Underweight Yorkies?
 

Vet says Sophie's weight is fine, but I can feel every vertebra in her spine, every rib, and even her hip bones! I know the ribs are supposed to be felt, but the spine and hip bones worry me. She's very petite and only wieghs 2 lbs. 5 oz. (at 10 mos.) She's active and is eating, but is not filling out. :-( The vet thinks she's fine, just petite... but should I seek another vet's opinion? Does anyone have a furbaby who is/was underweight? How did you know? What helped? Thanks for any advice!

My Moka is like you describe. I can feel her spine, but not so much her ribs. She is very active, eats great, and her coat is shiny and healthy. My vet too says she is "ideal." I have wondered too if she is underweight, but overall she feels pretty solid when I hold her. I would rather my dogs be a Tiny bit on the thin side than overweight. I should add, she is long and narrow by nature which I think does make a difference for her. My new baby is not quite as long, and I can tell already she is just going to look overall different but I can't feel her spine at all but then again she is a bit more stalky.

That's Lola to a T. I can feel her hip bones too and her spine. She is VERY active though and is always on the go. Vet said she was fine as well so I just take it as it is, Perhaps not very good breeding? I know my Lola was from a BYB.

Sophie was a gift, and she was from a BYB... I think you're right; it might be poor breeding. I started giving her a little bit of plain roasted chicken with her kibble-- maybe that will help?

Like you have Moka to compare your new baby to, I compare Sophie to my mom's older Yorkie who is 12+ lbs. Maybe I should stop comparing them since they're obviously just built reaaalllly differently.

Starr weighs a little over 6 lbs and she is as you describe. The vet has examined her several times and has always said that she is healthy.

Are you measuring the amount of food given daily so that you know if she is eating enough or not.

Buster, who weighs 4 lbs was diagnosed as anorexic earlier this month. I compare him to Maggie, she is 6 lbs but she is shorter than Buster and she looks a lot heavier but she really isn't. When I see other Yorkies when we are out, Buster is always the skinniest. I can feel every bone in his body. He does eat, just not very much. He eats just enough to survive. The vet doesn't want him to get any bigger because of his LP. Dunno...:confused:

Oh yes Chicken that will help. I buy a bag of chicken breast frozen and cook a piece then use a little each meal last me a few days. I have to put warm water on the puppy soup dog food I use then nuke it for 40 seconds, break up chicken into tiny pieces stir and let sit for a minute. All my yorkies love it and it keeps weight on their bones. Sassy is only 5lbs and buddy is 3.5lbs molly and louie are around 7-8lbs all very healthy and no bones about it.:woof:

Scout is a little bony boy too...can feel his spine really well. The Vet says he's just right and has good muscle tone, etc. and that he would rather Scout be bony like that rather than fat. It's much healthier for him.

Sometimes they can go thin from not having the right gut flora. They may be eating fine, but their bodies may have a problem digesting the food. Adding a Probiotic to their diet can help, and certainly won't hurt.

And the rules are: You should be able to feel the spine but not so much the sides or each individual vertebra. You should be able to feel the ribs,and a soft cushion between them and the skin. If you can see the ribs, the dog is underweight. Muscle, tendons and some fat should be covering the hips and shoulders. Bones should not be excessively evident. Age and activity will influence how an animal appears. If your dog is on the thin side, do not overfeed to put weight on. Read the feeding guidelines on the food packaging and follow them. Don't add fats or gravies to your dogs food, as they can cause pancreatitis. You can feed treats between meals, but be aware of the nutritional content. Nothing too fatty. Gradually the weight will come on. Also, weighing your dog weekly will help. So would a diary so you can see exactly what you pup has eaten and how he does with it. If you still think your pup has a weight problem, you'll have documented info for your vet which can help in a diagnosis.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:This is great info, I'm sure a lot of us (including me) can use it!
Thank you!:):):)

Thanks, but here's more:

Even though I am not an Iam's fan, this is from their website and may help a bit more: Your Pets Ideal Weight: A Visual Guide I t has diagrams and better explanation.

THANK YOU for all of this great advice and information!! I really appreciate being able to learn from your experiences! :-) I've been free-feeding Sophie, hoping that she will eat more; however, after reading your suggestions, I'll start measuring her food more carefully so that I know how much she's eating each day. I'll also keep up with the chicken breast and her organic liver nibbles for treats. She also loves peanut butter, which I know is high fat, but the kind I buy has no trans-fat, so I'll keep giving her a treat filled with a dollop of p.b. I think measuring her food more carefully and weighing her more often will be really helpful.

Oh, poor Buster! :-( I had no idea dogs could be anorexic!

kkkk ... :D
Just thought the comparison is so unfair !!! hehehe..
Post pictures of your tiny girl...

I have no opinion as dealing with puppy owners i know a written description is hard to judge.
Sometimes people will complain to me that their puppy is not eating as they expect and they are concerned... I usually invite for a visit... hehehe... it turns out most of the time the dog is actually a bit overweight from being overfed...
and the owners expect their yorkies to eat more than they really need. An overweight yorkie is very bad for their legs and knees.

Well,
Hope your baby is healthy as she sounds like it !

XOXO

My Lola eats well, never a picky eater. She gets healthy snacks throughout the day but she is still thin. I think she has put on a little bit but not that much. She is very active though, always running around all other the place jumping around with toys like a maniac.

Zach is the same size as her exactly, he appears to be around 5 lbs right now which is what Lola was at in July. He has a totally different body structure though, he feels very sturdy and you don't feel his bones nearly as much as her. He is a well bred yorkie though so I think Lolas skinny-ness is from perhaps bad breeding.

It could be...
The very high metabolism also keeps them from putting weight ...
I think it is a huge burden on the knees when they get overweight ...
Also boys, at least here in my family, tend to have heavier bones.

Happy new year everyone !!!
XOXO

It would only take 1/4 - 1/2 pound to put a tiny layer of fat under the skin so the bones aren't as evident. This does not make them fat. I had a fat Yorkie in the spring, I was just getting ready to put him on a diet. He weighed 8.2 pounds... 1 pound is coat. He caught pneumonia, and couldn't eat for at least 4 days. He got better and then weighed 6.2 pounds. Today, he weighs 7 pounds. I'm glad he had the extra weight, the vet treated him but she didn't think he would make it and sent us home. The next day he started eating again. He's not obese, but he is solid, and very active for a 13 year old.

Rio is 10 months old and fluctuates around 3.0 lbs. I can feel her ribs and spine very easily too.

Is your baby spayed? I think Rio put on a little weight after she was spayed about 6 weeks ago - she was 2.7 lbs for the longest time before the surgery, so when she hit 3.0 lbs I celebrated. But then today we weighed her (on the same scale) and she was 2.8... I think as long as she's eating/drinking/peeing/pooping regularly she is ok.

The more I research, the more I learn and understand: This is from Royal Canin Weight management. Good flowchart and descriptions.

http://www.pet-slimmers.com/shapedog.htm

and another from OSU (Ohio State University)

http://vet.osu.edu/1851.htm better visuals and diet search tool

http://vet.osu.edu/1442.htm


My main concern is that underweight Yorkies, esp young ones, may have problems with hypoglycemia, or I believe that hunger can influence behavior also. It seems like many of you are feeding a kibble diet only. If your dog/pup has any kind of tooth problems (pain) this will prevent them from eating enough and may be just what could be preventing him/her from gaining a little bit more weight.

Here are somes tips:
Offer moistened kibble or canned food twice a day. The added water will help prevent dehydration also, and provides a bit of variety. If they eat alot of the softer food, maybe the vet should have a look in their mouth to rule out any problems.

Try different sized kibble. Some like bigger, some smaller. Some don't like kibble at all. Pop some in a blender to pulverize it and add it to their soft food diet, gradually make it bigger until they accept it.

Measure how much you feed, but look at your dog. If he/she is thin, try to get them to eat a little bit more, even if it's a treat or two for eating their food. I even hide treats at the bottom of the bowl or mix it in. One vet on a website said: Eating some of the wrong diet is better than eating none of the right diet. Just something to keep in mind.

Do not feed them people food from your table. These dogs are very smart and even after only one transgression, they will not eat their own food until your food is gone, thinking they will get yours.

How much they need to eat depends on their lifestage and activity level. This changes many times throughout their lifetime. So their weight should be constantly monitored. Most of the guidelines on pet food packaging states to feed according to weight and adjust as necessary. If your dog is gaining too much, reduce the amount fed. If your dog begins to lose weight or looks thin, increase the amount fed.

Sometimes a walk or exercise will stimulate their appetite. Sometimes a t-shirt can help a hyper dog to calm down (and burn less calories). I do this with my LS dog. So far it works!

Internal parasites can cause weigh changes in pets. Illness can cause changes, like diabetes, Liver Shunt, MVD, Kidney/renal problems, dental disease, and their weight can be an indicator to get them to the vet.

I also think that metabolism plays an important role. Using Probiotics such as http://www.naturesfarmacy.com/store/details.php?prodId=198&category=30 can boost metabolism, by helping to more completely digest the food allowing better absorbtion of nutrients in the body.