Meal Portions

[everglot]

My baby yorkie Cocoa is almost six months, and he's about 8 lbs (he's very tall/long ). He's one of those dogs who love food and will always eat if you give them anything, and that's why I'm worried about his meal portions. I don't think he'd stop eating when he's full, so I was wondering if there was some kind of rule as to how much yorkies should eat? He loves his Wellness dry food, and I always try to give him healthy snacks in between meals. I just want to make sure I'm not giving him too much food.

Thanks in advance for your help

[MY OSCAR]

Originally Posted by everglot

My baby yorkie Cocoa is almost six months, and he's about 8 lbs (he's very tall/long ). He's one of those dogs who love food and will always eat if you give them anything, and that's why I'm worried about his meal portions. I don't think he'd stop eating when he's full, so I was wondering if there was some kind of rule as to how much yorkies should eat? He loves his Wellness dry food, and I always try to give him healthy snacks in between meals. I just want to make sure I'm not giving him too much food.

Thanks in advance for your help

well it is kind of hard to give an exact amont .
my oscar is 8 months old @ 7 pounds , he gets a little over 1/2 cup per day.

[xoxodoglover89]

I agree. Every dog is different. You kind of have to play guess and check to figure out which amount of food works best for him. Make sure he isn't gaining too much weight or losing weight.

[Sheldonsmom]

Originally Posted by everglot

My baby yorkie Cocoa is almost six months, and he's about 8 lbs (he's very tall/long ). He's one of those dogs who love food and will always eat if you give them anything, and that's why I'm worried about his meal portions. I don't think he'd stop eating when he's full, so I was wondering if there was some kind of rule as to how much yorkies should eat? He loves his Wellness dry food, and I always try to give him healthy snacks in between meals. I just want to make sure I'm not giving him too much food.

Thanks in advance for your help

Well, Sheldon will be 6 months on the 21st of May and he weighs 5.8 lbs.
He gets 1/2 a cup a day and not because he chooses to but because he would eat non stop.
When he was 4 months he was eating 2/3 to 3/4 cups then I started to slow down on his food. I also put some green beans with his kibble, this was suggested by the wonderful people from this forum. I think adding the green beans have helped on his appetite.

[everglot]

Would green beans make him feel more full?

[Cherie6446]

You can ask your vet about the amount of calories your dog should have each day. They have a formula and you can adjust it to the food you are feeding. Most bags of food gives a calories count and then you know for sure how much to give.

[salazark]

I worked with my vet to determine the ideal weight for my two. Then I bought a postal scale and weigh them once a week. I adjust their kibble based on if they are gaining, losing or staying constant. This works really well for us. It allows for changes in their activity level and how much training (treats) we're doing. I do supplement their food with carrots and green beans so that they won't be hungry. I've done all this after consulting my vet and with his approval. I'm really not anal about it. I just slightly adjust their food up or down so that they stay at a good healthy weight.

[Lovetodream88]

This might help you to know how much he should be getting a day Dog Food Calculator

[Sheldonsmom]

Originally Posted by everglot

Would green beans make him feel more full?

Yes.
Can you easily feel his ribs?

[everglot]

Originally Posted by Sheldonsmom

Yes.
Can you easily feel his ribs?

Yes, I can. Is that a good sign?

[Britster]

Originally Posted by everglot

Yes, I can. Is that a good sign?

Yes. It is.

It depends on the dog, activity level, metabolism, etc.

For reference, Jackson is a 3 1/2 year old 16lb Yorkie in good shape. He's very active, and on average I'd say gets 1+ hour of exercise per day. Summertime, he swims a lot, and in the winter he runs a ton, plus up hill walks, and dog park, and all that. Anyways he eats about 2/3 cup per day - I give him 1/3 in the AM, and 1/3 in the PM. He also gets a spoonful of wet food w/ his breakfast, and occasionally a Kong filled with frozen wet food, and a few treats, etc.

I took this pic just now w/ my cell phone, so you can see a view from above, see how you can see the waistline? And a 'tuck' under his ribcage?

Now, for a active growing pup, he may need more. I just pay attention to his body and activity. If he was really active for a day and still seems hungry, I don't deprive him of food. If he seems hungry, I give him more. But he is like your guy - he will eat at almost ANY chance he gets LOL. So it's hard to say.

[Sheldonsmom]

Sorry I didn't answer earlier, for some reason I am not getting email notifications, I used to.
Ditto to all Britster said.

So Britster, were you able to post pictures right from your phone? How do you do that.

Love that last pic of Jackson, he is so fit! In my head he is singing the song "I work out" hahahaha.