protein

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Posted by iZ's mom on March 20, 2001 at 13:31:15:

In Reply to: mealworms posted by joe on March 20, 2001 at 11:37:05:

renal failure + kidney problems ... iZ has chronic kidney problems ... he was diagnosed 18 months ago when he was only 3.5yo and it is something that will effect every day of his life for the rest of his hopefully long life ... his problems were NOT caused by animal protein, he'd never been fed ANY ... but i bring this up because i want you ALL to know that bad kidneys are something that NO ig should have to go thru ... and if there is a loud + vocal opinion in the community of iguana lover's that animal protein is bad for igs, WHY RISK IT!?!?

yes! igs need protein ~ especially young iglets that grow at such tremendous rates ANYway ... but it is totally possible to get *plenty* of protein in a diet with *just* vegies + greens! in fact ~ it is *also* possible to give an ig too much *Plant Protein*!!! (tho that is usually more of an issue when the ig is mostly done with the huge growth spurts of it's 1st couple years of life ...)

ig's systems were not built to be able to digest animal proteins ~ that includes everything from bugs to cat food to cheese ~ they physically cannot utilize the nutrients in those foods ... even "too much" plant protein overworks the system because it wasn't created to handle an excess of that kind of food ... and yes, it can/will/does lead to renal failure and death at too early an age ...

a 10 month old ig should be pretty much eating/pooping/shedding just about constantly ... as long as it's doing that, i'd hazard a guess that it is growing at the correct rate for itself ... igs that young ARE going to look a bit thinner than older igs ~ that's cuz they're growing longer so darned fast that they haven't stopped to "bulk up" their muscles yet ... that's normal, that's A-OK!

it IS possible to have a very good vet and still disagree a bit with them ... it just might be trickier ... (*grin*)

btw ~ with alot of effort on iZ's part + not alittle on mine, he is a healthy, happy 5+yo male ig ~ he's 5.5' stl and weighs in at 11.5 pounds ... on a LOW protein diet ... !

best wishes!
Bon. + iZ

Follow Ups:

Re: protein joe 03/20/01 (1)
- Joe....you can drop a fecal sample off and it's cheaper than a vet visit JNelson 03/21/01 (0)

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: : renal failure + kidney problems ... iZ has chronic kidney problems ... he was diagnosed 18 months ago when he was only 3.5yo and it is something that will effect every day of his life for the rest of his hopefully long life ... his problems were NOT caused by animal protein, he'd never been fed ANY ... but i bring this up because i want you ALL to know that bad kidneys are something that NO ig should have to go thru ... and if there is a loud + vocal opinion in the community of iguana lover's that animal protein is bad for igs, WHY RISK IT!?!? : yes! igs need protein ~ especially young iglets that grow at such tremendous rates ANYway ... but it is totally possible to get *plenty* of protein in a diet with *just* vegies + greens! in fact ~ it is *also* possible to give an ig too much *Plant Protein*!!! (tho that is usually more of an issue when the ig is mostly done with the huge growth spurts of it's 1st couple years of life ...) : ig's systems were not built to be able to digest animal proteins ~ that includes everything from bugs to cat food to cheese ~ they physically cannot utilize the nutrients in those foods ... even "too much" plant protein overworks the system because it wasn't created to handle an excess of that kind of food ... and yes, it can/will/does lead to renal failure and death at too early an age ... : a 10 month old ig should be pretty much eating/pooping/shedding just about constantly ... as long as it's doing that, i'd hazard a guess that it is growing at the correct rate for itself ... igs that young ARE going to look a bit thinner than older igs ~ that's cuz they're growing longer so darned fast that they haven't stopped to "bulk up" their muscles yet ... that's normal, that's A-OK! : it IS possible to have a very good vet and still disagree a bit with them ... it just might be trickier ... (*grin*) : : btw ~ with alot of effort on iZ's part + not alittle on mine, he is a healthy, happy 5+yo male ig ~ he's 5.5' stl and weighs in at 11.5 pounds ... on a LOW protein diet ... ! : best wishes! : Bon. + iZ

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