Puppy and 2 year old eating each other's food . . . it's complicated. - YorkieTalk.com Forums

P Hudson · 07-09-2011, 12:43 AM

We have a two-year-old Yorkie, and several weeks ago we brought home a new Yorkie puppy. The puppy will be five months old at the end of this month and is on Blue Buffalo puppy food, while the older dog has graduated to Blue Buffalo adult dog food. But they keep insisting on eating each other's food, though we try to keep them from it and have even put their bowls in different rooms.

To add to the chaos, just days after we brought home our new puppy, I tripped over a barrier we put up to keep the puppy out of the kitchen and broke my leg and ankle, so while I'm in a wheelchair, my poor husband is trying to take care of me and both dogs--the puppy, of course, is not potty trained.

I've always preferred to self feed, especially with a puppy who needs to eat frequently. She's not a tiny baby (4.5 lbs. at last vet visit) but I wouldn't want her to need food and not have access immediately. Even on self-feed I will find her bowl empty because the adult dog sneaks and scarfs her food down whenever he can. The puppy, in turn, seems to prefer to eat the older dog's food rather than her own.

If I could walk right now, I might be able to come up with a better solution, But because the puppy needs the extra nutrients that are in puppy food, we decided to just put puppy food in both dogs' bowls so she'd always be eating that no matter which bowl she ate out of.

My husband said the vet said this might make the 2-year-old gain too much weight--he's already a BIG Yorkie at 12 lbs, but he's not fat and I've never seen an overweight Yorkie. So can anyone here weigh in on this? Do you think it would hurt my two-year-old Yorkie to eat puppy food?

BLowry · 07-09-2011, 06:55 AM

I had this problem with Sadie (our first girl) She was a VERY picky eater until we brought Lillie home (a year later). I ended up using Canidae all stages...You may want to consider changing the kibble to something they can both eat. this worked for me....now they are on merricks grammies pot pie. they are both adults now. Hope this works for you...sorry to hear about your leg....hope you are up and at it soon!

jadabug · 07-09-2011, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLowry

I had this problem with Sadie (our first girl) She was a VERY picky eater until we brought Lillie home (a year later). I ended up using Canidae all stages...You may want to consider changing the kibble to something they can both eat. this worked for me....now they are on merricks grammies pot pie. they are both adults now. Hope this works for you...sorry to hear about your leg....hope you are up and at it soon!

I was going to suggest the same thing

There are several companies who do an all life stages food. Sorry to hear about your accident

Hope you mend soon.

susan lynn · 07-09-2011, 07:07 AM

What I would do when I brought a new puppy in, I would let the other dogs eat and hold the puppy and hand feed them so I know they were getting enough food and the puppy food.The other dogs didn't seem to care since they were eating. Now I hand feed all of them to make sure no one gets left out or eats too much. Sorry about your accident. I worry about this also, we have a large,tall walk thru gate, but my husband had to raise it 16 inches because Sassy(the puppy) was jumping over it. He put boards underneath to raise it, so I have to step over 16 inches, lost my balance several times. Praying for you that you heal quickly and will be back to playing with your babies.

ritapatt · 07-09-2011, 07:29 AM

We had a dog/puppy food issue , so I switched to Taste of the Wild, an all stages dog food. Now the dogs eat in different rooms on a set schedule because of greediness on the big dogs part.

Britster · 07-09-2011, 07:48 AM

I agree, just switch to an all life stages food. For the most part, 'puppy', 'senior', breed specific, etc, formulas are all just a gimmick anyways. Your dogs will do fine eating an all life stages food.

I started Jackson on adult food at 6 months old. At the time, he was eating Innova Adult. Then we switched to Before Grain which was an all life stages food. He's currently eating TOTW and Acana, both ALS, and I wouldn't hesitate to feed either to a pup.

ArmaniMan · 07-09-2011, 07:58 AM

I always had mine on an all life stages food to prevent issues- when my puppies are small, I just give them a few tablespoons a day of a canned puppy food as their extra meals in the middle of the day- something the adult dogs do not get.

sugarmamma · 07-09-2011, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLowry

I had this problem with Sadie (our first girl) She was a VERY picky eater until we brought Lillie home (a year later). I ended up using Canidae all stages...You may want to consider changing the kibble to something they can both eat. this worked for me....now they are on merricks grammies pot pie. they are both adults now. Hope this works for you...sorry to hear about your leg....hope you are up and at it soon!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jadabug

I was going to suggest the same thing

There are several companies who do an all life stages food. Sorry to hear about your accident

Hope you mend soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmaniMan

I always had mine on an all life stages food to prevent issues- when my puppies are small, I just give them a few tablespoons a day of a canned puppy food as their extra meals in the middle of the day- something the adult dogs do not get.

Ellie May · 07-09-2011, 09:23 AM

Your pup "needs" a puppy or all life stages food. The older dog could eat either although you may see weight gain if you let both eat the puppy food shich isn't good.

I'd buy an all life stages food. Or just schedule feed.. It isn't going to hurt if the food is offered enough and then they can eat separately in their crates to prevent any issues.

P Hudson · 07-09-2011, 12:30 PM

Thank you all for your helpful responses. I didn't even know there was "all stages" food. Sounds like a good idea for my problem. I also like ArmaniMan's idea of giving the pup a little extra canned puppy food separate from the big guy.

I appreciate all your kind thoughts and prayers as well. I'm progressing to weight bearing with a walker and/or cane. I had to have surgery and a titanium rod put in. Otherwise I'd probably be up and running by now. Can't wait to walk both of my babies.

07-09-2011, 12:43 AM	#1
P Hudson YT Addict Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: VA USA Posts: 407	Puppy and 2 year old eating each other's food . . . it's complicated. We have a two-year-old Yorkie, and several weeks ago we brought home a new Yorkie puppy. The puppy will be five months old at the end of this month and is on Blue Buffalo puppy food, while the older dog has graduated to Blue Buffalo adult dog food. But they keep insisting on eating each other's food, though we try to keep them from it and have even put their bowls in different rooms. To add to the chaos, just days after we brought home our new puppy, I tripped over a barrier we put up to keep the puppy out of the kitchen and broke my leg and ankle, so while I'm in a wheelchair, my poor husband is trying to take care of me and both dogs--the puppy, of course, is not potty trained. I've always preferred to self feed, especially with a puppy who needs to eat frequently. She's not a tiny baby (4.5 lbs. at last vet visit) but I wouldn't want her to need food and not have access immediately. Even on self-feed I will find her bowl empty because the adult dog sneaks and scarfs her food down whenever he can. The puppy, in turn, seems to prefer to eat the older dog's food rather than her own. If I could walk right now, I might be able to come up with a better solution, But because the puppy needs the extra nutrients that are in puppy food, we decided to just put puppy food in both dogs' bowls so she'd always be eating that no matter which bowl she ate out of. My husband said the vet said this might make the 2-year-old gain too much weight--he's already a BIG Yorkie at 12 lbs, but he's not fat and I've never seen an overweight Yorkie. So can anyone here weigh in on this? Do you think it would hurt my two-year-old Yorkie to eat puppy food?

07-09-2011, 06:55 AM	#2
BLowry My furkids Donating Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 4,625 Blog Entries: 1	I had this problem with Sadie (our first girl) She was a VERY picky eater until we brought Lillie home (a year later). I ended up using Canidae all stages...You may want to consider changing the kibble to something they can both eat. this worked for me....now they are on merricks grammies pot pie. they are both adults now. Hope this works for you...sorry to hear about your leg....hope you are up and at it soon! __________________ Brenda

07-09-2011, 07:07 AM	#4
susan lynn Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Georgia Posts: 3,262	What I would do when I brought a new puppy in, I would let the other dogs eat and hold the puppy and hand feed them so I know they were getting enough food and the puppy food.The other dogs didn't seem to care since they were eating. Now I hand feed all of them to make sure no one gets left out or eats too much. Sorry about your accident. I worry about this also, we have a large,tall walk thru gate, but my husband had to raise it 16 inches because Sassy(the puppy) was jumping over it. He put boards underneath to raise it, so I have to step over 16 inches, lost my balance several times. Praying for you that you heal quickly and will be back to playing with your babies. __________________ SUSAN : TESSIE : HOBBES :CALVIN :SASSY There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face! ~ Ben Williams

07-09-2011, 07:48 AM	#6
Britster Action Jackson ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 17,815	I agree, just switch to an all life stages food. For the most part, 'puppy', 'senior', breed specific, etc, formulas are all just a gimmick anyways. Your dogs will do fine eating an all life stages food. I started Jackson on adult food at 6 months old. At the time, he was eating Innova Adult. Then we switched to Before Grain which was an all life stages food. He's currently eating TOTW and Acana, both ALS, and I wouldn't hesitate to feed either to a pup. __________________ ~ Brit & Lights! Camera! Jackson! CGC ETD TKP ~ Follow Jackson on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacksontheterrier Last edited by Britster; 07-09-2011 at 07:49 AM.

07-09-2011, 07:58 AM	#7
ArmaniMan I ♥ Armani & Chloe Donating Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 3,895	I always had mine on an all life stages food to prevent issues- when my puppies are small, I just give them a few tablespoons a day of a canned puppy food as their extra meals in the middle of the day- something the adult dogs do not get. __________________ Armani & Chloe

07-09-2011, 07:29 AM	#5
ritapatt YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Merritt Island,FL Posts: 1,400	We had a dog/puppy food issue , so I switched to Taste of the Wild, an all stages dog food. Now the dogs eat in different rooms on a set schedule because of greediness on the big dogs part.

07-09-2011, 09:23 AM	#9
Ellie May And Rylee Finnegan Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Metro Detroit, MI Posts: 17,928	Your pup "needs" a puppy or all life stages food. The older dog could eat either although you may see weight gain if you let both eat the puppy food shich isn't good. I'd buy an all life stages food. Or just schedule feed.. It isn't going to hurt if the food is offered enough and then they can eat separately in their crates to prevent any issues. __________________ Crystal, Ellie May (RIP), Rylee Finnegan, and Gracie Boo🐶

07-09-2011, 12:30 PM	#10
P Hudson YT Addict Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: VA USA Posts: 407	Thank You Thank you all for your helpful responses. I didn't even know there was "all stages" food. Sounds like a good idea for my problem. I also like ArmaniMan's idea of giving the pup a little extra canned puppy food separate from the big guy. I appreciate all your kind thoughts and prayers as well. I'm progressing to weight bearing with a walker and/or cane. I had to have surgery and a titanium rod put in. Otherwise I'd probably be up and running by now. Can't wait to walk both of my babies.