New here and puppy questions

[kenrhia]

Hi all. I just picked up a new puppy last night and while I have had a yorkie before I got it at an older age them this little guy. He is 8 weeks old, the breeder gave me a bag of eukanuba. She said to soak it in hot water then mash and to feed him about the size of a walnut serving 3 times a day. Well I am doing that but he acts starved. I was worried also that he had not pooped but he just took care of that issue and kinda gross cause he just came across the floor carrying it in his mouth. Now I am kinda worried that his has pottied before and consumed it because of being hungry. Can he safely be fed more often then 3 times? My last yorkie was a free feed. I am scared of doing anything wrong with this little guy, I just lost my other yorkie monday evening so I am rather stressed at the moment. I am scheduling a vet check for next week for my little as yet un named guy. He is a tiny thing and only suppose to reach 3 1/2 pounds. Any advise from you all will be so appreciated.

[KazzyK810]

Have you taken your new pup to the vet yet? What does your vet recommend?

Sounds like your pup is hungry. A walnut size only 3 times a day doesn't seem like enough. I got my pup young too and my vet set a feeding schedule of every 4 hours, so 6 times a day, as it's very important to keep their blood sugar levels even with regular feedings at such a young age. And water should always be available.

Welcome to YT

[Suze225]

I free feed both of my yorkies, strictly because they are both very small eaters, and never eat more than a mouthful at a time. It is very important that your baby eat several times a day, especially one so young. I hand feed both of mine at least 2 times a day, I can be sure they are at least eating this way.

I got my first yorkie at a very young age, she was only 6 weeks old. It can be done, but it takes a lot of time and effort to make sure they are ok and healthy. 8 weeks is pretty young!!

Good luck with your new baby and congrats!! Get that vet check done as soon as possible too!!!

[dawn27]

It's good to follow the recommendation of the breeder as far as a scheduled feedings. But, you need to follow your instincts ! If you feel the the little guy isn't getting enough food than feed him more at each feeding. I always have a set schedule for my pups when I send them off with their new owners, but tell them to stick to it as much as possible and adapt to their own life styles. Its important that he get enough to eat so that he does not go into a hypoglycemic shock for lack of nutrition.

My suggestion to you would be to keep him on a schedule, but let him eat as much as he want at eat feeding. Be sure to have a set cut off time for feeding in order to help you with potty training. That gives him time to relieve himself before bedding down for the night so there are no accidents.

I have four Yorkies and out of the four, three of them eat poop. Don't know why and I don't know how to stop them at this point. I've tried and tried but nothing works. My vet says that it's not always about being hungry. And my dogs have always free fed up to just a short time ago. (they are too fat) So if you feel it may become a long time problem do what ever you can to nip it in the bud.

[bellababy08]

Hi Welcome to YT! and Congrats on your new baby.

Your baby is very young, he should still be with his Mom and litter mates until 12 weeks old...Puppies learn Socialization, bitting inhabition, they learn what is acceptable and what isn't from Mom and littermates.

I would not wait to get him to the Vet...I would get him in today.

You need to have food/water out for him 24/7...feeding 3 times a day is not enough they need more...thats probably why he is eating his poop...puppies burn a lot of energy they need food 24/7 right now...very important to keep his sugar level up.

I wouldn't go by what your breeder said, she did sell a 8 week old pup...not a good breeder IMO but whats done is done...and your puppy is going to need a lot of sleep right now very important. I wouldn't let him play anymore than 15 to 20 minutes.

Good luck with your new baby

[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by bellababy08

Hi Welcome to YT! and Congrats on your new baby.

Your baby is very young, he should still be with his Mom and litter mates until 12 weeks old...Puppies learn Socialization, bitting inhabition, they learn what is acceptable and what isn't from Mom and littermates.

I would not wait to get him to the Vet...I would get him in today.

You need to have food/water out for him 24/7...feeding 3 times a day is not enough they need more...thats probably why he is eating his poop...puppies burn a lot of energy they need food 24/7 right now...very important to keep his sugar level up.

I wouldn't go by what your breeder said, she did sell a 8 week old pup...not a good breeder IMO but whats done is done...and your puppy is going to need a lot of sleep right now very important. I wouldn't let him play anymore than 15 to 20 minutes.

Good luck with your new baby

Ditto! I am a proponent of free feeding too -- especially for puppies and even more so for puppies that still should be with their momma. If eating poop continues, there are products you can buy to sprinkle on the foodto deter them from doing it. You can also try adding a little pineapple to their food. For some reason, it makes their poop unappetizing to them and they stop eating it. Try to get to the poop as soon as they do it. Harder when you free feed as it is harder to determine when their normal schedule will be, but at this stage, you should be watching the little guy at all times when he is out of his crate or play yard.

[BlondeLocks]

I don't believe you are feeding him enough ... at least 4x a day. How much does he weigh? When I got my Kody I took him to the vet the very next day.

[kenrhia]

I have made an appointment with the vet for tomorrow for a health check plus to find out the weight and his advise on food amount. Until then I will add a little more food to his dish and feed him more frequently than the 3 times a day. He is a very active little thing.

[bellababy08]

Originally Posted by kenrhia

I have made an appointment with the vet for tomorrow for a health check plus to find out the weight and his advise on food amount. Until then I will add a little more food to his dish and feed him more frequently than the 3 times a day. He is a very active little thing.

I believe you'll find most Vets will tell you to free fed a Yorkie puppy cause of there small size and sugar level dropping so fast. When a yorkie puppy has hypoglycemic they crash really fast and even die...thats why its important to have food for them 24/7.

And you haven't seen nothing yet LOL...I have a 20 weeks old pup Harley so he don't sleep as much anymore...he is always into something and bouncing off the wallsbut I love him ...he gives my 2 yr old Yorkie Bella a run for her money.

Hope all goes well at the Vet.

[caw]

I bought several books on yorkies just prior to buying my little girl and it says to feed yorkie pups 4-5 times daily. I work, so I free fed Daisy when she was a young pup. I believe it said that when they get to be around 6-7 months of age you can reduce it to 3 times and then closer to a year you can reduce it again to 2 times a day. Your dog sounds like it might be a tiny and the feeding rules may be different. The best thing to do is get to the vet ASAP to find out what kind of feeding schedule your particular pup needs. Baby yorkies can "fade" very easily if not fed and monitored properly. If you are already having concerns and issues, I'd move the date up with the vets office.

[Wabbit]

Eukenuba is a low quality dog food....First I would suggest buying a premium quality dog food....that might help put an end to his poo eating habits...as his body will absorb more nutrients from the higher quality food...

and secondly I don't really trust the advice of a breeder that allows an 8 week old puppy to leave it's mom.

And finally....Puppies should have access to food and water 24/7...they don't eat much and I found my babies to be more grazers anyhow..never eating more than a couple bites at a time all day...

Being so small I would also have honey or nutrical on hand in case his blood sugar drops...

Good luck..I hope your puppy is healthy!

[dawn27]

Here in Ohio the law is that a puppy only needs to be 8 weeks of age before being released to it's new owners. That is when I release my pups unless there are health issues. I never send a pup to it's new owner unless I am 100% possitive they are ready.

I do agree however some pups should be kept longer due to size of the pup to ensure it gets the proper nutrition from the mother. The smaller they are the longer they should be nursing.

[Wabbit]

Originally Posted by dawn27

Here in Ohio the law is that a puppy only needs to be 8 weeks of age before being released to it's new owners. That is when I release my pups unless there are health issues. I never send a pup to it's new owner unless I am 100% possitive they are ready.

I do agree however some pups should be kept longer due to size of the pup to ensure it gets the proper nutrition from the mother. The smaller they are the longer they should be nursing.

I would bet that puppy doesn't weigh more than 1 1/2 pounds...If you have to wet down his food and mash it.....clearly that baby should still be with it's momma.

And I'll just stop there.

[kenrhia]

I am sure I will not keep him on the eukanuba food, will prob buy what the vet recommends. I upped his amount of food at his last feeding to just under a fouth cup, he wolfed it down in seconds then proceded to rut around searching for more. I feel if I were to leave food for free feeding then he would eat til he got sick, perhaps when he is older I can do the free feed as I did this with my prior yorkie. He does have an appointment with the vet at 2 on saturday so I will know more about him after this. I do have honey and karo syrup but right now he is a ball of non stop energy when I take him from the playpen unless I sit and hold him.

[mileydog]

Originally Posted by Wabbit

Eukenuba is a low quality dog food....First I would suggest buying a premium quality dog food....that might help put an end to his poo eating habits...as his body will absorb more nutrients from the higher quality food...

and secondly I don't really trust the advice of a breeder that allows an 8 week old puppy to leave it's mom.

And finally....Puppies should have access to food and water 24/7...they don't eat much and I found my babies to be more grazers anyhow..never eating more than a couple bites at a time all day...

Being so small I would also have honey or nutrical on hand in case his blood sugar drops...

Good luck..I hope your puppy is healthy!

I disagree that Eukenuba is a low quality dog food. Probably not the highest quality with respect to protein levels but overall not a bad food. For the food snobs out there, yes there are higher quality foods out there including grain free, holistic etc..but overall don't worry about the brand of food.

We did free feed our little one for the first 6 months. They usually just pick and run. It's hard to overfeed them when they are young but once they are about 1 year old, we only fed them 2 times a day. Once in the morning and once for dinner. Enjoy your new baby.