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New Yorkie owner. Question about amount of food 2 Attachment(s) Hello all, My wife and I just adopted our first Yorkie on Saturday. Her name is Gracie. She is a 10 month old female, 24" from snout to tail and weighs around 9 lbs, but still looks skinny. She was rescued from a breeder and was malnourished. The shelter had her for 6 weeks and she put on 2-3 lbs during that time, but the vet says she needs to gain a couple more. We have bought Nature's Variety Instinct raw discs. The bag says to give a puppy anywhere from 4-12. We have been giving her 3 each day, but also leave a bowl of dry food out as well as some treats throughout the day. Does that sound like enough? The shelter had her on Iams lamb and rice, but we have bought some Blue Buffalo to start getting her off of the Iams. We are used to having cats and we just leave their food out all the time. Also, how often would a dog of that size need to go potty? if we took her out at 10-10:30p, could she make it until 6:30 the next morning? I added a couple photos we have taken. |
Welcome to YorkieTalk and congrats on your new yorkie! This is a neat tool I like Dog Food Calculator She is a cutie pie! |
Hi and Welcome to YT! Congratulations on your new Yorkie! I'd skip feeding her raw for now, until she puts on the weight she needs. Raw is great for healthy dogs, but as you don't know her history it could cause problems. I'd mix canned food with kibble and feed her twice a day. You can measure out some kibble to leave out for her. It's important to measure the amount so you can tell exactly how much food she is eating. Canned food has more nutrients in it than dry. Just follow the recommended amounts on the package and the cans. I wouldn't overfeed her to try to get the weight on quicker, it's best if they put it back on gradually. You can give her treats in between meals, as long as she still eats her food. I'd take her out for pottying first thing in the morning, after each meal and right before bedtime. |
Welcome to YT and Gracie is very pretty!:) |
Thanks everyone. She is quite a sweetie. To us anyway. We need to get her (and us) into an obedience school. She goes a little crazy when people walk by our house while we are outside. We've decided on two discs of NV and 1/2 cup of Iams/Blue Buffalo per day along with a sprinkling of treats for good behavior. |
She looks like a good weight in the pics you provided. Keep up the good work. Such a little cutie |
I agree with Mika. She looks like a pretty good weight right now, judging from the pic you provided, Also she looks like a real sweetie. In terms of food and amounts. I do the "feel" test, at least once and sometimes more often per week. That is I feel their ribs and spine, and also view them from above. Ribs should be covered with a thinnish amount of muscle/skin, the spin should also not be sharp under your fingers and too easily palpated. When viewed from above, there should be a mild tuck up at the loin/groin area. If you have a very active day, lots of walks n play, then I bump up the food by at least 1/4c cup. Obedience training; good for you! I truly believe all dogs need it! BTW Yorkies do have a rather large guarding instinct. Barking at noises and intruders et al. Talk to your trainer about it; have them suggest some training techniques. There are more than a few approaches to this. Just be consistent with the one you choose. Apply it every day for at least one month, then if no success, it is time to try another method;) |
3 Attachment(s) Oh my! She is adorable. She actually reminds me a lot of Jackson! She looks at a good weight to me, but hard to tell under the hair of course. I prefer a lean dog and keep Jackson that way. He is a healthy 16lbs, almost 4 years old, and on a lazy day (where he maybe gets a few fetch sessions in the house, short potty walks) he gets 1/2 cup per day split into two meals (1/4 cup in AM, 1/4 cup in PM) but he also always gets treats as we do training sessions each day. Also, a bully stick now and then. On an active day (2 hours of swimming, 1-2 hrs of running, walks, etc) he can get up to 3/4 cup if he seems hungry. But he's very active most of the time. I like to see an aeriel shot from above to check on his figure and weight. :) I like to see a tuck up under the waist a bit. It's easier to see when they are wet. |
What a cutie, it sounds to me that you've got a good plan going. I know many people here recommend the Nature's Variety. Some people free feed their dogs like you did you cats, but this can only be done with a high quality kibble, no raw or canned foods. I don't think you can tell by pictures if she's too thin, if the vet says add a couple pounds I'd listen to that, most vets certainly don't want a dog overweight, but underweight can be a serious problem too. Since she's an adult dog, she can probably hold it from 10-6:00. Urination production is slowed down during the night. Some breeder owned dogs are not housebroken and are trained to go in their crates, if this is the case you need to find another way to housebreak besides the traditional crate training. Best of luck, glad she found a new home! |
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