New Yorkie mommy with concern :(

[jathompson]

My baby is 2 months about to be 3 on aug. 3. He was given to me by my mothers friend. My concern is him eating. The first night I brought him home he ate about a pinch of pedigree can food. The next morning he had less then what he had ate the night before at about 8am. He slept all day and woke up once energetic and happy to play. He was sleeping to much so i did some research and for being this age its completely normal, but i discovered some other things that really caught my eye.. like becoming hypoglycemic, pedigree being low quality food,He slept all throughout then woke up at 4pm looking weak and gagging. He did throw up very little so I begin to assume the food upset his tummy and that maybe his sugar levels had dropped. I ended up buying nutri-stat, blue diamond hard puppy food, and natural balance lamb & turkey meat. I have him the nutri-stat and it seemed as if he got an appetite very quickly! So he scarfed down the lamb at that moment then at night. By the next morning he was interested in it. So I tried the hard food and he scarfed that down too. Then throughout the rest of that day he wasn't even very well. He wasn't taking as much as he had the first time. He typically has 1-2 very good meals during the day. When late evening comes he eats like several pinches of food. Today is my 4th day with him and this morning he didn't eat to much. What scares me is that he slept through the whole night and did not touch his food that I left out so I would assume he's hungry but he didn't eat to much??? He also pushes his meals very far about (about 6 hours) mind you sometimes he doesn't even consume a good size meal. Is this normal for his age? Is anyone going through the same thing I'm going through? How often should yorkies eat at this age? I'm really scared his sugar levels are going to drop again so I'm trying to feed him at least every 4 hours. Any tips/ info is helpful! Thank you!

Oh his behavior seems normal. He plays, has so much energy, he's wild! So could I just be scarring myself? Haven't seen him down/lazy/weak/droopy since that day when his sugar levels dropped.

[jathompson]

Also... How much did your yorkie puppy weight at 3 months? I feel like my baby is too little??

[MandiesMom]

Hi and welcome to YT! Congrats on your baby.

You truly to have to watch out for hypoglycemia at this age. They can go down super fast when they are this small, too. You say you have Nutri-stat? I'm not familiar with that. Is it like Nutrical? If so, that's good. If not, get Nutrical.

Free feed. Leave food available at all times. Some people say that giving Nutrical regularly might have the opposite effect it is intended for and to just use it as a "rescue" in times of high energy activities. This is a good rule of thumb, if your pup just spent a lot of energy playing and rough housing, give him a little Nutrical during or at the end of the play session.

If he ever seems to not pull out of a lathargic state, get to the vet ASAP. He will need immediate care (ER vet if at night). Don't question it, just do it. They don't have a lot of time when they are this small.

But, if you keep that food out always and give Nutrical when needed, your pup should be fine. Get well versed on the symptoms of hypoglycemia ok?

For food, it takes a while to find what they like. Some are picky eaters. Make sure you are giving puppy food and not dog food. They need those extra nutrients and calories. I highly recommend grain free because so many Yorkies seem to have allergies to grains. I have always fed Blue Buffalo. Others feed Royal Canin, Fromm, and some others that I can't think of. Just try some until you "hit" on one that works. But, I would definitely just leave the bowl with food accessible at all times by your pup.

Hope this has helped some and others will be along with more experienced words of wisdom.

ETA: As for weight, it really varies from pup to pup. I didn't get Mandie until she was a little over 4 months and she weighed 3 lbs 10 oz. I'm not sure of the average weight range for a 3 month old. Again, others will be able to answer that further.

[Sammy Mommy]

congratulations on your new pup!! What is his name? Have you taken him to the vet. If not, take him in and just let the vet take a look at him. good luck with your new puppy. Post pictures when you can!

[jathompson]

Mandiesmom..Thank you for the info! I have not trie nutra cal but I believe it's the same thing. I am going to do some research see if there is a difference or which one is better. My fear with these supplements is that he might become dependent and will never learn to eat on his own. I've also heard that giving to much of these supplements is not good because its basically just sugar? I don't know how true that is??? I do have an appointment for his this upcoming Wednesday! I really wish they had earlier openings at vet so I could have taken him when I got him. My baby is exactly at 1 pound! I've had other people with Yorkies tell me that this might be to little?? Thank you again for such helpful information!! (:

[jathompson]

Sammy Mommy...Thank you(: His name is King. I'm still try to figure out the website lol but I will put up a website as soon as I can.

[joyce evans]

Wow...1 lb. He is a little guy. Watch him carefully and vet check a.s.a.p.

[luvlee]

Welcome to YT & Congrats!

This is a great resource for information on your baby - especially a tiny one.

If he's not eating his food, an old breeder's trick is to mix in some Cesars with the good stuff. Moisten the kibble with warm water though so that your puppy doesn't just lick off the Cesars.

Good luck.

[MandiesMom]

1 pound is definitely on the small side. You are going to need to give this baby constant attention OK? Is someone home with him 24/7? If not, you will need to find a sitter.

When do you go to the vet? It needs to be soon. Make sure all shots are given before having around any other animals.

On the Nutrical...don't give it just to give it. As I said, that can lead to sugar spikes and drops. But I would give a little taste after a lot of play. Other than that...just have for rescue if symptoms occur. The IMPORTANT thing to remember is to give food a little bit after the nutrical when rescuing or you will just have the levels drop again in a couple of hours. Nautical to rescue...follow with food to sustain.

[marcie]

Hello and welcome to Y.T. Congrats on your pup. You will really
need to watch this little one like a hawk. Members here have wonderful tips for you.

[Maximo]

Sometimes puppies aren't very good eaters. I had to hand feed Max his first year, playing games like "tricks for treats" where he perform a trick for a kibble or two. We also put kibble in the Kong toy and made a big deal about it to entice him to eat.

As recommended above, when you do have use the supplement, always follow up with a little food.

Enticing to eat is sort of like enticing to play. Use an happy, exciting voice, and give praise. Present a piece of food like it is the best prize in the world.

I also agree with seeing the vet and supervising your little one closely.

[dawn27]

Wow 1 lb is tiny. My pups averaged a pound when they were 4 weeks old. The runt of my last litter at 10 weeks was just shy of 2lbs. At 5 months old turning 6 in a week she is still very small and weights 2.7 lbs.

Is there any chance he is younger than what they say?
Do you have his registration papers?

Food wise you really should be feeding him the same type of food he was on at the breeders. Nothing about his diet should be changed this soon. You need to give him a couple of weeks to adjust to the transition to his now home and surrounding before you change it and be sure to do it gradually by mixing old with the new in percentages until reaching 100% of the new food. Changing it this soon will cause him to be finicky and stubborn about eating as you are finding out. Or worse stress. If you feel that he is not eating, try to add a little can puppy food to it to give it some added flavor. Preferably the same brand as the dry kibble.

At his size he needs to eat at least 4 small meals per day every 4-5 hrs up to a few hours before bed time. He's so tiny and cant handle a large amount of food per feeding so it may be best to feed several smaller meals 4-5 making sure to monitor how much he is eating. So that you can be absolutely sure that he is eating. He will be fine thru the night and can last til morning. As long as he is eating, getting plenty of rest there shouldn't be a reason to substitute with Nurical or any other sugar supplement unless absolutely necessary and is showing signs of low sugar.

[Teresiana]

Good for you doing your research! You're a good mommy I agree that 1 pound is tiny for a 3 month old. You've gotten some great advice & I don't really have anything to add. I agree with Maximo that it does help to hand feed sometimes. Sometimes they'll continue to eat on their own after eating a few bites from the hand. And you may need to feed off of a saucer or something very shallow since he's so small. Good luck with your little man. I love the name King!

[cindersellie]

Originally Posted by jathompson

Mandiesmom..Thank you for the info! I have not trie nutra cal but I believe it's the same thing. I am going to do some research see if there is a difference or which one is better. My fear with these supplements is that he might become dependent and will never learn to eat on his own. I've also heard that giving to much of these supplements is not good because its basically just sugar? I don't know how true that is??? I do have an appointment for his this upcoming Wednesday! I really wish they had earlier openings at vet so I could have taken him when I got him. My baby is exactly at 1 pound! I've had other people with Yorkies tell me that this might be to little?? Thank you again for such helpful information!! (:

Welcome to YT and grats on your new baby! Their so cute at that age!

At 3 mo., mine was 1 lb. She's 1 yr. and 2 mo. now, and weighs 2.7/ 2.8 lbs. I put mine on Nutra drops, which another YT member suggested. The drops help increase their appetite. Nutri cal is good for low BS episodes. Lots of vitamins in it to help bring their BS level back up. Mine hated that! I used clear karo syrup when she had low BS, followed with a bit of food and water. This link is to show what Nutra drops are incase you are interested in them.- I see a few on Amazon.
Amazon.com: Health Extension 858755000758 Nutra...
A neighbor had to come and give her a meal during the day while I worked until she hit 2 lbs. If she missed 2 meals, she'd end up with low BS. And she was/ is a very picky eater. I didn't want to switch her food at 3 months, but it wasn't doing me any good to have it just sit there untouched. Switching it caused some belly upsets, but we finally found some foods she likes. I used the list in health and diet to email companies for free food samples before I bought a huge bag that lasts forever.
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...e-samples.html.

Keep doing what your doing. You seem to be watching King well. Remember to ask the vet all these questions too. They should have suggests to help you with him. Let us know how his visit goes tomorrow! And if you have other questions, ask!

[Magnus]

I got Zoey when she was about 8 weeks and she was just slightly over 3 lbs. I also had to hand feed her for the first few weeks because she wasn't interested in eating. The breeder started her on Pedigree but I wanted her on better food so I was trying to switch it out slowly. That might have been another reason she wasn't eating properly. Till she was over 6 months, I fed her about 5 times a day and dwindled down as she got to be a year old. She's also a bit of a picky eater so it took a while to find one she likes.

I'm feeding them blue bufflo right now but I'm thinking of switching them to Canine Caviar...

Must be nerve wrecking seeing him not eat much... I think you said you're taking him to the vet this Wed. Hope everything's ok with him! And congrats on your furbie!