how do you know if your yorkie is too thin.

[Ellie May]

Ellie is underweight. She loves to eat but any amount of calories just aren't enough. The vet doesn't seem worried and she told me that if Ellie is hungry, let her eat. I'm paying for that? Really though, let them eat if they are skinny (a good quality canned food should interest them).

[babychanel]

Originally Posted by EmrldShdwQueen

Mine eat Innova too and it's the ONLY dry food Maddie will touch by itself...

It was mentioned already, but the Merrick canned food is really really good...mine LOVE it. It really looks and smells good enough for humans to eat, and that's a good sign to me! Their favorite is the Grammy's Pot Pie!!!

Maddie was slightly underweight at around 7-10 months. She's always been a really picky eater, and she was a really difficult puppy to keep weigh on...I worried about her constantly at that age. Her ribs used to stick out and her stomach was completely concave. When I took her to the vet last summer and I voiced my concerns about it he mentioned that free feeding (I don't know which you do) actually makes it worse. He suggested putting Maddie on scheduled feedings 4 times a day, and he said to mix in a couple tablespoons of a good canned food for taste. I tried and tried, and I went through about 10 different foods, and didn't find one until a few months ago (the Innova). He also said that lots of Yorkies go through a growth period around that age (she was 9 months I think) and they're so active that their metabolism keeps them from gaining any weight, even though their bodies are getting a little longer and taller. Now at 15 months she's filled out and she's a healthy 5 lbs even, and she's finally gotten a little tummy. I think it's really a matter of finding a food she'll stick to...even if you have to keep switching until you do...just be careful and don't switch her too fast or too freely, because it will upset her tummy!

yea i have to say i do leave her food out all the time.The guy at the pet shop said today. "Would you eat a pizza if its sitting in front of you all day?" that made alot of sence.Im going to try feeding her 4 times a day and see if it gets better.The other thing is that when i mix her food to try while switching it. She picks at the new one and leaves the old one in the bowl.lol.

[babychanel]

Is there a way around it without doing the canned food.I had a maltese prior to chanel.He wouldnt eat anything but canned.It was such a drag when I ran out.Especially when we didnt realize he was out until we went to feed him.My kids fed him most of the time so they were the ones who would tell us when we needed to go dog food shopping. Plus the poor thing,his breath always smelled so bad.His stool too ! i would brush his teeth and 3 minutes later it was back again. Im not sure I want to do that again.

[MyFairLacy]

Originally Posted by babychanel

Is there a way around it without doing the canned food.I had a maltese prior to chanel.He wouldnt eat anything but canned.It was such a drag when I ran out.Especially when we didnt realize he was out until we went to feed him.My kids fed him most of the time so they were the ones who would tell us when we needed to go dog food shopping. Plus the poor thing,his breath always smelled so bad.His stool too ! i would brush his teeth and 3 minutes later it was back again. Im not sure I want to do that again.

were you feeding a high quality canned food? I really like Nature's Variety Instinct as they are grain-free and come in several protein sources. Premium canned food is better for them than dry in my opinion. Dogs are carnivores that originally killed prey animals to eat...their food had a lot of moisture in it. Feeding dry food is devoid of moisture, and I just don't think that's good for them. They have to drink a lot more water if they eat dry food to keep them properly hydrated. You could always just mix like a tablespoon of canned with the dry..just enough to coat it and make it more interesting

[kezza]

Pixie is a skinny little thing too, she has such a tiny frame! I feed her Royal Canin kibble mixed with canned meat, she also has scrambled eggs and chicken breast. she seems to be steadily putting on the weight though, roughly about an oz a week.

[Ines3185lyorkie]

Originally Posted by moosie's mom

I was just at the vet with Moose on Friday. I was worried he might be a little heavy. My vet says they do what is called a "blind test".

Have your pup standing straight in front of you (butt towards your chest~~head straight out) Close your eyes and gently run your fingers from his/her neck down to his/her hips. If you can feel their ribs with a light touch, all is good. If you need to push in with pressure than a little too heavy. He said the deeper/harder you need to push to feel ribs...not good. He also said you should never see the ribs.

BTW....at 13 lbs 9 oz, he said Moose looks (and feels) great for his size.

My Tigger weighs 13 lbs also. Are they considered big yorkies not to say over the standard?

[Ellie May]

Ellie was just weighed and lost 3/4 pounds. I am going to have to feed her 50% more now.

[MikaTallulah]

Originally Posted by Misti1

She had me buy Purina Pro Plan puppy Natural turkey and barley

I have tried other brands but always go back to ProPlan my animals have seemed to do better with it than other brands. I can't wait for ProPlan to come out with a Natural Chicken and Rice for dogs. Right now they have Natural Salmon and rice (sensitive bellies), Turkey and Barley and Lamb and Rice. Cozy does not react well to turkey and Lucky has problems with lamb and won't eat salmon. I refuse to have the dogs on two different food since they will steal from each others bowls. So for now I must stick with Regular Chicken and Rice.

[tumismom]

gracie looks thin whenever she gets a hair cut but both of my girls are piggies and they are on NV raw! some people tell me they think she's thin but i dont think she is. i think some might not be used to the yorkie size.

[MyFairLacy]

Originally Posted by tumismom

gracie looks thin whenever she gets a hair cut but both of my girls are piggies and they are on NV raw! some people tell me they think she's thin but i dont think she is. i think some might not be used to the yorkie size.

people have told me that Lacy was too thin too but I think it's because a lot of people overfeed their dogs and don't know what a healthy dog should look like. She's a perfect weight for her size and frame & her vet confirmed it. And it is very important for her to stay at a healthy weight because of her LP

[tumismom]

Originally Posted by MyFairLacy

people have told me that Lacy was too thin too but I think it's because a lot of people overfeed their dogs and don't know what a healthy dog should look like. She's a perfect weight for her size and frame & her vet confirmed it. And it is very important for her to stay at a healthy weight because of her LP

yeah..i think people usually over feed their dogs..i don't give them more than the recommanded amount and they are at perfect weight for their size. Tumi is only 3.5lb but solid little one..gracie is just longer and taller so she looks thin.

[SANDYSAND]

To be sure your dog is not overweight, there is a more hands-on approach to knowing if your dog is too fat or not. There are two ways to determine if your dog is fit. First, have someone stand your dog in a profile view, then look at him from the side, or if you are alone, stand him in front of a mirror. Then look to the dog’s loin (the indented waist area just past the ribcage before the hips). Does that area seem to “tuck up” towards the rear of the dog or can you run an imaginary straight line along the bottom of your dog’s belly from chest to hind end. If there is no visible “waistline” then your dog is overweight.
Take the Rib Cage Test
You can get the same view of the loin from above. Looking down over your dog’s back is there a discernable indentation? A place where you can place your hands? Or does your dog look like a sausage, all bloated and round with nowhere for your hands to fit nicely behind the rib cage?
And speaking of rib cages, my favorite weight check is what I call the rib cage test. Gently place you fingers on your dog’s side and run your hand from front to back along the rib cage, pressing gently. If you can feel your dog’s ribs then he is in good weight, if you need to press down hard or cannot feel anything but flab between your hand and the dog’s bones, its time to take you pet for some much needed exercise. Working in conjunction with your veterinarian, a sensible weight loss program for your pet with will add years to his life and reduce the risk of injury to his bones.
Highs and Lows
To determine if your dog is underweight, you would easily see his protruding ribs and feel the deep grooves between them with your hand. His hip bones become pronounced as well. But it does depend on the breed, since some sight hounds like Greyhounds, Salukis and Ibzian Hounds, are naturally on the trim side with a hint of rib cage showing.

[yoyo27]

I get Merrick canned food also. The granny's pot pie or the one with fish or chicken. I only put enough to mix in the dry food. Maybe a teaspoon. They lap it up. But they also like to have different flavors. As we wouldn't like the same food every day I think Yorkies get bored of the same thing. They really like Merrick and its really good for them.

[JENNGENE01_]

Originally Posted by babychanel

I have gone through several kinds of dog food in the last few months. She started out on eukenuba(with the breeder) then timberwolf,solid gold and innova. She eats it for a few weeks and then one day she doesnt want it anymore.Today I took her to a doggie boutique that sells all kinds of healthy foods. the owner of the boutique told me she felt a bit too thin.You can feel the little bones down her spine.I couldnt feel that a month ago. The counter was full of bowls of dog treats.I put her there and she acted like she never ate anything in her life.You should have seen her.I ended up binging home some of those treats and some more timberwolf because it was actually the only food she never got tired of. I took her off of it before because I was told it is too high in protein. Now she wont go near her food because all she wants is the treats.She can smell they are somewhere so she keeps crying.How do these little critters get so smart!

If you can feel her spin then she is too thin. I suggest you crumble and sprinkle some treats with the kibble or mix with peanut butter or with something else that she likes. Just remember is she looses one pound it is alot of weight for these little dogs to lose. So good luck and let us know how she is doing

[abbie's mom]

Originally Posted by babychanel

I was told it is too high in protein.

*sigh*....how can a carnivore get too much protein?