9wk yorkie won't eat much

mistyinca · 11-21-2006, 09:21 AM

Me again

(remember, I'm dog dumb! LOL),

OK, now we're having feeding problems. My 9wk yorkie puppy seems to eat very little. We have tried several things. I was first giving her science diet, but she seemed not to like it too much, plus she was having trouble with the kibble size (small bites, but still too big). So I bought Iams small breed puppy, which has a smaller kibble. Long story short, we've basically switched things around a few times, trying to find what she will like. (please don't make this about what I'm feeding, I know some people aren't into Iams--I don't want this to become a food debate).

Now I'm at the point where I think she's just being picky. Basically, she ate about 3 tablespoons of food yesterday (the bag says 1/2 cup). I split it up into four servings (2tb each). She ate about 1/2 of the first serving. None of the second, none of the third, and a few bites of the fourth.

So my question is, if she is just being picky, will hunger set in, and she'll finally start chowing down. Or will she just starve herself?

She is otherwise, healthy looking, active, extremely energetic.

thanks,
Misty

blackgavotte · 11-21-2006, 10:03 AM

Hi Misty, I think you're a worried mommy who loves this baby soooo much ! You've sort of answered your own question.

If she is happy, active and in good body weight, and is healthy, don't sweat this. I don't know how they figure out their amounts of these dog foods but I promise you its not one size fits all.

Like people, some dogs know when to stop, some don't. There are differences in the metabolism, how they use and process their food, their basal metabolic rate and so on. Are you still putting a bit of warm water with her food to soften it for awhile till she is a tad older? ( you can do that all her life if you want to, my guys still get water added to their food and even at 7 Yoshi's teeth are wonderfully clean and strong )

If she was thin or lethargic or whatever, I'd say be concerned, but not if she is an active, healthy, good-weight puppy. She will increase her calories naturally as she grows, but she may never eat what the bag tells you she should. They may also have guestimated it on a larger sized dog for the breed, than she is. I'm sure all is well.

LabLady101 · 11-21-2006, 10:20 AM

Ok, first suggestion is stick with one food. A 9wk old puppies stomach is very sensitive and switching frequently can cause stomach upset.

Second, don't cater to her. She is training you in these behaviors, and if you complete her training, you will never find a food that she "likes". You'll have yourself a picky eater for life. You need to establish an alpha dog relationship with her now. She needs to eat what and when you give it to her. I would put the bowl down for 10 minutes and pick it up- no matter if she's eaten or not. If she didn't eat anything or only ate a portion, she gets that same bowl of food at the next feeding. Yes, it might seem cruel at first, but she'll eventually get the hang of it and will start eating at the scheduled feeding times. She won't starve herself. That being said, you also could be overfeeding. The feeding guidelines on the bag are often overestimated, but they are good places to start if you really don't know how much she should eat.

Thirdly, it does take puppies a few weeks to adjust to their new environment, even though it may seem that they are bonding normally. It is a very stressful time for them with all the new people, sites, sounds, and possible animals (i.e other dogs, cats, birds, etc.). Give her some time. If she doesn't seem to be coming around, maybe a trip to the vet is in order.

Hope that helps,
Darcy

mistyinca · 11-21-2006, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LabLady101

Ok, first suggestion is stick with one food. A 9wk old puppies stomach is very sensitive and switching frequently can cause stomach upset.

Second, don't cater to her. She is training you in these behaviors, and if you complete her training, you will never find a food that she "likes". You'll have yourself a picky eater for life.

Thanks Darcy,

This is what I'm afraid is happening, that is, becoming picky. I have tried several things on her. Sometimes, she would scarf it down, then she would stop and not eat at all. I have tried adding warm water to the food, letting it soften, even the broth from boiling a chicken (no salt, only chicken water), mixing with dry, dry only, etc. I KNOW I have made things inconsistent, but even with the same stuff, she'll eat sometimes, and sometimes not. So then I figure, if it takes this much trouble to fix it, and then she DOESN'T eat it, then I get very frustrated. And then there's all the talk of yorkies and hypoglycemia getting me worried. However, she is a super-de-duper energetic dog.

As long as I know she'll eventually eat it, I can try the tough love take it or leave it, but I'm going to be stressing pretty hard during it LOL. How long might I expect her to give in and eat what's in the bowl? Yesterday was the least she had eaten in a single day.

Thanks,
Misty

mistyinca · 11-21-2006, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackgavotte

Hi Misty, I think you're a worried mommy who loves this baby soooo much ! You've sort of answered your own question.

If she is happy, active and in good body weight, and is healthy, don't sweat this. I don't know how they figure out their amounts of these dog foods but I promise you its not one size fits all.

Thanks,
I just don't want to find out one day that she is underweight (can't tell under all that fur) and I haven't been doing right. I just want her happy and healthy, but I don't want to cater to a picky dog either.

Misty

pupskersandhutch · 11-21-2006, 11:18 AM

I have noticed that smaller dog's are finicky eaters and sometimes they do it out of attention. My little Daisy has had several operations on her bladder she get's stones . After her surgery she was put on a strict diet of a certain dog food she HATED it and for a 2 weeks she would not eat and lost a few pounds and it was scareing our family. When we went to the vet he kept her over night and ran some test and then told us that she just being picky and just whatever you do just get her to eat he gave us suggestions such as boiling chicken with no seasoning no flavors NOTHING ! give her a teaspoon of the juice on her food and shred the chicken just two little peices and she ended up eating her food and is a healthy little stinker today. But deffinatley watch your lilttle baby and if she's not eating I would take her into the vet to get her checked out . I hope I was some help!

Love Megs

LoveLilly · 11-21-2006, 03:16 PM

I have a tiny Papillon and she was a picky eater, although I also learned that it truly does not take much to fill her. She is on Purina Pro Plan small breed puppy with a dehydrated all natural moist food mixed in & hot water. In the beginning the vet did say she was a little underweight by about 1/2 a pound which is alot for someone who at the time was only 3.5 pounds. I did give her nutri-cal on her kibble when she was considered a little to skinny. It helps to ensure they do not become hypoglycemic. And apparently it tastes fantastic. She still fiddle farts around with the eating sometimes but is right on the money with her weight. She is 5.1 pounds where she should be and only eats sometimes 1/4 cup of kibble and 1 1/2 tablespoons moist all day split into 3 meals. Seems like nothing, but she is healthy and the right weight. If you think she is too skinny you can do things like add warm water to make "gravy", add chopped carrot bits, chicken, cheerios, shredded cheese or a little warm peanut butter.

LabLady101 · 11-21-2006, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mistyinca

Thanks Darcy,

This is what I'm afraid is happening, that is, becoming picky. I have tried several things on her. Sometimes, she would scarf it down, then she would stop and not eat at all. I have tried adding warm water to the food, letting it soften, even the broth from boiling a chicken (no salt, only chicken water), mixing with dry, dry only, etc. I KNOW I have made things inconsistent, but even with the same stuff, she'll eat sometimes, and sometimes not. So then I figure, if it takes this much trouble to fix it, and then she DOESN'T eat it, then I get very frustrated. And then there's all the talk of yorkies and hypoglycemia getting me worried. However, she is a super-de-duper energetic dog.

As long as I know she'll eventually eat it, I can try the tough love take it or leave it, but I'm going to be stressing pretty hard during it LOL. How long might I expect her to give in and eat what's in the bowl? Yesterday was the least she had eaten in a single day.

Thanks,
Misty

It may take a few days, it may take one day. But, she will learn to eat when the food is down. I'd say if she eats nothing (and I mean nothing) for 4 days, a trip to vet is in order. But, I think it's probably unlikely in your case that she wouldn't eat for 4 days.

I know how frustrating it is. But truth be told, you'll only be able to tell if she does well on the kibble you're feeding her after she starts eating it consistantly.

Good luck!
Darcy

mistyinca · 11-25-2006, 10:56 AM

I thought I would post an update. Chloe has ended her hunger strike! I've given her the same ol' same ol' for the past several days, and now she just wolfs it down pretty quickly when I put it down for her. After LoveLilly said her little papillion doesn't eat very much, I found a yorkie chat and asked them how much their dogs eat, and it turns out, none of them eat 1/2c a day(that's what was recommended on the small breed puppy food) even at adult. So basically, she eats from 3 TB to 1/4c per day.

Thanks for all the help

...that's one more hurdle we've past!

Jessica&Crew · 11-25-2006, 01:14 PM

That is great news.

It does take a while for a pup to adjust to a food change.

An upset in diet routine can be hard for a pups digestive system, and most people will suggest a very gradual change by mixing the old in with the new.

Yorkies also can be slow teeth growers, so your Chloe may not have been able to work the food with her teeth as needed at first.

Due to her age and breed it is great that she did start eating on her own in fast order. Small pups can easily suffer from hypoglycemia, so nutrition is very important.

Good luck with your girl!

LabLady101 · 11-25-2006, 05:59 PM

That's great news! Thanks for the update. I use the feeding amounts listed on the bag as a guideline only because they are often overestimated. Since I've found my dogs' ideal feeding amount (which does take a bit of trial and error along with some frustration to find), I never go off the bag. I'm glad that you've been able to find at least a more reasonable starting point for Chloe. It sounds like she's on a good track now. Hopefully it will stay that way.

Good luck!
Darcy