Help! My yorkie only wants to eat chicken and rice - YorkieTalk.com Forums

pspin1975 · 03-29-2005, 07:31 PM

I am a new yorkie owner, he is 9 weeks old, his name is Louie. When I brought him home he was eating his Eukanuba doggie food and seemed to like it. A few days ago, he got diarrhea and the vet told me to feed him chicken with rice, no seasonings, no salt, etc. turns out my Louie LOVED this. The diarrhea has since gone away, but now he will only eat chicken with rice. I tried mixing a little bit of chicken and rice with his regular Eukanuba food and he picks out the chicken and the rice and leaves the Eukanuba. I also tried boiling some chicken and using only the chicken broth mixed with his Eukanuba, nothing...he'll look at his food and will walk away. I called the vet, he said that it is imperative that Louie eat his doggie food so that he grows up to be healthy. I called another vet to get a second opinion, she said this breed is very picky with their food and that she recommends I continue to feed him the chicken with rice along with his vitamin 3 times/day. She said the most important thing is that he eats so that he doesn't develop hypoglocemia- she mentioned that when they don't like their food they will go on a hunger strike.
I am so confused, I don't know what to do. I want my puppy to grow up to be a healthy boy with good bones, good teeth, etc. and I'm afraid that chicken and rice won't do it. Can someone help me, is it okay to feed him chicken and rice along with his multi-vitamin? I am also confused about portions, how much food should I be giving him?? I called the vet and he said 1/4 cup of food...that seems like a lot to me, right now I am feeding him 2 1/2 teaspoons of chicken and rice along with his multivitamin 4 times/day. I would appreciate any suggestions because I am so worried about my baby. Thank you.

orinskye · 03-29-2005, 10:32 PM

i can understand you not wanting to take the time to cook for your yorkie EVERY DAY.... but typically dogs will go on a hungar strike when they dont like the food (youre vet is correct on this point) HOWEVER, they dont typically STARVE themselves... i would think youre baby would eat when he gets hungry enough..... coincidentally, as far as the people food is concerend..... maybe some other people can back me up on this but i believe that the chicken and rice is VERY nutricous for dogs anyway, i wouldnt think keeping him on this diet would make him defficient in any way. . . lots of poeple cook for their yorkies and this is exactly what they feed them (sometimes a cooked egg as well)...... just my opinion though

Junebug · 03-29-2005, 11:18 PM

Do you have a Cuisinart handy-chopper or a food processor?

Combind all three ingredients (chicken, rice & dog kibble), pulse it until it's a fine mixture and he can't pick out the good stuff.

Hope that works. It worked w/ Otis.

Itspuppyluv · 03-29-2005, 11:30 PM

The hard food scrapes their teeth when they chew so if you do stick with the chicken you might want to buy some bones or toys that are designed to help keep their teeth healthy.
Mine gives me a hard time when brushing his teeth so I am always happy when I hear him scraping them on his toy.

Why do I only see the mistakes after I post?!

SoCalyorkiLvr · 03-29-2005, 11:59 PM

I got into a similar predicament with my tiny male. I was so worried he wouldn't eat enough when he was little that I cooked for him, fed him by hand, supplemented his meals with the milk for abandoned puppies, and even fed him with a fork. I do agree that they will just not eat if they don't like the food.

I have stopped this lately because he is 6 months old and it worked. He now eats only his dry kibble (Royal Canin) with only a very rare occasional treat. I had to get to a point where I let him get really hungry and figure out that the kibble was better than nothing at all. It was hard, but I'm glad I did it for his teeth.

I would take the second vet's advice while he is so young until he is 4 or 5 months and just make sure he eats every meal no matter what. Supplement with Nutrical and vitamins and keep the dry food out (even tho' you throw a lot away) in case he decides to start to eat it sooner. IMO it's just not worth the risk of a hypoglycemia attack and syringe feeding. I've done that and it was really stressful!!

Don't worry, just brush his teeth to maintain his good dental.

Good luck.

pspin1975 · 03-30-2005, 04:33 AM

Okay, I will definitely try mixing all three in my food processor and hopefully that wil work. I don't mind cooking for my baby at all, I just want to make sure that I am doing the right thing. This morning I tried giving him some of his Eukanuba and he picked at several pieces, so it's a start at least. Does anyone know in general how much (portion size) I should be feeding my Louie?

Olivier · 03-30-2005, 05:24 AM

A puppie of this age should always eat as much as he wants . He is in his growing time .

When mine were puppies , I let them eat all the time they wanted . Always have fresh water too .

pspin1975 · 03-30-2005, 05:40 AM

Junebug-thank you for your suggestion about grinding up all three in the food processor. I did that this morning for his breakfast-I put a lot more Eukanuba and a little bit of rice with the chicken and he devoured his food!! Yipee, I am sooo happy. I can't thank you enough.

Olivier-right, I do leave the food out for him, but how much should I put in his bowl...does anyone measure, or you just fill the entire bowl???

Gale · 03-30-2005, 12:50 PM

That's exactly what Nemo eats, most of the time.....some days he eats just dry Kibble, but he loves his chicken and rice......I mix it with his RoyalCanin and he loves it, I usually go buy a big package of chicken breasts just for him....boil that and the rice up and freeze it until I need it, make sure I date it also......Nemo was a very picky eater, and would not eat anything, and I just could not see allowing him to go without food, and he was stubborn still is, but now he has some weight on him, I use to worry so much because I was wasting so much money buying food and he would not eat it at all, but now I know my money is not being wasted....

Goodluck!!!

Gale

April · 03-30-2005, 01:03 PM

How do you cook the chicken? Isn't it dry. Can't that be bad for them if its to dry. I give him chicken but i get scared because i think it might be to dry.

Gale · 03-30-2005, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by April

How do you cook the chicken? Isn't it dry. Can't that be bad for them if its to dry. I give him chicken but i get scared because i think it might be to dry.

No it is'nt too dry, I boil mine in a pot of water, and once cooked I chop it very fine, and freeze it with some of the water I cooked it in, so once I take some out to thaw it is a little juicy, and just add it to his kibble and he loves it....

Gale

dar18 · 02-04-2011, 10:26 PM

Peanut loves homecooked food! he eats homecooked food every morning which consists of chicken, rice, and some sort of veggie (usually carrots). with natural chicken broth..for flavor. he wont eat his dog food in the morning, he would rather starve himself which leads to him throwing up bile from having an empty stomach, so i started a new meal plan which is going GREAT.. so i give him homecooked in the morning and for a snack during the day i either give him cottage cheese with shredded apples which he seems to love or plain or vanilla organic yogurt which is really good for his sensitive little belly. his last meal of the day he'll go for his dry food, i give him small breed/adult Blue Buffalo, chicken flavored of course. Eukanuba was horrible on him, he always used to throw up and have diarrhea it was a mess then i decided to change to Natural Balance which was okay, now hes a on Blue Buffalo and hes loves it and so do I! its hollistic and it has life source bits in it. he also has Blue Buffalo dental bones and chicken flavored treats.

2Morkies · 02-04-2011, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Junebug

Do you have a Cuisinart handy-chopper or a food processor?

Combind all three ingredients (chicken, rice & dog kibble), pulse it until it's a fine mixture and he can't pick out the good stuff.

Hope that works. It worked w/ Otis.

Great idea...I was thinking that too.

Sprinkle a little cheese on top too. OR try Stella and Chewy's raw dry food and tak half a patty and crumble it on top. My two love that!!!

babbsiam44 · 02-04-2011, 11:32 PM

My little ones are picky. I home cook for them too! But I always keep dry down all the time, which they eat.

joanne marie · 02-05-2011, 02:48 AM

well what can i say this is my first ever message to the yorkie site, i too have a very fussy eating yorkie her name is ruby and she will be two years old on the 27 march this year.... her meal times have become a pain, the only meal she really enjoys is her evening meal, and yes she too loves her boiled chicken and rice. i have tried to disguise her kibble with the chicken and i have tried the sauce you can buy for over the top, but nothing works, she is very stubborn and will go all day and just sit looking at her bowl of food, now just the chicken and she will woof it down. however, if it has been in the fridge and its one i cooked earlier..... hmmmm well sometimes she will eat it and sometimes she will not, thats yorkies for you, every other aspect about the breed i adore, its just meal times..... good luck....

03-29-2005, 07:31 PM	#1
pspin1975 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: new york Posts: 164	Help! My yorkie only wants to eat chicken and rice I am a new yorkie owner, he is 9 weeks old, his name is Louie. When I brought him home he was eating his Eukanuba doggie food and seemed to like it. A few days ago, he got diarrhea and the vet told me to feed him chicken with rice, no seasonings, no salt, etc. turns out my Louie LOVED this. The diarrhea has since gone away, but now he will only eat chicken with rice. I tried mixing a little bit of chicken and rice with his regular Eukanuba food and he picks out the chicken and the rice and leaves the Eukanuba. I also tried boiling some chicken and using only the chicken broth mixed with his Eukanuba, nothing...he'll look at his food and will walk away. I called the vet, he said that it is imperative that Louie eat his doggie food so that he grows up to be healthy. I called another vet to get a second opinion, she said this breed is very picky with their food and that she recommends I continue to feed him the chicken with rice along with his vitamin 3 times/day. She said the most important thing is that he eats so that he doesn't develop hypoglocemia- she mentioned that when they don't like their food they will go on a hunger strike. I am so confused, I don't know what to do. I want my puppy to grow up to be a healthy boy with good bones, good teeth, etc. and I'm afraid that chicken and rice won't do it. Can someone help me, is it okay to feed him chicken and rice along with his multi-vitamin? I am also confused about portions, how much food should I be giving him?? I called the vet and he said 1/4 cup of food...that seems like a lot to me, right now I am feeding him 2 1/2 teaspoons of chicken and rice along with his multivitamin 4 times/day. I would appreciate any suggestions because I am so worried about my baby. Thank you.

03-29-2005, 11:30 PM	#4
Itspuppyluv Gus Is The Fuss Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: New Jersey Posts: 2,277	The hard food scrapes their teeth when they chew so if you do stick with the chicken you might want to buy some bones or toys that are designed to help keep their teeth healthy. Mine gives me a hard time when brushing his teeth so I am always happy when I hear him scraping them on his toy. Why do I only see the mistakes after I post?! __________________ Erin & Gus Gus You lost me at stay! "He is a good heart and a kind soul, and an angel on four feet." MW Last edited by Itspuppyluv; 03-29-2005 at 11:39 PM.

02-05-2011, 02:48 AM	#15
joanne marie YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: sheffield Posts: 1	fussy eating yorkies well what can i say this is my first ever message to the yorkie site, i too have a very fussy eating yorkie her name is ruby and she will be two years old on the 27 march this year.... her meal times have become a pain, the only meal she really enjoys is her evening meal, and yes she too loves her boiled chicken and rice. i have tried to disguise her kibble with the chicken and i have tried the sauce you can buy for over the top, but nothing works, she is very stubborn and will go all day and just sit looking at her bowl of food, now just the chicken and she will woof it down. however, if it has been in the fridge and its one i cooked earlier..... hmmmm well sometimes she will eat it and sometimes she will not, thats yorkies for you, every other aspect about the breed i adore, its just meal times..... good luck....

03-29-2005, 10:32 PM	#2
orinskye YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: California Posts: 2,990	i can understand you not wanting to take the time to cook for your yorkie EVERY DAY.... but typically dogs will go on a hungar strike when they dont like the food (youre vet is correct on this point) HOWEVER, they dont typically STARVE themselves... i would think youre baby would eat when he gets hungry enough..... coincidentally, as far as the people food is concerend..... maybe some other people can back me up on this but i believe that the chicken and rice is VERY nutricous for dogs anyway, i wouldnt think keeping him on this diet would make him defficient in any way. . . lots of poeple cook for their yorkies and this is exactly what they feed them (sometimes a cooked egg as well)...... just my opinion though

03-29-2005, 11:18 PM	#3
Junebug *Moderator Emeritus* Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,149	Do you have a Cuisinart handy-chopper or a food processor? Combind all three ingredients (chicken, rice & dog kibble), pulse it until it's a fine mixture and he can't pick out the good stuff. Hope that works. It worked w/ Otis.

03-29-2005, 11:59 PM	#5
SoCalyorkiLvr BANNED! Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,246	I got into a similar predicament with my tiny male. I was so worried he wouldn't eat enough when he was little that I cooked for him, fed him by hand, supplemented his meals with the milk for abandoned puppies, and even fed him with a fork. I do agree that they will just not eat if they don't like the food. I have stopped this lately because he is 6 months old and it worked. He now eats only his dry kibble (Royal Canin) with only a very rare occasional treat. I had to get to a point where I let him get really hungry and figure out that the kibble was better than nothing at all. It was hard, but I'm glad I did it for his teeth. I would take the second vet's advice while he is so young until he is 4 or 5 months and just make sure he eats every meal no matter what. Supplement with Nutrical and vitamins and keep the dry food out (even tho' you throw a lot away) in case he decides to start to eat it sooner. IMO it's just not worth the risk of a hypoglycemia attack and syringe feeding. I've done that and it was really stressful!! Don't worry, just brush his teeth to maintain his good dental. Good luck.

03-30-2005, 04:33 AM	#6
pspin1975 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: new york Posts: 164	Okay, I will definitely try mixing all three in my food processor and hopefully that wil work. I don't mind cooking for my baby at all, I just want to make sure that I am doing the right thing. This morning I tried giving him some of his Eukanuba and he picked at several pieces, so it's a start at least. Does anyone know in general how much (portion size) I should be feeding my Louie?

03-30-2005, 05:24 AM	#7
Olivier Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 2,999	A puppie of this age should always eat as much as he wants . He is in his growing time . When mine were puppies , I let them eat all the time they wanted . Always have fresh water too .

03-30-2005, 05:40 AM	#8
pspin1975 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: new york Posts: 164	Junebug-thank you for your suggestion about grinding up all three in the food processor. I did that this morning for his breakfast-I put a lot more Eukanuba and a little bit of rice with the chicken and he devoured his food!! Yipee, I am sooo happy. I can't thank you enough. Olivier-right, I do leave the food out for him, but how much should I put in his bowl...does anyone measure, or you just fill the entire bowl???

03-30-2005, 12:50 PM	#9
Gale Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 66	That's exactly what Nemo eats, most of the time.....some days he eats just dry Kibble, but he loves his chicken and rice......I mix it with his RoyalCanin and he loves it, I usually go buy a big package of chicken breasts just for him....boil that and the rice up and freeze it until I need it, make sure I date it also......Nemo was a very picky eater, and would not eat anything, and I just could not see allowing him to go without food, and he was stubborn still is, but now he has some weight on him, I use to worry so much because I was wasting so much money buying food and he would not eat it at all, but now I know my money is not being wasted.... Goodluck!!! Gale

03-30-2005, 01:03 PM	#10
April Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Whittier, CA Posts: 122	How do you cook the chicken? Isn't it dry. Can't that be bad for them if its to dry. I give him chicken but i get scared because i think it might be to dry.

02-04-2011, 10:26 PM	#12
dar18 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: bloomfield, nj, usa Posts: 1	Peanut loves homecooked food! he eats homecooked food every morning which consists of chicken, rice, and some sort of veggie (usually carrots). with natural chicken broth..for flavor. he wont eat his dog food in the morning, he would rather starve himself which leads to him throwing up bile from having an empty stomach, so i started a new meal plan which is going GREAT.. so i give him homecooked in the morning and for a snack during the day i either give him cottage cheese with shredded apples which he seems to love or plain or vanilla organic yogurt which is really good for his sensitive little belly. his last meal of the day he'll go for his dry food, i give him small breed/adult Blue Buffalo, chicken flavored of course. Eukanuba was horrible on him, he always used to throw up and have diarrhea it was a mess then i decided to change to Natural Balance which was okay, now hes a on Blue Buffalo and hes loves it and so do I! its hollistic and it has life source bits in it. he also has Blue Buffalo dental bones and chicken flavored treats.

02-04-2011, 11:32 PM	#14
babbsiam44 YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,132	My little ones are picky. I home cook for them too! But I always keep dry down all the time, which they eat.