by judy reeney
(oak brook il)
Question
I have a 3 year old Yorkie. She is over her 8 lb. limit. (More like Porkie than Yorkie.
She will eat absolutely everything. I feed her 3 times a day: the portions are 3 cubes of meat each time.(maybe less than an inch cube).
I worry that she may be hungry .
Is this a trait of the Yorkie or have I somehow created this monster?(There is a slight behavioral resemblence to me} HELP
Answer
First it’s important to note that Yorkies can be up to 10 pounds, or sometimes even 12 pounds, so don’t worry too much if your Yorkie is in the 10 or 11 pound range for his weight.
Second, make sure you are feeding him no more than a quarter cup to three quarters a cup of dry dog food each day.
Also make sure that whatever you are feeding him is made up mostly of meat and that it does not contain fillers like corn or other grains as the first ingredient.
It’s possible that if you are only feeding three meat cubes each meal that he’s not getting enough food.
It’s difficult to judge without knowing exactly what size the cubes are. Remember that some dogs simply love to eat, so it’s important to reign in this behaviour before it becomes a serious issue.
Don’t overindulge your Yorkie just because he’s begging. This can lead to a number of health problems, just as it does in humans.
Feel the yorkies Ribs
Yorkies can weigh all the way up to over 20lbs for the bigger ones.
Go to http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/javachat.php and you will be able to find a lot of the bigger Yorkies there (they call it teapot Yorkies!).
A good way to know if your Yorkie is overweight is by feeling its ribs. It should feel like a little fat is covering the bones; not all skinny and bony but not with too much fat either.