Ny Yorkie is obese

[Britster]

Originally Posted by diggy4

Personally, I'm happier when my yorkies are porky. Not fat but I see these teeny tiny babies and they are soooooo fraile and some sickly. My preference would be 6-10 or even more. I like to see breeding for standard but I'd gladly take that porky oooopsie over the runt. Just my preference. Don't get me wrong teensy babies are gorgeous but I have teens so I'd be scared. Love your porker, but make sure the vet says its an ok weight for him. My sisters yorkie rescue is 13 pounds. He's tall skinny and perfect. Just a big boy!!! Healthiest dog out of the 4 yorkies in our family

But there's a difference between between porky and just being a larger Yorkie.

Being overweight is not good on ANY dogs especially these little guys who are likely to have knee and joint problems.

I have a preference toward larger Yorkies (mine is 16lbs) but he's in shape and thin and muscular.

LEAN is always better, IMO. Some Yorkies just naturally have a very small frame, and adding weight to it will not help anything. There is exercises you can do to help build muscle.

In almost all cases, the bag recommendations are WAY too much and an over-estimate. No wonder so many dogs are fat - because most people just follow the guidelines and don't think twice.

If Jackson was eating 1 1/4 cup of food per day, he'd be fat too (that's what most recommend for his size).

He is 16lbs and active and eats 2/3 cup of kibble per day., with spoonful of wet in each meal, and some treats.

For a 13lb'er, 1/2 cup per day is probably ideal... but if she's truly obese, you need to be feeding her the amount needed for her "ideal" weight. Also, up the exercise and just the food amount.

My stepmoms Dachshund/Spaniel mix is overweight and she's always liek "I don't understand why he's not losing weight... I take him for a walk every day, and he doesn't eat a lot". Yeah he only eats 1/4 cup of dog food per day, and the walks she takes him on consist of going up and down our long driveway so probably a grand total of 10 mins. Sorry but it's not enough!! Lol... the dog needs either an hour-2 hours of walking per day, or do some serious running. Plus she continues to feed him Milkbone treats which have like 30 calories per nugget.

[Britster]

As long as you can see a waist line, or slightly feel ribs, you should be okay.

Here is a photo of Jackson from above. I know some dogs have longer hair so if they are ever in the bath fully soaked, maybe take a photo from above so you can see their waistline better.

Also, I find that a lot of vets will say a dog is "fine" because they are so used to seeing overweight pups lol. So even if a dog IS slightly overweight, they think it's normal. It's kind of sad really.

[gracielove]

My Gracie is a little Yorke and she never had a bit of fat on her during her first year and a half. Last winter we did not walk as much and she put on some excess fat. I have more than doubled how far and how often we walk since the weather got warmer and the weight is dropping off quickly.

Make sure you dog gets no human snacks. Little dogs can put on weight from the slightest increase of calories. Healthy snacks of meat or vegetables that are good for dogs are OK as long as it is not over done. If your dog is really a small framed dog and has that much excess fat on her then you are looking at a big issue. There is something not right.

[diggy4]

I agree brister, my sisters 13 pounder is so muscular and fit he's just bigger framed. He could be mixed as well he is a rescue from Oklahoma (we did a yorkie talk train!! It was awesome!) so no idea if he's full yorkie, 100% looks it but just tall. He's def not a bit overweight. My boy I'm afraid is a bit. I did use your guideline, I do see a waist line but the ribs are not as easily felt as my females. Vet said diet as follows. Canned I/D 2 tbs per day (breakfast n dinner) and 1/2 cup of kibble a day. The only treats are green beans and baby carrots. Strictly no table food (besides veggies) due to pancreatis. Think that's a reasonable diet? It maintains my females perfectly. Diggy is still more "chubby"

[DvlshAngel985]

Could others be sneaking him food? Or he sneaks in a few bits from the girls bowls?
My biggest problem is everyone wants to feed Kaji. And I mean everyone!! My mom and dad feed him while I'm at work, my brothers love to feed him chicken when they're home on he weekends, and my dad and I argue about the nightly cookie. He wants to give Kaji 3, and I say one is enough. The argument is part of the nightly ritual.

[diggy4]

Nope everyone here knows and is scared to death of the whole pancreatis ordeals. Our female has been hospitalized 2 times and to the vet multiple times for it. When she gets an attack, it's straight to the vet or emergency hospital we go. Literally thousands of dollars over pancreatis attacks. It's horrible and tears us all up so the chances of it being table food are very slim. Seeing her like that is enough for us all to sternly preach to any dog owner about the risks of table scraps. The unhealthy ones at least. The occasional chip is dropped or French fry (rarely but impossible to 100% avoid) and we all take turns staring at her and for 2 days we will not even let her be left alone lol such freaks but worth it. I have no idea why he's a lil chubby as we follow same strict rules with him. He is 2 yrs younger than her too. His functions and bloodwork are perfect as well. Maybe he just has a slightly slower metabolism?

[Nancy1999]

You call her a "mini" yorkie, and I'm wondering if you think she should be less than 13 pounds just because the breeder said she was a mini? First you have to be sure she is overweight and you have to learn how much she is overweight. Yorkies don't have the extreem waists that some breeds have, they have a little sausage type of body with a slight indication of a waist. When Joey gained weight after a trick training class, the vet said that I should reduce his daily food allowance by 1/3 and add about 5 or 6 frozen (thawed) green beans, which help make the feel full, so that they don't feel like they are starving. He lost about an ounce or two a week without any problem. I wouldn't put any dog on a diet, unless the vet told me he was overweight though, and a check up is in order to rule out other complications, such as a thyroid problem.

[QuickSilver]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

You call her a "mini" yorkie, and I'm wondering if you think she should be less than 13 pounds just because the breeder said she was a mini? First you have to be sure she is overweight and you have to learn how much she is overweight. Yorkies don't have the extreem waists that some breeds have, they have a little sausage type of body with a slight indication of a waist. When Joey gained weight after a trick training class, the vet said that I should reduce his daily food allowance by 1/3 and add about 5 or 6 frozen (thawed) green beans, which help make the feel full, so that they don't feel like they are starving. He lost about an ounce or two a week without any problem. I wouldn't put any dog on a diet, unless the vet told me he was overweight though, and a check up is in order to rule out other complications, such as a thyroid problem.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

You call her a "mini" yorkie, and I'm wondering if you think she should be less than 13 pounds just because the breeder said she was a mini? First you have to be sure she is overweight and you have to learn how much she is overweight. Yorkies don't have the extreem waists that some breeds have, they have a little sausage type of body with a slight indication of a waist. When Joey gained weight after a trick training class, the vet said that I should reduce his daily food allowance by 1/3 and add about 5 or 6 frozen (thawed) green beans, which help make the feel full, so that they don't feel like they are starving. He lost about an ounce or two a week without any problem. I wouldn't put any dog on a diet, unless the vet told me he was overweight though, and a check up is in order to rule out other complications, such as a thyroid problem.

[GeorgiesMomma]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

You call her a "mini" yorkie, and I'm wondering if you think she should be less than 13 pounds just because the breeder said she was a mini? First you have to be sure she is overweight and you have to learn how much she is overweight. Yorkies don't have the extreem waists that some breeds have, they have a little sausage type of body with a slight indication of a waist. When Joey gained weight after a trick training class, the vet said that I should reduce his daily food allowance by 1/3 and add about 5 or 6 frozen (thawed) green beans, which help make the feel full, so that they don't feel like they are starving. He lost about an ounce or two a week without any problem. I wouldn't put any dog on a diet, unless the vet told me he was overweight though, and a check up is in order to rule out other complications, such as a thyroid problem.

[NrfnKiva]

being overweight can really hurt them.

my Kiva's weight went up to 12 lbs because i was stupid and fed her some treats from the table.
after my vet telling me i should really get her weight down i stopped the treats and she went down to around 8.5 - 9 lbs. but the damage had already been done....she ruined both her kness and paid dearly with painful knee surgery.
on her second surgery she died from a blood clot. i'll always regret that for the rest of my life. the last few years of her life were spent in so much pain.

[gemy]

I just want to add that bloodwork is a great idea, but if you want a clear indication of thyroid function you need to run the expanded panel. !

Also a "little trick" when wanting your dog to lose weight (if that is necessary), never feed their last meal after their last exercise of the day. For example don't walk them at 5pm and feed them at 6 and then we all lay around on the couch. Instead feed at 5pm and walk at 6 or 7pm.

On inactive days, just regular walks (about 1hr per day), he gets 1/4 c of homemade food, plus 4 pieces of large kibble, plus his green beans or cheerios training treats.

If we are swimming that day, and hiking, his food intake might be bumped to 3/4 c of food. But that is about 3-4 hrs of exercise in one day.

I always feel my dogs daily, tis easy to do when putting on harnesses or leashing up.

But truly you need to talk with your vet to see what they say. Also structure plays a huge role in weight. Does your dog have nice solid bones? How tall and long is your dog?

[LogansDaddy]

The bloodwork sounds like a really good idea. My Logan is DEFINITELY guilty of sneaking nibbles (or big MUNCHES!) from his big brother's bowl-- so consider that. If there's no health issue, he might be 'sneaking' calories from SOMEWHERE...

[Ellie May]

I'd go with the bloodwork.. A 13 pound pup earing just 1/2 cup a day, esp of a lite food, should not be overweight (or does your yorkie just have a large frame?).

The amount to feed depends on caloric density ofthe food, lifestyle, and metabolism.

i know many people have had problems with the feeding guides on packaging. For both Purina rx foods and SD foods, I have not had that problem with either of my dogs. They tend to fall right in range. And they definitely aren't fat.. Ellie is six pounds. Her current kibble is lower calorie, so she eats at least 2/3 cup a day. Ry is just shy of 17 pounds. His kibble calorie content is pretty average. He eats about a cup to a cup and a half occasionally...depending on the food. He also is not deprived in the treat dept and neither is Ellie. We are lazy so they do lots of relAxing and don't burn tons a day.


I have a preference gor the kids to be lean. Ellie's bones don't want to hold more weight and I think lean dogs are healthier overall.