Yorkie Suddenly Cries at his food? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Maye · 08-20-2017, 06:39 AM

Hi there! I'm new around here as a member (I have been reading YT posts for some months now). Until now I decided to make an account and dare to ask a question haha.. I read the rules and everything but I'm not sure if it was ok to create a thread for a question...

Frankie is almost seven months now and he has been a picky eater from his very first day with us. With some work and tricks, we have been able to convince him to eat kibble (he loved organic food).

Our vet says we should give him a bit more food in order for him to gain some more weight specially before winter (I live in northern Germany). Frankie refused to eat a bit more (like 20gr more) so I started giving him some chicken and now he doesn't eat his food unless he is starving...

I put some room temperature chicken broth in his kibble to lure him but he stares at it and cries until I go with him and give him some of the wet kibble one by one! he is completely healthy but at this pace he will get skinnier instead of heavier... The "feed me by hand" attitude has been going only for 3 days but I don't want him to get used to that

canana · 08-22-2017, 09:29 AM

Hmm..I know all about the picky eater! Scottie was also picky since day one. He used to pick out the first two kibbles and spat it out on the floor (always reminded me of people who go wine tasting and would spit out wine). I also hand-fed Scottie for the first year, for two reasons: I used his kibble to do daily obedience training (because he had a sensitive stomach and couldn't handle most treats) and second, he would stare at his food and often walk away so I had to make it 'fun' when it was his dinner time.

Anyway, if Frankie was eating kibble regularly, I would just stick to that. Forget the chicken. Don't break what's already working. If he's eating the recommended amount per your dog food bag, he should be fine. They usually continue to bulk up, even after they reach their full size. I recall Scottie finally feeling a little rounder after 1.5 years old. He was always quite lean.

I also recommend feeding him at a regular schedule. That usually helps as dogs are such creatures of habit.

LunarBerry · 08-22-2017, 11:03 AM

lol I feel ya, my girl won't eat her kibble if it's not at least given to her as a small pile before her on the futon/couch, where she's comfy X_x; but better yet if she's hand fed it a few bits at a time or a small amount in your hands. I'm thinking that your hands warm the kibble up and makes it smell more appetizing,... granted of course eating out of your hand may make it more of a "bonding" moment, which depending on the dog on whether they are needy or left alone alot, they might feel it's a way to be closer to you (kind of like how they feed off their biological mommas), but then again they just might be spoiled and finicky :P
And mind you, she's "free fed" and almost never eats out of her dish (seriously, I nor other family members ever see her eat from her dish, anymore), but thankfully she drinks plenty from her water bowl. Before the last two jack russells we've had passed away, she used to always eat from the bowl, usually with them. Me thinks she doesn't like to eat alone, cause she always gets excited if I am cooking dinner, cause sometimes I make her a little plate just for her, and we'll eat together.

Maye · 08-22-2017, 11:04 AM

Thank you for your answer!!! I guess I will continue with the kibble and let him gain weight with age!! I guess he only eats what his instinct tells him he needs...

Thank you!!!

Maye · 08-22-2017, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LunarBerry

lol I feel ya, my girl won't eat her kibble if it's not at least given to her as a small pile before her on the futon/couch, where she's comfy X_x; but better yet if she's hand fed it a few bits at a time or a small amount in your hands. I'm thinking that your hands warm the kibble up and makes it smell more appetizing,... granted of course eating out of your hand may make it more of a "bonding" moment, which depending on the dog on whether they are needy or left alone alot, they might feel it's a way to be closer to you (kind of like how they feed off their biological mommas), but then again they just might be spoiled and finicky :P
And mind you, she's "free fed" and almost never eats out of her dish (seriously, I nor other family members ever see her eat from her dish, anymore), but thankfully she drinks plenty from her water bowl. Before the last two jack russells we've had passed away, she used to always eat from the bowl, usually with them. Me thinks she doesn't like to eat alone, cause she always gets excited if I am cooking dinner, cause sometimes I make her a little plate just for her, and we'll eat together.

Yes @lunarberry! He is a spoiled boy haha I haven't thought about the warmth in my hands! Interesting theory!

canana · 08-22-2017, 01:38 PM

Bitte schön

Good luck with lil Frankie!

P.S. I hand fed Scottie until he was 1yrs old. Lol... To wean him off, I had to "train" him to eat out of a dish. Haha it's funny, because most know how to do this instinctively. He will only eat his meals when I watch him. Sometimes when I'm in a rush and can't watch him eat, he runs between where I am and his dish while he eats. It's so cute!!

P.P.S. I save boiled chicken and chicken broths for only when he's sick.

Queenbeezzg · 08-23-2017, 03:00 PM

My Ziggie does the "I won't eat unless you feed me by hand" thing EVERY MORNING! He will NEVER eat is breakfast unless it's hand fed :/ I am clueless as to how to get around it. For now its not so bad because he is under 2lbs but he is almost 5 months and I can't imagine still doing this when he is full grown. Have you tried other things like maybe some of the gravies they sell for digs as a mix in? I'' sure there are some healthier versions out there you may be able to get.

BayleighL · 08-23-2017, 07:35 PM

When I was young we had a sheltie that was fed canned food every single meal from a teaspoon one bite at a time. She was a puppy that got dumped when a new leash law was passed and found my parents who were painting our new house and had taken some fried chicken with them. What a wonderful dog she was. Spoon feeding strengthened her bond with each of us and was a treat.

That said, we recently had to change our little girl's food to Origen. We found the adult kibble is just too hard for her to chew and switched to the puppy Origen. She loves it.

She also had some trouble eating when she was about 6 months old as new teeth came her baby teeth didn't fall out. The double rows were painful. As soon as she had them pulled she was back in no time at all to eating. Check the teeth!!

lillymae · 08-23-2017, 08:44 PM

Have you tried feeding from a plate verses a bowl ? how deep is the bowl ? as dogs don't like their faces covered . This is a natural instinct as it makes them vulnerable when they can't see what's going on around them.

BayleighL · 08-24-2017, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lillymae

Have you tried feeding from a plate verses a bowl ? how deep is the bowl ? as dogs don't like their faces covered . This is a natural instinct as it makes them vulnerable when they can't see what's going on around them.

Yes, I agree, check the bowls. Our pup dislikes and won't eat or drink from a large dog feeding dish and doesn't like if her tags hit the side of the bowl when she eats.

mrssabes · 08-24-2017, 11:11 AM

Could he be teething? Fabian got weird for a few weeks right at that age and it's because his big boy teeth we coming in, making the kibble hard to chew. He didn't like the taste of the kibble when we softened it, so we just gave him more boiled chicken, which we has already used to.

08-20-2017, 06:39 AM	#1
Maye YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Hamburg, Germany Posts: 3	Yorkie Suddenly Cries at his food? Hi there! I'm new around here as a member (I have been reading YT posts for some months now). Until now I decided to make an account and dare to ask a question haha.. I read the rules and everything but I'm not sure if it was ok to create a thread for a question... Frankie is almost seven months now and he has been a picky eater from his very first day with us. With some work and tricks, we have been able to convince him to eat kibble (he loved organic food). Our vet says we should give him a bit more food in order for him to gain some more weight specially before winter (I live in northern Germany). Frankie refused to eat a bit more (like 20gr more) so I started giving him some chicken and now he doesn't eat his food unless he is starving... I put some room temperature chicken broth in his kibble to lure him but he stares at it and cries until I go with him and give him some of the wet kibble one by one! he is completely healthy but at this pace he will get skinnier instead of heavier... The "feed me by hand" attitude has been going only for 3 days but I don't want him to get used to that __________________ -Maye

08-22-2017, 09:29 AM	#2
canana Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Canada Posts: 1,903	Hmm..I know all about the picky eater! Scottie was also picky since day one. He used to pick out the first two kibbles and spat it out on the floor (always reminded me of people who go wine tasting and would spit out wine). I also hand-fed Scottie for the first year, for two reasons: I used his kibble to do daily obedience training (because he had a sensitive stomach and couldn't handle most treats) and second, he would stare at his food and often walk away so I had to make it 'fun' when it was his dinner time. Anyway, if Frankie was eating kibble regularly, I would just stick to that. Forget the chicken. Don't break what's already working. If he's eating the recommended amount per your dog food bag, he should be fine. They usually continue to bulk up, even after they reach their full size. I recall Scottie finally feeling a little rounder after 1.5 years old. He was always quite lean. I also recommend feeding him at a regular schedule. That usually helps as dogs are such creatures of habit. __________________ ~ laughter is an instant vacation ~ https://scottieandcasie.com/ :: Custom Pet Portrait Paintings

08-22-2017, 11:03 AM	#3
LunarBerry YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: GA, USA Posts: 693	lol I feel ya, my girl won't eat her kibble if it's not at least given to her as a small pile before her on the futon/couch, where she's comfy X_x; but better yet if she's hand fed it a few bits at a time or a small amount in your hands. I'm thinking that your hands warm the kibble up and makes it smell more appetizing,... granted of course eating out of your hand may make it more of a "bonding" moment, which depending on the dog on whether they are needy or left alone alot, they might feel it's a way to be closer to you (kind of like how they feed off their biological mommas), but then again they just might be spoiled and finicky :P And mind you, she's "free fed" and almost never eats out of her dish (seriously, I nor other family members ever see her eat from her dish, anymore), but thankfully she drinks plenty from her water bowl. Before the last two jack russells we've had passed away, she used to always eat from the bowl, usually with them. Me thinks she doesn't like to eat alone, cause she always gets excited if I am cooking dinner, cause sometimes I make her a little plate just for her, and we'll eat together. __________________ R.I.P. Mick & Mandy (before 2010), Mila - 4/3/15, Chloe - 2/18/16, Kimchi - 6/2/2021

08-22-2017, 11:04 AM	#4
Maye YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Hamburg, Germany Posts: 3	Thank you!!! Thank you for your answer!!! I guess I will continue with the kibble and let him gain weight with age!! I guess he only eats what his instinct tells him he needs... Thank you!!! __________________ -Maye

08-22-2017, 01:38 PM	#6
canana Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Canada Posts: 1,903	Bitte schön Good luck with lil Frankie! P.S. I hand fed Scottie until he was 1yrs old. Lol... To wean him off, I had to "train" him to eat out of a dish. Haha it's funny, because most know how to do this instinctively. He will only eat his meals when I watch him. Sometimes when I'm in a rush and can't watch him eat, he runs between where I am and his dish while he eats. It's so cute!! P.P.S. I save boiled chicken and chicken broths for only when he's sick. __________________ ~ laughter is an instant vacation ~ https://scottieandcasie.com/ :: Custom Pet Portrait Paintings

08-23-2017, 03:00 PM	#7
Queenbeezzg Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: California Posts: 58	My Ziggie does the "I won't eat unless you feed me by hand" thing EVERY MORNING! He will NEVER eat is breakfast unless it's hand fed :/ I am clueless as to how to get around it. For now its not so bad because he is under 2lbs but he is almost 5 months and I can't imagine still doing this when he is full grown. Have you tried other things like maybe some of the gravies they sell for digs as a mix in? I'' sure there are some healthier versions out there you may be able to get.

08-23-2017, 07:35 PM	#8
BayleighL YT Addict Join Date: May 2017 Location: Wenatchee, WA USA Posts: 380	When I was young we had a sheltie that was fed canned food every single meal from a teaspoon one bite at a time. She was a puppy that got dumped when a new leash law was passed and found my parents who were painting our new house and had taken some fried chicken with them. What a wonderful dog she was. Spoon feeding strengthened her bond with each of us and was a treat. That said, we recently had to change our little girl's food to Origen. We found the adult kibble is just too hard for her to chew and switched to the puppy Origen. She loves it. She also had some trouble eating when she was about 6 months old as new teeth came her baby teeth didn't fall out. The double rows were painful. As soon as she had them pulled she was back in no time at all to eating. Check the teeth!!

08-23-2017, 08:44 PM	#9
lillymae YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Idaho Posts: 4,544	Have you tried feeding from a plate verses a bowl ? how deep is the bowl ? as dogs don't like their faces covered . This is a natural instinct as it makes them vulnerable when they can't see what's going on around them.

08-24-2017, 11:11 AM	#11
mrssabes YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Concord Posts: 271	Could he be teething? Fabian got weird for a few weeks right at that age and it's because his big boy teeth we coming in, making the kibble hard to chew. He didn't like the taste of the kibble when we softened it, so we just gave him more boiled chicken, which we has already used to.