Have our very first Yorkie

[bettyeanne]

fasteddie ... I have to confess that Toto's little bowl of Royal Canin is more for me than her!! I know that her other food that she eats as soon as she gets it is probably all she needs ... but ... I am always afraid that she will be hungry and since she can't tell me, it makes me feel better just knowing that it's there "just in case"!

[fasteddie]

We do the same exact thing bettyeanne! Always better to leave some dry food out 'just in case'. As long as Toto knows it's there and has access to it when she needs it, that's all that counts!

[stormchaser]

while we're all talking about food please tell me this. At what age do you have to stop watching everything little thing they eat. After having such a hard time straightening out Roxee's tummy we are very cautious about feeding her anything but just the babyfood and Science diet. I would love to be able to let her have alittle treat once in a while.......... Alright maybe more than once in a while but i sure dont want to get her little tummy back in bad shape again after taking so long to get it straightened out.

[fasteddie]

We were more losse about things after the first year, but every case is different, eh? If Roxee has a susceptible tummy, be careful about it! Best to be safe than sorry...

[bettyeanne]

Originally Posted by stormchaser

while we're all talking about food please tell me this. At what age do you have to stop watching everything little thing they eat. After having such a hard time straightening out Roxee's tummy we are very cautious about feeding her anything but just the babyfood and Science diet. I would love to be able to let her have alittle treat once in a while.......... Alright maybe more than once in a while but i sure dont want to get her little tummy back in bad shape again after taking so long to get it straightened out.

Stormchaser, I have good news and I have bad news!! The bad news is, if you're like us, you never really stop watching every little thing they eat!! [Of course, we're always being accused of being over-protective!] The good news is, if you're training by the "reward" method ... you can give Roxee Honeycomb cereal for her treat! That's what our vet recommended ... but didn't tell us how much ... we were giving her a whole piece every time to reward. I remembered to ask Dr. Lucy how many pieces total per day ... she said 6! Oops!!! Soooo ... I broke them into 4 little pieces so her six gave her 24 little treats. Now that she is bigger I just break them in half and she still gets 12! After we got over our fear of that tiny little dog we began to make a few decisions on our own but for the most part we go strictly by Dr. Lucy's instructions! Good luck!

[Maddie-Rudy-Mom]

Glad to hear Roxee is doing better. There is a lot of good advice on this site. My two yorkies have been healthy, but Rudy my 9 month old yorkie is a tutt and gets into everything and it seems I go to the vet every week. I think it is real important to trust and feel comfortable with your vet. You know your furbaby better than anyone so don't hesitate to change vets if you don't feel he is the one for you and your furbabie...........Cindy

[stormchaser]

Thanks Cindy believe me i'm quickly getting on first name bases with our vet and seems like we've found a very good one. Its nice to finally not worry "as much" as i'm sure you all know what i mean. We just love our babygirl so much i dont think we'll ever stop worrying but as much as we've enjoy the little bitty puppy stage i'm glad she's getting alittle older. And your right Cindy this group is wonderful they've been more help to me than i can ever say.

[mmyorkies]

Yorkies, and other toy dogs all seem to have tummie problems much more than the bigger dogs do. They are more prone to pancreatitis, and belly aches. One thing to watch for is that you are not feeding them anything that is greasy. They don't do well with greasy foods. Another thing you may want to avoid in the dog foods is corn. A lot of dogs develope alergies to corn. I have 5 yorkies and have had my share of belly aches, and a couple of my babies are real friendly with pepto bismol, and kopeptate.

[stormchaser]

Here's another question for you. LIke you all didnt expect another one lol. But like an old College instructor once told me " the only dumb question is the one you don't ask " so here it goes. Does anyone have and ideas on taking chicken broth and using it inplace of the babyfood we've been using to mix with her Science diet. She really likes the chicken flavor and im sure would do well with it mixed in her dry food and that would get her off the babyfood. And again thanks everyone and have a great weekend.

[fasteddie]

Is the chicken broth greasy? As MM says, greasy is bad! We just cook Yoda's drumstick in hot water, then cut up the meat and mix it in with his Royal Canin dog food. I haven't thought about using the soup or chicken broth at all. Also, when we give him his own oxtail to chew on, we cook that in just plain hot water as well, and don't season it and make it salty or put any additional flavoring for him. Plain suits him just fine!

[bettyeanne]

I approached Toto the same way I did my child! Looked at her like a "blank canvas"!! They learn what you teach them! Amanda didn't know that granulated sugar existed until she was about 3-4 years old!! I had intended to explain these types of thing to her when she was old enough to understand! Along comes my sister! Heaped sugar on her rice krispies that she had eaten her entire life with nothing but milk! You have to draw a broad line with everyone, especially family!! I did this with Toto and "put the fear of God" in anyone who dare give her a nibble from their plate or believes that the correct training method is a little rolled up newspaper!! I am a firm believer that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and methods. Just because my view isn't the same ... that's OK! [I believe that's the reason that Patrick and I never have arguements! We respect each other's opinions, discuss them and if they differ ... that's OK!] 99% of the time we agree on everything concerning Toto ... it's been such a great learning experience because we were both "clueless" about Yorkies!! I have had a little problem with my "soft touch" guy and those few "little nibbles" from his plate!! Even though he totally agrees that he shouldn't do it ... he has occasionally had moments of weakness!
Stormchaser, I totally agree with your professor "the only dumb question is the one you don't ask"! You didn't perhaps attend UA, did you? The only times that Toto has had any tummy problems [thank God, they were brief] was when we were travelling and had to order something from a Cracker Barrel for her to eat and even though Patrick carefully instructed them that the food was for our Yorkie and she could have no seasoning ... it was greasy and the poor baby pooped everywhere ... had to make a really quick exit off I20 and took about an hour to clean everything up! The other "memorable" occasion was Gerber Graduates Mixed Veggies! Toto loves the green beans and the little carrots [and Dr. Lucy approved!] so I decided to introduce her to the mixed veggies without asking! BAD idea! mmyorkies, after reading what you said about corn ... she ate no more than 5 grains ... we never knew if it was the peas or the corn ... must have been the corn that upset her tummy! We didn't know, just never gave her either of those again! There is nothing uglier than a tiny Yorkie, long coat and a Nonnie with a very weak stomach!!

[mmyorkies]

Seeing as I make my own meat mixture for my dogs, I cook whole chickens, then the broth is used for cooking rice, carrots, broccoli, barley, and some type of pasta. Before I put that in the grease is dipped of the top. I also use seasoning like oregano, garlic powder, rosemary, and parsely. This is all mixed together with petvet vitamins added, and frozen in containers until I am ready for them. I mix this with their kibble in their evening meal. The broth is what makes it tasty for them also.

[stormchaser]

Well looks like we've finally gotten our little darling straightened out. We've just left her on the Science Diet and babyfood and that seems to be working great. She eats great and seems to have no more problems with her little tummy so we're not messing with anything. Like the old saying goes if it's not broke dont go fixing it. She's growing like a weed and so active she drives us nuts sometimes with her playing but i'll take that anytime. She's just a joy to us and i cant imagined loving alittle anymore than i do her. She just turned 15 weeks and weighs about 4 lbs and doesnt seem fat although that's bigger than some at that age that's fine with us we just love her so much. And again thanks everyone for all the wonderful advice its meant more than you can imagine. Everyone have a great day.

[fasteddie]

YAY! Good to hear stormchaser! The growing-like-a-weed stage is so cute. Everyone around you will notice how much bigger she gets, but you won't notice it as much since you see her everyday.

Yup, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

[stormchaser]

I do have one question for you experienced yorkie parents. Here's the thing Roxee is doing great now and like i said growing like a weed. She doesnt seem to be the picky eater than some yorkies are, infact she eats just about anything we put down. She's almost 4 months old and weighs alittle over 4 lbs. now. Her mom weighed about 5 and her dad weighed about 6 if that gives u some idea to work with here. I know the importance of not letting them get over weight. But at alittle over 4 lbs Roxee doesnt look over weight at all. I know all the formuals to guess what there going to weigh grown but my question is how can u tell by looking if their over weight or not. If anyone has any thoughts on that question i'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks everyone have a great day.