Help-need advice on feeding

[Lilyanna]

Lily like so many small dogs is an extremely picky eater. I decided since she won't eat any kibble. I have tried tons of premium dog foods (she goes a couple days on a few nibbles and no people scraps. (not anymore anyway) I have her on Royal Canin now for Yorkies (supposed to stimulate fussy appetites the bag says) I went to the pet store intending to buy the best canned food or make my own food her which I did for a couple days and she does happen to like it. I even like it. Haha but don't want to do that. Long post but the dog trainer at the store told me canned food and home made are like crack to dogs. Once they are hooked nothing else will do. She said put the kibble down, leave it for half and hour and pick it up. Continue to do this for all meals until the little bugger eats it. She promises a dog won't starve to death with food avail. Lily is vomiting up a bit of bile due to an empty stomach and has eaten her new food once in two days.(approx 1/4 cup) Am I doing the right thing? I can barely handle watching my baby thinking she is hungry. The trainer also said it is much more difficult with small dogs due to the fact that they are cute and we become their pets instead of the other way around. She did say I am a good pet.(not a compliment I don't think)

[brendah]

Hello, If she is not eating she will need to be force fed. A dog may not starve themselves to death but they can die from low blood sugar. If their blood sugar gets low they will not have the desire to eat and will dehydrate very quickly. I almost lost a puppy due to that. I found a food that she would eat but it was one of the "not very healthy" ones. I keept her on it for about a month and when she was eating good on her own I was able to switch her over to a better food. Sometimes a "crapy" food is better then no food at all, if you can not get them to eat anything else. I hope this helps you.

[Lilyanna]

Thank you sooo much. I never thought about that. Sometimes I wonder if the healthy stuff that costs a fortune taste like wheat grass does to us. Good for you but hard to choke down. She will sometimes eat my big dogs senior food if I mix a little in. What food did yours end up eating? Did you go with kibble or canned?

[SirYesSir]

I had this same problem with Sir when he was a baby (8-12 mos). I tried the raw-meat diet and home cooking in addition to all kinds of different foods. Really, I was on the end of my rope with it.
I eventually got the idea to hand feed him while we were outside playing. Every time I would walk him or just let him out in the yard, I would bring a small tupperware container with some kibble (Royal Canin for Yorkies). I would put a small amount in my hand at first, because he always seemed to be intimidated by large amounts of food. This worked well, and is still the only way he will eat. He also needs to be given plenty of exercise, which was hard during the winter where we were living (Iowa).
I know at least for Sir, he wants to be outside playing so much. This must stimulate his appetite, and he'll just gobble up half a day's serving in one sitting.

Hope this helps, I truly know how frustrating it is to have this issue!

[Lilyanna]

That is a great idea. I will try the hand feeding option. My son in law suggested I make a game out of it. I was hoping for a low needs baby this time around but she is worth every ounce of effort.

[Cerise]

Originally Posted by Lilyanna

Lily like so many small dogs is an extremely picky eater. I decided since she won't eat any kibble. I have tried tons of premium dog foods (she goes a couple days on a few nibbles and no people scraps. (not anymore anyway) I have her on Royal Canin now for Yorkies (supposed to stimulate fussy appetites the bag says) I went to the pet store intending to buy the best canned food or make my own food her which I did for a couple days and she does happen to like it. I even like it. Haha but don't want to do that. Long post but the dog trainer at the store told me canned food and home made are like crack to dogs. Once they are hooked nothing else will do. She said put the kibble down, leave it for half and hour and pick it up. Continue to do this for all meals until the little bugger eats it. She promises a dog won't starve to death with food avail. Lily is vomiting up a bit of bile due to an empty stomach and has eaten her new food once in two days.(approx 1/4 cup) Am I doing the right thing? I can barely handle watching my baby thinking she is hungry. The trainer also said it is much more difficult with small dogs due to the fact that they are cute and we become their pets instead of the other way around. She did say I am a good pet.(not a compliment I don't think)

Be careful when it comes to advice from people who think all dogs are the same. Making her eat what you put down or else don't eat is not the way to handle a Yorkie. Warning, that is dangerous. I have come to realize most people don't know crap about what it takes to care for a Yorkie, unless they are true Yorkie lovers. That includes some dog trainers and vets. All dogs are not alike.

[Lilyanna]

I think you are so right. I am glad I found Yorkietalk. I lost my last little terrier due to some sort of seizure problem. My vet just kept saying it is probably just low blood sugar, give her some karo syrup. My fault for not pursuing it deeper. I had never had a small dog or any dog with health issues or tendencies. I know better now. Lily actually ate some dinner tonight. Didn't eat much but I even got her to eat a bit more by playing and hand feeding. Thanks for all the experience and info. shared.

[Lilyanna]

I think you are so right. I am glad I found Yorkietalk. I lost my last little terrier due to some sort of seizure problem. My vet just kept saying it is probably just low blood sugar, give her some karo syrup. My fault for not pursuing it deeper. I had never had a small dog or any dog with health issues or tendencies. I know better now. Lily actually ate some dinner tonight. Didn't eat much but I even got her to eat a bit more by playing and hand feeding. Thanks for all the experience and info. shared.

[Cerise]

Originally Posted by Lilyanna

I think you are so right. I am glad I found Yorkietalk. I lost my last little terrier due to some sort of seizure problem. My vet just kept saying it is probably just low blood sugar, give her some karo syrup. My fault for not pursuing it deeper. I had never had a small dog or any dog with health issues or tendencies. I know better now. Lily actually ate some dinner tonight. Didn't eat much but I even got her to eat a bit more by playing and hand feeding. Thanks for all the experience and info. shared.

I wish you the best with her That is so sad about your last terrier. This website has a lot of info and some wonderful members who have so much to share.

[onesmartcookie]

I have fussy toy poodle who I battled with for quite some time and ended up feeding her raw & sometimes canned. Giving her what she wants stimulates her appetite and she eats dry much more readily as a snack between meals. Some little ones just don't like dehydrated kibble. Did you try to moisten the kibble or mix some canned in with it? I don't think the canned is like crack as long as its a good caliber dog food.

[Pup-e-Love]

I'm having the same battle with Reesie. Someone on here suggesting doing a rotation diet with him. I think it is going to work. I'm still learning how to do it so I'm not an expert. The theory is that the dog will get tired of eating the same thing all the time so about once every month change what they are eating to make it more exciting for them. Someone suggested doing red meat one month and then switching to fish and then poultry next. And then start over on the rotation. I have Ressie on Orijen right now and I am very pleased with it, so I will stick to that brand for now. Hope this helps.