for almost a year
> after the spay, that she actually looked like a short hair. Princess also
> blew her coat after spaying, but it started to come back 3 months later. Gigi
> had a very hard time with the after affects of her spay. She was a BYB when I
> rescued her and had several c-sections. The Vet said her organs were three
> times the normal size. He believes that she was continually bred with no rest
> in between. When I got her almost two years ago she was estimated to be about
> 5 or 6
> years old.
>
> So age, hormones and any main organ disfunction can have a lot to do with a
> dogs weight gain, and yes, lack of exercise. In Gigi's case exercise was not
> an issue because we go for half to one hour walks everyday and it didn't seem
> to help at all. She weighed a perfect 5 lbs 15 ounce when I got her, and
> within 3 months she was over 7 lbs at the time. Most people feed their chis
> 1/2 a cup of kibble per day, split into 2 feedings. Gigi was and is only on
> 1/3 cup per day, split into 2 feedings. I finally found a kibble that is much
> lower in fat and protein and she is now 6 and 1/2 pounds. I really don't
> think she will ever loose that extra 1/2 pound.
>
> As far as treats go, I only give her a small milkbone biscuit and that is
> broken in half and given each half twice a day. It is very low protein and
> very low fat. Both my girls love milkbones and they are so cheap too. She is
> on a very, very strict diet with absolutely no people foods because of her
> liver issue.
>
> I sure hope the Vet is wrong and your baby doesn't have Cushings disease.
> When Gigi goes for her next checkup with full blood test, I am going to
> request a thyroid test as well, just to rule out the possibility of another
> issue.
>
>
> <GIRLSC~1.GIF>
>
>
> -------Original Message-------
>
> From: Becky
> Date: 4/30/2012 8:33:11 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] Re: Becky & Gracie
>
>
> Thanks Joan. You know I posted a message on this forum not too long ago in
> regards to Cushing's Disease. Gracie went for annual vaccines and bloodwork,
> and her ALKP was slightly elevated. My vet says this raises concerns that
> possible Cushing's Disease may be starting to show. She will be retested in
> end of June. I am hoping that it was elevated due to a med she had been on
> prior to the test. But of course time and test will tell.
> A person named Mark was the only one who responded with any experience with
> Cushing's Disease. He was very informative and supportive. I just hope that
> the test in June comes back normal.
> Another thing, Gracie's mother and 2 Aunts were fat little chihuahuas. So I
> don't know, maybe it runs in the family?
> Anyway, thank you for your advice on diet. She does seem to like the Canidae
> that my daughter brought home. Usually, Gracie turns her nose up to diet
> foods.
> I will do anything for my chihuahuas, I love them like kids. In fact, I tell
> everyone, I have my kids, and also have my furkids!! LOL!!
>
> Becky & the girls
> Gracie & Sabrina
>
> Sent from Becky's iPhone
>
> On Apr 30, 2012, at 3:12 AM, "Joan" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> Hi Becky,
> I have heard of quite a few Chihuahuas that develop thyroid problems which
> cause extra weight.
> Desi is all fun...and so he loves to run around and he will sometimes just
> jump out of the chair and walk around the house looking all over...so I call
> him the 'inspector general'!
> Dolly would rather lay and look pretty than to be out running around. She
> gets upset at Desi sometimes and then she will chase him and be screeching at
> him. Not always sure what happened to start it. But, sometimes when Desi goes
> outside to go potty in the evening, Dolly doesn't want to go out there. So
> this evening I went out in the back and was making sure that the branches of
> the bottlebrush tree weren't growing into my neighbors 'airspace'. Desi was
> on the patio, and the moment that I made the littel three brick high jump
> from the planter, he started his zoomies. He loves to do zoomies and I rather
> that he do them back there than on top of my bed. He was having so much fun
> and finally, I just had to open the door to come in and then he came zooming
> in the house too.
> I have heard about dogs gaining weight after being spayed. Some vets say that
> is a myth. I know when Dolly was a puppy, I had a difficult time when I was
> feeding her...I always thought that I needed to be feeding her more, but then
> I looked at the size of her and realized for her size she was getting enough.
> However, I sometimes think that the bags of dog food have the recommendations
> by size of the dog to be a bit too much. Dolly & Desi eat the RC Chihuahua
> and if I fed either of them what the bag says, they probably woudl weigh as
> much as Grace in a month. So it is your job to just cut back a kibble or two
> at a time and then cut back a little more in a week or so. She won't even
> know that you are doing that. I was a bit nervous when I started that with
> Desi, but he doesn't know. He just knows now that if it is gone, it is gone.
> Remember it will take her a little while to lose teh weight, but the
> important thing is that her intake is being adjusted and it will make a
> difference. Dolly is usually a free-feeder so she rarely overeats. Some love
> to eat, and some could care less. Good luck.
>
> --- In [email protected], Becky <stewartgang@...> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Joan, thanks for all the info.
> > Gracie is now 6 years old. She started to put on weight about a year after
> > she was spayed. I really feel like she is not over eating, but rather, not
> > getting enough excercise.
> > In fact today, I had her in the pool for some stress free joint excercise.
> > She weighs 12 pounds right now. She used to be at a steady 8.
> > I am going to try extra hard to be sure she is excercising every day. I
> > hope this will make a difference. My daughter is a vet tech, she brought me
> > a bag of Canadai for weight loss.
> > But one point you made was the one about treats. Gracie likes her evening
> > treats. Guess I need to stop that.
> >
> > Becky & the girls
> >
> > Sent from Becky's iPhone
> >
> > On Apr 29, 2012, at 4:02 AM, Joan Croft <joan_croft@...> wrote:
> >
> > > [Attachment(s) from Joan Croft included below]
> > > From: Joan Croft [mailto:joan_croft@...]
> > > Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2012 8:40 PM
> > > To: '[email protected]'
> > > Subject: Becky & Gracie
> > >
> > > Hi Becky.
> > >
> > > How old is Gracie, and how much does she weigh?
> > > Can you post a picture to see just how fat she is?
> > >
> > > I have to say I really felt that I was the worst Chi-momma in the world.
> > > First I should have recognized that he was the fattest little puppy that I
> > > had ever seen. He looked like a little bear cub.
> > >
> > > I think at 8 weeks he was 3 lbs and 11 oz. I know, some of you have full
> > > grown chis that are that size or less. Before my vet weighed him, when he
> > > just picked him up for the first time, he said ‘Oh, he’s a hefty
> > > one!’ I
> > > guess that is polite for ‘who the heck has been over feeding this
> > > puppy!’
> > > And…in only 8 weeks of his life!
> > >
> > > Well, he told me to cut back the amount of the then ‘Royal Canin Baby
> > > Dog’
> > > and I did, I looked at the amount on the bag and I was feeding less than
> > > it
> > > said to. (However, right now, Dolly & Desi get about half of what the RC
> > > Chihuahua bag says that they should get. I think it both increases their
> > > sales, but also promotes little chubs)
> > >
> > > At that time, Desi had to go every week or so for his boosters, and he was
> > > gaining…but he was a puppy so we couldn’t starve him…he had bones
> > > and
> > > muscles and things that needed to be nourished and grow. I think at
> > > 12-weeks was when he was put on RC Small Breed Puppy…I guess less fat
> > > maybe?
> > > Well, I fed him about half…and this puppy was hungry because he had been
> > > free-fed at the breeder and was accustomed to eating all day long. He
> > > would
> > > come and cry and cry and then when I would feed him he would be by his
> > > bowl
> > > before I could put the food in. He would wake me up in the morning with
> > > many, many kisses at 5 am…he was hungry â€" and why was my sleep more
> > > important? He was still eating three times a day then, so it was easier to
> > > cut back when it had to be done over three feedings.
> > >
> > > Right before he was 4 months old, the vet diagnosed a dangerous testicular
> > > problem and so he had to be neutered right away. Well…it took about
> > > four or
> > > five cuts in his little round belly to untangle and free the testicle that
> > > was not attached to anything. But, I think that during that surgery, the
> > > vet saw the total thickness of that fat layer he was carrying around. So
> > > before he was four months old, he was on RC Adult Chihuahua food. I worked
> > > with the vet in adjusting what he was getting.
> > >
> > > The good thing about my vet â€" and maybe you can get your vet to do a
> > > deal
> > > like this with you â€" is that he told me that I could bring him in any
> > > time
> > > FOR FREE, and he would weigh him, feel him to see if his ribs were really
> > > in
> > > there, and then let me know if we should cut back more or maybe even give
> > > him a little more. So if I had to cut his food back to half â€" I would
> > > start
> > > cutting it a little bit each meal over maybe a week…they really don’t
> > > notice
> > > that they are missing 10 pieces (RC Chihuahua â€" very tiny) in each
> > > feeding.
> > >
> > > Remember that I did all this under the guidance of the vet…because he
> > > was a
> > > puppy. There were a few times that the vet would tell me to give him a
> > > little more, and I could see he was growing up and out â€" and then a
> > > little
> > > too round.
> > >
> > > I think he was maybe 11 months old when the vet said that he was a good
> > > healthy weight and his bones and everything could be felt and not sticking
> > > out. So, he said to give him a little more…but I saw him gaining and
> > > just
> > > cut back a little more.
> > >
> > > With both of mine wanting to be inseparable, Desi was always with if I had
> > > to take Dolly for something, so he had some extra feels in between his
> > > visits. The thing is that Desi loves Dr Bullard...maybe because he made
> > > him
> > > a lean playin’ machine.
> > >
> > > At about 14 months, Desi was pretty much lean and staying very steady in
> > > his
> > > weight. Oh…I didn’t think that day would ever come. And then right
> > > before
> > > he was two, I noticed that he had gotten a bit wider around his rear…he
> > > had
> > > been very narrow and I even asked the groups if males have smaller builds
> > > than the females (Dolly is thin, but her rear bone structure is wider.)
> > >
> > > I noticed this about three months after I had surgery and thought maybe I
> > > just didn’t remember how narrow he had been. I took him to Dr
> > > Bullard…Desi
> > > had gained weight, but he was still just as lean. The vet and I think that
> > > because he was taken off of puppy food so early, that part of his bone
> > > development was delayed. He has been about the same size â€" with no
> > > growth
> > > spurts for almost a year, so I am ho=
>
>
>
