# Update on TidBit



## T~N~T Chis (Jan 31, 2013)

Our veterinarian (Sue) did a pretty thorough exam on TidBit... including observing her & Tater rough~house for about 10 minutes. (no reverse sneezing or wobbling/falling down afterward) Considering her energy~levels and the good results of the exam (heart, lungs, temp ears, eyes, nose, teeth/gums, weight, coat, etc.) we opted not to put her through blood~work & xrays at the moment. For now...I am just going start feeding her & Tater separately & stretch their food out over the course of the day to help avoid any drops in her glucose levels. TidBit is 7 lbs, but Tater is up to 8.8 lbs! (Apparently she's eating all of the food!) LOL! 
The current plan is just to keep a watchful eye on them & see if TidBit has any more episodes. If so, she will be going back in for full blood~work, xrays and anything else deemed neccessary to get to the bottom of it. While we were there we got their vacines (they were due) & nail trims done. 

BTW...I think I'm still going to pick up a bottle of Kayro or honey today...just in case.


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

Good news that everything seems normal. How old are they? What food do they eat?


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## T~N~T Chis (Jan 31, 2013)

They were strays so I'm not sure of their exact age, but they are young. (just over a year) They are on Purina.


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

Would you consider changing their food? Purina is such a poorly rated brand. Full of fillers and things that they do not need. Our little ones need high quality food to thrive. I'd suggest this change as soon as you can.
Check out their food here:
Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor

You will want to feed them a 5 star food.


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

I pulled up Purina for you to make it easier:
Search Results purina


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## T~N~T Chis (Jan 31, 2013)

Ya know...Thank you, I really do appreciate you taking the time to to mention this to me. I have considered it because of all of the things I have been hearing, but honestly...I have fed Purina for many years and always with good results. My 80 lb. pit/lab mix (Jake) survived parvo & heartworms & still lived to age 19; My 65 lb. pit/boxer (Baby) also lived to 19 years old. She was in an accident & had to be euthanized.  My 40 lb. border collie/shepard mix (Tikki) lived to 20 years old & yes she did get a touch of arthritis, but I think she lived a good, long. & happy life. 

I got all of them as puppies & had them on Purina their entire lives. Besides Jake's Parvo & Heartworms non of them had any serious or ongoing health issues, all had full sets of teeth, healthy skin/coats, still had their vision & hearing, etc. So I guess I'm just having a difficult time justifying a change from a food that my dogs have always done quite well on. 

You do, however, make a good point. I have never had sweet little chihuahuas before & with the amount of energy these two little ones have/compared to the size of their gas tanks  ... I can see where their nutritional needs may be a bit different. I will look at the information you provided & consult with my veterinarian. So yes, for these two, I will consider a change in diet. Thanks again.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

T~N~T Chis said:


> Ya know...Thank you, I really do appreciate you taking the time to to mention this to me. I have considered it because of all of the things I have been hearing, but honestly...I have fed Purina for many years and always with good results. My 80 lb. pit/lab mix (Jake) survived parvo & heartworms & still lived to age 19; My 65 lb. pit/boxer (Baby) also lived to 19 years old. She was in an accident & had to be euthanized.  My 40 lb. border collie/shepard mix (Tikki) lived to 20 years old & yes she did get a touch of arthritis, but I think she lived a good, long. & happy life.
> 
> I got all of them as puppies & had them on Purina their entire lives. Besides Jake's Parvo & Heartworms non of them had any serious or ongoing health issues, all had full sets of teeth, healthy skin/coats, still had their vision & hearing, etc. So I guess I'm just having a difficult time justifying a change from a food that my dogs have always done quite well on.
> 
> You do, however, make a good point. I have never had sweet little chihuahuas before & with the amount of energy these two little ones have/compared to the size of their gas tanks  ... I can see where their nutritional needs may be a bit different. I will look at the information you provided & consult with my veterinarian. So yes, for these two, I will consider a change in diet. Thanks again.


Honestly I felt the same way as you did for a long time. I was not trained in proper feedings and I had large breed pups that did well on junk food. With the pet food recalls I started thinking about possible issues, then with my cat Huly needing more immune support I decided to make the change. I did not have small dogs at this point only my hounds and cats. I can honestly say I have never been happier. The way they look, their health all around etc was just amazing. I could see a difference. 

When I got the chis I realized that every bite counts in a small breed more than in a large breed and since I already started feeding a high quality diet to my others I continued this even more so with Sonny and BG. I watched them grow compared to their siblings and all I can say is wow! One of their cousins had a micro chip fall out as she did not have the muscle mass to maintain it. I talked her owner into better food as she was worried sick and now that pup is doing amazing and has the muscle to maintain anything. 

Just recently I decided to try going full raw. In a week Sadie my 15 year old Basset had goopy eyes that cleared up, her white is turning back to her darker colors, and well Huly sneezes less and his health has improved even more, and the chis OMG their coats shine like no tomorrow, no more flaky skin, more muscle mass, and just WOW! 

I honestly can not tell you how impressed I am with the changes I have made over the years. I will warn you to not take the advice of your Vet as they do not know anything about nutrition. I was a trained Vet Tech so I saw it forst hand and if you asked the Vet I worked for he had no clue but what the food companies told him. Even my Vet now who is both holistic and traditional (Huly had me make that change too) makes us bring in the labels as there is just too many companies to try to keep up with. Do the research on your own and form your own oppinion. Try feeding a better food for a month and see how your pups progress then decide. I think you might be surprised like I was.


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## T~N~T Chis (Jan 31, 2013)

That's awesome Huly! Glad to hear you've had such good results. I will do some independent research on the subject, but with all of the conflicting information out there it looks like it could be tough to figure out. LOL! I don't see me going full raw (fear of Ecoli or something)...not to mention the time & expense to feed 5 dogs. Two chi*s & three ranging from 30 lbs. to 125 lbs. any suggestions (anyone) on a high quality kibble?


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

T~N~T Chis said:


> That's awesome Huly! Glad to hear you've had such good results. I will do some independent research on the subject, but with all of the conflicting information out there it looks like it could be tough to figure out. LOL! I don't see me going full raw (fear of Ecoli or something)...not to mention the time & expense to feed 5 dogs. Two chi*s & three ranging from 30 lbs. to 125 lbs. any suggestions (anyone) on a high quality kibble?


There is a lot out there and depending on costs and what you have available here are some I would try and what I did.

For the hounds- I went with Great Life Grain free
For the chis- I went with Ziwi Peak and Stella & Chewy's

Here are some good brands from Petco & Petsmart
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dog Food | Review and Rating
Nature's Variety Instinct Dog Food | Review and Rating
Wellness Core Dog Food | Review and Rating
Canidae Grain Free Pure Dog Food | Review and Rating

A lot also like Acana and Fromm. 
Acana Regionals Grain-Free Dog Food | Review and Rating

That gives you a start  Also remember while this food might cost more you feed less as the body absorbs most of it so a lot less dog poo too!


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

And if anyone ever says (esp your vet as the owner of these brands is the only nutrition class most Vets gets and they push their food on Vets) to feed Iams or Science Diet RUN THE OPPOSITE direction! Your Purina is better than that junk! LOL


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

Veterinarians have a total of 50 hours in Vet school focused on Nutrition. That is 6 classroom days. Guess who sponsors that in the United States (in most schools)? Hills. As in the Prescription/Science Diet people. So, no offense to your Vet, or mine, but their answer is what they were told in school. That big name companies produce a complete, balanced diet that is best for your pet.

I am taking you back to the same site that I sent you previous. Here is the list of best dog foods:
Best Dog Foods


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## miuccias (Aug 22, 2012)

T~N~T Chis said:


> Ya know...Thank you, I really do appreciate you taking the time to to mention this to me. I have considered it because of all of the things I have been hearing, but honestly...I have fed Purina for many years and always with good results. My 80 lb. pit/lab mix (Jake) survived parvo & heartworms & still lived to age 19; My 65 lb. pit/boxer (Baby) also lived to 19 years old. She was in an accident & had to be euthanized.  My 40 lb. border collie/shepard mix (Tikki) lived to 20 years old & yes she did get a touch of arthritis, but I think she lived a good, long. & happy life.
> 
> I got all of them as puppies & had them on Purina their entire lives. Besides Jake's Parvo & Heartworms non of them had any serious or ongoing health issues, all had full sets of teeth, healthy skin/coats, still had their vision & hearing, etc. So I guess I'm just having a difficult time justifying a change from a food that my dogs have always done quite well on.


lol! This makes me think about the old people that are "fine" and say that their secret is that they smoke everyday.
Nutrition is very very very important a good dog owner should know that.
No matter how small or big the pet is we should feed them the best food possible!!!


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