I just picked up my new guys from the vet last night (Yorkie and Chi.) They were dumped at our local shelter and were neglected and miserable with little chance of adoption. I recently lost my senior Malinois and was looking for a small dog to keep my little Yorkie/Tzu company as she's never lived alone. I found these two who are bonded and together they aren't as big as Widget, so why not take both?
I'm an old hand at rescue, but all my dogs have been big. At 14 pounds Widget is the smallest dog I've ever had. So now I have a 5 pound Yorkie and a 6 pound Chi. They are so tiny!!! Of course all my gear is for 50 - 100 pound dogs, so there was a flying leap to pet supply stores only to find that they have heavy harnesses, or totally stupid ones. I will NOT put a vest on my dog that has freaking pink wings! So Amazon proved more fruitful for sensible harnesses and leashes, which should arrive soon. It's raining so taking them out is a moot point anyway. I have pee pads which they ignore. Sigh. At least they make tiny puddles.
My shelter blessedly totally vets before adoption and did a full dental for me and would have done spay/neuter if they'd needed it. (New Haven CT Animal Shelter) Annie, the Chi had a lot of teeth removed. Toto the Yorkie, had only a few taken and had an immense amount of plaque removed. Poor babies.
So I have two tiny dogs who are a little afraid of me (I think they were grabbed and held a lot) that have to have meds squirted into their mouths for the next week. Fortunately they are both crazy for bacon, so bribes help convince them I'm not totally evil. I have to figure out what is the best thing to feed them. Widget (my Yorkie/Tzu) doesn't like anything and appears to be an air plant as she maintains her weight by eating only a few times a week.
What would folks recommend for senior dogs who need the best possible nutrition and what amount should I feed? I purchased Wellness Toy Breed Complete, chicken and brown rice kibble. I've fed Wellness for years and always added homecooked to it, but my other dogs were on special diets and I have no idea what type of homecooked, or good quality canned would be best for my bitsies. At the moment Annie (the Chi) can't have anything mushy as the vet had to pull a couple of canines. I fed soaked Wellness with minced fried beef liver last night.
It's funny. I've had so many dogs (some who stayed and some who were adopted out) and yet I feel unsure how best to care for such tiny dogs. 100 pound shepherd -- no problem. 5 pounds of adorable Yorkie and I'm looking at him going...yikes, what do I do? LOL
