Honestly..am i neurotic..or is my worry valid???

[YorkieMother]

Originally Posted by leipshen

Hi everyone,

Let me start off by saying that I "have" made "Biscuit" a vet appt. for tomorrow morning. This will be the third vet that I have taken him to. The other two vets both stated that "Biscuit" seemed fine. They saw no reason to draw blood on him and declined to do so. They both inferred that perhaps I was a bit fanatical over my precious baby. They each suggested the prescription ID food (he hates it) I know the reason for their lack of concern is because I have no specific symptoms to report, except that he just DOESN'T HARDLY EAT A THING.

Biscuit is 6 mos old. My daughter and her close friend here in Tucson own his parents. The friend is a small breeder, very serious and only has puppies once in a while. From the day i got "Biscuit", I have loved him so deeply that I can not explain it in words. He was a timid puppy and we worked through that. He has NEVER been interested in food. The friend who raised the litter was giving him Pro Plan. Well i know this is a terrible food, however, I did not have to worry about giving it to him because he right off refused to eat it. I got on YT and every day I read all that I can about diet. I know that I have probably contributed to his finicky ways because I have literally tried every suggestion (except raw) that I have read here.

He eats so little food that I cannot believe he has grown to be 3.5 lbs. He is happy, he is very playful, he has never had a hypoglycemic attack ( I give him nutri cal every day), He drinks water fine, he poos and pees fine.

The only thing that I have witnessed from "Biscuit" that has always scared me is that now and then he will shiver for a few minutes. This does not have anything to do ( with eating) "specifically". He has done this since he was 12 wks old. When I brought him home in the car he shook so hard he almost rattled the car. As I said he was timid. If I held him and walked outside he would shake up a storm ( We live in Tucson it is very warm) He is not timid any more, goes bye bye , no fear, loves everyone, no fear. Once in a while he will shiver. I instantly run for the nutri-cal which he used to love and now hates. (because of me I suppose)

One more factor that is important. I am on YT every day. I read, read, read, about liver shunts, encephalitis, MVD and I admit that I get very frightened of the thought. I know that I have become neurotic about "Biscuit" I am a very reasonable person. I am not , by nature, this way. I just want him to eat. I worry so that there is something wrong.

I am turning to all of you ... asking that you will give me your straight opinion. I am confused, I don't know if I am creating the problem because he is so sensitive and I am so scared. There is no one that I know here who feels and understands this crazy love that I have for him. If I do express my concerns to anyone thatI know, they shake their head and say I worry too much. He is all that I have here in Tucson. He is with me all day at work (in home health nurse) He is very comfortable here as this is where I spend most of my time.

I will not get upset if you think I am being neurotic. I am desperate.

You will ask if he is thin...well...he isn't a rack of bones, he has a little layer of fat over his ribs. He is little, he was tiny when I got him. He is growing, no one else seems to think he is too thin.

Help, how do I get "Biscuit" to take more than one bite of food here and there.

Sorry this is so long, I just wanted to give you as much info as possible.
,

st I have not read the others so if I repeat them it not a bad thing.

First your the Mom. Being concern be the main job.

Second just how much is a little. mine 1/4 cup twice a day that it.
When he eats does he clear to bowl or pick.

Anyone checked to see if he lost all his baby teeth or if any teeth may be broken, That can make chewing not fun.

poops look like???

thin is not bad if he is tiny better for his joints.

What about going to see a holistic vet one that can ate things to the diet to help and uses good food.

Radom thoughts. hope they help.

JL

[TED E BEAR]

i'm a new yorkie owner so I can't give you advice on the food but mine weighs 4lbs at 3 months already and he still only eats about 1/4 cup a day. I give him treats throughout the day when he goes on his potty pad so that adds up.

I am here to tell you that you're not neurotic. I worry about my baby all the time and took him to the vet hospital today b/c i thought he had an overdose of frontline. the vets there thought i was crazy and told me he is perfectly fine.

you're a concerned mother and I am a little suprised they still didn't do blood work just to be safe.

[Lesley Carol]

Hi,
I don't think you're neurotic - just a concerned Yorkie lover, like the rest of us. I've only had my furbaby, Lucy, a few weeks and she already has a big place in my heart.

I worried about how little Lucy appears to eat, but she was 1lb 10 oz when we got her at 8 weeks, and is now 2lb 7oz - so she must be doing quite well to be growing. Her coat is great, she toilets regularly and she's got so much energy it's incredible. I, too got the explanation from my vet that she has a tiny tummy, and around a quarter of a cup of food a day was ample. - and I felt much better for hearing this (even though I'd read it many times).

Maybe I need to relax a bit - she's so gorgeous and so happy we must be doing something right! So hang in there - your little darling may be a fussy eater, but she will not starve herself, you can bet!

[shirlblack]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

I agree with this, one thing I've learned at 5 1/2 pounds Joey seems to need so little food. I'm use to feeding much larger dogs, and it's really had to get use to the fact that they need so little. You need to find a vet you trust, and stick with him. You sound like your doing a great job, now you need to learn to trust your vet.

[kt_luvs_kitties]

I agree. If he is pooping and playing, and is not skinny, I think I would not worry.

My chihuahua (almost 1 year old) and barely hits 2 pounds, only eats 1/4 of a can of food a day. I leave dry down, he rarely eats this. He is not skinny, he is just built tiny.

And please dont give him nutrical daily. That can actually make him eat LESS. It has lots of nutrients/protein, and can make him alot less likely to eat as much as he might without it.

[chattiesmom]

I agree with AlisonJ with her well thought out comments -
1--If he poops, then he is eating.
2--Your vet(s) are not worried
3--the puppy has put on weight since you got him
4--he is not too thin
5--he is playful

I also agree with the posters who have said that the volume of food that Yorkies require seems very small in comparison to other dogs.

With that said, I also believe that you know your dog better than anyone and if you think that something isn't right, then your concerns are very valid and should be investigated. If the two vets you have taken your baby too are just "blowing off" your concerns, then you need to continue interviewing vets who will take you seriously.

One thing you might consider for your peace of mind, is a full blood panel and a bile acid test. Those two tests will provide a lot of information - at the very least will provide a baseline for later testing and at the most will help diagnosis health issues that have gone undetected so far.

I wish you the best of luck with your little Biscuit. If you were within driving distance to Rome, I would strongly suggest you visit Dr. Amy - I guarantee she would take your concerns seriously.

Good luck to you and Biscuit -- please don't give up the search for a good vet who will take you seriously.

[MyPeanutAbbyGra]

Is there any particular reason you don't want to fee a raw diet? I don't feed raw all the time, but I do give my girls each 1.5 medallions each morning and then they free feed kibble the rest of the day. They really seem to love the raw! (Nature's Variety Raw) I add thier vitamins to the raw, that way I know how much each gets, instead of adding it to the kibble that they have access to all day. (I add something for coat and skin)

A little cottage cheese or green beans will also usually make them wolf up their food.

Maybe your baby just isn't a food motivated dog..boy mine sure are!

Two foods mine really seem to like are Natural Balance and Solid Gold Just Wee Bits. If you haven't tried those, maybe ask for a sample and see if he likes those better than some of the others. It must be tastey, because mine really act like it's a special treat!

Does he like treats? If he does, make sure to feed him healthy treats. I like to give mine Zuke's Salmon Treats. They are tiny bite size.

I don't know what to make of the shivering. I've not really had that problem except at bath time and sometimes in the car, Daisy will shiver.

I wish you the best.

[Onni]

My Onni is a very tiny eater; she is 3 pounds of tiny. She will only eat one piece of food at a time. But she sure does love chicken and yogurt; so she gets that from time to time too, but overall she is very healthy. I too worried at first about her eating, but realized she is so tiny that a few kibbles probably did fill her up.

[3LittleTooties]

There is a lot of great advice here, and I agree that a 3 1/2 lb. dog won't eat much, especially if they are not very active. It won't take much at all to fill up your little guy. I would trust the vet unless there are more symptoms. And, although "shivering" isn't really a common Yorkie behavior, it is something that many little dogs do, so I wouldn't worry about that either so long as everthing else, like drinking, pooping, energy level, and temp. are fine. Best wishes!

[Wylie's Mom]

You've received some good advice here already.

-what have you tried feeding so far, specifically?
-how much exactly is he eating?
-how often is he pooping? is the poo normal?