For most dogs it is best to break up the feedings into two meals. I am talking about healthy adult dogs.

Please I agree with others no force feedings!

If you want to use Royal Canine and it works for your dog, fine use it. My 6.5 lb dog gets 1/4 lb or 4 ounces of home cooked in one day split into two meals. He also gets 4 pieces of tartar defense.

He is at an ideal weight for his height and frame.

If we exercise a lot, and in summertime that often happens in the mornings, he gets treats, then a another lunch time meal of 2 ounces or so.

I do not believe in leaving kibble or any food down for grazing all day, unless there is some over-arching medical condition.

I put down the food in the morning, if not eaten after 10 - 15 minutes or so up it comes; otherwise the other piggies in my household will eat it. Plus I know how much each dog eats every day.

Before commenting on this thread I read the OP's previous thread for more info: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...-question.html

Based on info given in both threads my comments are:

1. Don't force feed a 7lb. 5 year old dog. You may think that the throwing up bile is caused from not eating, but I would be more inclined to think that the not eating is the dogs way of backing off food because something is upsetting his system. The throwing up bile may be due to whatever underlying problem is there.

In your previous thread you said you had blood work done, but I don't think you had a bile acid test done. I think you should do it, as it would help you see if your dog's liver is properly handling food/fats/protein etc.

My Tiki has times when she backs off of eating and has yellow vomit and diarrhea. She has MVD, which means her liver does not properly filter toxins. She does very well if I make sure she eats only a high quality kibble that is lower in protein and fat; but if somebody gives her a piece of bacon or cheeseburger.... she gets sick.

I'm wondering if maybe your dog might have the same problem. A bile acid test would give you more information on how he processes food.

First day update...
. Kibble in the am, didnt want to eat it. Noon, didnt want to eat it. Walked a lot today out and about. Came home ate a little bit on his own. Dinner we boiled chicken breast and mixed with kibble. He ate all the chicken and some of the kibble.

At 7 lbs. I doubt he's going to starve.... he will eat when ready and when hungry. It takes time to change the routine, but keep giving him the good stuff.

Exactly what I was hoping to hear.

Do you know of any good wet foods to try?

I don't use wet foods. I feed a high quality kibble (1/3 cup twice a day) and sometimes a bit of diced boiled chicken. I give them frozen green beans for treats and they love lettuce too. When the pups were babies I did partial home cooked food for them, boiled chicken breast and rice with carrots & green beans. They each got a big tablespoon of that on top of their 1/4 cup of kibble. I stopped that after 2 years because I felt they were gaining too much weight. They are not picky at all and will eat anything.

Your RC is a good kibble I think. It provides all of their nutrients, he really doesn't need anything else. Sometimes it is good to change (but very slowly) if you think they get bored with it. Some people suggest sprinkling a little parmesan cheese on their kibble as the smell makes it more appetizing to them.

Wow, the parmesan cheese really helped. Sprinkled a little bit and he went crunching away..

Happy to hear that. I've learned so many tricks here on Yorkie Talk.

This makes me happy! I'm so glad you are taking the advice of many knowledgable people :thumbup:
Your little man will be much happier enjoying his mealtimes now, and let's face it...If they are happy, we are happy!

Update: eating is going well. He hasnt thrown up,has had good bowel movements, and seems hapoier and more lively. He tends to skip breakfast and eat a little at noon and finish a bunch at dinner.

hopefully yhis continues! Cant thank you all enough!

:thumbup: That's awesome!

Sounds like a happy healthy guy to me. Happy it is working out well.

Everytime I read a positive update it warms my heart :)

Alot of the babies here enjoy fresh veggies & fruit too! Carrots, green beans, pieces of apple w/no peal etc (No grapes or onions) He might like them too as a crunchy snack :animal-pa

Hello all, little update, he is eating kibble well, but is now stuck on this parmesan cheese! He will not eat it without it. I only put a pinch, if that. Its such a small amount that its barely visible. I do not want him to get addicted, but i also meed him to eat!
Any suggestions?

This goes without saying, but thank you for taking the time to help!

A tiny pinch is not going to hurt him, so don't worry. It is much better than the Little Ceasar food he was previously eating. His good quality kibble is giving him plenty of nutrition.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: I'll just quote this instead of getting myself banned for what I'm really thinking.

If you have to force feed your dog....maybe he hates it...maybe its not providing the proper nutrition...switch to a better quality dog food. You should not have to be force feeding your dog on a regular basis...there is something clearly wrong..maybe your dog has gastrointesinal problems and therefore eating is rough...switch to a high quality food and take your dog to a good vet to get checked out!
If your dog is picking out the boiled chicken and not really eating the kibble maybe consider cooking your dogs food, but be aware that boiled chicken alone is not a nutritionally balanced meal. I have put a good recipe below that I give my yorkie everyday.

Cesar has a 2.5% rating and considered a below average dog food on dogfoodadvisor. Its ingredients are questionable and do not look like it has much nutritional benefit. Educate yourself on good dog food nutrition and always read the ingredient label on every dog food you consider buying. Ingredients: Sufficient water for processing, beef by-products, liver, meat by-products, beef, chicken, chicken by-products, calcium carbonate, natural flavor, added color, sodium tripolyphosphate, carrageenan, dried yam, xanthan gum, potassium chloride, salt, erythorbic acid, natural filet mignon flavor, guar gum, zinc sulfate, vitamin A, D3, and E supplements, sodium nitrite (for color retention), d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1).

What dogfoodadvisor says: The first item in this dog food lists water, which adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.
Three of the next six ingredients are all animal by-products, slaughterhouse waste. This is what’s left of slaughtered animals after all the prime cuts have been removed.
In a nutshell, animal by-products are the unsavory leftovers of processing considered by many “unfit for human consumption”.
In addition to organs (the nourishing part), this stuff can contain almost anything — feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs, heads, ovaries or developing fetuses — anything except quality skeletal muscle (real meat).
What’s worse, the ingredient labeled “meat by-products” is anonymous. It doesn’t even specify the source animal. So, this meat can come from almost anywhere, even diseased or dying livestock.
Although animal by-products can be high in protein, we do not consider ingredients like these quality items.
Now, returning to the list, the third ingredient is liver. Normally, liver can be considered a quality component. However, in this case, the source of the liver is not identified.
For this reason, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this item.
The fifth ingredient is beef. Beef is defined as “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cattle” and includes skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.
The sixth ingredient is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”. Beef and chicken are naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to have much of an effect on the overall rating of this product.
With three notable exceptions…
First, we’re always disappointed to find artificial coloring in any dog food. Coloring is used to make the product more appealing to you, not your dog. After all, do you really think your dog cares what color his kibble is?
Next, we note the inclusion here of we also note the presence of sodium nitrite, a controversial color preservative. Sodium nitrite has been linked to the production of cancer-causing substances (known as nitrosamines) when meats are exposed to high cooking temperatures.
Thirdly, carrageenan is a gelatin-like thickening agent extracted from seaweed. Although carrageenan has been used as a food additive for hundreds of years, there does appear to be some recent controversy regarding its long term biological safety.
And lastly, we find no detailed listing of the minerals included in this product. So, there’s no way for us to know with certainty if these minerals are chelated.
Non-chelated minerals are considered more difficult to absorb.

Chicken & Quinoa
Makes about 15 servings

Ingredients
2 cups cooked organic free range extra lean ground beef or ground lean turkey or ground lean chicken
1 1/2 cups cooked organic Quinoa
3/4 cup pureed organic vegetable mix (boiled broccoli, pumpkin, carrot, peas, spinach)
3/4 cup pureed organic fruit mix (apple, banana, mixed berries)
1 cup cooked organic Oatmeal
1 hard boiled egg
3 crushed garlic cloves
**To make this a balanced nutritional meal you will need to add vitamins etc. Read below to see what I use

Steps
1. Cook ground meat thoroughly with crushed garlic. Set aside.
2. Cook quinoa in separate pot. Set aside.
3. Boil egg. Set aside.
4. Cook your veggies then put them in a food processor with fruits and hard boiled egg, then puree. Set aside.
5. Cook oatmeal in another separate pot or microwave if you're using instant oats. Set aside.
6. Put all ingredients into a long casserole type dish and mix thoroughly. Use a spatula to flatten the mixture in the dish and let cool down a bit. Then portion it out and place individual portions into saran wrap and wrap each portion separately. Freeze all portions and take out however much you need the night before to thaw in the fridge.

Supplements for a complete balanced meal:
Multi-Vitamin: Rx Vitamins for PETS - Rx ESSENTIALS FOR DOGS (Really great high quality with extras like spirulina, chicory root, milk thistle, kelp, beta carotene)
Omegas: Abound - Hemp Oil for dogs
Probiotic: Rx Vitamins for PETS - Rx Biotic

Extra Supplements that Buster takes (because he's 13 and in his golden years):
Glucosamine for joints: UBA Vet Gold - Glucosamine HCL powder formula
Bowel health support: RX Vitamins for PETS - Nutrigest
Vision supplement: Ocu-GLO RX
Organ support (liver & kidney): Standard process - Arginex
Kidney support: Standard process - Renafood
Energy supplement: Ultimate pet - Rejeneril
Cough relief: NaturTech - Respirare

**Garlic is a controversial ingredient for dogs. I personally believe it to be safe but if you don't..just leave it out! Here is a great read on Garlic for dogs and how its safe: Garlic For Dogs: Poison Or Medicine? | Dogs Naturally Magazine

dog
 

The dog I am watching eats Royal Canine. It is a good dog food. I would give this food to your dog and not the Ceasar stuff. jPlease do not force feed your sweet Yorkie. A dog will eat if the food is tasty and he is hungry. If you have to force feed that will cause a health problem. We have some really good Yorkie breeders here in San Diego, just give them a call if you have questions. Or call my vet at the Pet Hospital in Tierrasanta. They are so willing to help. I hope you find a good food. Royal Canine is small kibble and tasty. Try that! Banjo the dog here loves it.