Yorkie refusing to eat - HELP

[Flakes]

I have two yorkies, a 4 yr old female and a 22 month male. They have gotten along well from day 1. However now out of the blue my male (Mad Max) is refusing to eat his meals and treats. I can't leave his food down as the female will gobble it down in a flash. She's the one that needs to lose weight not Max. Any ideas on what's going on?

[reeses]

you may want to try taking him into another room away from the female and see if he will eat. He could be intimidated by her gulping down food so fast. He may just be a slower pickier eater. Is everything else normal with him?

[Flakes]

I've tried feeding him in another room and he still won't eat. Everything was fine up until a few days ago. They've been together for over a year now and have always eaten together. He only weighs 4 lbs so this can't go on for too much longer.

I think it is a power struggle as the older female dog who was feeling poorly when we got the male is now back to good health. The other odd thing is that the female has started peeing on top of everywhere the male pees. She's never done that before.

I'm at a loss as to how to get him to eat.

[reeses]

what are you feeding him? have you always had him on this food?
Your lil girl could very well be re-claiming her territory. Boys mark their territory but girls can do the same thing especially if she feels he is taking over and she needs to re-claim her territory. Be sure you always give her lots of love first before the male since she is the oldest and you have had her the longest. She was first in your life and you dont want her to feel left out.
Another question...does she eat her food first and then eat his or what exactly is the routine? (not trying to sound nosey...just trying to understand everything and get some ideas of what is going on so this can be solved! )

[reeses]

ahh sorry..double post
lol

[JasmineNoelle]

I hope Max isnt sick.

[Flakes]

Originally Posted by reeses

what are you feeding him? have you always had him on this food?
Your lil girl could very well be re-claiming her territory. Boys mark their territory but girls can do the same thing especially if she feels he is taking over and she needs to re-claim her territory. Be sure you always give her lots of love first before the male since she is the oldest and you have had her the longest. She was first in your life and you dont want her to feel left out.
Another question...does she eat her food first and then eat his or what exactly is the routine? (not trying to sound nosey...just trying to understand everything and get some ideas of what is going on so this can be solved! )

Thanks for your response. They are both on the same food which they've been on from day one. She gobbles hers down as fast as she can and then will attempt to eat his if we don't stop her. She's always been a little piggy.

I normally feed them twice a day with a snack before bedtime. The snack thing started when we got the male because he was so tiny 1.7 lbs at 7 months that we had to try and get some weight on him. He's now up to 4 lbs at 22 months so I can change the feeding pattern. Think I'll try feeding only once a day, that way he'll be hungry when I put it down and may be more inclined to eat instead of playing power struggle games.

They don't fight at all but there's no doubt that my female was not feeling well enough to be herself when the male joined the pack. She's back to being her old self and I think she is trying to put him in his place. My female, like all female yorkies thinks she is the boss of everything and everybody.

I've had yorkies for 35 years and never come across this particular problem where one just stopped eating.

[reeses]

Keep me updated on how things are going! If it continues to be a problem or you notice any other odd behaviors or problems you may want to carry your lil boy to the vet just to make sure there isnt any underlying problem that might be occuring! With these little ones we just cant be too careful. They are so precious and so delicate even tho most of them have big attitudes! LOL! Goodluck and keep us updated!!

[Flakes]

We had both of them to the vet on Saturday. The vet said there did not appear to be anything out of the ordinary. Will keep you posted.

[chattiesmom]

Flakes, I am sorry that little Max has decided to go on a fast. It is very very distressing to mommies when their little ones won't eat.

I have two tricks that work for me that I will offer....

1) Try giving Max a small amount of Nutri-Cal (a little dot about the size of an English Pea). In a few minutes his appitetite should kick in.

if that doesn't work you might try....

2) Bake a chicken breast (baking gives richer flavor than boiling. Defat any broth and smuch up both the breast and broth and make what I call Chicken Goo. Use a small amount of the Chicken Goo to coat his kibble and let it stand for about 5 minutes so that it will absorb prior to feeding.


If he continues to refuse to eat, it may be a wise idea to have some bloodwork done to eliminate any "hidden" health problems.

good luck.....

[Vwitscher]

Getting him to eat is the most important thing. Hopefully you can get him to take some bites. I really believe you are dealing with a dominance issue even if you don't see it happen. Noticing she is peeing on every thing your little boy was on is a strong indication of this. In a pack the leader eats first and eats until they are full so in this case, it seems your girl doesn't leave anything for him. And then we sometimes cater to the underdog and undermine the pack order so she has to constantly reassert that SHE is the leader. You will have to become the leader of the pack to them and not show favoritism (easier said than done). I am not a specialist in this area, I've just been there. If it were me, one thing I would do is feed them separately in a cage. Both of them in their own cage maybe covered with a sheet so she can't glare at him. I'm sure others have more suggestions. Good luck.

[dtrahan511]

I had a scare like that with Sophie one time, when she wouldn't eat anything, not even her Nutracal!!! I scrambled her an egg, and guess what? She gobbled it up!!!! Not something I give her on a regular basis, but I was desperate, and read on YT that other people tried that!!!

[reeses]

I agree with Cindy (chattiesmom) try the nutrical..even if he doesnt start eating it will give him some nutrients...but hopefully the chicken will help...just be sure you dont give it to him with your female around so he has a fair chance to check it out and then eat it if he chooses without feeling pressure from the female fixing to snatch it away. Everyone has some great suggestions and this will probably be trial and error...trying things out to see what works and what doesnt. Hopefully you will have what works figured out soon so you can be stress free!

[YorkieAZ]

Boiled chicken or hamburger should help do the trick. For my picky eaters I add a little dyne to their food, very high calorie. Cesars wet puppy food might entice him too.

[Nancy1999]

If he's refusing treats, it's more than a picky eater problem, he may have some intestinal distress, or other pain, and refusal of food is a primary symptom of pain. If you can't even tempt him with chicken breast, please see a vet; don't tempt him with unhealthy foods, for example chicken skin, as this may cause more problems. Joey had an eye ulceration, and the only symptom was food refusal. Best of luck!