8 month Yorkie won't eat on his own - YorkieTalk.com Forums

SirYesSir · 04-10-2009, 06:31 AM

Our 8 month old Sir (he's a boy) won't eat on his own. Ever since he was a smaller puppy, we would have to encourage him to eat by playing with him with a certain toy near the food (usually a cat toy with a bird/mouse suspended on a string from a stick). But he would nibble on his own sometimes.

Well, he stopped eating the kibble. Here is what we've tried

1) Mixing the kibble (Eukanuba) with a gravy, as suggested by the breeder, heated up so that the kibble abosorbed the gravy. This worked for a few days.

2) Put a plate of kibble with him in the bathroom with the door close for 10 minutes, 3 times a day. After the 10 minutes, we would pick up the plate, regardless of if he'd eaten (again, as suggested by the breeder and a bunch of people on YorkieTalk). This was *supposed* to show him that he had to eat at a certain time, and everyone said he would eventually be so hungry that he'd eat when the plate was down. He ended up starving himself for so long that he got hypoglycemic. Even after he recovered from that, he wouldn't eat.

3) We've made recipes we've found on Yorkie Talk--he hates chicken, so it has to be beef. We made a nice stew, and this worked for about 2 weeks before he stopped eating it on his own. So we started playing with the toy by the food (like we had before) and this worked for 3 weeks. He then just stopped eating that food, even when encouraged.

4) We now feed him raw hamburger. It is the only thing he will eat--but of course, he has to be played with with the toy. We have to run around the house with him, make obstacles, and then run past the plate of food in order for him to eat it. He won't even eat it cooked. We try to feed him cereal, veggies, and other supplementary foods but this is very hit and miss.

He gets plenty of exercise and stimulation--about 1 hour of outside walk time, and another hour of playing with toys with us.

At 8 months, he is 5.4 pounds. The breeder predicted that he would be 7-8, so I'm worried that this has stunted his growth.

Any suggestions?! We've done what everyone has told us to do and it just isn't working. We can't keep spending 30 minutes with him 3 times a day just to get him to eat (and this is separate from his normal play time!)

amandawash · 04-10-2009, 07:12 AM

Wow. Have you tried a different brand of kibble/canned food? If is very important that they eat a balanced diet, which I understand is hard when they wont eat, but by only feeding him hamburger is very bad for his health.

I would try a different kibble mixed with a canned food to entice him. As this sounds pretty serious, I would get him to the vet and get a complete blood chemistry done as well as a liver bile acids test to rule out any liver problems. Many times liver compromised dogs will be picky eaters.

If his liver checks out, you may want to look into a pre-made raw (I prefer Primal or Stella and Chewys). Lots of picky dogs thrive on raw, and so long as they aren't immune-compromised, it is a healthy diet.

If that's not for you, homecooking is another option but MUST be formulated by a nutritionist and PROPERLY supplemented to ensure an appropriate calcium/phosphorus ratio, which is very important.

pookiebear · 04-10-2009, 07:31 AM

Bernoe and Baxter around that age owned me. They had me figured out to a tee. I started them on EVO kibble. They ate that awhile and got tired of it, then we went to Natures Variety raw. They loved that for awhile then once again they wouldn't eat. Dinner time...they just turned their noses up. All this food I was wasting was costing a fortune. So, I started home cooking. And yes, it is a pain getting it balanced...adding bone meal for the calcium, supplements for this that and the other. I started out with chicken. Cooked 20 pounds at a time and bones it, processed it with the veggies. After awhile they again turned their little noses up at that. So, I switched to beef. Talk about cost....and they actually had the nerve to turn their noses up at that. After that...I put my foot down. I of course had to have some encouragement to not cater to their pickey pallates anymore, but I stopped all the madness, keep kibble down all day (rotate the good ones) and if they are hungry they eat. I still do the homemade chicken and give it to them every now and then and they seem to appreciate the trouble now after not having it.

If your baby likes raw you should try the Natures Variety. Nature's Variety It comes in many different meats. Beef, chicken, organic chicken, rabbit, and venison. Mine liked the more pungent meats, that being rabbit and venison. Their is nothing wrong with feeding raw. I still have it in the freezer and feed it occasionally, because mine now appreciate it all. Lots of Yorkies have sensitive tummies and switching foods can upset them, but I think mine have lead stomachs. I switch around a lot, but never feed canned. That ruins their insides. Some people have good luck with it, but I never have.

Their are many people on here that can help you get a good diet going, what ever you choose to feed. His weight isn't that bad for 8 mos. He may just not get as big as the breeder predicted. If you choose to feed kibble get him a good one like EVO, Innova, Wellness, Instict...any of the grain frees. And maybe you could entice him to the kibble with the canned like was suggested or even a little chicken broth. You'll get him going, he's just searching for something better... hopefully. Best of luck to both you and your pickey pooch!

newproudmom · 04-10-2009, 08:30 AM

charlie is 7 months and started doing that to me too. He is a picky eater. I found out this week that he will eat his food if I put it inside his kong toy. So that is what I have been doing. I am thinking maybe he doesn't like his food bowl. He is fine drinking water from his water bowl but will not go near his food bowl.

peanutann · 04-11-2009, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newproudmom

charlie is 7 months and started doing that to me too. He is a picky eater. I found out this week that he will eat his food if I put it inside his kong toy. So that is what I have been doing. I am thinking maybe he doesn't like his food bowl. He is fine drinking water from his water bowl but will not go near his food bowl.

Peanut won't eat out of a food bowl...need to put it on a flat small plate. She loves that. Apparently they don't like the feeling of putting their small faces into bowls.

drabinowitz43 · 04-11-2009, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanutann

Peanut won't eat out of a food bowl...need to put it on a flat small plate. She loves that. Apparently they don't like the feeling of putting their small faces into bowls.

Joey does the same thing and I never thought that maybe it's because he is so tiny. He will sometimes eat his kibble off a plate, but really prefers it right from the floor. I know you're not supposed to encourage pups to eat things off the floor, but it works for him. He's so tiny that I have to make sure he eats at regular intervals.

Mysweetbabies · 04-12-2009, 05:21 AM

My three are the same way. They will eat something for awhile then stick their nose up to it. I have one that is very tiny so to make sure she eats I will hand feed her. I know a slap on the hand. I don't want her sugar to get low. It has never happened and I want to keep it that way. The other 2 will come over and eat some out of my hand. They too prefer it on the floor. My bad. Just want to make sure they eating.

04-10-2009, 06:31 AM	#1
SirYesSir YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 9	8 month Yorkie won't eat on his own Our 8 month old Sir (he's a boy) won't eat on his own. Ever since he was a smaller puppy, we would have to encourage him to eat by playing with him with a certain toy near the food (usually a cat toy with a bird/mouse suspended on a string from a stick). But he would nibble on his own sometimes. Well, he stopped eating the kibble. Here is what we've tried 1) Mixing the kibble (Eukanuba) with a gravy, as suggested by the breeder, heated up so that the kibble abosorbed the gravy. This worked for a few days. 2) Put a plate of kibble with him in the bathroom with the door close for 10 minutes, 3 times a day. After the 10 minutes, we would pick up the plate, regardless of if he'd eaten (again, as suggested by the breeder and a bunch of people on YorkieTalk). This was supposed to show him that he had to eat at a certain time, and everyone said he would eventually be so hungry that he'd eat when the plate was down. He ended up starving himself for so long that he got hypoglycemic. Even after he recovered from that, he wouldn't eat. 3) We've made recipes we've found on Yorkie Talk--he hates chicken, so it has to be beef. We made a nice stew, and this worked for about 2 weeks before he stopped eating it on his own. So we started playing with the toy by the food (like we had before) and this worked for 3 weeks. He then just stopped eating that food, even when encouraged. 4) We now feed him raw hamburger. It is the only thing he will eat--but of course, he has to be played with with the toy. We have to run around the house with him, make obstacles, and then run past the plate of food in order for him to eat it. He won't even eat it cooked. We try to feed him cereal, veggies, and other supplementary foods but this is very hit and miss. He gets plenty of exercise and stimulation--about 1 hour of outside walk time, and another hour of playing with toys with us. At 8 months, he is 5.4 pounds. The breeder predicted that he would be 7-8, so I'm worried that this has stunted his growth. Any suggestions?! We've done what everyone has told us to do and it just isn't working. We can't keep spending 30 minutes with him 3 times a day just to get him to eat (and this is separate from his normal play time!)

04-10-2009, 07:12 AM	#2
amandawash Lovin' my R & R Donating Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Middleton, Idaho Posts: 2,152	Wow. Have you tried a different brand of kibble/canned food? If is very important that they eat a balanced diet, which I understand is hard when they wont eat, but by only feeding him hamburger is very bad for his health. I would try a different kibble mixed with a canned food to entice him. As this sounds pretty serious, I would get him to the vet and get a complete blood chemistry done as well as a liver bile acids test to rule out any liver problems. Many times liver compromised dogs will be picky eaters. If his liver checks out, you may want to look into a pre-made raw (I prefer Primal or Stella and Chewys). Lots of picky dogs thrive on raw, and so long as they aren't immune-compromised, it is a healthy diet. If that's not for you, homecooking is another option but MUST be formulated by a nutritionist and PROPERLY supplemented to ensure an appropriate calcium/phosphorus ratio, which is very important. __________________ Amanda 's Ranger & Ryder

04-10-2009, 07:31 AM	#3
pookiebear Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Brunswick, Georgia. On the beach! Posts: 1,016	Bernoe and Baxter around that age owned me. They had me figured out to a tee. I started them on EVO kibble. They ate that awhile and got tired of it, then we went to Natures Variety raw. They loved that for awhile then once again they wouldn't eat. Dinner time...they just turned their noses up. All this food I was wasting was costing a fortune. So, I started home cooking. And yes, it is a pain getting it balanced...adding bone meal for the calcium, supplements for this that and the other. I started out with chicken. Cooked 20 pounds at a time and bones it, processed it with the veggies. After awhile they again turned their little noses up at that. So, I switched to beef. Talk about cost....and they actually had the nerve to turn their noses up at that. After that...I put my foot down. I of course had to have some encouragement to not cater to their pickey pallates anymore, but I stopped all the madness, keep kibble down all day (rotate the good ones) and if they are hungry they eat. I still do the homemade chicken and give it to them every now and then and they seem to appreciate the trouble now after not having it. If your baby likes raw you should try the Natures Variety. Nature's Variety It comes in many different meats. Beef, chicken, organic chicken, rabbit, and venison. Mine liked the more pungent meats, that being rabbit and venison. Their is nothing wrong with feeding raw. I still have it in the freezer and feed it occasionally, because mine now appreciate it all. Lots of Yorkies have sensitive tummies and switching foods can upset them, but I think mine have lead stomachs. I switch around a lot, but never feed canned. That ruins their insides. Some people have good luck with it, but I never have. Their are many people on here that can help you get a good diet going, what ever you choose to feed. His weight isn't that bad for 8 mos. He may just not get as big as the breeder predicted. If you choose to feed kibble get him a good one like EVO, Innova, Wellness, Instict...any of the grain frees. And maybe you could entice him to the kibble with the canned like was suggested or even a little chicken broth. You'll get him going, he's just searching for something better... hopefully. Best of luck to both you and your pickey pooch! __________________ Bernie, Baxter, Bella and Blazer

04-12-2009, 05:21 AM	#7
Mysweetbabies YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Tennessee Posts: 1,236	My three are the same way. They will eat something for awhile then stick their nose up to it. I have one that is very tiny so to make sure she eats I will hand feed her. I know a slap on the hand. I don't want her sugar to get low. It has never happened and I want to keep it that way. The other 2 will come over and eat some out of my hand. They too prefer it on the floor. My bad. Just want to make sure they eating. __________________ DaisyRoscoBo

04-10-2009, 08:30 AM	#4
newproudmom YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: banning, ca Posts: 435	charlie is 7 months and started doing that to me too. He is a picky eater. I found out this week that he will eat his food if I put it inside his kong toy. So that is what I have been doing. I am thinking maybe he doesn't like his food bowl. He is fine drinking water from his water bowl but will not go near his food bowl.