# Is cat food bad?......



## Holly's Momma (Jun 19, 2009)

My new dog, Holly is a 2 yr old Long hair Chi. She is doing well, (she came from a puppy mill), The only big problem I have with her is that she will only eat Cat food.:dontknow: I am not sure if I should let her keep on or not, she weighs 6-7 pounds. We leave dry dog food out for her but she just wont take it. Help!!!!

She is in heat, we just got her mon. She has an appt to get "fixed" 1st of July









She also sleeps ALOT









But when she isn't asleep, she's happy


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## Yoshismom (Jul 6, 2005)

Yes cat food is bad for a dog and can do damage over a long period of time. I would try to mix something maybe chicken broth in your dogs food until he/she learns to eat it. They will eat when hungry, I know it sounds bad but it wont hurt them not to eat for a couple of days if need be, they will eventually eat;-) Do keep some nutrical or honey or something on hand though to keep the blood sugar up if he/she is not eating.

I am sure others can give you ideas on how to entice her to eat;-)


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## Holly's Momma (Jun 19, 2009)

Thanks,

My vet said to wait ONE WEEK then she would eat. I have waited a couple days (we got her mon.)But I wont starve her for a week. The chicken broth is a great Idea I will for sure be trying. Any other ideas will be helpful. I also am wondering if she is a mix, maybe dachshund, she is really short for a chi (i think).


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## *Chloe* (Feb 6, 2006)

shes sweet - she wont starve herself - i sometimes put a spoonful of some plain pro biotic yogurt on the food if they wont eat their dry food - or maybe a spoonful of wet dog food mixed in with the dry

cat food is generally too high in protein and fats for dogs to cope with


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## Rosiesmum (Oct 14, 2007)

*Chloe* said:


> cat food is generally too high in protein and fats for dogs to cope with



That's my understanding too.

If she were mine I'd continue with the cat food but VERY slowly mix in the brand of dog food you wish her to have. Ensuring it was well mixed together so she couldn't pick out the bits she liked!

Good luck,
Barbara x


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## catz4m8z (Aug 28, 2008)

Cat food is definately too rich for dogs, they need much less protein in their diet. Too much can cause kidney damage I think.
Also if she's in season now arent you supposed to wait a couple of months after they finish before you spay them?
Perhaps one of the more knowledgeable members could advise?
She is very sweet though, one of mine is a chiweenie and her legs are waaaaaay shorter!!


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## carrera (Oct 8, 2008)

I was using cat food as a treat because chicco and carrera responded to it soo well with training, but then i too read about the kidney issues and haved stopped it, even though i was using it just as a treat-it better to be safe then sorry. 
as for getting her to eat dog food, like others have said try mixing it with something, mine like yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken, boiled or scrambled eggs, and canned wet food also works well too. if none of these work then smashed the cat food till its like a powdery consistency and mix it with her dry dog food (as was suggested) this way she cannot pick out the pieces. 
heres a link that suggests good dog food for dogs, you would be suprised what is in other pet foods, www.dogfoodanalysis.com try to stay in the 5 and 6 star range if possible. 
oh i forgot, i used fish oil to mix with carreras food when she wouldnt eat it and it also helped with her coat as well. the fish oil you can find at drug stores and just buy it in capsule form and squeeze it out onto her food once a day.


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## rcj1095 (Mar 4, 2009)

Oh, she is so adorable. She looks full chi to me. I don't see any doxie but that doesn't mean anything. Two of my chi's have much longer legs than the other one. She's so precious. What does she weigh? She looks so petite. All the suggestions so far for food is awesome. Sometimes adding some stuff and heating it can help a lot too. It just makes it more appetizing to them. Check out the NV threads on here also. It's a raw food that dogs live for!!! It's called Nature's Variety. Some of us on here have made the switch and my dogs can't wait for mealtime. Good luck and please keep posting pics and updates. She's so cute!!!


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## BABY BABS (Feb 5, 2008)

You could check the thread on Nature's Variety. The pups that have been switched to that seem very excited about eating.


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## Mom of 4 Chi's (Apr 3, 2009)

Is it the protein that's bad in the cat food or something else? Hmmm.
Raw feeders feed their dogs a lot of protein, and their dogs seem to be doing quite well on it. I think it has to be something else in the cat food or something lacking in the cat food that makes it bad for dogs to eat it. Just my opinion though.

Anyways I would do as all the others suggested and get her off the cat food. Slowly though.

She's adorable! Congrats on your new doggie! She looks all chihuahua to me.


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## KayC (May 3, 2005)

I used the chicken brooth to get Zoey to eat, just make sure you get the low sodium. I agree with NO cat food. Good Luck. Kay & Zoey


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## Holly's Momma (Jun 19, 2009)

*She's eating dog food!!!!*

All by herself! I didn't do anything to it. I think she had to get used to us. If you can PLEASE look at my other thread Holly hurt herself. She hurt Her nail bad on one foot and bled all over my room, I have it wrapped up now but, I was wondering if there is anything I can give her for pain... Thanks!

Ty & Holly


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## lilbabyvenus (Feb 8, 2009)

*Mom of 4 Chi's* said:


> Is it the protein that's bad in the cat food or something else? Hmmm.
> Raw feeders feed their dogs a lot of protein, and their dogs seem to be doing quite well on it. I think it has to be something else in the cat food or something lacking in the cat food that makes it bad for dogs to eat it. Just my opinion though.
> 
> Anyways I would do as all the others suggested and get her off the cat food. Slowly though.
> ...


I'm curious about this as well. Here is the nutritional value in Meow Mix (just using that cuz that's what the in-laws feed their cats, so Venus always picks at it):
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (Min) - 31.0%
Crude Fat (Min) - 8.0%
Crude Fiber (Max) - 4.0%
Moisture (Max) - 12.0%
Calcium (Min) - 1.0%
Phosphorus (Min) - 0.8% 

And this is Wellness Core:
Crude Protein min.- 34%
Crude Fat min. - 14%
Crude Fiber max. - 4%
Moisture max. - 10%
Calcium max. - 2%
Phosphorus max. - 1.4%
Vitamin E min. - 150 IU/kg
Omega 6 Fatty Acids* min. - 3.25%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids* min. - 0.70%
Glucosamin Hydrochloride* min. - 250 mg/kg
Chondroitin Sulfate min. - 200 mg/kg
Total Micro-organisms* min. - 80,000,000 CFU/lb
Crude Protein min. - 5 mg/kg

Granted I know there's a lot of differences between the foods, but the protein and fat is higher in the dog food than the cat food. I'm just confused.


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