Help!!! I got a new yorkie yesterday!!!

[yorkie_lover03]

There was an ad in the paper for a free yorkie to a good home where I live...being that I already have one and have been wanting to get him a friend I called the lady. When she brings him to my home he's so over weight (17 lbs) roughly that he can't even play...he lays around all the time. I took him from her because I felt that she was killing him. She told me he had a hard time with dog food so she's been feeding him 3 Junior Bacon Cheese burgers and a 5 piece nugget from Wendy's 2 times a day for the past year!!!! I know this can't be good for the poor thing, he's 6 years old (human) as well so I know that age is working against him too. I would like to see him lose some weight but I'm not really sure about how to get him off the burgers and nuggets because I'm defiantly not going to feed him that. Any suggestions???

[ARCHIE]

Somehow this seems hard to believe.
That kind of fat going into a Yorkie would have surely
caused major gastric problems long before now.

Is this for real?

[Timmy]

First...Welcome to YT! You will find loads of info here. Also, thank you for opening your home to this furbaby.

Please have him checked by your vet. I cannot believe this lady was feeding him all this food. That is abuse! It is so hard to get the weight off of them...but it can happen. Keep him on a feeding schedule and do not free feed. Make sure he's getting enough exercise, like walk him a couple of times a day. If he doesn't eat the first day do not panic. He's big enough that it will not hurt him.

Oh my goodness I'm just sitting here with my jaws hanging. I can't believe she was feeding him cheese burgers, nuggets...etc.

I know I don't have much info but there are alot of YT'ers that can provide answers.

[yorkie_lover03]

Yes as hard as it is to believe it is totally real. I called my vet this morning about him. I told him the situation and that the woman had been feeding him cheeseburgers and nuggets for a year straight and he told me that it going to be a rough battle trying to ween him off of the burgers and nuggets. His little head is so small but his body is blew up like a balloon. This is really a sad situation...when I get home from work I will post a picture of him.

[Tiggerwit]

I'd take him to the vet for a well check and then discuss a plan with your vet. Good grief. I hope you pop knotted her. What the heck was she thinking?!?!?!

Good luck.

ha ha we all posted at the same time. Glad the vet is involved. I agree about the weaning. That was my concern of upsetting his system even more by cutting him off the crap. Guess all you can do it find him a good food, but him on a schedule and walk the pounds off him. Poor little love

[yorkie_lover03]

Hopefully with the help from people on here and my vet I can get him to shed some pounds, I'm really worried because he's already breathing funny. I just want him to be healthy and I don't feel that he is right now. My other yorkie tries his best to play with him but hes just too big and can't move good and all he wants to do is lay there. It breaks my heart to see him like this.

[ARCHIE]

Originally Posted by yorkie_lover03

Yes as hard as it is to believe it is totally real. I called my vet this morning about him. I told him the situation and that the woman had been feeding him cheeseburgers and nuggets for a year straight and he told me that it going to be a rough battle trying to ween him off of the burgers and nuggets. His little head is so small but his body is blew up like a balloon. This is really a sad situation...when I get home from work I will post a picture of him.

OMG that poor little or big Yorkie.
It's so hard to believe he has not gotten sick.
Good luck with this guy. Thank heavens you took him as least
he has a chance of now becoming healthy.
I am glad your going to the vet's. Getting him on a healthy diet
will, I'm sure do the trick. Adding boiled chicken and veggies to his
kibble may get him to eat it. SLowly giving him a walk a couple times
a day will also help. Increase the time in walking as he get's accustomed
to it.
Keep us updated and once again Good Luck.
Some higher up has certainly been watching over this fellow.

[luvmyYorkieJack]

Hey. If he won't walk well for you outside, you may want to try putting him on a treadmill. That way if he gets too tired you won't have to try to get him back home.... it wouldn't be for long. Just enough to get some pounds off until he can move better on his own. I wish you the best of luck. I'm disgraced that someone would feed their dog this. Please post a picture when you get the chance. I just can't imagine my 3 pound puppy weighing 17 pounds and what that would look like.

[izzierj]

I watched my sister-in-laws (mother lives with her) chihuahua (5 yrs old) turn into a 28lb (maybe more now) obese dog with a big head....Neither say they feed him anything other than boiled chicken and dry food....I have have seen both of the toss him pork rinds, etc....He now has a thyroid issue and that's what they blame it on....I blame it on the tossers !!!
He walk s every morning but he's a porker and thinks cookie after cookie is a treat ..... I've tried to say he's going to die, but they are in denial...Pray for Whitey....They did get another chihuahua last year and she runs after him sometimes during the day, I'm hoping she helps him run off a few lbs...

[Erin]

Transitioning him to kibble won't be easy, so my suggestion is to feed a HIGH quality canned food like Merrick, Nature's Variety, or Evangers. It will smell like the "fresh" food he is used to eating but much more appropriate for him and easy to measure the proper quantities. I highly doubt he would pass up something like Merrick Wingaling.

You should definitely go to the vet. They can see if he has any underlying health problems from being so overweight and give you a healthy weight to aim for.

Good luck!

[Little Bit]

Wow! That's unbelievable! I am so glad you have him now and hopefully can get him healthy. Was the previous owner large, too? Wonder if she ate the same things...

[JesStang]

Wow!! Thank goodness you took him from her, she is a bad mother!

You can definitely save his life. I know they have those diet dog foods for "bigger" dogs so I would look into that. Definitely get him some exercise but, of course, take it slow at first.

I know you talked to him on the phone but I would take the dog to the vet so they can check him out for any health issues.

Good luck and let us know!

[Timmy]

Originally Posted by yorkie_lover03

Hopefully with the help from people on here and my vet I can get him to shed some pounds, I'm really worried because he's already breathing funny. I just want him to be healthy and I don't feel that he is right now. My other yorkie tries his best to play with him but hes just too big and can't move good and all he wants to do is lay there. It breaks my heart to see him like this.

Yes we'll help you get through this...Can't wait to see pics of your new baby!

[Woogie Man]

Sounds like she should have taken him to Subway instead of Wendy's....sorry, just kidding but I know it really isn't funny. Poor guy....it's not his fault. He must be miserable and all that extra weight on his joints is not good. No wonder he just lies around. Well, you have to start somewhere and trying a quality canned food is probably the best place and gradually introduce some kibble mixed in. He's more likely to eat that than anything. Not only was he eating all the wrong food, it sounds like he got entirely too much. If you can determine what size dog he should be without the extra pounds, you'll have an idea of how much to feed him. You may try mixing some flaxseed oil in with his food. Not only is it good for skin and coat, it helps to control blood pressure and the triglyceride and cholesterol levels. It will also help to get his gut working better to help him eliminate some of that junk clogging him up. Definitely he needs to see a vet and get blood work done. No telling what kind of secondary problems he may have due to his diet and weight. Good luck with him. If you can turn this around for him, you will have done a wonderful thing.

[grandmatoall]

What a sweetheart you are. I am glad he came to live with you. Now he will have a chance at a healthy and longer life. Hopefully, with walks, regular vet visits and healthy food, he will be able to slim down into the dog he was meant to be. Thank you for saving this sweet angel.