Nature's Variety Prairie Raw Instinct for puppy?

Cupy

New Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2005
Messages
49
Likes
0
Points
0
#1
Hi!

I have 5 months old Yorkshire terrier. I was thinking about Nature's Variety Prairie Raw Instinct dry food, but I am afraid there is to much proteins in this food??? What do you think?
What food do you think is the best for puppies? Could I mix Nature's Variety Prairie Raw Instinct with other dry food. Would this be o.k.?
 

LappieLover

Crazy dog girl
Joined
Jun 18, 2007
Messages
43
Likes
0
Points
0
#4
IMHO, reeding RAW, even if it is prepackaged, is a step up from kibble. Just make sure that you follow the directions on the package to make sure that your dog is getting enough food.

Personally, I really like Nature's variety. It's really improved my girl's coat and muscle. Then again, she also gets raw bones, apples (with out the seeds), canned pumpkin, cottage cheese (one teaspoon every other day), a hard boiled egg (once per week), green cow tripe (three times per week) etc.

Once I get my puppy, I will feed him/her RAW right from the start.

To second the other posters, dogs are omnivores so they need a variety of things. However, protein and meat are the most important.

You probably noticed that most kibble (except for those like Innova) is 90% corn, with corn usually being the first ingredient. That is not nutritionally sound for most dogs.

It is good that you are starting to feed RAW.
 

Cupy

New Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2005
Messages
49
Likes
0
Points
0
#5
Hi!

I am really comfused now. I asked the same question on Yorki talk forum and they said this is to much proteins for yorkshire puppy????? :confused:
 

ACooper

Moderator
Joined
Jan 7, 2007
Messages
27,772
Likes
1
Points
38
Location
IN
#6
Cupy I would research your breed (yorkie) and find out what most of the 'experts' say on a pup. I doubt you will find everyone in agreement, but go with the majority on this.

I know MOST of the 'experts' on dobes DO NOT recommend a protein rich food until they are a little older. For them, I believe, it has to do with growing too quickly and causing bone/joint problems.
 

LappieLover

Crazy dog girl
Joined
Jun 18, 2007
Messages
43
Likes
0
Points
0
#7
I found this for you:

Renal Failure
Veterinary Extension
2938 Vet. Med. Basic Sciences Bldg.
2001 S. Lincoln Ave.
Urbana, Illinois 61802
Phone: 217/333-2907

By Joseph Hahn
Information Specialist
University of Illinois
College of Veterinary Medicine

What purpose do kidneys serve? Your pet's kidneys clear the blood of toxins and conserve water at times when an animal isn't drinking as much as it should. When the kidneys deteriorate (chronic renal failure), it can lead to serious health problems for your pet.

"Chronic renal failure is a slow deterioration of the kidneys resulting from a variety of inherited or acquired disorders," says Dr. Donald Krawiec, a veterinarian specializing in urology and chief of small animal medicine at the University of Illinois Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital at Urbana. "It occurs in middle-aged to older cats and dogs."

He explains that "the signs are so vague that they could mimic almost any other condition." These signs include excessive drinking or urination, weight loss, loss of appetite, vomiting, or general signs of not feeling well.

"There is still a lot we don't know about chronic renal failure," remarked Dr. Krawiec. "Most of the toxins that are cleared from the blood by the kidney tend to be products of protein metabolism. Therefore, we reduce the amount of protein in the diet to help alleviate this problem. We also know that animals in renal failure have a hard time regulating phosphorus and that plays a role in the progression of the disease. Finally, we know that in humans hypertension (high blood pressure) plays a role in the disease so in animals we tend to reduce salt in the diet as well."

The main treatment for renal failure is dietary. Protein, phosphorous and salt are reduced in the diet to help slow the progression of the disease. Your veterinarian can recommend an appropriate diet, most of which are commercially produced and readily available. The diet is also supplemented with water soluble vitamins. If necessary, the animal is treated for anemia if the condition is present.

Renal failure is usually first diagnosed with a blood test and urine sample and later with the help of radiography. Monitoring for mild renal failure is not rigorous. At first, animals will need to be seen monthly until the rate of the renal failure is determined. Once this is determined, most animals require only once- or twice-a-year visits.

"The progression of this disease is highly variable," explains Dr. Krawiec. "Renal failure will progress rapidly in some animals and slowly in others. Cats will tend to progress more slowly than dogs."

"As with people, the cause with chronic renal failure in dogs and cats is currently unknown," he says. "It is important to be observant with your dog and communicate any unusual changes or behaviors with your veterinarian. The changes may be subtle but it helps if it can be identified before the animal is overtly ill."

If you would like further information on chronic renal failure, contact your local veterinarian.


I found that here: http://www.yorkie.org/dogs/health.html

This may also help you: http://home.att.net/~wdcusick/YorkshireTerrier.html
 

Maxy24

Active Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
8,070
Likes
2
Points
38
Age
32
Location
Massachusetts
#8
I always heard too much protein in a young growing puppy was bad too. I thought that is why we don't recommend EVO for growing puppies. I don't know how much protein is in the food you are talking about though, so I don't know if it is too much.
 
Joined
May 20, 2006
Messages
47
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Oklahoma City
#9
For a Yorkie pup Instinct is probably fine. The reason foods like Instinct aren't recommended for puppies is the calcium levels, not the protein, although the two are linked. Any kibble with a high meat content, which makes it high protein, is going to have an extremely high ash content. Ash is the mineral level of a food, and includes calcium. The calcium levels in Instinct, EVO and BaTM are double the acceptable level for large breed puppy growth. Overfeeding a dense, mineral-rich food to growing puppies can cause growth problems, and these foods are very hard not to overfeed. This is supposed to only be a problem in dogs with an adult weight over 50 lbs, since their growth period can last up to two years. For a small breed pup that reaches adult size in 6-9 months, it's not supposed to be a problem, but *I* wouldn't feed anything above 1.5% calcium to any growing puppy.
 

Buddy'sParents

*Finding My Inner Fila*
Joined
Dec 26, 2005
Messages
25,377
Likes
0
Points
36
#10
I always heard too much protein in a young growing puppy was bad too. I thought that is why we don't recommend EVO for growing puppies. I don't know how much protein is in the food you are talking about though, so I don't know if it is too much.
Evo is not recommended for puppies that will be more than 50lbs in their adulthood... in other words.. large and giant breeds. :)
 

Members online

No members online now.
Top