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10-27-2005, 11:22 AM | #1 |
Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: May 2005 Location: Missouri
Posts: 248
| Any Diet Suggestions + a Question Yesterday when we took Kelli to the vet for her scratched eye, we were told that she's gained almost 2 pounds since her last visit. She now weighs 10.3 pounds. Her weight has fluctuated since we got her. Ideally, she should weigh 5-6 pounds, according to the Dr. So I guess we're looking at her being 4-5 pounds overweight? I will admit that we spoil her way too much. She gets alot of veggies, but most of the time we mix them in with her food (which we buy from the vet, supposed to be really good for her kidneys). But, she has gotten more than her fair share of table scraps which we're going to stop immediately. We know we're spoiling her and that we have to stop it, it'll be hard since she growls if we don't give her something when we eat, but we'll get over it, lol. I think she was fed ALOT of human food at her old home, which is why she acts that way when we eat. She was 9 pounds when we got her, we got her down to 8, now she's up to 10.3. We do NOT want her to gain anymore, we worry about her health. Which leads to part one of my question--she's been gagging alot after getting worked up. If someone plays with her or she barks too hard/much, etc. she tends to cough and then gag to clear her throat. I read somewhere that it was just them kinda gasping for air and being scared when they couldn't take it in normally. I don't remember where I read that, but could this partially be due to her weight? Today I'm a little worried because she's making grunty noises in her sleep like her nose is stopped up, and when she gets worked up (ie. from barking too much) she sounds like she has congestion in her throat and she acts like she's trying to clear it. Hard to explain. I'm just wondering if the heavier they are, the bigger this is a problem. AND, my other question is about diet and exercise. We feed Kelli twice a day, morning and then night. We do not give her that much of her food, just a spoonful and we mix it up with some veggies (either carrots or green beans). We tend to NEVER use canned veggies, just frozen or fresh, so we can keep it low on the salt intake. We give her treats 2-3 times a day, mainly her Tiny T Bonz or Butler Lean Treats. She sometimes gets the occasional biscuit or greenie. Should we cut back on the treats? Is there something that we should add to her diet that's better for her? And exercise, we have a fenced in yard so there's no question that we can let her out and she can walk all over wherever she wants, but she has a tendency to just go out there and walk for a few and then want to go inside, or sometimes she'll just walk a few steps and sit down, lol. I hate to get her too worked up because it always seems like she does the choke/gag thing when she gets too hyper. Any suggestions about anything I've asked about/said would be so appreciated. We're taking her back to have her eye looked at again on Monday morning, so I can ask questions then, I'm just looking for some firsthand experience before I do. |
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10-27-2005, 11:52 AM | #2 |
Banning Thread Dictator Donating Member | I'll address what I can: * You're absolutely right to cut out the table scraps. Just say no. * Get the vet to look at Kelli's throat. Yorkies can have problems with a collapsed larynx, though don't panic until you talk to the vet. There are other reasons for coughing. * I'm a firm believer in active exercise. Roaming the yard is not enough. But, as with an out of shape human, start slow. Daily 20 minute walks would be a good start. If you're short on time, hire a neighbor kid. * Once she gets closer to her goal weight, start throwing toys for her and getting her to run. If she doesn't like toys, have her sit-stay and run to a treat when you say "come." You can do that in the backyard. * Sounds like your twice-a-day feeding schedule is great. * Good luck.
__________________ Mike ~ Doting Dad to Jillie, Harper, Molly, Cooper, Eddie (RIP), Lucy (RIP), Rusty (RIP) and Jack (RIP). Check us out on YouTube |
10-27-2005, 12:22 PM | #3 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Canada
Posts: 45
| Cut down on table scrap will be a good start. I was told human food is bad for dog's kidney and my vet told my children (they were there when we brought Spikey in) not to give any human food to him. He said you can give vegetables, meat, rice but strictly no salt in the food. It is also bad for their hairs. When we have our dinner, Spikey likes to come near us too but we always tell him firmly "no". How old is your dog now? I thought after 1 year, dogs only get 1 meal per day. |
10-27-2005, 01:32 PM | #4 |
Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: May 2005 Location: Missouri
Posts: 248
| Thank you so much for your help so far! I'm a little confused, but a collapsed trachea/larynx, isn't that a cough that's often or at least more often than just after they get excited? I was under the impression that they exhibited more symptoms if it was that, and the symptoms were more often. I've heard from the vet that it's more than likely a reverse cough, I just thought maybe the extra weight might have something to do with it, too. Kelli is 10 yrs old, we think. We weren't told her age when we got her. I hadn't heard anything about only feeding them once a day, the vet knew of our feeding schedule and didn't mention us changing it, is this something we need to do? |
10-31-2005, 04:00 PM | #5 |
YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Florida
Posts: 397
| Hi...how is Kelli? How long has it been since she was at the vet before she gained the 2 pounds? Please have her checked over to make sure it isn't anything more than just weight gain. Also, I wouldn't feed her just once a day...that's a long time to go between meals. If your vet tells you to give her 1 cup of food a day (or whatever amount) you might divide that by 2 or 3 so she has smaller meals spread evenly throughout the day. We've always free fed our Yorkies with no trouble and the only treats we ever gave were all natural doggie treats, fruits and veggies. Good luck...I hope she's feeling better. |
10-31-2005, 04:43 PM | #6 | |
Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: May 2005 Location: Missouri
Posts: 248
| Quote:
We feed her twice a day, a spoonful of her food mixed with either a few green beans or a few carrots. Everything is mashed and/or cut into small pieces so it's easy for her to eat. We feed her in the morning and then again at night. Sometimes her food will remain there all day because she won't eat it all at once. If you have any suggestions on how we can get her to eat dry food and like it, I'm all ears. The vet said we need to start giving her more dry because it's better on their teeth, but we absolutely canNOT get Kelli to eat it. It's a struggle.
__________________ Carrie & Isabella Kelli - 1995-2005 - Always in Our Hearts, Babygirl. Bella's Dogster Kelli's Dogster | |
10-31-2005, 05:40 PM | #7 |
YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Florida
Posts: 397
| Have you tried several different brands? Some are harder than others and some have a strange texture. Jo won't eat Wellness dry because of the texture, it turns to powder when it breaks, but he loves their canned food. You can get small sample bags of high quality foods from pet supply stores...maybe try some as a treat at first and see what she might like. You can also put some warm water over the dry food and let it soak up a bit before giving it to her. Instead of putting the veggies in her food you might try mixing it with some dry food and give her a veggie or two as a treat once she starts eating the dry food. Dry food is better for their teeth...it helps to clean the tartar and it also stimulates the gums. Good luck...sometimes it's just a lot of trial and error. |
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