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Originally Posted by shannon3563  She weighed 1 lb 13 oz, her estimated weight was between 3.5-4, could I be overfeeding her? My husband thinks that I am. I definitely don't want to cause her any health issues. I feed her twice a day, I put around a handfull in the morning and same in the evening. Sometimes I'll put about a fork full of wet food in the morning w/a 1/2 of hand of dry. Sometimes she doesn't eat it all at once though. I didn't think they'd eat if they weren't hungry though, however I know I do sometimes so they probably do as well. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. |
Joey too got "fat" after a trick training class where lots of training took place and way to many fatting treats. I had to keep upping the treat because he would get full, and so a more tempting treat would be offered. As you say sometimes we eat when we aren't hungry, but it always is something extra tempting, not our vegetables. Your little girl at 8 weeks should not be dieting at all. Most vets recommend free feeding the first 6-8 months for yorkies, this isn't important for larger breeds, but until your little girl reaches 4 pounds she will be susceptible to hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar, and as you know the brain uses sugar to function, no sugar no function. Hypoglycemia can be life threatening, and that why small frequent meals are important. Don't worry about her weight now, just make sure all food she is getting is healthy food, and she will not overeat. She is programmed to become a certain size as an adult and underfeeding won't keep her tiny, but it will ensure she isn't healthy. Let you dog decide how much to eat, at this age, they grow in spurts, and the amount of weight that they gain in any one month varies greatly.