Yorkie Maltese mix and sudden changes in eating - YorkieTalk.com Forums

klk3100 · 12-04-2010, 08:36 PM

My daughter has a darling 6 lb 8 oz Yorkie-Maltese mix little girl who just turned 8 months. Up until a month ago she had a voracious appetite and quickly ate her food. All of a sudden she has become very picky and at times will just sniff the food and walk away. We were concerned, but since she was still spunky, not vomiting and had solid stools it was hard to imagine anything serious was happening. We have had her at the vet twice now and though no diagnostic tests were done, all signs (gum color, temperature, etc.) were normal. No sign of stomach tenderness. So it has been just watch her. One day last week after she ate, she vomited, but only once and then would continue her finicky eating until tonight. She ate a little food and then vomited a little, but only the one time. She has been a little gassy, but nothing too bad.

Soooooooo I just don't know what to think. Does anyone else have this type of problem? Why would her stools still be nice and solid and then she occasionally vomits?

I have read that both maltese and yorkies can be finicky eaters and can digestive issues. I just don't know whether we should be really concerned or is this just what comes with her breed.

Any help/insight you could give would be appreciated.

Oh btw she is fed a mixture of water, baby rice cereal, gerbers beef baby food and Wellness puppy kibble twice a day. We tried changing out the Wellness puppy with a duck and potato kibble and she liked that for a couple days and now turns her nose up at that too.

2Morkies · 12-04-2010, 10:25 PM

I have two Morkies Maltese/Yorkies and they would get finicky at that age too. I would keep yours on the Wellness Puppy and crumble a little "Stella and Chewy's" dry over the top. Or you could make some plain chicken and put that on top. If she is still vomiting then I'd just do plain chiken and rice for a few days then slowly add the Wellness back. I hope she feels better soon.

Maximo · 12-05-2010, 09:49 AM

Has she been spayed? If not, you may want to read up on first heats. I don't have girls, so I'm not sure when all of that starts.

How much baby rice cereal and Gerber's beef baby food is she being served in this mixture? I would be slightly concerned about throwing off the nutritional balance of the dog's diet. Is there a reason for the rice cereal and baby food?

My vet quoted 8 months as the age I should switch to adult food and cut back on the amount I feed, so maybe your little girl has hit that age where she doesn't require as much.

klk3100 · 12-05-2010, 10:10 AM

Yes, she has been spayed. She was spayed when she was 6 months old (in October). The rice cereal and gerber beef along with the kibble was the "recipe" used by the breeder. Lily (the dog) was fed 4 times a day to begin with until she was 4 months then went to 3 times a day until she was 6 months and now 2 times a day.

This may sound like a crazy question, but does "how" they vomit tell you anything? The two times she vomited were right after eating. They were not half and hour or more from when she ingested the food. And they were one time occurrences both times. No more vomiting the rest of the day.

Crazy trying to figure this out. She is still very playful, happy, loving to go outside (even in our Minnesota cold and snow) even when she doesn't have to "go".

One other thing, we had been adding Angel's Eyes to her food. Could that have upset her system?

I ordered some probiotics last night thinking that it couldn't hurt to try that and it may even help.

Thanks for the suggestions and help.

Maximo · 12-05-2010, 10:29 AM

Probiotics are good.

When did you start the Angel Eyes? That is a distinct possibility. Vomiting right after eating does sound like it is related to the food or additives.

Personally, I would discontinue the baby food and stick to plain kibble. Dog foods are formulated to be a complete and balanced diet. You can supplement with various treats ("human food"), but anything over 10 percent, if I recall correctly, starts throwing off the balance.

You may have to experiment with a different brands of kibble. Could be that Wellness no longer agrees with her.

jeanm1963 · 12-05-2010, 10:41 AM

What are you feeding her??
I would stop using Angel eyes , maybe put her on boiled chicken and rice for a couple of days and see if that helps and stops the vomiting.

Just to rule things out, did the lack of interest in food begin when you started to use angel eyes? I mean that would be a simply answer to your question?

I have a very very very picky dog, I have switched to different brands and she seems to LOVE Lifes Abundance, I got it from Linda@ fufu fashions. If you contact her she would likely mail you a sample. Its a great food and all natural.

You can also try to use spring water and would help a little with the discoloring around the eyes.

jeanm1963 · 12-05-2010, 10:45 AM

This article may help you !!!

Angel Eyes and Vomiting

klk3100 · 12-05-2010, 11:29 AM

The vomiting wasn't immediately after starting the Angel Eyes. The picky eating started about 2 weeks after starting Angel Eyes and the two vomiting episodes were once Monday and again once last night. Again, the vomiting occurred right after eating.

Daughter said its almost like Lily doesn't want food first thing in the morning. So now she puts some kibble in her bowl and lets her 'graze'. Doesn't pick up the bowl of food after 15 minutes.

Thanks for the suggestions in trying to get this figured out. We'll stop the Angel Eyes too. We got a bag of the Dick Van Patton's Natural ? Duck and Potato kibble for her to try on Thursday and she seems to like it, but again as stated above she vomited that last night.

Maximo · 12-05-2010, 11:42 AM

Did you do a complete switch to the Natural Balance? Some dogs can handle wholesale diet changes, others require slower transitions, lasting up to 2 weeks. This is especially true when changing to a kibble that has a different protein source and a very different ingredient list.

Start with one quarter NB with three-quarters Wellness and gradually increase NB over several days.

Some dogs don't like to eat in the morning. Letting her graze is good.

Hope the new food, probiotics, and discontinuing the Angel Eyes does the trick. As I wrote before, I would ditch the baby food. There really isn't anything to be gained from it nutritionally and it would eliminate a questionable variable. If you want something moist to entice Lily to eat, stick to canned dog food or a tiny amount of grated parmesan, or a couple of green beans or sweet peas (frozen, no added salt, pop in the microwave for a few seconds and cool with cold water).

veggienut · 12-05-2010, 05:40 PM

Welcome to the Yorkie world. Seems like every person I have ran into has had eating issues that owned Yorkies. Apparently, it is that breed. I've gone thru so many brands of food and now I am sticking to one. But perhaps, your little one doesn't like the brand. It happened to me. Or he likes a bit of variety, like mine. I'm mixing a bit of wet or small bites of canned with his dry of the same brand of "Blue Buffalo". It works and he eats. I've talked to other Yorkie owners and they have to do the same thing. Try a bit of wet on the bottom of the bowl or mix it thru. Good Luck

klk3100 · 12-06-2010, 08:31 AM

I have a couple other questions...... could she just want only one meal a day? Does she want to "graze"? My daughter gets up at 4:30 every week day to leave for work at 5:30. Could Lily just not be ready to eat that early? (But that has always been the case since we got her.) Are we feeding too much? (She gets about 1/3 cup kibble twice a day)

She was over last night and didn't have any kibble so mixed up the rice cereal and put in some chicken with a pinch of parmesan cheese on top. Ate it right up! Now this morning the report is she turned her nose up at the food.

Bright side, no vomiting of the food since Saturday night.

She is due to be "kenneled" (use the term loosely since woman only takes small dogs and allows overnight stays for 3 in her home) in February and it would be nice to have this sort of figured out so that we can give best instructions.

Once again, thanks for all the responses. You all are the best!

Maximo · 12-06-2010, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klk3100

I have a couple other questions...... could she just want only one meal a day? Does she want to "graze"? My daughter gets up at 4:30 every week day to leave for work at 5:30. Could Lily just not be ready to eat that early? (But that has always been the case since we got her.) Are we feeding too much? (She gets about 1/3 cup kibble twice a day)

She was over last night and didn't have any kibble so mixed up the rice cereal and put in some chicken with a pinch of parmesan cheese on top. Ate it right up! Now this morning the report is she turned her nose up at the food.

Bright side, no vomiting of the food since Saturday night.

She is due to be "kenneled" (use the term loosely since woman only takes small dogs and allows overnight stays for 3 in her home) in February and it would be nice to have this sort of figured out so that we can give best instructions.

Once again, thanks for all the responses. You all are the best!

Glad to hear the vomiting has stopped. Could be that she doesn't want to eat early in the day. Britster's Jackson is a very active boy, but he doesn't like eating before noon. Dinner is his big meal.

Grazing is fine. My younger boy was a grazer for a long time.

Keep in mind that the more "human" food (non-kibble) or treats you give, the less interest the dog will have in the kibble. Dogs are smart. They will hold out for the "good" stuff. As I wrote before, dogs require a balanced diet otherwise they will become very sick. If you decide to homecook for the dog, make sure you do your homework.

I don't recall if you indicated how much your girl weighs, so I'm not sure about 2/3 cups a day.

klk3100 · 12-06-2010, 10:19 AM

Lily weighs 6 lb 8 oz. Thanks for your valuable help. So hard to figure them out!

Maximo · 12-06-2010, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klk3100

Lily weighs 6 lb 8 oz. Thanks for your valuable help. So hard to figure them out!

My pleasure, just trying my best to pass along what I have learned reading YT for 2 years from people who have years of experience with many dogs.

I believe the amount you are feeding is correct of Lily's weight. The ultimate way to judge is her body. You should be able to feel her ribs without applying too much pressure.

Since Lily is half Maltese, another great resource for you would be the Maltese forum: Maltese Dogs Forum : Spoiled Maltese Forums They have a great diet discussion section there.

12-04-2010, 08:36 PM	#1
klk3100 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Burnsville, Minnesota, USA Posts: 5	Yorkie Maltese mix and sudden changes in eating My daughter has a darling 6 lb 8 oz Yorkie-Maltese mix little girl who just turned 8 months. Up until a month ago she had a voracious appetite and quickly ate her food. All of a sudden she has become very picky and at times will just sniff the food and walk away. We were concerned, but since she was still spunky, not vomiting and had solid stools it was hard to imagine anything serious was happening. We have had her at the vet twice now and though no diagnostic tests were done, all signs (gum color, temperature, etc.) were normal. No sign of stomach tenderness. So it has been just watch her. One day last week after she ate, she vomited, but only once and then would continue her finicky eating until tonight. She ate a little food and then vomited a little, but only the one time. She has been a little gassy, but nothing too bad. Soooooooo I just don't know what to think. Does anyone else have this type of problem? Why would her stools still be nice and solid and then she occasionally vomits? I have read that both maltese and yorkies can be finicky eaters and can digestive issues. I just don't know whether we should be really concerned or is this just what comes with her breed. Any help/insight you could give would be appreciated. Oh btw she is fed a mixture of water, baby rice cereal, gerbers beef baby food and Wellness puppy kibble twice a day. We tried changing out the Wellness puppy with a duck and potato kibble and she liked that for a couple days and now turns her nose up at that too.

12-04-2010, 10:25 PM	#2
2Morkies YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: USA Posts: 798	I have two Morkies Maltese/Yorkies and they would get finicky at that age too. I would keep yours on the Wellness Puppy and crumble a little "Stella and Chewy's" dry over the top. Or you could make some plain chicken and put that on top. If she is still vomiting then I'd just do plain chiken and rice for a few days then slowly add the Wellness back. I hope she feels better soon. __________________ MuffinBoomer Last edited by 2Morkies; 12-04-2010 at 10:27 PM.

12-05-2010, 10:41 AM	#6
jeanm1963 Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Weymouth, Ma Posts: 2,584	What are you feeding her?? I would stop using Angel eyes , maybe put her on boiled chicken and rice for a couple of days and see if that helps and stops the vomiting. Just to rule things out, did the lack of interest in food begin when you started to use angel eyes? I mean that would be a simply answer to your question? I have a very very very picky dog, I have switched to different brands and she seems to LOVE Lifes Abundance, I got it from Linda@ fufu fashions. If you contact her she would likely mail you a sample. Its a great food and all natural. You can also try to use spring water and would help a little with the discoloring around the eyes. __________________ I Support http://www.yorkiesinc.com/

12-05-2010, 10:45 AM	#7
jeanm1963 Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Weymouth, Ma Posts: 2,584	This article may help you !!! Angel Eyes and Vomiting __________________ I Support http://www.yorkiesinc.com/

12-05-2010, 09:49 AM	#3
Maximo ♥ Maximo and Teddy Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 25,041	Has she been spayed? If not, you may want to read up on first heats. I don't have girls, so I'm not sure when all of that starts. How much baby rice cereal and Gerber's beef baby food is she being served in this mixture? I would be slightly concerned about throwing off the nutritional balance of the dog's diet. Is there a reason for the rice cereal and baby food? My vet quoted 8 months as the age I should switch to adult food and cut back on the amount I feed, so maybe your little girl has hit that age where she doesn't require as much.

12-05-2010, 10:10 AM	#4
klk3100 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Burnsville, Minnesota, USA Posts: 5	Yes, she has been spayed. She was spayed when she was 6 months old (in October). The rice cereal and gerber beef along with the kibble was the "recipe" used by the breeder. Lily (the dog) was fed 4 times a day to begin with until she was 4 months then went to 3 times a day until she was 6 months and now 2 times a day. This may sound like a crazy question, but does "how" they vomit tell you anything? The two times she vomited were right after eating. They were not half and hour or more from when she ingested the food. And they were one time occurrences both times. No more vomiting the rest of the day. Crazy trying to figure this out. She is still very playful, happy, loving to go outside (even in our Minnesota cold and snow) even when she doesn't have to "go". One other thing, we had been adding Angel's Eyes to her food. Could that have upset her system? I ordered some probiotics last night thinking that it couldn't hurt to try that and it may even help. Thanks for the suggestions and help.

12-05-2010, 10:29 AM	#5
Maximo ♥ Maximo and Teddy Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 25,041	Probiotics are good. When did you start the Angel Eyes? That is a distinct possibility. Vomiting right after eating does sound like it is related to the food or additives. Personally, I would discontinue the baby food and stick to plain kibble. Dog foods are formulated to be a complete and balanced diet. You can supplement with various treats ("human food"), but anything over 10 percent, if I recall correctly, starts throwing off the balance. You may have to experiment with a different brands of kibble. Could be that Wellness no longer agrees with her.

12-05-2010, 11:29 AM	#8
klk3100 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Burnsville, Minnesota, USA Posts: 5	The vomiting wasn't immediately after starting the Angel Eyes. The picky eating started about 2 weeks after starting Angel Eyes and the two vomiting episodes were once Monday and again once last night. Again, the vomiting occurred right after eating. Daughter said its almost like Lily doesn't want food first thing in the morning. So now she puts some kibble in her bowl and lets her 'graze'. Doesn't pick up the bowl of food after 15 minutes. Thanks for the suggestions in trying to get this figured out. We'll stop the Angel Eyes too. We got a bag of the Dick Van Patton's Natural ? Duck and Potato kibble for her to try on Thursday and she seems to like it, but again as stated above she vomited that last night.

12-05-2010, 11:42 AM	#9
Maximo ♥ Maximo and Teddy Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 25,041	Did you do a complete switch to the Natural Balance? Some dogs can handle wholesale diet changes, others require slower transitions, lasting up to 2 weeks. This is especially true when changing to a kibble that has a different protein source and a very different ingredient list. Start with one quarter NB with three-quarters Wellness and gradually increase NB over several days. Some dogs don't like to eat in the morning. Letting her graze is good. Hope the new food, probiotics, and discontinuing the Angel Eyes does the trick. As I wrote before, I would ditch the baby food. There really isn't anything to be gained from it nutritionally and it would eliminate a questionable variable. If you want something moist to entice Lily to eat, stick to canned dog food or a tiny amount of grated parmesan, or a couple of green beans or sweet peas (frozen, no added salt, pop in the microwave for a few seconds and cool with cold water).

12-05-2010, 05:40 PM	#10
veggienut YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 805	Welcome to the Yorkie world. Seems like every person I have ran into has had eating issues that owned Yorkies. Apparently, it is that breed. I've gone thru so many brands of food and now I am sticking to one. But perhaps, your little one doesn't like the brand. It happened to me. Or he likes a bit of variety, like mine. I'm mixing a bit of wet or small bites of canned with his dry of the same brand of "Blue Buffalo". It works and he eats. I've talked to other Yorkie owners and they have to do the same thing. Try a bit of wet on the bottom of the bowl or mix it thru. Good Luck

12-06-2010, 08:31 AM	#11
klk3100 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Burnsville, Minnesota, USA Posts: 5	I have a couple other questions...... could she just want only one meal a day? Does she want to "graze"? My daughter gets up at 4:30 every week day to leave for work at 5:30. Could Lily just not be ready to eat that early? (But that has always been the case since we got her.) Are we feeding too much? (She gets about 1/3 cup kibble twice a day) She was over last night and didn't have any kibble so mixed up the rice cereal and put in some chicken with a pinch of parmesan cheese on top. Ate it right up! Now this morning the report is she turned her nose up at the food. Bright side, no vomiting of the food since Saturday night. She is due to be "kenneled" (use the term loosely since woman only takes small dogs and allows overnight stays for 3 in her home) in February and it would be nice to have this sort of figured out so that we can give best instructions. Once again, thanks for all the responses. You all are the best!

12-06-2010, 10:19 AM	#13
klk3100 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Burnsville, Minnesota, USA Posts: 5	Lily weighs 6 lb 8 oz. Thanks for your valuable help. So hard to figure them out!