I bought it at Petsmart. 6# bag, $16.00, but like I said, I wouldn't drop her protein level that much to start off with, by switching to this particular one. I would try her on a 26/15 first for a couple of months, and then if you still feel she isn't loosing try another kibble that has the same protein, but lower fat.
Earthborne has other types, most of them are high protein, except for the lamb base which is Protein 26%, and Fat 15%. I try to stay away from lamb, because for a lot of dogs it is to gassy as a regular diet. What I did was walk around in Petsmart and wrote down the names of a lot of brands and then went home and researched them on the web. I made a list showing the first 4 ingredients and the protein, fat, calorie analysis and that way I had a comparison sheet, that I could take to stores if I have to switch again. I also started with a protein that was just 2% protein and fat was 2% lower then what she was on originally, and then this one which was an additional 2/2% lower. Gigi's original food was 26/15, yours is much higher to start with. Petsmart here has brands that I never even heard of before, so I did have more choices then what Petco carries. There are a lot of other good Holistic and Natural Brands out there, it is worth the trip, once you know what you are looking for. Peggy -------Original Message------- From: Becky Date: 5/1/2012 5:03:29 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] Re: Becky & Gracie 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= =
